Welcome back for the second year of our Tiki Classics. The weather is nice again, and what better way to soak in the sun than with a taste of tropical lands. This year we’ll be covering a mix of tiki drinks, but starting with the Suffering Bastard, a tiki drink without rum.
A tiki drink without rum you might say? Going back to it’s foundations, you’ll see that the Suffering Bastard actually started it’s life in Cairo, Egypt in the 1940s. The desert environment was home to the allied forces fighting Rommel and the Nazis. If it’s refreshing enough for them, perhaps the rum is unnecessary.
Suffering Bastard
The Suffering Bastard is a beautiful and well balanced mix of flavors that give off a tropical vibe without the need for rum. The nice pop of sweetness from the ginger beer that gets backed up by the well rounded flavor of brandy and demerara syrup. The gin adds a nice herbal note, and the angostura binds it all together. Overall, it’s a well balanced and easy to sip tropical drink that can offer something to both gin and brandy fans.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
There’s a bunch of little tweaks you can make to make the Suffering Bastard stand out. Most of them are going to be ingredient shifts that give slight twists to the tone, more than actual whole sale change of the drink. The drink is also somewhat hands off in terms of glassware, calling for either a collins or highball.
- London Dry Gin – The Suffering Bastard calls for London Dry Gin, and for the most classic rendition, we recommend you go with one on your first try. We used Tanqueray, but we also recommend Beefeater or Bombay Sapphire. If you want to bring some spice to it, try a modern gin like Aviation or Bluecoat to add some citrus.
- Brandy – Brandy is adding richness, dark fruit, and some brown sugar raisin notes. As there are so many components here, you could use something cheaper like Christian Brothers, but we recommend you step up and grab your Lustau Brandy de Jerez. If you really want to splurge, reach for the Pierre Ferrand 1840.
- Demerara Syrup – You could use regular rich simple syrup, but we recommend you go with demerara here. It’ll add more depth of flavor, and you can use it in other tiki drinks.
- To Make: Combine 2 parts Demerara Sugar to 1 part water and bring to a simmer stirring over high heat. Remove from heat once the sugar has completely dissolved. Allow to cool and bottle. Refrigerate. The high sugar content will work to inhibit bacterial growth for an extended duration – throw out if any clouding or mold develop.
- Ginger Beer – Our go to is Goslings Ginger Beer, which offers a crisp, bright ginger note. Ginger ale will not work here, stick to ginger beer like Goslings or Fever Tree.
- Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
- Angostura Bitters – These are the classic bitters for most cocktails, and we recommend you keep a bottle on hand.