Can you make black tater tots with squid ink? 100%. How do they taste? Actually, not too bad. Check out my recipe below.
On this date in 1970, the last tot of rum was issued to the sailors of the British Royal Navy. This day was known as Black Tot Day. It ended a nearly 325 year tradition of providing a ration of rum every day to sailors.
This was a dark day for sailors but is probably a necessary evil. Rum was issued as a source of water and even calories. Hundreds of years ago, it was tough to travel with potable water. It would spoil and could grow algae, YUCK! Prior to the start of issuing rum, sailors were provided with beer. As much as a gallon a day. That’s a lot of beer. Rum was more compact and with the exploration of the West Indies, plentiful.
Enter Admiral Edward Vernon who in 1740 decided that all this rum was making the sailors unproductive and even unsafe. He ordered to cut the ration with water, 4:1. Sailors, not happy about this, could exchange their bread and salt ration for limes and sugar. Mix that with the diluted rum and you have what the sailors called grog. This was one of the first cocktails.
Why was it called Grog? Admiral Vernon wore a weather-proof coat made of a fabric called grogram. Sailors, who were bitter about their new diluted rum, called their impromptu cocktail after the man that necessitated it.
1970 rolls around and the modern Royal Navy says this is a thing of that past. The House of Commons votes to stop the tradition and on July 31st, 1970 they stopped issuing rum. This day was called Black Tot Day.
50 years later in 2020 we are still talking about this event. Nick Drinks wanted to mark the occasion with an epic black tot. Tater Tots made with squid ink.
Squid ink is a natural food coloring that makes its way into pasta, bread and even ice cream. It tastes slightly like sea water and is bit salty. A little goes a long way and my two soy packet sized containers were enough to dye 2 lbs of potatoes.
Tonight, raise up your glass to the brave sailors around the world. Pick your favor rum, make some grog and honor the tradition of Black Tot Day. Cheers.
Black Tater Tots
- 2 lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled
- 2x 0.14oz packets of Cuttlefish Ink
- 1.5 tablespoons of all purpose flour
- Seasonings of your choice (I used garlic & onion powder as well as dried dill)
- Kosher Salt to taste
- Neutral oil for deep frying
Peel the potatoes and shred them with a box grader into a towel lined bowl. Gather the towel into a bundle and wring out the extra liquid over a sink.
Put all your ingredients into a bowl and mix. I used gloved hands as not to dye myself. You are looking for a consistency that will hold it’s shape when pressed into a ball. Add a bit more flour if it’s not sticking.
Form into tater tot shapes. I did this by rolling them into a small ball then squeezing into a log. Place on a plate.
Fry immediately at 350° until most of the bubbles have stopped. Make sure you are doing this in a well lit kitchen as the dark tots are hard to see when they are getting crispy.
Alternatively, you can refrigerate overnight and they should keep their shape a bit better when frying.
Grog
- 1oz Dark Rum
- 1oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1oz Demerara Simple Syrup (1:1)
- 4oz Cold Water
Add all the ingredients into an iced shaker and shake. Strain into a copper or stone mug filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.