The Tiki Drink Discussion Topic

[KD1191]

If you're in New York, an interesting tiki drink to try is Audrey's "Re-Animator" down at Pegu Club. It's got La Favorite Blanc, Lemon Hart 151, Green Chartreuse, house-made ginger beer, lime juice, demerara syrup, Cholula hot sauce, Angostura bitters and freshly grated nutmeg. It packs 3 1/2 ounces of booze, and the "weakest" spirit is 100 proof! Anyway, it's a fun drink and interesting for being a tiki drink that clearly still has a foot in the Pegu Club cocktail aesthetic.

And for anyone not in New York who was as intrigued and curious as I was after reading this, the recipe is available on Audrey's write-up on the Starchefs site.

Just made one of these. As Sam mentioned, this packs a wallop. "One and done" is an understatement. Tremendous balance to it, though. I'm eager to play around a bit...thinking my first tweak will be trying fish sauce in place of the Cholula.

[ZombieAddict]

I am thinking of buying a tiki book. Was leaning toward's BEACHBUM BERRY REMIXED http://beachbumberry.com/bum-books/

Anyone have that and liked it? Any other recommendations?

[mkayahara]

That's the one to get.

[FrogPrincesse]

I agree, Beachbum Berry Remixed is a great book if you want to get into tiki cocktails.

Speaking of which, to celebrate the weekend I decided to make the Ancient Mariner tonight, which is an original creation from Jeff Berry. It's one of my favorite cocktails in the book. I use El Dorado 5 yr for the Demerara rum, and Appleton 12 yr for the dark Jamaican rum. I love the combination of sour and spice.

[FrogPrincesse]

The Jungle Bird, as seen on the Noble Experiment thread: Cruzan black strap rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, simple syrup.

With the black strap rum, it becomes slightly sweet and very aromatic - quite dangerous! Much better than the original in my opinion.

[EvergreenDan]

@frog - you mentioned in the linked thread that you initially had a hard time getting your head around Campari + rum. It was mentioned way up-thread, but I think the Bitter Mai Tai is simply awesome.

Bitter Mai Tai

by Jeremy Oertel, Brooklyn's Dram, NY

1 1/2 oz Campari

3/4 oz Jamaican rum, Smith & Cross

1 oz Lime juice

3/4 oz Orgeat

1/2 oz Curaçao

Shake and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over crushed ice, garnish with a mint sprig.

Some have suggested cutting the Campari to 1oz and increasing the rum, but I love it as written. Use good orgeat. If using almond-extract type brand, cut the quantity of orgeat considerably (maybe to 1/4 oz?). The Smith & Cross is pretty important for its hogo and high proof.

[FrogPrincesse]

@frog - you mentioned in the linked thread that you initially had a hard time getting your head around Campari + rum. It was mentioned way up-thread, but I think the Bitter Mai Tai is simply awesome.

Bitter Mai Tai

by Jeremy Oertel, Brooklyn's Dram, NY

1 1/2 oz Campari

3/4 oz Jamaican rum, Smith & Cross

1 oz Lime juice

3/4 oz Orgeat

1/2 oz Curaçao

Shake and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over crushed ice, garnish with a mint sprig.

Some have suggested cutting the Campari to 1oz and increasing the rum, but I love it as written. Use good orgeat. If using almond-extract type brand, cut the quantity of orgeat considerably (maybe to 1/4 oz?). The Smith & Cross is pretty important for its hogo and high proof.

Hi Dan. Thanks for the suggestion. You brought up this cocktail a few times so it was already on my radar screen. So far I was reluctant to try it for the reasons explained before, but I think it's time to give it a try now (well, I mean tonight!). I have a bottle of Smith & Cross that I haven't used yet and just by smelling it I can tell how it could pair well with the Campari. I have some homemade orgeat so I am all good to go. It looks like a good transitional drink to classic tiki concoctions which I have been itching to mix again with the nice weather here.

Some cocktails using aged/very smooth rums in combination with Campari seem like a waste of good rum to me, because you can't really taste the subtlety of the rum anymore. I have ruined really good aged rums that way including some special rhum agricoles (I am thinking of a bad experience with the Right Hand cocktail for example)... However, with more assertive rums such as the black strap (or S & C) this is no longer an issue. So it's just a matter of finding the appropriate rum for these drinks I guess. Sam Ross mixed quite a few Right Hands the other night at Noble Experiment, but of course I did not have the idea to check what rum he was using.

