Editor’s Note: This product was provided to us as a review sample by Hercules Mulligan. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link towards the bottom of this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
Hercules Mulligan got its start in 2019 as a collaboration between Five & 20 Distilling’s Mario Mazza, Grisa Soba co-founder of Flaviar, and Steve Luttman of Leblon fame. The group had designed an entry in the growing genre of ready-to-drink cocktails to distribute via Flaviar, but recently raised money via a crowdfunding campaign to broaden distribution and make several tweaks to the original recipe.
The product itself takes its name from Hercules Mulligan the man, haberdasher to officers of the British Crown and one of the most reliable sources of information on the goings on in New York for George Washington’s army. A colorful character and important intellectual influence on the young Alexander Hamilton, Mulligan’s role in the American Revolution is a fascinating and perhaps under-acknowledged story.
The connection between the libation and its namesake lies in a handy piece of trivia about the American drinker’s palate. The distinctly American style of rye whiskey began to take off during the Revolutionary period when colonists were pointedly rejecting all things British. The only trouble was that revolutionary politics aside, most people still preferred the taste of the rum which they had grown accustomed to drinking and it was common for rum and rye to be mixed together and sold as a means of stretching dwindling stockpiles of the boycotted or otherwise unavailable liquor. I’m game for a dash of historical trivia or a dash of bitters — why not both in the same bottle?
Tasting Notes: Hercules Mulligan Rum & Rye
Vital Stats: 43% ABV. A blend of Caribbean rum and rye whiskey, flavored with macerated ginger and “bespoke bitters.” Around $40 for a 750ml bottle.
Appearance: A copper color with a slight orange hue.
Nose: Citrus and spice.
Palate: The mouthfeel is slightly viscous. There are major notes of dry citrus, thyme and botanic herbs (I’m almost surprised there’s no gin, involved but the bitters do some heavy lifting on the flavor here). There is also an ambient presence of honey-like sweetness and a tingle of ginger spice on the finish with neither the whiskey or rum making a major individual impression.
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Final Thoughts: The general vibe of the marketing is a touch baroque for my taste and nostalgic appeals to the American colonial period read… weird…to me in 2022, but the contents of the bottle are overall pretty solid so far as pre-mixed cocktails go. It’s pour-ready as an old fashioned from the bottle so long as there’s ice handy, and it has a broad enough spectrum of flavor to be a versatile backbone for a more intricate drink if you’re inclined to doctor it further.
A bottle will set you back about $40, roughly the price of 3-4 servings of a similar quality bar drink, making it a solid value for one of the better ready to drink cocktails I’ve had.
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