I had to buy it, how could I not? I had never even heard of Deadhead Rum, but it wasn’t terribly expensive and it came in a shrunken monkey head. It turned out to be decent stuff, not that I have used it much. I poured a bunch for folks a couple of years ago at Bash, but then the bottle came home to gather dust. A couple of weeks ago I ran across a recipe that called for it, so here we are. Won’t you join me now, as we stand and make the Sun-Kissed Simian.

I could go for that right now. Some beach time, a cool drink, no masks, no worrying about the future or the health of my friends and family. I guess I could get most of that at home, it is still summer, I have a hammock and the sun is shining. Not sure how to get myself into a truly carefree state of mind. Maybe if I drank enough cocktails… I’ve tried to make sure to not use alcohol to escape from things, gets too messy. However, making drinks for others and writing about alcohol, I am all over using that for my escapism. That’s what I am doing today, making a drink, writing some words and listening to 80’s one hit wonders. Let’s put all those things together and have some fun, shall we?

Grab your tins and pop in 1 1/2 ounces of Deadhead Dark Chocolate Rum, 1 ounce of orange juice, 1/2 an ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice and 1/2 an ounce of simple syrup, 2-3 drops of 18-21 Havana and Hide Bitters. This drink has the juice and it is all about the sun, but after you add ice, I want you to shake to the sound of “The Rain“ by Oran “Juice” Jones.  That’s right. Get some good dilution on, but don’t mess up your $3,700 dollar lynx coat, just chill. Chill and strain into one of those crystal rocks glasses from France, over some crushed ice looking like diamonds. Then go to the cabinet and take out all the Cointreau, float 1/4 ounce on top and cancel those charge cards. After that look in the closet and garnish with all that Gucci mint and a twist from one of those oranges you can’t even pronounce. Then serve. Serve with nothing but advice, cause you’re still young. That’s right, you’re still young and I hope you learn a valuable lesson from this.

You know? This drink should not even be this good. Flavored rum in a shrunken dead monkey head sounds like something “some alley-cat coat wearing, hush puppy shoe wearing, crumb cake” would drink, but it works. Probably cause it got the “Juice”. Honestly, I made this one for the name and for the excuse to finally use this Deadhead rum in something. I had no expectations, but this is quite lovely. Kind of a chocolate creamsicle thing going on, but in the best way possible. If you can find this rum, it is worth buying just for this drink, plus it comes in that awesome bottle. I mean who doesn’t want a little monkey head?

Make a drink, go out in the sun, forget about your problems for a while. Crank up some told tunes you had forgotten existed. That’s all you’ve go to do. Cause you are dismissed. That’s right, silly rabbit. Tricks are made for kids. Don’t you know that? You without me? Like cornflakes without the milk. It’s my world, you’re just a squirrel, trying to get a nut…

Awww, don’t be like that I was just kidding. I got all wrapped up in the music. I had not heard that one in a long time and listening again I had forgotten just how disturbing it really is. I had also forgotten that the song itself is pretty forgettable, but that unhinged rant at the end, that is gold. It really was gold too, it was #1 on the r&b chart for two weeks and made the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Want a crazy fun fact? Doesn’t matter you are getting it anyway. This song was the very first #1 hit for Def Jam Records. Gotta be honest, when I think Def Jam, Oran “Juice” Jones is not the first person to come to mind, but maybe he should be. The song hit #63 on VH-1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders Special and when asked about his fleeting popularity he replied, “Oran ‘Juice’ Jones, he came, he saw, he conquered, he moved on. You dig?” He owned it. I like that. Have a drink and own who you are, you dig? Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.