Cocktail
Jet Pilot
The Jet Pilot is a classic 1958 tiki cocktail — a potent blend of aged and dark rums shaken or flash-blended with lime, grapefruit, cinnamon syrup, falernum, Angostura bitters and a dash of absinthe over crushed ice. A close cousin of the Test Pilot and a descendant of the Zombie, it is deep amber, complex and layered with spice, and drinks far more smoothly than its ~20 percent strength suggests.
Sweet-tart20% ABV
At a glance
Signature
Citrus & Cinnamon-clove
Rum-molasses
Deep amber and frosty over crushed ice, the Jet Pilot smells of molasses-rich aged and dark rum shot through with lime and bittersweet grapefruit, warm cinnamon and clove-laced falernum layered over the top, and a faint anise lift from the absinthe. On the palate it is tart and spiced — bright citrus and a wave of baking spice ride a full, funky rum base, with the Angostura adding a bitter-aromatic edge and the cinnamon and falernum a rounding sweetness. It is bracing but balanced, its acidity and spice masking a genuinely potent roughly 20 percent alcohol in the diluted glass, and it finishes long, warm and gently anise-tinged.
Taste balance
BitternessMedium
SmoothBitter
StrengthStrong
LightStrong