The Cocktail Chronicles: Kingston
Once upon a time, I was supposed to shoot a wedding in Jamaica.
I’d gotten married a few months previously when the inquiry came in, so I headed straight to the Post Office and sent off my documents to update my passport. I prepared my equipment and looked into rentals. I researched traveling with camera gear. I was so excited about the possibility of going to a tropical paradise to cover this event.
And then it fell through.
To this day, I have yet to visit Jamaica, but I dream I’ll be able to travel there sometime in the near future — for work or play.
So you’re wondering why I am speaking about Jamaica, right? This drink is named after the capital, calls for dark Jamaican rum (yum!), and is an unbelievably strong cocktail for what it appears to be.
Here’s how you make it:
Other Cocktail Chronicles drink recipes: Southern Champagne / Bloody Mary / Mustique / Rum Sidecar / Tom Collins / Cosmopolitan / Cutty Sark on the Rocks / Blizzard Bourbon Cranberry Cocktail

The Kingston
The Kingston, named after the Jamaican capital, features dark Jamaican rum, gin, lime juice and grenadine. This flavorful cocktail, which looks like it is fruity, sings of rum and gin, not the grenadine or lime, and should be sipped slowly.
Ingredients
- 1 oz. dark Jamaican rum
- ½ oz. gin
- ½ lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon grenadine
Instructions
- Shake all the ingredients well with ice.
- Strain into a cocktail glass.
- Garnish with a half-slice of lime.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 0g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
My husband pronounced, “It’s red, so you think it’s fruity. It’s not,” upon his first sip. It’s true. This is not a fruity, frilly drink… and the more sips I took, the more it tasted like cough syrup. If I were to make this again, I’d add some more lime juice to balance out the alcohol.
Two cheers! Sorry, y’all. We’d like to be sipping something else… but we like the idea of this cocktail. For us to try this again, we’d have to make some changes.
I hope you’ll make it there soon. This cocktail looks yummy and I LOVE the color. Love your photos too. Happy Friday!
Thanks, Anne! I hope so, too! And I hope you give this drink a shot.
Thanks for the compliment! And a very (belated) happy Friday to you!
Hey! Thanks for checking out my blog!!! Yours is so awesome. I love the format. Definitely adding it to my feedly. Totally not strange to leave a comment at all. Glad to hear from you!!!
You’re welcome! And you’re too sweet. 🙂 Good hearing from you, and I look forward to keeping up with you via your blog! Yours is so cute, too!
The color is so pretty, but the idea of dark rum and gin makes me run away in fear. Not my favs
Ha. I agree with you here. The combination isn’t too bad, but it’s definitely STRONG. And it’s definitely something where one is more than enough for me.
One thing I will say is that this cocktail book has really opened me up to some different drinks, and I’m glad we’re drinking our way through it… even if we do have to make crazy cocktails like this.
It looks lovely but it sure does sound potent! Jamaican rum is GOOD but strong and the gin too, I would be on the floor in a second haha. Adding a lot of lime juice though would probably balance it all out so it tastes better.
You are right, girl. It’s super potent! And while I wasn’t on the floor after a sip (even though I am a horrible lightweight who has become even more of a lightweight in recent years), I would have maybe been on the floor if I drank a second one!
Hm, the ‘cough syrup’ description sounds terrible, but I do love gin cocktails so I’m still curious to find out for myself! How many shots would that end up being? Three? Hm, definitely trying it regardless of the unfavorable taste test!! x
Ha. Yeah… this drink wasn’t one of my favorites, but it *is* pretty. I’m interested to hear what you think about it, though, and how it works for you!