May 24, 2013

Darker and Stormier

dani@slyrooster.com Cocktails cocktail, Dark and Stormy, party game, R.L. Seale, rum, Velvet Falernum, W Austin 14 Comments

Here’s to Memorial Day…the unofficial start of summer.  Let the games begin!

I thought it would be appropriate to kick off the season with both a game and a drink.  Drinks aren’t required to play this game but I can’t say that I have ever played it without.  While not the original intention, a “family friendly” version seems possible and I’m going to give that a try this weekend at the beach.

This game is best played in a dinner setting, 6-10 people, sitting around a table, because everyone needs to be part of the conversation.  Ideally, you would have an outsider provide you with the lines (patience, I will get to the explanation) but admittedly, you will rarely find yourself in an “ideal” situation.  As an alternative you can have one player write all the lines and not play (the opposite of ideal) or you could have each person write one line and just not spill the beans during play (most likely scenario).  I know you’re thinking, “Get to the point already!”

The Line Game:  Each player writes a statement or question on a strip of paper.  The wackier, the better.  All the strips are deposited in a bag and each player blindly chooses one–nobody should see the submitted statements and each person should randomly pull one strip of paper and look at it in private.  Then, allow your dinner to proceed and conversation flow as normal.  During the course of the meal each player needs to throw in their line without any of the other players detecting its abnormality.  Obviously, the person who wrote the line needs to keep quiet and if a player had randomly selected their own line, that is fine.  If anyone at the table calls you out on your line (the player didn’t make it flow) that player “loses.”  There is no real penalty here–maybe a shot or a chicken dance–but play continues and that “loser” can still be on the lookout for other random lines.

To illustrate how hilarious The Line Game can be, following is a sample of statements which were provided by the fabulously creative, enthusiastic concierge at the W Austin.  Warning: There is nothing politically correct about these statements and the author of this blog is not responsible for the content below:

* And that’s when I had to pull the plug.

* We’ll always have Paris.

* I haven’t left the house without Lycra on these thighs since I was 14 years old.

* I only eat sea urchin genitals.

* Sometimes don’t you just want to peel a banana and squish it?

* Oh no, they killed Kenny!

That should give you an idea.  And believe it or not, almost all of those lines managed to be camouflaged into our dinner conversation.  Not sure what that says for this particular gathering…

Give the game a try this weekend, when you’re sitting around the patio table, pool or maybe a fire pit, with this delicious take on a Dark & Stormy cocktail in hand.

When I wanted to recreate the Darker & Stormier, I couldn’t find Velvet Falernum–a key ingredient–in any local liquor store.  I ended up ordering two bottles of John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum through the omnipotent Amazon (might as well compensate for the shipping charge) and upon receipt noticed it was manufactured in Barbados by R.L. Seale & Co. Ltd.  Gayle Seale has been a dear friend ever since we met while I was doing business in Barbados circa 1998.  R.L. Seale is an incredible family business dating back to the 1820s, that makes some fantastic rum and so I’ve learned, Velvet Falernum.  Velvet Falernum is a unique liqueur displaying flavors of lime, almond, vanilla, ginger and cloves.  Gayle tells me that the most famous cocktail made with it is the Corn ‘n Oil (recipe printed on the bottle). I encourage you to seek out this liqueur for the Darker and Stormier, move on to the Corn ‘n Oil and then experiment away. Just be sure to share your cocktail recipes here at “Musings of a Sly Rooster.”