Posted by TraderTiki on August 17th, 2008 — Posted in Events, Rum, Teardrop Tiki Menu
Here’s the selection for the August Tiki Tuesday at Teardop Menu, this time featuring a few of my favorite takeaways from this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. The Luau Coconut will be in limited supply, so get there early!
Dead Reckoning
A Martin Cate original, featuring tawny port and maple syrup in a surprising balancing act, this drink was developed for and premiered at NW Tiki Kon 2007.
Hurricane
The REAL Pat O’Brien’s Original, not that sloppy red “stuff” you’ll see in the stores. Tart, sweet, and deep.
Jet Pilot
A spicy sweet drink from The Luau in Beverly Hills. The Luau was owned by Steven Crane, who also owned the now defunct Kon-Tiki here in Portland.
Lei Lani Volcano
This drink hails from Disney’s Polynesian Village resort. A balanced sweet and sour combination of Guava, Lime, Coconut Rum and Pineapple juice is no Mickey Mouse cocktail.
Luau Coconut
Served by Beachbum Berry at the Tiki Spirited Dinner, this one’s a real treat, served in a real coconut! Be sure to ask for a spoon, the inside’s the best part!
Mai Tai
Trader Vic’s most famous creation, and easily the most recognized tiki drink in the world. This lightly sweet combination of aged Rum, Lime, Curacao and Orgeat put Trader Vic’s on the map.
Navy Grog
That good old Don the Beachcomber classic, with a mix of aged rums, grapefruit, and agave nectar.
Nui Nui
Don the Beachcomber’s spicy classic, with Aged Rum, Orange and Lime juices, and Don’s Spices #2, a secret only recently unearthed by Jeff “BeachBum” Berry.
Pampanito
A Martin Cate Original, as served at the Cocktail Hour at Tales of the Cocktail. This one’s rich and tart, with a lot of molasses and dark rum.
Rum Pot
Trader Vic’s sweet and complex original, recently unearthed for Tales of the Cocktail 2008.
Sidewinder’s Fang
Watch out, this one’s got a bite to it! This mixture of citrus, passion fruit and dark rums will really sink its fangs into you.
Zombie
The most infamous of all Don the Beachcomber’s creations, any more than two and you’ll be joining the living dead with this combination of tropical juices, passion fruit, and plenty of dark and light rums.
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Posted by TraderTiki on August 17th, 2008 — Posted in Rum
Unless you’ve spent a bit too much time off of the internet, you may just well know that August 16th (yesterday) is being celebrated as National Rum Day. A holiday declared… somewhere, by someone (my earliest references being from 2006), but like any other occassion, the desire to celebrate is fine cause to do so. It’s almost perfect timing too, as International Tiki Day takes place on the second saturday of August! Now, unless my Gregorian calendar skills deceive me, the two may never occur on the same day, but nonetheless it’s a fantastic time to celebrate the spirit with our Ohana as the summer days melt by.
Seeing as both of these occasions have been, well lets just say, noted in an untimely fashion, I will suggest a Sunday sip and a drink in continuing regard to the spirit. After all, Rum is something to be celebrated daily, if not by the hour.
Whenever I am asked what my favorite mixing spirit is, the answer is inevitably Rum. When asked what my favorite sipping spirit is, I again have to go with Rum. But Rum is such an all encompassing term for a wide and diverse selection of spirits. There’s Jamaican Rum, Demerara Rum, Rhum Agricole, Whites, Aged whites, Dark, Gold, Aged, Amber, Red, Black Strap, Screech , Añejo, rums aged by Solera method, pot-distilled funky rums, rums from Australia, the Caribbean, locally distilled Rums, Louisiana Rums, New England Rums, Trinidadian Rums, Spiced Rums, Naval Rum… and so on, and so forth. Each an entirely different spirit than the next, and each with its own variations per distiller, country, or otherwise. Even a few lifetimes might not be enough to get a taste of all the rums available. But for those interested in getting a good go at it, there’s always the Forbidden Island Kill-devil Club, a celebration of over 90 variations of the spirit, complete with a checklist. Everything from Anguilla to Scotland is represented, and those who complete the list are celebrated with a placard on the rum shelf.
I’ve been treated to a good number of rums lately, thanks to a few friendly folks representing Mount Gay, El Dorado, New Orleans Rum, Rhum Clément, and even a bottle of the Rhum JM 1997 presented to me by the Bum hisself. Mount Gay, however, has been the focus of the month, having sent a countdown calendar of cocktails for National Rum Day. While the numeric days have passed, there’s always time for a wee bit of catchup.
