Chanbanger
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 17.2% ABV ∙
The Chanbanger is a shaken rum sour built on Caribbean aged rum, cherry liqueur, lemon and pink grapefruit juice, finished with a touch of sugar syrup. Dark rum warmth meets tart grapefruit and a cherry-sweet undertow, with lemon keeping the finish crisp — a fruity, well-balanced sipper for a warm evening.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Caribbean aged rum 45 mlCherry liqueur 20 mlLemon juice 10 mlPink grapefruit juice 25 mlSugar syrup 10 mlGrapefruit bitters 3 dashes
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake hard with full-size cubes for a full 12-15 seconds since the mix of rum, cherry liqueur and two juices needs vigorous aeration and dilution to balance the sugar syrup.
- Strain through a fine mesh into the chilled coupe to catch pulp from the fresh-squeezed grapefruit and lemon juices, giving a clean, silky surface.
- Add the grapefruit bitters as dashes directly over the shaken drink after straining, not into the shaker, so their aromatics stay prominent on the nose.
- Express the lemon twist over the surface to release its oils, then rub the rim before dropping it in for a fragrant finish.
History
The Chanbanger was created in 2014 by Barney Chan, a bartender at The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, a bar hidden beneath the Breakfast Club in Spitalfields, London.
FAQ
What is in a Chanbanger?
Caribbean aged rum, cherry liqueur, fresh lemon juice, fresh pink grapefruit juice, and sugar syrup, shaken together and typically finished with a few dashes of grapefruit bitters. It is served up in a coupe glass with a lemon twist.
Is a Chanbanger shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The citrus juices and syrup need the vigorous aeration and quick chill of a shake to marry with the rum and cherry liqueur; stirring would leave it flat and under-diluted.
What glass is a Chanbanger served in?
A coupe glass, served up with a lemon twist. Because it is fine-strained after shaking, no ice reaches the finished drink.
Is a Chanbanger vegan?
Yes, the Chanbanger is vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free, since it is built entirely from rum, cherry liqueur, citrus juice, and sugar syrup with no animal-derived ingredients.
How strong is a Chanbanger?
It comes in at about 17.2% ABV, making it lighter than a straight spirit-forward cocktail thanks to the juice and syrup in the build. At roughly 200 calories per serving, it sits in the moderate range for a shaken sour-style drink.
