[1] One of the top rum the top rum drinks, the Daiquiri, invented by an American engineer in Cuba (photo © TemperedSpirits.com).

[2] The Dark & Stormy, made with dark rum (photo © Hyatt Regency| LA).

[3] Our favorite rum cocktail is the Banana Daiquiri. Here’s a recipe from CookingWithCurls.com*.

[4] The Sidecar. Does anyone today know what a sidecar is? It’s a one-wheeled attachment to a motorcycle that enables a second person to ride. The story is that the drink was named after the sidecar in which a customer customarily was driven to and from the little bistro where the drink was born (source) (photo © Adam Jaime | Unsplash).

August 16th is National Rum Day. This year it’s on a Tuesday, but that’s not stopping us from enjoying some of the top rum cocktails.

We’re having a rum cocktail party the weekend before and the weekend after, to try and compare as many rum drinks as we can.

If you like this idea, here are the top rum cocktails (although there are scores and scores of them).

Since rum is distilled from sugar cane (actually, the molasses left over from refining the cane juice into sugar crystals), it’s not surprising that these are sweet drinks.

All have added sugar and many have variations (e.g. Banana Daiquiri, Pomegranate Mojito).

All have their traditional garnishes, from lime wedges and mint sprigs to a pineapple wedge and gardenia†.

For your consideration, here are recipes for the top rum cocktails (don’t get mad if some links make you sign into the website, to verify that you are 21 or older).

> The history of rum.
 
 
THE MOST POPULAR RUM COCKTAILS

 
…not to mention the Bahama Mama, Beach Bum, Brass Monkey, Bushwacker, Flaming Volcano.
 
You could have a cocktail party that just includes rum drinks with evocative names!

FINAL TIP: Drink responsibly, unless you’re hosting a sleepover party. And even then.
 
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*BANANA DAIQUIRI RECIPE: Here’s our own recipe per drink, from a bartender we met in the Caribbean way back during Spring Break: Toss in the blender 1 very ripe banana, 3 tablespoons ounces white rum, 2 tablespoons banana liqueur (it delivers a richer banana flavor), 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice.

Some people toss cracked ice into the blender to make it a frozen drink. Either way, it’s delicious.

†THE SCORPION: As far as anyone can tell, the Scorpion was first served 1930s at a Honolulu bar called The Hut. “Trader Vic” Bergeron (“Trader Vic”) picked up the recipe a decade or so later at his bar in Oakland, California.

He tweaked it a bunch and multiplied it by about four, and thus birthed the Scorpion Bowl, a large-format cocktail now served in Tiki bars and seedy Chinese joints around the world. The Scorpion, when served in a bowl large enough to float the flower.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

August is National Sandwich Month, time to move beyond your standard choices and try something different.

Since August is also National Panini Month, we dragged the panini press out of the closet (no room on the counter!) and invited a group of friends to a “Panini Brunch.” They asked what they could bring, and we told them: whatever you want to drink with your panini.
 
FOR A PANINI BRUNCH

Starting with ciabatta bread, everyone picks his/her sandwich ingredients from a selection of:

 
We added a mixed green salad with a Dijon vinaigrette. For dessert: biscotti and Italian dessert wine (look for Moscato d’Asti or Vin Santo).

 
PANINI HISTORY

A panini press is an electric sandwich grill consisting of two metal plates hinged together. The hot plates are clamped down on a prepared sandwich, pressing it into a dense sandwich while toasting the outsides of the bread with the signature grill marks and warming the filling (in the case of cheese, melting it).

Before sandwich grills, toasters or griddles were used to make toasted sandwiches. Thomas Edison invented an early sandwich grill in the 1920s, but it didn’t take off commercially.

Fast forward: Sandwiches toasted in a panini press became popular in Italian bars and cafés in the 1970s and 1980s. The trend spread internationally, and in another decade, panini presses could be found in appliance departments across the U.S.

The sandwich grill—the panini press is the Italian version— made it possible to brown two slices of bread at the same time.

Panino means “little bread” in Italian, and literally refers to a roll (a “little loaf”). Panino imbottito. “stuffed panino,” refers to the sandwich, but the word panino is also often used alone in context to refer to the sandwich.

In Italian, panino is singular, panini is plural. English speakers adapted the words: panini for singular, panini for plural.
 
PANINI TIPS

 
MORE SANDWICH IDEAS

Don’t want panini? How about:

 
And don’t overlook:

[1] A panino of turkey, cheddar and sliced apple (photo courtesy USApple.org).[2] One of our favorites: turkey, gruyère, caramelized onions and tomato (photo courtesy Rick’s Picks). [3] Grilled veggies (photo courtesy PotsAndPans.com). [4] A panini press (photo courtesy Breville).

What’s your weekend cocktail?

For the next three weeks, when watching the Olympics, it could be the Caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil. It’s made with the national’s official spirit, cachaça.

