1 1/2 ounce white rum
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce Steen's 100% Pure Cane Syrup
1/2 ounce fresh grapefruit juice

Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and cayenne (1:1:1/2). Finish with a dash of Peychaud's bitters.

Locally produced Treaty Oak Platinum Rum made its debut several months ago. I procured our first bottle of this little gem after having first heard about it from one of the producers at a dinner held by Paul and Paula of Paula's Texas Orange & Paula's Texas Lemon fame. Cruising home with my treasure in tow, I had already decided that the Hemingway Daiquiri would be the first cocktail we would make with the Treaty Oak. After arriving home and confirming I had the recipe correct in my head I discovered we had no plain agave syrup nor did we have any simple syrup made. Discouraged? No way. I remembered that we had grabbed some Steen's 100% Cane Syrup while in New Orleans and so decided that is what I'd use.

A direct substitution was a little much as Steen's has a molasses-like flavor, though not at all sulphery - not a word, but it's a living language. After several months of playing with the recipe, I offer the Abbeville Cocktail. It is quite balanced and shows off the Treaty Oak and Steen's. You can sub in Meyer lemon juice in the place of the lime juice for a little switch; it makes an equally delicious cocktail. Enjoy.