Monday, January 20, 2014

Tropical Wings and a Fruity Tropical Cocktail

I've had some fun coming up with food and drink recipes using Captain Morgan rum.

For Thanksgiving, it was a rum-infused cranberry sauce and a cran-raspberry cocktail. Then, for Christmas, it was hot buttered rum, and an ice cream with the same flavors.

Now, it's tropical wings, and a drink to match.

I chose wings because they're a natural for a party. Small bites, finger friendly, and really, really tasty. Like, you know, when you're watching the Superbowl. Or the commercials. However you roll.

Since the nice folks at Captain Morgan just sent me a bottle of their new white rum, I decided to use that for both the wings and for the drink.

And then my next thought was pineapple juice.

Since I wanted a thick glaze, I started with something concentrated - frozen pineapple juice concentrate. And then I added orange juice concentrate as well. To add sweetness to that tartness, I opted for a little brown sugar, for its richness.

And then it needed a touch of heat, so I added a pinch - or maybe a generous pinch - of red pepper flakes. Use as much as you like. I wanted a gentle heat, not something that would kick me in the teeth.

Then I turned to the cocktail. Tough job, huh?

I made a blended cocktail, using the same pineapple juice concentrate in the cocktail as I did for the wings. And of course there was the rum. For thickness, I added a banana, and I blended it all together. The cocktail got slices of lime for a garnish, just like the wings, and a big fat strawberry for color.

The drink and the wings  paired perfectly.

Tropical Wing-a-ding-ding Wings

For the wings:
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

For the wing glaze:
1/2 cup frozen pineapple juice concentrate
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup Captain Morgan White Rum
Pinch of salt
Pinch (or more) hot pepper flakes

For garnish:
Lime wedges

Place the wings in a bowl (or plastic bag, if you prefer) with the olive oil, lemon pepper, and paprika. Toss the wings to coat with the spices. you can do this ahead of time and leave the wings refrigerated, or just let them rest while you preheat the oven.

When you're ready to cook the wings, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and arrange the wings skin-side up on the sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the wings are fully cooked and the skin is brown and getting crisp. Turn them over or rearrange them on the sheet as needed to ensure they cook evenly.

While the wings are cooking, make the glaze.
Combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and cook, stirring as needed to keep the glaze from sticking or burning. Continue cooking until the glaze is thick and syrupy. Set aside until needed.

Add glaze during the last 10 minutes of cooking, drizzling or brushing it on the wings. Cook until the glaze is bubbly and golden on the wings.

Serve hot with lime wedges to squeeze onto the wings, if desired.

Fruity Patootie Tropical Cocktail

1 tray ice cubes
1 banana, peeled and chunked
1/4 cup frozen pineapple juice concentrate
1 ounce Captain Morgan White Rum
Slice of lime, for garnish
Strawberry, for garnish

Blitz the ice cubes in a blender until you have fine "snow" then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Serve with a slice of lime and a strawberry for garnish.

This post was sponsored by Captain Morgan as part of their #CaptainsTable challenge. I received rum for use in recipes and a stipend to purchase additional ingredients.

Yum