FrogPrincesse

No harshness intended. Just a gentle comment on the relevance of the name - 5oz compared to 1 1/2 oz. OK, got it - not as potent as the original. Still potent enough for me! And that gives others the perfect excuse to have another one...

Both Something like, but homemade. While I don't have my copy in front of me, I'm pretty sure that I lifted the idea from the pages of 'Beachbum Berry Remixed', where he is discussing Donn Beach's 'secret ingredients in coded bottles' system. Making the cinnamon infused simple is, well, simple, and it's not a big step to notice how often the grapefruit and cinnamon are called for in various recipes, generally in close enough ratio to suggest keeping them combined. I'm pretty sure Jeff directly refers to "Don's Mix". He also draws attention to the Angostura / Anise combo as recurring in a lot of Dark Rum based D-the-B drinks, and sure enough [to my jaded palate anyway] a few drops of the combo does add extra depth to the off-the cuff tiki variants I've tried it in. The grapefruit + cinnamon combo is indeed a classic combination used in many recipes from Don the Beachcomber (idem for anise + angostura); I was just curious about the fact that this mix could be kept for a while in the fridge. It has to be because of the cinnamon, because citrus juice tends to get bad rather quickly on its own.

My husband and I had a fantastic time during our first visit to Pegu Club last week. We went early (before 6 pm) and sat at the bar. We had a very nice chat with the bartender and one of the patrons. I had to get a Pegu Club, and my husband asked for a daiquiri variation with rhum agricole. They were both great. The Pegu Club is a drink that can be hard to balance but this was perfection. The daiquiri was made with La Favorite blanc. I loved the attention to detail which is seen for example in the generous garnishes - the Pegu Club had a scored lime wedge. The space was comfortable and welcoming, and we felt right at home. It's too bad that we live so far away and won't be able to go back for a while.

I tried the Beachbum last night, a cocktail created by John Deragon (johnder) as an homage to Jeff Berry. It is a classic tiki cocktail with a combination of two rums (Flor de Cana white and Mount Gay Eclipse amber, for which I substituted El Dorado 12 year), together with pineapple juice, lime juice, apricot liqueur and (homemade) orgeat. I liked the fact that the pineapple and apricot were in the background enhancing the rums, rather than taking over the drink. The orgeat rounded everything up. It is reminiscent of a Mai Tai, with the pineapple juice and apricot liquor replacing the curaçao.

...but perhaps has a harder time justifying it's claim to the name, rather lacking the bludgeoning payload of the previous version? DerekW, I think that you are being a little harsh. Jeff Berry's simplified version still makes a very nice Zombie that I would be happy to have any day. Nice setup that you have. Could you please elaborate a little further regarding the premixed grapefruit juice & cinnamon syrup... Are you referring to something like "Don's Mix" from B.G. Reynolds, or is that something that you made?

ScottyBoy, What an amazing experience, thanks for sharing it with us. But I need to ask, are you super human? ;-) I counted about 10 alcoholic beverages... How is that even possible (unless these are really tiny drinks)?

Last night I was in the mood for a tiki drink but did not have the energy to make another 1934 Zombie Punch so I tried the simplified version created by Beachbum Berry (Beachbum Berry's Zombie). It uses only 5 ingredients instead of 10 in the original recipe. It's is shaken with ice cubes instead of blended. It manages to retain the same flavor profile, though obviously not as complex. Despite its simplicity, it is a very respectable version of the Zombie.

After this discussion I had to make a 1934 Zombie Punch. I used Appleton 12 for the dark Jamaican rum and Lemon Hart 151 dememara. Lots of ingredients but well worth the effort. Impressive layers of flavors from the rums and the various spices (cinnamon, pastis, Angostura bitters and pastis).

A simple quesadilla with scallions, chilies and a little bit of cilantro can be really good served with homemade guacamole. I just use the "Mexican" cheese blend from Trader Joe's which is a mix of cheddar, Monterey Jack, asadero and queso blanco. I also like to add roasted bell peppers or portobello mushrooms.

Jane, Regarding the Zombie, there is some excellent information at the beginning of this thread (see here for example). I also recommend reading this article from the New York Times which summarizes the history of the drink and also provides Don the Beachcomber's "Zombie Punch" 1934 recipe (my favorite), together with a few other variations.

Yes, something like that could work. I would like to try it with the Coruba as well - just another excuse to buy more rum!

Someone I know is looking for a "pirate punch" recipe so yesterday I decided to test drive Stephen Remsberg's Planter's Punch recipe from Beachbum Berry Remixed. It's just dark rum (he specifies Coruba), lime juice, simple syrup and Angostura bitters. I did not have any Coruba but based on a tasting at Tiki Oasis last year I remembered that it was roughly in the same family as the Cruzan Black Strap that I bought fairly recently, so I just used that instead. The drink is build directly in the glass and swizzled. It was rich and quite smooth. The strong maple syrup flavor of the black strap takes a few sips to get used to, but once you do it's a really enjoyable drink.

I went to Craft and Commerce this weekend and asked for a daiquiri-type cocktail with rhum agricole after spotting La Favorite blanc on their shelf. They made an excellent Last Word variation that used to be on their cocktail menu when they opened a few years ago. They call it Enough Said. Lots of funky flavors in that drink, very nice as a last drink to finish a pleasant evening - even though I am still shocked that they close their doors at 1 am on a weekend. Then last night I decided to continue on the same track and prepared Michael McIlroy's Thumbs Up! It's a slightly tweaked version of the Last Word with a touch of aperol and less maraschino. It's very good; I found it more subtle than the original and the color is a nice salmon.