[EvergreenDan]

@frog - You make a good point. Some spirits that I really enjoy sipping do not make the best mixing spirits. For example, a smooth, refined aged rye will get lost in a cocktail, whereas something like Wild Turkey 101 stands up to the competition.

Smith & Cross is expensive, but it makes this drink. I hope you enjoy it, now that I've pitched it!

[FrogPrincesse]

Smith & Cross is expensive, but it makes this drink. I hope you enjoy it, now that I've pitched it!

I made the Bittter Mai Tai last night with the ratios from your post.

It's a very pretty drink.

Regarding the taste, at first, it feels like you are sipping on a Smith & Cross Mai Tai. Then the Campari kicks in - in a big way. A very long bitter grapefruit finish. I really like Campari, but I have to say this was a little much for me. If I ignore the fact that it's a "Mai Tai", it is a tasty drink which reminds me of the Jasmine. At the end though my taste buds were a little saturated with Campari and I could hardly taste the S & C anymore.

My husband could not deal with the bitterness of the drink, so I made him a Trader Vic Mai Tai.

I had a sip (to make sure that it was right) but I could still taste the grapefruit notes from my cocktail. Not a good idea to have these two cocktails side by side...

[ChrisTaylor]

@frog - you mentioned in the linked thread that you initially had a hard time getting your head around Campari + rum. It was mentioned way up-thread, but I think the Bitter Mai Tai is simply awesome.

Bitter Mai Tai

by Jeremy Oertel, Brooklyn's Dram, NY

1 1/2 oz Campari

3/4 oz Jamaican rum, Smith & Cross

1 oz Lime juice

3/4 oz Orgeat

1/2 oz Curaçao

Shake and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over crushed ice, garnish with a mint sprig.

Some have suggested cutting the Campari to 1oz and increasing the rum, but I love it as written. Use good orgeat. If using almond-extract type brand, cut the quantity of orgeat considerably (maybe to 1/4 oz?). The Smith & Cross is pretty important for its hogo and high proof.

I went for 1 oz of Ron Zacarpa (I haven't seen anyone sell Smith & Cross in Australia, so I just decided to go for a nice dark rum) and 1.25 oz of Campari. This I like a whole lot.

[EvergreenDan]

Chris -- do you have access to something funkier -- more hogo?

[Tri2Cook]

A small spark of hope for Canadian tiki? Lemon Hart 151 is apparently now available in Alberta. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will eventually spread it's way across Canada now that it's in the door. I'm not too hopeful at this point but it's a start.

[Kerry Beal]

Noticed the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission has the Lemon Hart - but not the 151!

They also have the Cruzan Black Strap - so a bottle of that should be coming home to me in a couple of weeks.

Edited April 29, 2012 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Tri2Cook]

Yeah, Manitoba has the 80 proof Lemon Hart too. I was hoping a bottle of the Cruzan Black Strap was coming home with a coworker that was in N.S. a few weeks ago but she said the stores around where the friend she was visiting lives didn't have it. I'm not too worried about that one right now though, I still have enough on my LCBO list to keep me broke and hungry for a while.

[thirtyoneknots]

Chris -- do you have access to something funkier -- more hogo?

I (tragically) can't speak from experience but by all accounts Inner Circle Green would be an acceptable analogue.

[haresfur]

Chris -- do you have access to something funkier -- more hogo?

I (tragically) can't speak from experience but by all accounts Inner Circle Green would be an acceptable analogue.

I use Inner Circle green or red (depending on how frugal I was feeling last time I was at Dan Murphy's) whenever Smith and Cross is called for. If a recipe asks for Jamacan rum I consider the source in chosing between Inner Circle or Captain Morgan's Dark (not spiced).

But I'm not sure Chris is an Inner Circle fan. I'll work on him while he works on getting me to appreciate peaty scotch.

While on the topic of Australian rum, a splash of Bundaberg in instant coffee just after dawn on Anzac day is actually drinkable. I guess the whole is greater than the parts.

[ChrisTaylor]

Aside from the apv%, is there any difference between the red and green Circles, haresfur?

