One Eyed Willie

One Eyed Willie by Sean Dumke

With what shall we toast to this irreverent puzzle box? Why, with the One Eyed Willie, of course! Fans of the Spielberg, Columbus and Donner classic, The Goonies, will no doubt recognize the nickname of William B. Pordobel, the one-eyed captain of the Inferno where our fearless gang search the coast of northern Oregon for his famed treasure. You might also know what I am actually referring to here, and if so, good for you, urine good company. The One Eyed Willie cocktail, ahem, is a featured drink at Seattle’s Inside Passage, where it pays homage to the PNW’s favorite pirate and is served in a skull mug and treasure chest that billows dry ice fog.

Keep an Eye on this One

The drink was created by bartender Sean Dumke, who is well known for his tiki centric passions. It combines two different rums (like any self-respecting tiki cocktail should) in what is essentially a tropical rum old fashioned template. Overproof rum is cut with a standard proof aged rum that has been steeped with vanilla. The sweetness is provided by both banana liqueur and a cinnamon syrup. I made a vanilla-cinnamon syrup instead of infusing the aged rum directly, and still think all the proper flavors made it to the party. It’s a fantastic Old Fashioned that will transport you to the tropics. Just before, it packs a punch, and one too many may leave you … prostrate. Cheers!

A pair worth probing further

One Eyed Wille by Sean Dumke

1 oz overproof rum

1 oz vanilla rum

½ oz banana liqueur

¼ oz cinnamon syrup

4 dashes Angostura bitters

1 barspoon fresh lime

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass (or skull mug) over a single cube. Lime wheel eyepatch optional.

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