In the U.S., cachaça is considered “Brazilian rum,” but don’t call it that in front of a Brazilian!

[1] The national cocktail of Brazil: the Caipirinha (photo courtesy JamieOliver.com). [2] A leading brand of cachaça, Leblon is named after the most affluent neighborhood in Rio.

1. MUDDLE the lime and sugar into glass; then add ice to the top of the glass.

2. ADD the cachaça, stir, garnish and serve.
 
MORE CACHACA RECIPES

 
THE OLD-FASHIONED GLASS

The Old Fashioned glass, also called lowball glass, or rocks glass, is a short tumbler used for serving an alcoholic beverage with ice cubes (“on the rocks”). It gets its name from the Old Fashioned cocktail, invented in the 1860s in New York City.

Old Fashioned glasses are made with a wide brim and a thick base for muddling (source).

Bottoms up!

[1] Lay out the ingredients for the easiest DIY dessert. [2] Ricotta salata, made in a mold, is salted. It’s better for a DIY with savory toppings (photos courtesy Good Eggs). [3] and [4] Crunchy Wasa Thins in Sesame & Sea Salt, also available in Sea Salt & Rosemary (photos courtesy Wasa).

You may know ricotta from cannoli and cheesecake. They’re delicious desserts, but require some preparation.

For summer, there’s another option: The 5 Minute Ricotta Dessert Bowl, as created by Good Eggs, a top-quality online grocer in San Francisco.

Yes, in just five minutes you can set ingredients on the table, DIY-style, and everyone can have fun (and good nutrition!) customizing their bowls.

 
RECIPE: DIY RICOTTA BOWLS

Ricotta is actually not a cheese but a by-product of cheese-making which uses the whey drained from other cheeses. Whey is the watery part of milk that remains after the formation of the curds. In fact, the name means “re-cooked.” Here’s more ricotta information.

You can even make your own ricotta at home. Here’a a recipe from Williams-Sonoma.

Turn it into a build-your-own dessert—no cooking, no heat, cool comfort food.

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
Savory Ingredient Options

Use the same nuts/seeds, yogurt/sour cream and crackers, plus:

 
HAVE A RICOTTA TASTING

Set out different brands, from big commercial brands or the store brand, to freshly-made ricotta from the cheese department.

Taste each type plain: just a spoonful.

Good Eggs uses Bellwether Farms Sheep’s Milk Ricotta in this recipe. In Italy, Sheep’s milk ricotta is preferred over any other for its delicate flavor and texture. If you can find it, grab it.
 
MORE WAYS TO USE RICOTTA

Use it both sweet and savory dishes, including stuffed pasta (lasagna, manicotti, ravioli, shells, etc.).

[1] The best cookies use jumbo chunks of top-quality chocolate (photo courtesy Good Eggs | San Francisco). [2] Here’s the cookbook
(photo courtesy Ten Speed Press).

May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day…and so is August 4th.

It may be that one is simply Chocolate Chip Day, and the other Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Emails for clarification have not been answered.

But who would complain about a second Chocolate Chip Cookie Day?
 
WHAT IS “THE BEST?”

In subjective areas (as opposed to who crossed the finish line first), “the best” is in the eye of the beholder…or more accurately, on the palate.

You know what you like. If you’re still searching for CCC* perfection, consider this recipe. The only challenge: finding room in the freezer for the cookie sheet!

RECIPE: VIOLET BAKERY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients For 16 Large Cookies

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*Chocolate Chip Cookie!

†We use Callebaut or Trader Joe’s chocolate chunks.
 
Preparation

1. LINE a small baking sheet or pan—one that will fit inside your freezer—with parchment paper.

2. BEAT the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined but not too creamy. You are not aiming for light and fluffy; that would make the cookies too cakey. Add the vanilla and the egg yolks and mix well.

4. SCOOP individual portions of cookie dough onto the lined baking sheet or pan; or use spoons to pat each portion into a little ball. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour, or up to a month. You can bake them right away, but the cookies will be slightly flatter and less even. When ready to bake…

5. PREHEAT the oven to 355°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the cookies evenly on the pan, leaving enough space between each one so they have room to expand during baking: They will almost double in size! Rest the frozen dough on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before placing in the oven.

6. BAKE for 18 minutes, until the center of each cookie is slightly soft and under-baked, but the edges are crispy and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before serving. These cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

TIP: If your cookies aren’t as crisp the nest day, place them on a piece of parchment on a cookie sheet and warm them in the oven. The heat will drive out the extra moisture, making them crisp again.
 
THE VIOLET BAKERY COOKBOOK

While the chocolate chip cookie was born in the U.S.A., this recipe comes from London’s popular Violet Bakery. Alice Waters calls it “a little corner of Northern California in east London.”

Get your copy at Amazon.com.