The Naked Ape

The most common fruit juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; pure citric acid. Lemon juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

A concentrated syrup made from sugar water and cinnamon bark. You can make this yourself by adding a few cinnamon sticks to your simple syrup making process. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

A sweet and rich banana flavored liqueur. You can make it yourself! Here is a recipe from Serious Eats: Combine 2 peeled and sliced bananas with 1 1/2 cups rum in a sealable glass jar. Let steep for 3 days. Strain the fruit out and filter through cheesecloth. Press the bananas down to extract liquid. Heat 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar dissolves, add the syrup to the mixture. Seal and shake, then let rest for 1 day. Enjoy!

A sub-set of dark, molasses-driven rums. These rums are very dark in color from added refined sugar (molasses), multiple distillation, and likely, but not always, aging in charred oak. There is no formal definition of black rum, if a recipe calls for this type of rum, it is usually refering to a very very darkly colored rum; a common example is Gosling's Black Seal. Pair it with lemon, lime, ginger and pineapple.

A high proof, usually 151, (>57.5 ABV) unaged rum. Most producers are based in Jamaica, such as Wray & Nephew (W&N). This rum is usually reserved for mixed drinks and is a key ingredient in many classic cocktails.

A concentrated aromatic bitters made in Trinidad from water, ethanol, gentian and other herbs and spices; used in many classic cocktails like the Manhattan.