Day 5: Eye of Thundera

"Eye of Thundera, give me sight beyond sight!" Welcome to day 5 of this wild ride we are taking together. I had some great feedback from the Three Mile Island from yesterday, so I thought we might just keep the rum train rolling. I woke up this morning wondering "what do I need to do today," and I realized there wasn't really much I could do! The mayor of New Orleans issued a mandate for all non-essential persons to stay in their homes. I know these mandates are happening all across the globe, but it reminded me of childhood in a weird way. The whole city just got "grounded." My favorite part of being stuck at home as a kid, was definitely watching cartoons. When I was working in New York, I had a Tiki Tuesday program going with a different themed menu and a different guest bartender every week. One week I decided to do a Saturday morning cartoon themed menu as a nod to our childhoods. Well, today is Saturday afterall, so it only felt appropriate to pull one of these drinks out of retirement.

I decided to go with a refreshing little Daiquiri twist called Eye of Thundera, a nod to the 80s cartoon Thundercats. What's fun about this drink, is how it reminded me of summers at home as a kid. There were always popsicles! The blend of citrus, hibiscus, and watermelon just screamed summer when I shook the first one. In case you aren't familiar, Thundercats was about a group of cat-like humanoids who's home planet, Thundera, was destroyed, sending them to live on another planet known as Third Earth. They took with them, aboard their ship, the Sword of Omens, which contained the Eye of Thundera, a source of their power. When the Thundercats wake from their capsule, they realize that, while there bodies have aged, their minds have stayed the same, leaving them as children in adult bodies. Now if that doesn't scream escapism and vacation, I'm not sure what does!

Eye of Thundera

1oz Blanc Agricole Rhum (I used JM Blanc)

.75oz Jamacian Overproof Rum (I used Rum Bar)

.5oz Hibiscus Honey

.5oz Watermelon Syrup

.75oz Lime Juice

Chilled coupe glass crusted with Tony Chachere's creole seasoning.

Shake and strain.

Garnish with flower petal.

Hibiscus Honey

2 parts Honey

1 part concentrated hibiscus tea

Combine ingredients until fully incorporated.

Watermelon Syrup

1 part watermelon juice

1 part sugar

Juice one watermelon and fine strain the juice.

Combine in blender with equal parts sugar.

Blend until sugar is fully dissolved.

Shake up a few of these, and you'll be transported back to a simpler time, before we even had careers to stress over. I hope this is finding you all well, and I hope you are all taking care of yourselves. On the bright side, we all have a weekend off first time ever in some cases. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, toast these drinks over facetime, call a friend, stay connected, and keep shaking. The world needs you.