"Soon May the Wellerman Come" aka "The Wellerman" is a sea shanty originating from New Zealand which has had a recent resurgence in popularity this year thanks to a video of the song which sparked a TikTok sea shanty trend. You can read more about the song here. As the chorus includes the lyrics "soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum," I couldn't help but be inspired to create a cocktail in honor of this shanty.

What was a vague inkling transitioned quickly to a need to craft my own "sugar and tea and rum" cocktail when I saw artist Nikki Dee Miller's design (pictured here; click on the picture for a link to her merch featuring this design).

Keep reading below for the full recipe for my take on The Wellerman.

I just finished listening to the Whispering Lakes storyline (episodes 11-24) of the Tales of Asperran podcast. Tales of Asperran is a D&D 5e actual-play podcast set in the titular homebrew world of Asperran, a setting designed by Mike (the gamemaster). One of my favorite events in this story arc has inspired this cocktail. I will try not to spoil anything in case anyone else is as terribly behind in this fabulous podcast as I am, but I will briefly explain my inspiration and provide full directions to make this cocktail below.