Friday the 13th Cocktail

Since 1980, Friday the 13th has been a special day in the Miller family. That year, my dad‘s childhood fears of monsters under the bed and psychos in the closet were put on display at movie theaters around the world. The killer was a mom looking to avenge the death of her son Jason, who drowned while his camp counselors were fornicating. (The boy’s name was originally Joshua–thanks to my mom for making dad change it!) The movie was called Friday the 13th, and it was a game changer for us.

The success of the movie opened a lot of doors for dad, and ironically, he ended up moving from horror to soap opera writing for most of his career. (That would be a fun series of drinks to do. I guess they’d all be fizzes?) He’s retired now and enjoys photography,  attending horror conventions and playing Segway polo among other hobbies.

So now that I’m an amateur bartender, I thought I’d celebrate dad’s special day with a cocktail. He hasn’t had a drink in years, but I’m sure he’d enjoy this one if he still imbibed. I was looking to make a stirred drink that was red (duh) and as complex as Mrs. Voorhees. I think I did dad proud.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Plantation 5-Year Barbados Rum (sub other quality aged rum)
• 1/2 oz Aperol
• 1/2 oz Dubonnet Rouge
• 2 dashes Fee Bros. Rhubarb Bitters

Method

• Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice cubes and stir until well-chilled
• Strain into a chilled coupe
• Garnish with a Luxardo cherry

If you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th) this ought to take the edge off. Hope you enjoy it!

Aloha,
Josh