BUMBO!

First things first: put down the American Bar book, and The Ultimate Bar Book.  You're not going to find the BUMBO! cocktail in either one.  And, incidentally, if you haven't figured it out by now, I am responsible for adding the obnoxious capitalization and exclamation mark.  Listen, it's called BUMBO!, and you've just got to be excited when writing or talking about it!  I sure am, anyway.

You're probably wondering where I found this drink, and I don't blame you.  If it's not in either of the books, it isn't randomly chosen.  You sir, are correct.  No big deal, going off-script can be a rewarding experience.  Road less traveled and all that jazz.  Now, whether the road less traveled is a good thing remains to be seen.

Let's check this bad boy out!

Recipe

Bumbo, found here: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Bumbo-Cocktail

2 fl oz (50 ml) dark rum
1 fl oz (30 ml) lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grenadine
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (grated)

I'll abbreviate the website's directions and simply tell you to throw it all in a shaker with some ice and go to town.  Done and done.

I'm breaking out my Captain Morgan's bottle that probably pre-dates any other bottle I have, strictly because of low turnover.  Just like the Bacardi rum bottle, this has sat in my supply for ages.  Rum is not on my short list, dark rum or clear rum.  As mentioned though in Pedro Collins and the Daiquiri, I'm beginning to appreciate it more and more.  Captain Morgan's was always the rum part of a rum and coke order, and I guess I always found it a little sweet, a little syrupy.  It wasn't bad mind you, but not my first choice cocktail order.  Or my second, or tenth.  I never ordered it is what I'm saying.

So, my verdict on the BUMBO!?  I'm pretty meh about this one.  The BUMBO! seemed like it might be island friendly, and delicious (I mean, take a look at the photos on the website from which the recipe came - gorgeous!) - but - I'm not digging it all that much.  Maybe it tastes a bit different with a beautiful beach laid out before me, but it doesn't really work for me. 

The lemon juice is just too much.  It's a little too tart and a little too fruity.  The nutmeg, albeit not freshly grated, doesn't add much of anything to the cocktail.  Every now and then I'll snag a bit of nutmeg in a sip, and it doesn't do much.  Again, it isn't freshly grated, but I don't know how much a difference even freshly grated nutmeg would give to this drink.

As I finished the cocktail, I think that in a hotter climate, this drink makes a lot more sense.  The tart qualities of the drink probably go over far better on a beach than in indoor midwest suburbia.  And, I was able to finish it without cringing too much.  So, I suppose that my feelings have changed a bit since I first started typing this post.  It's not something I'd make at home, but if I were in the Caribbean, and saw it on the menu, I might order just to get a laugh out of the ridiculous name. 

BUMBO!  Caribbean or bust (though in the midwest, bust).