Chesterfield Browne, representative for Mount Gay in Barbados, was one of the panelists at Rum, Ron, Rhum at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. While the branding was heavy, his passion for the spirits he represents (with a beaming smile and booming voice) can be a touch infectious. It’s a fine brand he’s representing, so no wonder he’s so pleased. When asked about his favorite drink, his answer was Mount Gay Extra Old. While a fine sipper, he encouraged mixing as well, as it is a very versatile spirit. Mount Gay Extra Old is a blend of rums aged in Kentucky Oak barrels, blended to a resulting maturity of 17 years. It speaks very strongly of the barrel, with the softened sweetness of the molasses working together with the barrel aging for a readily sippable spirit.
Mount Gay has a large spirits portfolio, but their flagship is Mount Gay Eclipse. First batched in 1910, this is a golden spirit with a rich floral aroma and light, spicy flavor. When Barbados Rum is specifically called for in a mixed drink (Bermuda Yacht Club, Dead Reckoning, Barbados Red Rum Swizzle), the Eclipse mingles magnificently. For a bit of catch up, let’s try Monday the 4th’s drink, and a Mount Gay signature, The Red Cap.
The Red Cap
- 2 oz Mount Gay® Rum Eclipse
- 1 wedge fresh lime
- Dash bitters
- 1 1/2 teaspoon grenadine
- 6 to 8 fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Ginger ale
- Maraschino cherries
In a rocks glass, muddle 4 cherries with mint leaves and sugar. Add ice. In a cocktail shaker, mix Mount Gay® Rum Eclipse, a squeeze of lime, a dash of bitters and a slurp of grenadine. Shake well. Pour over ice and muddled mixture. Top off with ginger ale. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a cherry.
The name comes from the signature Red Cap of the Mount Gay Eclipse. The drinks itself is excellent, combining muddled mint and cherry for sweetness, a bit of tart lime, and the Mount Gay Eclipse for a touch of spice and plenty of rum goodness. It’s a light sipper, perfect for a red sky at night. You’ll notice mine is a bit murkier of a red than on the calendar. That’s the effect of my homemade grenadine combined with super fancy real Maraschino Cherries. That’s with a “sk” sound, not a “sh” in the Maraschino.
If you wisdom of rum lasts only ’til the end of the bottle, I have a few suggestions if you need to play catch up. First, for all the rum information you could possibly shake a swizzle stick at, there’s Ed Hamilton’s Ministry of Rum. There you can find rum information by country, distiller, or pick the brains of the experts at the MOR Forums. If you’re more of a paper person, and I’d have to agree that a sip of rum goes better with a book than the internet, you’ll have to give a read to Wayne Curtis’ And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. There are quite a few selections available regarding rum and its place on the stage of history (check the library), but this is probably the most compelling read of all of them.
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Posted by TraderTiki on August 15th, 2008 — Posted in Rum
…et en français! TI POONNNSCH!
That was certainly heard plenty of times at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, during the Rum, Ron, Rhum session. Benjamin Jones from Rhum Clément and Chesterfield Brown from Mount Gay were part of the panel for the session, each representing their respective rums.
There was a lot going on during this session, but I would like to focus on the virtues of Martinique Rhum Agricole. If you’re not up to speed on Rhum Agricole and the Rhums from Martinique, here’s the long and short of it. Rhums Agricole, the ones with the “h”, are part of the Appellation d’origine contrôlée, that is, Controlled Name Origin. While the legal body of A.O.C. has been around since the early 1920s, the island of Martinique was only recently brought in November 1996, and remains the sole territory outside of mainland France to hold the A.O.C. distinction. If it ain’t from Martinique, and doesn’t adhere to strict standards (more information available here), it ain’t Rhum Agricole. Even if it’s from Martinique but doesn’t follow those A.O.C. standards , it’s not Rhum Agricole. The Agricole (Agricultural) has to be made from fermented pressed cane juice. If it’s from Martinique and made from Molasses? That’s Rhum Industriale. Fun stuff this French language, eh?
Rhum Barbancourt? While great stuff, and Haiti was at one time a French territory (they became independent 192 years before Martinique was declared A.O.C.), not Rhum Agricole.
10 Cane Rum? Again, good stuff, made from fresh cane juice and has some mild hints towards that unique Rhum Agricole flavor, but not Rhum Agricole.
