Long ago, far away, I partook of a “Suffering Bastard” cocktail in a Chicago restaurant. It didn’t come in a fancy glass, but that was okay.
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (hardly any at all, as a matter of fact) and cocktails are a rarity for me. In the Serb tradition, I normally drink my liquor neat – no mixers, no ice, no prechilling. But as mixed drinks go, this one wasn’t bad.
Classic Suffering Bastard Recipe from Drinks Mixer™:
1 1/2 oz rum
1 oz overproof rum
3/4 oz Orange Curacao liqueur
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
1 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz fresh orange juiceShake all ingredients well and strain into an ice-filled double old-fashioned glass.
Garnish with slices of orange and lime, and serve.
Read more: Suffering Bastard recipe
All of these photos are clickable…
Another version of this drink uses gin instead of rum, and a mint garnish. Never tried it; I don’t care much for gin, and I hate mint. (Click photo below for recipe.)
The classic Suffering Bastard tropical cocktail originated with Victor Bergeron, founder of the Trader Vic’s Polynesian-themed restaurant chain. The Lope offers some commentary on the drink:
Once upon a time, Trader Vic’s sold Mai Tai rum in one of the coolest containers that ever held anything; it was called “Mai Tai Joe” but that name was little-known to recent-year collectors who nicknamed it the “suffering bastard” decanter, after a drink served at Trader Vic’s.
Here’s one of the matching Suffering Bastard mugs. They are no longer being made, but collectors sell them on the web.
