This Summery Pineapple-Rum Drink Has a Kick of Smoky Heat

The Kicker Rock is a refreshing rhum agricole cocktail made with pineapple juice, simple syrup, Campari, lemon juice, and a dash of chipotle hot sauce. This smoky and tart cocktail gets served in a glass rimmed with Tajín seasoning and garnished with fresh rosemary. 

Developed by Paul Soto and served onboard Ecoventura luxury cruises in the Galápagos Islands, the Kicker Rock cocktail is exactly what you’d want to drink on the deck of a gorgeous yacht. Soto leans on a handful of flavorful ingredients for this drink but carefully blends them in balance with one another to yield an easy-sipping cocktail that hits on many levels. 

While the Kicker Rock is a fitting name for a cocktail that packs a spicy kick, the drink is named after a volcanic formation in the Galápagos Islands.

“Viewed from the north, Kicker Rock resembles a boot,” says writer Betsy Andrews. “From the south, however, it looks like its other moniker, the Sleeping Lion. That could be the drink’s secret name, for its chipotle-and-Tajín heat sneaks slyly up through layers of bitter Campari and sweet pineapple, sour lemon, and woodsy rosemary.”

Why the Kicker Rock works

The Kicker Rock combines smoky, tart, sweet, bitter, and fruity flavors into a deceptively complex cocktail that’s incredibly easy to drink. Rhum agricole serves as the base for this drink. The spirit is made from freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, compared to rums, which are typically made from molasses. Rhum agricole has a fresh, slightly grassy, and fruity quality that blends really well with the other ingredients in this drink. Though if you prefer, white rum can be used in lieu of rhum agricole in this cocktail. 

Campari and freshly squeezed lemon juice cut through the sweetness of the rhum agricole, pineapple juice, and simple syrup present in this cocktail. The Campari also adds a lovely orange-red hue. 

The kick in the Kicker Rock comes from a small amount of chipotle hot sauce which adds depth, complexity, and an alluring smoky heat. A rim of Tajín seasoning adds another tangy heat element.