Next up was Captain Vadrna's Grog, also from Beachbum Berry Remixed. This drink was apparently created with Captain Morgan spiced rum. I am not a huge fan of that rum but happen to have a few bottles of it so I decided to try this drink. I did not expect too much from it between the Captain Morgan and the pretty straightforward list of ingredients (lime juice, white grapefruit juice, demerara syrup, Angostura bitters). I also snuck in a few drops of grapefruit bitters (also from my friend). This was really good despite its simplicity. It had a lot of flavor and spice. I will make it again for sure.

I made a couple of tiki drinks recently in preparation for an upcoming event. First the Bum Barrel from Beachbum Berry Remixed. It's Jeff Berry's twist on the rum barrel. It's from the later portion of the book which contains new/modernized creations. The recommended rums were dark Jamaican and gold Virgin Island rums. I substituted what I have available in large quantities: Whaler's rum (which lacks the depth of Appleton) and Flor de Cana gold. The other ingredients are lime juice, white grapefruit juice, orange juice, passion fruit syrup, honey mix, Angostura bitters and soda water. Quite good, but felt a little watered down with the soda water. Was improved by a few drops of passion fruit bitters (made by a friend) which added depth. This wasn't especially memorable (at least not with this rum combo) but would still make a very decent punch.

My husband was out last night so I made PDT's version of the Rosita - I seem to always go for the Campari when he is out (no wonder, he abhors Campari despite all my attempts at converting him). This version of Gary Regan's creation has the particularity of including a dash of Angostura bitters. The cocktail is really gorgeous in the glass; a beautiful color. It was bitter (as expected) and quite boozy (as expected). It was also intensely herbal with some weird notes that I did not especially enjoy. Maybe it was my selection of brands that was not optimal, I am not sure. It just did not really come together in a harmonious way for me.

After a Kentucky Maid a few days ago with bourbon as the base liquor (from the Drinks thread)... This Jalisco Maid created by Anthony Schmidt from Noble Experiment with tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, cucumber, mint, salt. These are excellent summer drinks.

Oh wow. Beautiful and could not be better timing. I have a bag of gorgeous dates that I just bought and was looking for something special to do with them. Thanks Kerry, I can't wait to try it!

Part 2 - La Super Rica There was a fairly long line when we got there for lunch - we waited about 20 minutes before placing our order. We watched them making the tortillas as we were waiting which was fun. We got the Rajas and the Super Rica Especial. The Rajas are chiles and onions with a lot of melted cheese. The Super Rica Especial has roasted pasilla peppers, cheese and pork. Not super photogenic but definitely delicious. We also got some horchata which was nicely spiced (mostly cinnamon), a little on the sweet side. Overall we liked this little taqueria a lot. It's completely unpretentious and everything was flavorful.

It looks like I forgot to post this excellent Onglet Gascon that I made a few weeks ago. It's a hanger steak served with a marrow bone. A rich sauce for a cut of beef that is flavorful and a little livery (it's a good thing). The sauce is obtained by deglazing the pan with white wine, reducing, adding stock and demi-glace, reducing further, adding the juices from the meat (which is resting at this point) together with plenty of butter and some Dijon mustard. The sauce sticks to your teeth and is pure umami. Note that I had run out of parsley so I used chives instead, but parsley would be my first choice.

This thread continues to be a great source of inspiration! Beautiful meals from everyone. A few recent meals. Roasted scallops with potatoes, leeks, bacon. The vegetables were roasted in the oven and developed a ton of flavor. The recipe is from Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef. Opah with fennel puree. The opah (moonfish) is a fish I've discovered in Hawaii. It seems a little dense on the picture, but it's actually quite delicate and very moist. For the puree (which is really a thick sauce) I used this simple recipe created by Richard Blais for Food and Wine magazine. The fennel and green garlic were from my CSA. A little snack to nibble on before dinner - cherry tomatoes and mini cucumbers from Suzie's Farms. Another night we had this amazing 3-inch Delmonico steak from my favorite butcher shop. It was grilled and devoured by three very hungry people. I served the steak with grilled baby eggplants from Schaner Farms with zahtar and feta. Then a few nights ago, as we were watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics, we had a salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato with zahtar and mint, together with a canary melon (extremely sweet) and jambon de pays (a rustic cured ham from France). The main course was a local white fish with red core Chantenay carrots and bagna cauda, toasted breadcrumbs - recipe from Lucques. The carrots were really the standout in this dish as they were very sweet and flavorful.

That's great. Hopefully it will be open by next year's TOTC!

B.G. Reynolds (formerly known as Trader Tiki). I bought it last summer with a bunch of other syrups, and they are still good. I keep them in the fridge.

What kind are these? Golden or red delicious? My mom used to make a nice apple tart with golden delicious apples.

An excess of citrus and a freshly-made batch of orgeat were my motivation for deciding to make a tiki drink last night - usually I look for less involved recipes for Monday nights! Looking up recipes using orgeat, I came up with Kelbo's Scorpion in Sippin' Safari. It's an eclectic mix of dark Jamaican rum, brandy and gin, plus orange juice, lime juice, passion fruit syrup and orgeat. As with a lot of tiki drinks, with so many ingredients it's hard to know based on the recipe alone what it is going to taste like. It was very tasty, a little spicy, definitely on the boozy side but smooth (and therefore dangerous), with the creamy orgeat tying up everything together. Quite impressive. For reference, stickyii posted the recipe while back on the Drinks! thread.