Another Lifetime Ago,I Worked On A-10's. I May Have Worked On That Second Plane,956,in England. Would

Another lifetime ago,I worked on A-10's. I may have worked on that second plane,956,in England. Would love to see the tail so I could see if it was an '81 model.

A-10C

Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou!

Well,we made it through 2023,now we have to deal with 2024. It's going to be an election year,so here's some recipes to help you deal.

Mix #113 Three Dots and a Dash

1.5oz agricole rhum 1/2oz gold rum 1/2oz honey syrup* 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz orange juice 1/4oz velvet falernum 1/4oz allspice dram 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake or flash blend with ice. Pour into mug and top with three cherries and a pineapple chunk speared on toothpick.

*Some versions use vanilla syrup.

The signature drink of Chicago's Three Dots and a Dash Tiki bar,the name is from Morse Code(stop trying to call it gmail-tap!) for the letter V. It was created by Donn the Beachcomber to celebrate the victory of the allies in Europe during World War II. It's a nice blend of sweet and citrus,with either a honey or vanilla finish.

Mix #114 The Ancient Mariner

1oz Demerara rum 1oz blackstrap rum 3/4oz lime juice 1/2oz grapefruit juice 1/2oz Demerara syrup 1/4oz allspice dram

Shake with plenty of ice.

Another Beachbum Berry creation,it was so named because his team felt so old after going through the process of getting it just right. It's a super funky drink with a spice finish. If you don't have blackstrap rum,you can just use a funky Jamaican rum. It won't have as much funk,but will still taste good.

Mix #115 Battle Stations

2oz rye whiskey* 3/4oz orange curacao 1/2oz velvet falernum 1/2oz grapefruit juice 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz orgeat

Shake with ice and strain into glass with fresh ice.

*I used bourbon.

Created by Trader Brandon,and featured in his book,Mystic Libations,this was sent to me by a friend who saw it in his social media feed and wanted to know what I thought of it. Well,I'm not a whiskey/bourbon guy,but I knew I'd be bartending at the annual shop Xmas party,so I filed it away. I made a pair of these for my friend who doesn't like rum(I made him Honi Honi's last year) and he said they were delicious. So if you're looking for a non-rum Tiki drink,give this a try.

Mix #116 Buccaneer's Bounty

1oz Navy rum 1oz dark rum 1/2oz Demerara 151 rum 1oz honey syrup 3/4oz grapefruit juice 3/4oz lime juice 1/2oz cinnamon syrup 2 dashes bitters

Shake with ice and strain into glass with fresh ice.

Another recipe from Mystic Libations(sadly sold out),this is a riff on the classic Navy Grog with cinnamon syrup. Sweet and cinnamon-y with a honey finish. And quite strong.

Mix #117 Black Voodoo

2oz Demerara rum 2.4oz apple cider 3/4oz sweet vermouth 1/2oz lime juice 1/4oz Demerara syrup

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into skull themed mug.

My riff on the Voodoo. It's sweet and funky. I like to use Pusser's Gunpowder rum to give it some kick.

Mix #118 Hamilton Dry Float

3/4oz Hamilton Demerara 86 1/2oz Hamilton 151 3/4oz lime juice 3/4oz simple syrup* 1tsp passionfruit puree*

Shake everything except 151 with ice,strain into coupe glass,float 151 on top.

*I used Demerara simple and passionfruit syrup.

Not to be confused with the traditional dry float,this is Hamilton's riff using their rums. It has funk on the nose with a nice sweet/sour mix,and the 151 adds some kick. Quite good.

Mix #119 Chief Lapu Lapu

1.5oz dark Jamaican rum 1.5oz white rum 3oz orange juice 1oz lime juice 1oz lemon juice 1oz passionfruit syrup 1oz simple syrup

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into glass.

This drink was a standard at many Tiki bars back in the day. There were many variations,but Beachbum Berry published this one in his book Remixed!. The name comes from the Datu(chief) who took out Magellan. You can read all about it here. Pretty much a tourist drink,very sweet and strong. Of course,I'm one to talk(see my Corsair Punch below),so if you like sweet and strong have at it.

Mix #120 Lapu Lapu

1oz light rum 1oz dark rum 2oz orange juice 1oz lemon juice 1oz passionfruit syrup 3/4oz vanilla syrup

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into glass.

BG Reynolds' more refined riff on the Chief Lapu Lapu. Sweet and vanilla-y,but not as sweet as the Chief. Also not as strong.