Cachaça? It’s Cachaça. Not Rhum Agricole. Jeezy Peets people!
There are a number of great Rhum Agricole producers on Martinique, but what I’ve got the most of right now is Rhum Clément, thanks to a generous donation of bottles (and a REAL swizzle stick!) from them. So, lets get down to the brass tacks of what makes this rum so special.
First, there’s the growth, distillation and aging process A.O.C., but I’ve already yakked enough on that, and there are others (see - Ed Hamilton) who can probably add books worth of knowledge to this post.
The taste though, it’s so unique, a Rhum Agricole can easily be picked out of pretty much any lineup. The nose contains a rich grassy vegetal note, particularly on the Premiére Canne, Clément’s white. It calms down after aging in charred barrels a bit, as in the Clément VSOP, but is still quite present. The Creole Shrubb, a Rhum Agricole based Orange Liqueur, covers up the nose completely with an orange presence, but the muskiness can still be detected in the last notes of the flavor. The taste for the white and VSOP continues from the nose, and picks up that unique vegetal, musky grapey flavor. The white is the boldest example, and might need to be the last on the list to try if you’re just getting into Rhum Agricole. I’ll have more tasting notes on the individual Rhums in an upcoming booze reviews section, scheduled to be available sometime after my concoctioneering section.
Rhum Agricole has been a favorite of Tiki Mixologists for its unique flavor that calls for different mixers than would a Jamaican or Virgin Islands Rum. Don the Beachcomber had several drinks featuring Rhum Agricole on his menus, such as the Donga Punch, Don’s Beach Planter, and one of my all time favorites, Three Dots and a Dash.
But the best way to enjoy these fairly young Martiniques (the older they are, the more sippable they get) is in the classic Ti’Punch. Here’s a great video on making a Ti’Punch available at the Martinique Promotion Bureau. As in the video, there are a few ways to make Ti’Punch, and should be named according to the Rhum used. White (Blanc) makes Ti’Punch Blanc, and Aged (Vieux) makes Ti’ Punch Vieux. Ti’Punch is Rum, Lime, and Sugar… which makes it like a Daiquiri, right? No. Some distinct differences here… nitpicky to some, but nonetheless distinct. Ti’Punch uses Rhum Agricole, is traditionally swizzled, and also traditionally served without ice. The Daiquiri is traditionally shaken, with ice, and uses Cuban Rum. You also can’t get a Ti’Punch out of a slushee machine on Bourbon Street, but that’s another angle altogether. But for the best comparison, throw a Diaquiri and a Ti’ Punch next to each other. The difference will shine crystal clear.
Ti’ Punch
- 2 oz Rhum Agricole
- 1/4 oz Cane Syrup
- 1 lime quarter
Into an Old-Fashioned glass, squeeze the lime wedge, being sure to express some oils along with the juice, and drop into the glass. Add the sugar syrup and Rum, swizzle until completely mixed. Add cubed ice to dilute, if so desired. Lime and Sugar amount can be changed to taste.
At once it tastes of the field the Cane grew in, or terroir, so to speak. The lime’s tartness brings other flavors from the rum to the surface, and the sweet cane syrup ties it all together. This is great to serve on hot days, or at parties with rum loving friends. A traditional way to serve this is as a “chacun prépare sa propre mort” (each prepares their own death), on a serving tray with the Rhum, cut lime wedges, and various sweeteners and spices, such as molasses, cane syrup, and nutmeg. One way I’m particularly fond of Ti’Punch Vieux is with a bit of the Clément Sirop de Antillais, a Cane Sugar Syrup with clove, cinnamon, and vanilla flavors. It’s rich, deep, and flavourful, but just a drop will do.
The correct pronunciation, of course, is essential. Just like the islanders on Martinique, say it loud, say it French, TI POONNNSCH!
Well imbibers, our French lesson is now over. For more excellent information on Martinique Rhum Agricole, check this thread at the MInistry of Rum forum.
Thanks to Camper English for letting me pick his brain a bit. Just watch out for his whalloping Ti-PUNCH!
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Posted by TraderTiki on August 10th, 2008 — Posted in Beer, Gin, MxMo
Thanks to Kevin at Save the Drinkers for hosting this round of Mixology Monday. The topic this time around is local flavor, which I’m expecting to be represented pretty strongly, considering the drink blogging populace of the Pacific Northwest.
