Old Monk is one of those beautiful gifts crafted by the Gods for us mortals to devour with delight, and it truly pains our hearts when this Heavenly present is wasted in simple ‘rum and coke’ cocktails. As far as we’re concerned, the beautiful dark rum is truly ripe for experimentation, wild innovation and barrier-breaking creativity. And while personalized Old Monk cocktails are one way to go, this time around we’ve taken rum-invention to a whole new level.
With Old Monk and meat (read: chicken, mutton, or bacon) coming together in perfect synergy, we stand around and celebrate this union, applauding with delight and forks at the ready. From chicken wings drizzled in an Old Monk-inspired sauce, to a bacon-and-dark-rum thick jam, culinary experimentation with this classic alcohol has no limitations, and the sky’s the limit. So scroll on for three gorgeously creative Old Monk and meat recipes, and bookmark this page for every time you’re feeling hungry/happy/weekend joy/down/need a pick-me-up/any other weekday--yeah, they’re pretty much fit for any occasion.

I. Amrita Rana’s Drunken Chicken Wings, because dark rum marrying chicken is just so beautiful

Everything can use a little innovation, some adventure, a process of evolving, if you will--even something as classic as chicken wings. Rana’s gorgeous wings drenched in a thick, juicy Old Monk sauce are finger-licking good. Note: the sauce is so delicious, we suggest you make a whole lot of it and experiment with different proteins.
What you nee
10 - 12 chicken wings, five or six crushed cloves of garlic, one tbsp of flour, one tbsp of olive oil. For the Rum ‘n Coke sauce, you will need two cups of coke, three-fourth cup of Old Monk, four or five crushed cloves of garlic, three or four tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, one tsp salt, one tsp chilli sauce, one tbsp honey, two tbsp of butter, and culinary boldness.

How to do it
To start off, preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Toss the chicken wings in olive oil, garlic, salt and generous amounts of pepper, and bake this mixture for about 45 - 50 minutes until it’s crispy and golden brown, and make sure you take out the liquid released by the chicken halfway (you can also coat the wings in seasoned flour and deep fry them on a medium flame until golden and crispy). While your succulent chicken cooks to perfection, you can focus on your Old Monk-inspired sauce. Heat butter and garlic in a saucepan until crispy, then pour in the rum and coke and boil. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the Worcestershire sauce, honey, and chilli sauce, and simmer the blend for about half an hour until it reduces to a thickened sauce.
Coat your hot, crispy, straight-out-of-the-oven chicken with some of the beautiful dark sauce, and serve the rest alongside.

II. Lopa Kanungo’s Old Monk Mutton Raan, where your marinate is a cocktail

Mutton raan is usually enough to cue drool and wide-eyed appreciation, but when half a bottle of delicious dark rum enters the picture, the bar has been raised. This beautifully marinated piece of succulent meat bathed in Old Monk is perfect for when you want your dinner with a dash of adventure.
What you need
One mutton raan (back leg, preferably), 200g crushed garlic, 50g coarsely ground green chillies, half a bottle of the star of the show Old Monk, 250g butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a really big appetite.

How to do it
Rub the raan with salt, pepper, garlic and green chillies. Then, pour in the Old Monk and marinate overnight, or if you just can’t wait that long, at least six hours. Heat your butter in a roast pan or crock pot, add the seasoned raan, cover and slow cook. When the meat comes off the bone and acquires a rich, dark caramel colour, you know you’ve done well. Use the dripping to make a gravy with browned onions and tomato.
Alongside your beautifully spiced, slow-cooked mutton raan marinated in Old Monk, enjoy a serving of fluffy baked potatoes and chunks of home-made bread.

III. Sahil Makhija’s Old Monk Bacon Jam, for when your toast needs a special punch

Rum, bacon, and jam, on any other occasion, would probably not feature in the same culinary process unless the rum-chugging drunk chef accidentally dropped bacon into a jam jar, but with Sahil Makhija’s innovative creation, they form the holy grail of Old Monk meatiness.
What you need
Three shots of Old Monk, 500g of bacon, 200g chopped onions, cayenne pepper, fresh or fried thyme, two or three tbsp of brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a sense of adventure.

How to do it
Chop and fry the bacon until it’s golden brown and crispy, then use the same pan to fry the onions with salt and 1 tablespoon of bacon fat until they turn translucent. Pour in two shots of the delicious dark rum, toss in some cayenne pepper, sugar, balsamic vinegar thyme, and pepper, and cook your concoction for two more minutes. Next, chop up the bacon further and add it to the pan along with the final rum shot and some water. Slow cook this beautiful mess until it’s nice and thick, and you’ve crafted the perfect Old Monk Bacon Jam.
Serve your deliciously unique intoxicating, meaty jam with hot toast--for those days when bread and butter is just not cutting it.