Mix #121 Quarantine Order

1.5oz aged dark Jamaican rum 1.5oz Navy strength Jamaican rum 1oz lime juice 1oz grapefruit juice 1/2oz passionfruit syrup 1/2oz cinnamon syrup 5 dashes Angostura bitters

Blend or shake with ice and pour into glass.

From Pagan Idol's William Prestwood,I believe this was intended to help cope with the fun that was 2020. Should work just as well for 2024. Sweet and fruity with a nice cinnamon burn at the end. Has a nice kick too.

Mix #122 Stack O Gold

2oz Puerto Rican gold rum 1oz Grand Mariner 3oz pineapple juice 1/2oz lemon juice 1/2oz orgeat

Shake with ice and pour into mug.

While many mugs come with recipe cards,Home Aloha's Stack-O-Gold mug came with a nifty tin with this recipe on it. Very pineapple-y and easy drinking. Would make a nice summer BBQ drink.

Mix #123 Tabu Kapu

2oz Demerara rum 1.5oz grenadine 1oz lime juice 1oz grapefruit juice 1oz orange juice 1/4oz Aperol 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and pour into mug.

From the back of BG Reynolds' Lush Grenadine bottle comes a very grenadine flavored drink. But it's not too sweet due to the citrus and Aperol. Very nicely balanced.

Mix #124 Tortuga

1oz Demerara 151 rum 1oz gold rum 1oz sweet vermouth 1/2oz orange curacao 1/2oz white creme de cacao 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz lemon juice 1/2oz orange juice 1/4oz grenadine

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into classic style Tiki mug.

An original Trader Vic creation,his granddaughter Eve chose this as the drink for Sven Kirsten's Modernist Tiki mug and accompanying book from his Tiki Portraits series. This recipe is the version from Beachbum Berry's Potions of the Caribbean,which is a bit more specific when it comes to the measurements of the ingredients. It has chocolate and vermouth on the nose with a citrus-y body and a bit of a tart aftertaste. A nice,complex cocktail.

So don't sweat the new year. After a couple cocktails,it'll be alright.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

It's that time of year again. Time to listen to cool jazz,throw beads to wild women,and drink powerful cocktails. Mardi Gras has nothing to do with Tiki,but both feature cocktails made with rum,so that's good enough for me.

Mix #138 The Hurricane

2oz aged Jamaican dark rum 1/2oz Demerara rum 1/2oz overproof Jamaican rum 2oz fassionola red 1/4oz grenadine 1oz lemon juice 1oz orange juice

Shake with ice and pour into hurricane glass.

The Hurricane is the classic drink that is associated with both Mardi Gras and New Orleans. Its creation is attributed to Pat O'Brien's,a famous bar in the French Quarter. There are several versions of the story,but basically they had a whole lot of cheap rum they wanted to get rid of,so they created a drink to do just that. The classic Hurricane features anywhere from two to four ounces of rum,citrus juice,and either fassionola or grenadine(or both) to give it a sweet taste and its signature red color. It's infamous for both its potency and hangovers. This version is from mixologist Brian Maxwell. As with most Hurricane recipes,I know there's rum in this,but I just can't taste it. It's very sweet with a touch of citrus on the end,and packs a punch. This drink will use up both your rum and inhibitions. Exactly what a Hurricane is supposed to do.

Mix #139 When the Levee Breaks

1.5oz Barbarcourt 8yr rum 1.5oz multi island white rum blend 1/2oz overproof Jamaican rum 1.5 oz fassionola red 3/4oz falernum 1oz lemon juice 1oz orange juice 4 dashes bitters

Shake with ice and pour into hurricane glass. Float 1/2oz of Fernet Branca on top.

This is a Brian Maxwell creation,his riff on the traditional Hurricane. Call it a grown ups' Hurricane. It's not as sweet and you can actually taste the rum and some spice. It'll smash you up just as bad as the classic Hurricane,but you'll feel classier drinking it. I left out the Fernet because it doesn't agree with me,but this was definitely an upgrade over the classic tourist drink.

Mix #140 Tangipahoa Planter's Punch

2oz aged Virgin Islands rum 3/4oz lime juice 3/4oz orange juice 3/4oz pineapple juice 1/2oz grenadine

Shake with ice and pour into zombie glass.

This is a classic drink from the '30's,modernized by Brian Maxwell to sweeten it up a bit. A very nice drink with a nice sweet/tart balance.

