Last month I found myself in Paris enjoying the sights and eating as much of the local food as I was able.  Some of the most interesting foods were the ones that I could get at home.  They just tasted differently in France.

Hard liquor is difficult to come by in France.  It’s not subsidized like it is in the United States.  One thing you can get in France is rum.  Havana Club Rum to be exact.

Havana Club is the forbidden fruit for us in the United States.  I’d like to say that I was able to experiment a bit with this highly expressive rum.  So in keeping with my desire for fabulous cocktails, I bought some really lovely tomatoes.

The late season tomatoes in Paris were just filled with juice.  I crushed a few and added some Havana Club White Rum along with some freshly crushed horseradish and some celery juice.  Sound like a Bloody Mary?  Sure it does.  But with Cuban white rum?  It’s magnificent.  I also brought some Bitter End Moroccan Bitters with me.  They added some real spike to my drink.

I’ll just tell you that white rum makes a bloody mary ever so delicious.

The French Bloody Mary  -  Made more exciting by the use of Havana Club Rum

Ingredients:

Havana Club Rum

Crushed tomatoes

Celery Juice

Freshly Grated Horseradish

A bit of hot chile paste- I like the Vietnamese kind

Bitter End Moroccan Bitters

Preparation:

Add to a Boston Shaker some crushed tomatoes

Add about a tablespoon of Celery Juice

Add a teaspoon of freshly grated horseradish

Add a teaspoon of chile paste

Add a few drops of Bitter End Moroccan Bitters over the top

Add 2-3 oz of white rum.  If you have Havana Club, all the better

Add a handful of ice

Shake Shake Shake

Strain into shot glasses and drink quickly with fervor!

Cheers!

wb