This is El Pistolón, a drink I put together as a nod to Puerto Rican ingredients and flavors.

It’s a simple riff on the Revolver (which, if I’m not mistaken, is itself a modern riff on the Manhattan: bourbon, coffee liqueur, and orange bitters). I’m originally from Puerto Rico, and I try to incorporate ingredients from the island whenever I make drinks at home, so this was my interpretation of the Revolver using Puerto Rican flavors.

My first attempt was a straightforward substitution: I swapped bourbon for Ron del Barrilito 3 Estrellas, kept the Kahlúa, and used orange bitters. It didn’t quite work. So I tried splitting the base with a touch of Cointreau to balance the coffee notes and bring out the citrus, which helped, but still didn’t feel quite right.

Then, on a recent trip to PR, I picked up a bottle of Crab Island Coffee Infusion rum. I’d had it in a few cocktails before and thought it might work for this. I removed the Kahlúa entirely and used the coffee-infused rum as the base. The result was a much cleaner, more balanced drink, with the coffee coming through nicely and the citrus notes complementing it well.

Here’s the recipe I settled on:

El Pistolón 1.5 oz Crab Island Coffee Infusion 0.25 oz Cointreau 2 dashes orange bitters Stirred and served up with an orange peel garnish

I find the drink to be balanced and approachable. The coffee and orange notes play well together, and while the finish could be a little longer, it's a pleasant sip overall. Since the coffee rum is lower proof than something like bourbon, the drink ends up a bit lighter.

I’d love to hear any thoughts, feedback, or ideas for refinement.

As for the name: Pistolón is a loose Puerto Rican Spanish slang translation of “revolver,” and it also happens to be the name of a popular reggaetón track from the early 2000s. It felt fitting enough to go with.

Thanks for reading, and salud. Praaaa