The original Tangipahoa Planter's Punch came from a recipe published in the 1937 book,Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix'Em. I was actually able to track down a pdf of this volume on the web,and in there found a drink named for a pirate which crosses over into Tiki territory. Here's my modernized version:

Mix #141 Jean Laffite Cocktail

1.5oz dark rum 1/4oz orange curacao 1/4oz Demerara syrup 2 dashes absinthe 1 egg yolk*

Shake well with plenty of ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

*I used egg substitute.

Jean Lafitte was an infamous pirate who operated out of New Orleans. In his honor I used Smith & Cross,a proper pirate rum. It's similar to a traditional sailor grog,with the other ingredients serving to take the edge off the rum. A bit harsh for my taste,but give it a try if you like your drinks to be liquor forward. By the way,the cocktail actually has the correct spelling of his name,the one F two T version is the misspelling that was used in English language documents at the time,and is used for places that are named after him. Another fun fact,the original recipe called for "absinthe substitute". This was because at the time absinthe was illegal. Fortunately it's available now,since it features in many Tiki drinks.

So put on some Dirty Dozen Brass Band,catch some beads,and let the good times roll!

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.

Ride the Pineapple Express.

"Now, then!" said a shrill female voice the instant Sam thrust his head in at the door, "what do you want, young man?"

Sam looked round in the direction whence the voice proceeded. It came from a rather stout lady of comfortable appearance, who was seated beside the fireplace in the bar, blowing the fire to make the kettle boil for tea. She was not alone; for on the other side of the fireplace, sitting bolt upright in a high-backed chair, was a man in threadbare black clothes, with a back almost as long and stiff as that of the chair itself, who caught Sam's most particular and especial attention at once.

He was a prim-faced, red-nosed man, with a long, thin countenance, and a semi-rattlesnake sort of eye, —rather sharp, but decidedly bad. He wore very short trousers, and black cotton stockings, which, like the rest of his apparel, were particularly rusty. His looks were starched, but his white neckerchief was not, and its long limp ends straggled over his closely-buttoned waistcoat in a very uncouth and unpicturesque fashion. A pair of old, worn, beaver gloves, a broad-brimmed hat, and a faded green umbrella, with plenty of whalebone sticking through the bottom, as if to counterbalance the want of a handle at the top, lay on a chair beside him; and, being disposed in a very tidy and careful manner, seemed to imply that the red-nosed man, whoever he was, had no intention of going away in a hurry.

To do the red-nosed man justice, he would have been very far from wise if he had entertained any such intention; for, to judge from all appearances, he must have been possessed of a most desirable circle of acquaintance, if he could have reasonably expected to be more comfortable anywhere else. The fire was blazing brightly under the influence of the bellows, and the kettle was singing gaily under the influence of both. A small tray of tea-things was arranged on the table; a plate of hot buttered toast was gently simmering before the fire; and the red-nosed man himself was busily engaged in converting a large slice of bread into the same agreeable edible, through the instrumentality of a long brass toasting-fork. Beside him stood a glass of reeking hot pine-apple rum-and-water, with a slice of lemon in it; and every time the red-nosed man stopped to bring the round of toast to his eye, with the view of ascertaining how it got on, he imbibed a drop or two of the hot pine-apple rum-and-water, and smiled upon the rather stout lady, as she blew the fire.

Here we have the introduction of the Reverend Stiggins,an alcoholic,evangelical minister who bore the brunt of Charles Dickens' satire in his serialization,The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club(generally shortened to just The Pickwick Papers). Now what does Dickens' character have to do with Tiki? Because Plantation rum(now called Planteray Rum) used this character as the inspiration for a pineapple-infused rum. Originally intended to be a limited edition release,it turned out to be popular enough with bartenders that they decided to make it a production item. Additionally,they've also come out with a limited 'smoky' pineapple rum. I've got both and they're excellent. Below are a few mixings I've done with Stiggins,I think you'll enjoy them.

(for some reason,the smoky isn't on their site,so I included a pic so you'd know what to look for)

Mix #145 Siboney

1.5oz aged Jamaican rum 1/2oz pineapple rum 1oz pineapple juice 3/4oz lime juice 1/2oz passionfruit syrup 1/2oz Demerara syrup

Shake with ice. Strain into glass with fresh ice.

A modern version of the drink originally published in Trader Vic's book Rum Cookery & Drinkery (1974),this is sweet and fruity. A nice summer drink.

Mix #146 Reverend's Tai

1.5oz Plantation Stiggins pineapple rum 1/2oz Plantation OFTD rum 1oz lime juice 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz orange curacao

Shake with ice and pour into Mai Tai glass.