[haresfur]

Aside from the apv%, is there any difference between the red and green Circles, haresfur?

I don't think so. Well the price. I haven't compared the cost per standard drink. But Green is easier to mix because you control the dilution - especially for drinks with a lot of non-alcoholic ingredients that may need a bit more strength.

[ChrisTaylor]

Yeah. The price. There's that. Black and Green are quite expensive--certainly more than your entry-level Angosturas, etc.

I guess maybe I'll look into it. Or maybe I'll just revisit Morgan.

Any other rums I need in my life? Think of what I'd maybe be able to get through Dan Murphy's or Nick's. At the moment I have:

* Green Island white rum. Almost done. Will maybe replace with Havana Club or something of that nature.

* Mt Gay Eclipse.

* Angostura 5.

* Ron Zacarpa GR.

[mkayahara]

The Jungle Bird, as seen on the Noble Experiment thread: Cruzan black strap rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, simple syrup.

With the black strap rum, it becomes slightly sweet and very aromatic - quite dangerous! Much better than the original in my opinion.

OK, I've been casting about for a couple of days trying to find the "original" you refer to here, but all the Jungle Bird recipes I can find seem to call for Blackstrap! In any case, I tried it this past Friday, and while it was good, I wasn't blown away.

(The Montegomatica, on the other hand, was a thoroughly brilliant drink. I'll be revisiting that one soon.)

[FrogPrincesse]

OK, I've been casting about for a couple of days trying to find the "original" you refer to here, but all the Jungle Bird recipes I can find seem to call for Blackstrap! In any case, I tried it this past Friday, and while it was good, I wasn't blown away.

The "original" I was referring to is the version from Beachbum Berry Remixed.

3/4 oz campari, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup, 4 oz unsweetened pineapple juice, 1 1/2 dark Jamaican rum.

Try at your own risk!

[mkayahara]

OK, I've been casting about for a couple of days trying to find the "original" you refer to here, but all the Jungle Bird recipes I can find seem to call for Blackstrap! In any case, I tried it this past Friday, and while it was good, I wasn't blown away.

The "original" I was referring to is the version from Beachbum Berry Remixed.

3/4 oz campari, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup, 4 oz unsweetened pineapple juice, 1 1/2 dark Jamaican rum.

Try at your own risk!

Ah, well I guess that explains why I couldn't find it by searching online. Thanks!

[FrogPrincesse]

Beautiful weather yesterday (it finally feels like summer), so we were in the mood for a tiki drink.

I made a Test Pilot (Don The Beachcomber, via Beachbum Berry Remixed) which is one of the tiki drinks I make regularly. The recipe was posted on the falernum thread for those who would like to try it and don't have Jeff Berry's books.

One of my favorite falernum cocktails is the Test Pilot; recipe from Jeff Berry's Grog Log (Jeff credits the drink to Donn Beach, circa 1941).

Test Pilot

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce Falernum

3 teaspoons Cointreau

dash Angostura bitters

1/8 teaspoon Pernod

3/4 ounce light Puerto Rican rum

1 1/2 ounces dark Jamaican rum

Blend with 1 cup crushed ice for 5 seconds, then pour into double old-fashioned glass. Add more crushed ice to fill. Garnish with a wooden oyster fork with maraschino cherry skewered on prongs.

It's spicy, it's deep and complex, and it keeps getting better with each sip. I imagine it would be even more fantastic with homemade falernum. The pastis + Angostura bitters combination is quite a wonderful base for the cocktail.

We started singing Don Ho songs at some point, not sure how that happened.

Edited June 7, 2012 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

A dear friend is moving to Virginia next week and the opportunity to do a punch (for the farewell party) was too good to pass up. I've had my eye on the West Indies Punch from my 1946 Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink for quite some time--looks like I'll finally get to take it for a spin.

[FrogPrincesse]

I tried the Sumatra Kula last night, an early creation from Don the Beachcomber that is documented in Sippin' Safari. It combines white rum with orange (blood orange - my modification), lime, and grapefruit juices, and honey syrup as the sweetener.

It is not Don's most memorable work - it does not help that his master piece, the Zombie, was created around the same time - but it was what I was looking for, something fresh highlighting the grapefruit, with the honey providing additional interest. Surprisingly subtle for a Don the Beachcomber creation.