Some Good Reading.

Some good reading.

The latest issue of Exotica Moderne from House of Tabu is out! Always excited when a new issue arrives. I love curling up with a cocktail to read it. Here are two from the latest issue.

Mix #143 Sleestack Attack

1oz Doctor Bird rum 1oz Hamilton White Stache rum 1oz gold Puerto Rican rum 1oz falernum 2oz pineapple juice 1oz grapefuit juice 1oz orange juice 1oz lime juice 1oz Demerara syrup

Shake everything with ice and pour into a large glass.

Created by Matt Strickland,this is a big drink with lots of vitamin C. Sweet and citrus-y with some spice,the three ounces of rum give it kick. A nice cocktail for a good read.

Mix #144 Skipper's Downfall

1oz light rum 1oz dark rum 1/2oz creme de cacao 1/2oz orange juice 1/2oz lemon juice

Combine ingredients with ice in mug. Stir and top with seltzer.

From the now gone Tiki bar Skipper Kent's,this is very tart. Many older Tiki recipes were like this. I upped the cacao to an ounce and added a half ounce of Demerara syrup and it was much better.

So pick up the latest issue and get yourself some culture.

Give ya both barrels.

Oops,missed a Rum Barrel recipe from the Tiki bar Undertow.

Mix #158 Undertow Rum Barrel

2oz Demerara rum 3/4oz gold rum 3/4oz white rum 1oz lime juice 1oz grapefruit juice 1oz pineapple juice 3/4oz honey syrup 5 dashes allspice dram 1 dash bitters

Blend with two cups of ice and pour into mug.

Again,I shook this instead of blending. I did some digging on the 'net and calculated that five dashes was around 3ml of allspice. This was smooth with a touch of citrus and spice. And it had plenty of kick. Nice drink,just don't have more than two or you're going to regret it in the morning.

Happy chocolate bunny day!

It's Easter. The kids get all kinds of candy,and what do the grownups get? Well thanks to Brian Maxwell,we get a seasonal Tiki drink!

Mix #159 Easter Bounty

1.5oz dry gin 1oz coconut cream 1oz pineapple juice 1/2oz lemon juice* 1/2oz vanilla syrup 1/2oz passionfruit syrup 1/2oz Cynar*

Blend with two cups of ice until smooth.

*I used Aperol instead of Cynar. Since I shook this I used 3/4oz of lemon.

I was going to make another post when I found this on Facebook and was like,hey an Easter Tiki drink! The poster called it an adult Cadbury egg,which is pretty close to what it tastes like. It's sweet and fruity with a vanilla finish,but doesn't taste touristy. Brian suggested that I use extra lemon juice since I was shaking instead of blending and it turned out great.

So now the kids can get their Easter treats and you can have yours.

Oh look,Elvira has even gotten into the spirit.

Avast ye scurvy dogs!

Well,it's a snow day,and I'm watching Yellowbeard,a documentary about the most dangerous pirate in history. The pirate Yellowbeard captured many other galleons, killing over five-hundred men in cold blood. He would tear the captains hearts out and swallow them whole. Often forcing his victims to eat their own lips, he was caught and imprisoned… for tax evasion. So in his honor,I figured I'd play around with my ingredients to come up with a twist on the classic Mai Tai. The result is a drink that any pirate worth his parrot would give both his wooden legs to imbibe. Enjoy!

Mix #130 Yellowbeard's Grog

2oz Pyrat XO Reserve rum 1oz lime juice 1/2oz Pierre Ferrand Yuzu 1/2oz Small Hand Foods orgeat 1/4oz Demerara syrup

Shake with ice,stagger-stagger-crawl-stagger,then pour into upturned skull of someone you don't like. Garnish with Mr Prostitute's moustache and a speared piece of Spam.

A nice sweet/sour riff on the Mai Tai. The Yuzu really shines through.

Farewell me hearties!

One more cherry drink.

The Singapore sling was created around 1900 at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel in Singapore by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon.

(Ngiam with his wife on the left)

Originally called the Gin Sling,it was intended as a drink for women. This is because at the time it was socially unacceptable for women to drink alcohol in public,so Ngiam made the cocktail look(and taste/smell) like fruit juice to enable women to drink it. It has since become a classic Tiki drink,although there are many variations. Many of the new ones drop back the pineapple juice and add club soda,or do other things that completely change the drink. As with many Tiki drinks,the actual lore behind it is pretty conflicting and confusing,but as I like to say,a good story is a good story. The pic below is from a friend who actually met Ngiam's grandson and got a drink card from him,so I'm going with this being the legit recipe.

Mix #165 Singapore Sling

1oz gin 1/2oz Cherry Heering 1/4oz Cointreau 1/4oz Benedictine 4oz pineapple juice 1/2oz lime juice 2 tsp grenadine 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into hurricane glass.

Sweet and fruity,you barely taste the alcohol. The grenadine comes forward and the pineapple and cherry finish it. There's also just a touch of honey aftertaste. With only an ounce of true liquor it's a low octane drink,and with it's fruity taste and bright red color it would make a great cookout drink. I was able to get some Benedictine from friends,if you don't have this you can sub Drambuie. Use one of these though as anything else will change the drink too much.

So make yourself the 'official drink' of Singapore,and enjoy the flowers before they're gone.

Happy V Day.

Meh,as a bachelor,I got nothing for today. But I've been meaning to tweak one of my cocktails to make it less 'touristy'. So here it is. There are several other cocktails with this name that are supposed to be for the Marvel comics character,but mine is actually drinkable.

Mix #142 The Scarlet Witch

1oz Doctor Bird rum 1oz Hamilton Beachbum Navy Grog Blend rum 2oz pineapple juice 2oz cranberry juice 3/4oz lime juice 3/4oz pomegranate syrup* 1/2oz velvet falernum

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into a naughty Tiki mug.

*Try to use pomegranate syrup instead of grenadine.

A sweetish drink,it masks the rum Hurricane style so it creeps up on you. Give a couple of these to your significant other and they'll be in the mood in no time. Add a float of overproof rum if you're feeling wicked.

Have fun kids. (but don't name 'em Giltron)