Great Pretender

The Great Pretender is a dangerously drinkable, crazy-potent overproof daiquiri from Thomas Waugh at Death & Co, patterned after his colleague Brian Miller’s Gilda recipe.
Like the Gilda, the Great Pretender features Death & Co’s signature pineapple-lime-cinnamon combination, this time bolstered with a bit of vanilla syrup and banana-esque esters from overproof rum. Waugh calls for Smith & Cross, which falls somewhere between light and dark overproof – we’ve tried it with lighter and darker rums, and it’s equally good each time.
The sugar-and-cinnamon rim seems like overkill, but it helps to keep the overproof rum in check; we heartily endorse it.

Ingredients
- 2 parts Overproof aged rum or Overproof light rum
- ½ part Pineapple juice
- ½ part Lime juice
- ½ part Vanilla syrup
- 1 tsp Cinnamon syrup
Instructions
To make the sugared rim, begin by mixing sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Wet the outer rim of a chilled cocktail or coupe glass using a wedge of lime. Roll the glass in the sugar mixture and set aside.
Meanwhile, shake all ingredients with ice, and then strain into the prepared glass.


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Read more
- Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails by David Kaplan and Nick Fauchald
