Tarzan Boy

1 oz Rhum Agricole (Blanc)
1⁄2 oz Bianco Vermouth
1⁄2 oz Dry vermouth
1⁄2 oz Campari
1⁄2 oz Passion fruit syrup
1 twst Orange peel (As garnish)
Instructions

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Fill with ice, garnish with an orange twist, and add a straw.

History

For Yacht Rock Sundays at Loyal Nine in 2015, I crafted a tropical Negroni that I dubbed the Tarzan Boy for I was sourcing drink names from our playlist. The idea started with how passion fruit modulates Campari into something tropical and not incredibly bitter -- an idea I was first introduced to in Jamie Boudreau's Novara. Rhum agricole bolstered the tropical aspects of the mix, and I kept with white vermouths to allow the guava-like color to sing out. The Tarzan Boy was popular enough that it made the regular cocktail list once the Yacht Rock Sunday series concluded in the early Fall.

Cocktail summary
Posted by yarm on
Created by
Frederic Yarm, Loyal Nine, Cambridge, MA
Year
2015
Is the
author's original creation
Reference

https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2015/10/tarzan-boy.html

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Average
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(5 ratings)
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Comments

Somehow the grassiness of the agricole, the grapefruit zest-like bitter flavor of the Campari, the passion fruit, and the vermouth combine to create an intense neoprene flavor for me. I have sampled some un-aged Hmong rice whiskey distillate with the very same flavor note (although the latter is minus the other fruit and sweet characteristics.) That isn't all bad, as there are some interesting things happening that some will appreciate. However, this isn't what I was expecting or looking for.

yarm commented on 11/29/2023:

I've gotten that rubber/plastic note from some rhum agricoles and not others. And citrus can soften that note, but straight spirits drinks don't hide it well. So I can see that. Which one did you use BTW?

I used JM Rhum Agricole Blanc (110 proof), Dolin Dry & Blanc Vermouths, Campari, and Small Hand Passion Fruit Syrup. It can be weird/undpredictable how disparate flavors and fruits can combine to make something unlike any of them. The "chocolate" notes that appear in the Tin Can Telephone are a more tasty example (for that I was using Cinzano sweet vermouth as a first pass, rather than something like Cocchi di Torino which is known for providing a mild chocolate note.)