Created by Matt Pietrek,this is the Mai Tai the Reverend would've drank. It's basically a pineapple Mai Tai with some kick from the OFTD. Quite good.

Mix #147 Elusive Dreams

1oz Plantation Stiggins pineapple rum 1oz light rum 1/2oz banana liqueur 1oz pineapple juice 1oz lime juice 3/4oz cinnamon syrup

Shake with ice and double strain into glass.

A modern riff on a Hotel Nacional de Cuba recipe,this is cinnamon on the nose with a banana/pineapple taste and final cinnamon burn. Very nice,if you like the burn you'll love this.

Mix #148 Pineapple Stiggins Daiquiri

2oz Plantation Stiggins Limited Smoky pineapple rum 3/4oz lime juice 1/2oz simple syrup

Shake with ice and strain into chilled coup glass.

Basically a daiquiri made with pineapple rum. Very pineapple-y with some citrus and smoke aftertaste. If you want to try a pineapple daiquiri,this is a good one.

Mix #149 Pineapple Paralysis

1.5oz bourbon whiskey 1/2oz Plantation Stiggins pineapple rum 1oz lemon juice 3/4oz pineapple juice 1/2oz orange curacao 1/2oz orgeat 1/4oz cinnamon syrup 3 drops bitters

Shake or blend with ice and pour into glass or hollowed out coconut.

Created by Eric Bogan of the Inferno Room,this is very bourbon forward and pineapple-y with a cinnamon finish. Bourbon aficionados will dig this. Make with high proof bourbon if you want some serious kick.

Mix #150 Critical Cooler

1.5oz Plantation Stiggins pineapple rum 1.5oz dark rum 2oz pineapple juice 2oz orange juice 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz grenadine 3/4oz coconut water 1/4oz coconut cream

Shake with ice and strain into glass with fresh ice.

Another Trader Brandon creation from Mystic Libations. Sweet,orange/pineapple-y with a bit of coconut aftertaste. Three ounces of rum give it a good kick. A big drink you'll feel in the morning if you have too many.

So there we have it folks. A century and a half of Tiki drinks. Stay tuned for more as I go for a double.

Ya guava be kidding me.

Guava is a tropical fruit that is sweet,full of vitamin C,and according to the internet,"the queen of fruits" because it's supposed to have all kinds of health benefits. Why,just check out this fascinating chart:

So what's the best way to add this miracle fruit to your diet? Why,in Tiki drinks of course!

Mix #131 PopTiki Volcano Mug

1oz Barbancourt 8yr rum 1oz Demerara rum 4oz pineapple juice 2oz guava nectar 1oz lemon juice 1/2oz passionfruit syrup 1/4oz orgeat

Shake with ice and pour into mug.

This was created by PopTiki with the volcano mug they put out to raise money for the Hawaii fire relief. Cool mug,good cause,meh drink. It's very sweet and fruity with a strong guava taste. It's a big drink that will slake your thirst,but all that sugar is a trip to hangover city. I actually started to feel something after drinking just the one cocktail. Have one if you like sweet drinks,but no more unless you want to feel it the next day.

Mix #132 Murky Lagoon

2oz Whaler's Original Dark rum 3oz guava nectar 1/2oz falernum

Combine all ingredients in double old-fashioned glass with ice. Pour into shaker,shake,re-pour into glass.

From Frankie's Tiki Room in Las Vegas. I used Coruba rum to make this because I didn't have Whaler's and every review I read about it said it sucked. Just use a good dark funky rum instead. It's a nice sweet,funky drink that's creamy and has a touch of spice aftertaste. Quite good with decent rum.

Mix #133 Aloha Screwdriver

3/4oz light rum 3/4oz Lemon Hart 151 3/4oz banana liqueur 1oz guava nectar 1oz pineapple juice 1/4oz Campari* 1/4oz allspice dram

Shake with ice and pour into glass.

*I used Aperol.

Created by one of my fav surf rock bands,it can be found in the liner notes of their album The Lost Recipe. Nice Demerara funk,a touch sweet with some banana and a bit of spice on the end. Quite nice with a bit of kick.

Mix #134 Blake's Guava Grog

2oz Plantation OFTD 1oz guava nectar 3/4oz lime juice 1/4oz falernum 1/4oz allspice dram 1/4oz cinnamon syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake with plenty of ice and pour into mug.

I found this Facebook user's creation posted in the Tiki Recipes forum. Sweet and spicy with cinnamon burn and plenty of kick. A proper Tiki grog.

So drink up. The internet says it's good for you,and you can't put false things on the internet.