Bill Schierl

The Riverbank Sipper? Pirates Never Had It So Good!

Bill Schierl
The Riverbank Sipper? Pirates Never Had It So Good!

Who doesn’t love tales of Blackbeard and Captain Jack Sparrow? We at Northern Oasis Spirits could talk about pirates for days! It just sounds like such an interesting lifestyle: traveling around the high seas exploring and treasure-hunting! And, most importantly, drinking rum!!!

Rum has a rich and fascinating history. It was used for all manner of things back in the day. What sort of things? We have a whole list! But one thing is for sure: pirates loved their rum. It’s versatile, too! You can be like a pirate and drink it straight out of the bottle, or you can sip it over ice, or even mix it with something that really complements its flavor. One of our faves: ginger beer!

Now, we can’t say for sure that pirates in the mid-1700s mixed rum and ginger beer, largely because ginger beer wasn’t invented until...well, the mid-1700s. So it’s possible, but we’re guessing it took a bit for someone to stumble upon this perfect combination! We’d like to think some brave soul decided to mix this spicy new ginger drink with classic rum, and we’re sure it tasted like the Riverbank Sipper!

You can make this recipe with dark rum, white rum, or (our favorite) spiced rum. We LOVE it with Riverbank Spiced Rum – in fact, the Riverbank Sipper has quickly become one of our signature cocktails. We mixed it up at some recent tasting events and we can assuredly say that everyone agreed: it’s a great drink to sip while you’re out on the pontoon boat – or any time you want something fun and refreshing!

A bottle of Riverbank Spiced Rum lies on an antique round-tile floor with a white, pink, and blue hexagonal pattern.

Don’t store your Riverbank Spiced Rum on the tile, it keeps much better in your tummy.

So don’t just stand there! Hoist the main sail, swab the poop deck, shiver those timbers, and get ready to tickle your tastebuds with a...

Riverbank Sipper

  • 2oz Riverbank Spiced Rum

  • 6oz your favorite ginger beer

  • Squeeze of lime & garnish

    Build in an 8oz glass with ice

It is very similar to the Moscow mule, except that the Riverbank Sipper has rum instead of vodka. In fact, there are a few variations you can try! 

  • Clap a fresh sprig of mint, then add it to your Riverbank Sipper along with 1 oz fresh lime juice

  • Punch up the citrus with two dashes of orange bitters

  • Try different brands of ginger beer – sweeter? Spicier? What’s your favorite?

Get creative! This is one cocktail that’s better than buried treasure!