Death Bed

About the Death Bed

Named for its unassuming appearance and its deceptive strength, Death Bed is a tiki style sour that splits its rum base between Timber Creek Florida Rum and Barbancourt Rhum Blanc, a Haitian sugarcane rum, then layers in Cherry Heering, lime juice, and pineapple juice, garnished with a brandied cherry and lime wheel. Timber Creek’s rum carries the larger share of the pour here and sets the drink’s foundation with brown sugar and baking spice warmth developed through the distillery’s grain to glass production, while the Haitian rhum adds a grassier, more vegetal cane note underneath it. It is worth flagging for review that this recipe pairs Timber Creek’s rum with a named competitor rum brand rather than using Timber Creek’s rum on its own, even though Timber Creek’s pour is the larger of the two and the recipe reads as built around it.

Cherry Heering, a Danish cherry liqueur, brings dark fruit sweetness and a faint almond note that deepens the tropical fruit flavors from the pineapple and lime rather than simply adding sugar. To build it, combine both rums with the Cherry Heering, lime juice, and pineapple juice in a mixing glass, fill with pebble ice, and swizzle vigorously with a barspoon until the outside of the glass frosts over, then top with a bit more pebble ice to finish. Serve in a chilled Collins glass with a brandied cherry and lime wheel on top.

This is a rich, dark fruited tiki drink meant for slow sipping, and it pairs surprisingly well with savory, fatty foods like duck breast or steak tartare, as well as dark chocolate and roasted nuts for a lighter snack pairing. Given the two spirit base and the added liqueur, this drink carries real strength behind its fruity presentation, so pace yourself and sip it slowly rather than treating it like a light tropical cooler.

Named for its unassuming appearance and its deceptive strength, Death Bed is a tiki style sour that splits its rum base between Timber Creek Florida Rum and Barbancourt Rhum Blanc, a Haitian sugarcane rum, then layers in Cherry Heering, lime juice, and pineapple juice, garnished with a brandied cherry and lime wheel. Timber Creek’s rum carries the larger share of the pour here and sets the drink’s foundation with brown sugar and baking spice warmth developed through the distillery’s grain to glass production, while the Haitian rhum adds a grassier, more vegetal cane note underneath it. It is worth flagging for review that this recipe pairs Timber Creek’s rum with a named competitor rum brand rather than using Timber Creek’s rum on its own, even though Timber Creek’s pour is the larger of the two and the recipe reads as built around it.

Cherry Heering, a Danish cherry liqueur, brings dark fruit sweetness and a faint almond note that deepens the tropical fruit flavors from the pineapple and lime rather than simply adding sugar. To build it, combine both rums with the Cherry Heering, lime juice, and pineapple juice in a mixing glass, fill with pebble ice, and swizzle vigorously with a barspoon until the outside of the glass frosts over, then top with a bit more pebble ice to finish. Serve in a chilled Collins glass with a brandied cherry and lime wheel on top.

This is a rich, dark fruited tiki drink meant for slow sipping, and it pairs surprisingly well with savory, fatty foods like duck breast or steak tartare, as well as dark chocolate and roasted nuts for a lighter snack pairing. Given the two spirit base and the added liqueur, this drink carries real strength behind its fruity presentation, so pace yourself and sip it slowly rather than treating it like a light tropical cooler.