Bachelor on the Cheap

A versatile ingredient in mixology

By Mike Thayer

When enjoying a burger dinner one night at Bubba's33, I ordered a drink to go with it, which is now a go-to for me whenever I visit Bubba's33.  They call it a Blackberry Smash.  It's a cocktail featuring Crown Royal, hand shaken with a hint of Bubba's 33 sweet and sour, DeKuyper Razzmatazz Liqueur and fresh blackberries. It's a dangerously smooth cocktail and I finally got around to making this drink at home.

What makes this drink isn't the Crown Royal, it's believe it or not the DeKuyper Razzmatazz.  The raspberry notes are excellent, you get the sweet of the fruit with a hint of tartness which quite frankly surprised me a bit.  I really expected this to be overly sweet but it's not.  Up to this point I've been a Chambord buyer and I buy it predominately for making Peanut Butter & Jelly shots with a peanut butter flavored whiskey.  I think I may have found a replacement, DeKuyper is WAY cheaper and I would challenge you to tell the difference in a blind PB&J shot test.  I bet you can't.

I was fresh out of mint for garnish...

Here's the drink recipe for the Blackberry Smash:

• 1 shot Crown Royal
• A splash of sweet & sour mix (I like to use a lime syrup)
• A splash of DeKuyper Razzmatazz
• Garnish with fresh blackberries (raspberries work too, making it a Raspberry Smash for those of you who live in Valley Center) and a sprig of mint

Serve over ice. 

It's a dangerously smooth drink.  At 33 proof, it adds to the whiskey kick.

Here's the recipe for 2 PB&J shots (two for yourself or one to share), this is my favorite shot hands down and chilled ingredients works best:

• 1 part peanut butter flavored whiskey (Skrewball is the most popular, but I like Ol Smokey.  Bird Dog isn't bad either)
• 1 part DeKuyper Razzmatazz

Here's a recipe from the back of the Razzmatazz bottle, which I'm looking forward to trying:

Raspberry Lemonade

• 1 part DeKuyper Razzmatazz
• 1 part lemon-flavored vodka
• 4 parts lemonade

Serve over ice.

Costing me $16.19 after tax for a 750ml bottle, I'm giving DeKuyper Razzmatazz Raspberry Liqueur 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  It's reasonably priced, tastes good and is quite versatile in mixology.  Compare it to Chambord, the top shelf raspberry liqueur, which will run you about $35 a bottle.