Walking through the suburban streets of North Portland, there are a lot of places to grab a quick bite. There’s the Mock Crest Tavern, where you can get a Blues Bird and a cheap beer, or the Flavour Spot, with their infamous 9-piece bacon waffle, and let’s not forget King Burrito… well, let’s forget the horrible indigestion it can cause (but is so worth it). But the best place to eat here is about 1 to 8 feet from the ground.
Everything grows here… well, okay, citrus has a bitch of a time, but that’s what clay pots and greenhouses are for. But if there’s anything that seems to represent Oregon best, it’s the rich abundance of berries. Everywhere you go, it seems, there are brambles just waiting to be picked. Little children walk around the streets with rich purple stains on their hands and mouths, and little baskets holding whatever couldn’t fit in their tummies. The most famed of Oregon’s Berries is the Marionberry, coming from Marion County. Unfortunately, it’s just a bit late in the season for these jewels of the vine to hit my local New Seasons, so I had to suffice with some good old McMinnville Blackberries.
But what to pair them with that represents local flavor? Well, you can’t move an inch in Portland without hitting a brewpub or distillery, so the hard part wasn’t really finding something local but choosing something local. My eyes quickly darted to a 6 pack of BridgePort Brewery Haymaker, an extra pale ale known around these parts as Liquid Sunshine.
With my yammering on about Portland, of course I’m going to have to add something from House Spirits to the line, and naturally I fall to Aviation Gin for that endeavor. So, with the combination of these, and a few other components becomes my Bridgetown Shamble.
Bridgetown Shamble
- 1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
- 1/2 oz Cane Syrup
- Bridgeport Haymaker Extra Pale ale
- 6 Oregon Blackberries
- Grapefruit Bitters
Place Blackberries and Gin into a 10 oz. glass and muddle until all the berries have burst. Add Cane Syrup and fill glass with cubed ice. Pour beer into the glass, stir gently with a bar spoon, and dash aromatic grapefruit bitters on top.
It’s a touch on the sweet side, which I would normally cut with a lemon, but the beer adds a light hoppiness that balances it well. Though, this could easily be served with a lemon wedge. Next time, for sure. Seeing as my wife just noted this as her favorite drink ever, there may be quite a few more next times, until the Haymaker runs out, that is.
Okay, now about the name. Initially I was thinking I was so clever in naming my development the “Bridgetown Bramble“, but apparently some other joker beat me to the punch on that one. Okay, well, it’s got Bridgeport beer in it, right? How about the Bridgeport Bramble? Well, as they say, great minds think alike. So, since it is a sweetened (and fortified) beer combination, which makes it some sort of a Shandy… plus the Blackberry which is is denoted with Bramble… yes, the Bridgetown Shamble! Yes, my college english classes is finally paying off.
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Posted by TraderTiki on August 7th, 2008 — Posted in Rum, Tools
When the sun sits high on your sweat mopped brow, there’s just nothing as refreshing as a Mojito.
I can still remember my first Mojito, mixed by Martin some 10 billion years ago, during a garage sale (of dubious regard) in Petaluma, CA. The sun was blazing, the sky was crystal clear, and a large crowd surrounded us, asking questions about coffee pots, tea cups, and whether or not the Girls Gone Wild collection was really for sale (It was, but we kept the one with Snoop Dogg). Thank goodness for the Mojitos though, for getting us through that rough day of sitting in lawn chairs, talking to (other) weirdos.
The word crisp comes foremost to mind when I think of a Mojito, as for me it has a certain bite, that quenches even more powerfully than a PBR Tallboy after a long summer lawn-mowing session. The Mint, Lime, Rum, and effervescent charged water refresh and rejuvenate. One of the best ingredients for a Mojito is a day over 80 degrees.
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The Mojito has its origins, as so many decent drinks do, in the hands of the workers, mixing whatever herbs and juices they could find to make their rum portions a bit more palatable. The Mojito was made most famous at La Bodeguita del Medio, a Hemingway hotspot, which quoted the man as stating “My Mojito in La Bodeguita, My Daiquiri in El Floridita“, on a sign above the bar with his signature. The Mojito had a bit of a time in the 40s, with even Trader Vic reportedly offering one on the menu. It then died out for awhile, as trends do come and go, but came back big with its re-introduction in the James Bond film “Die Another Day” in 2003 (he tells the bartender “Mojito, por favor”, before suggesting a bikini-clad Halle Berry try one… so there may be a positive association there). With the Mojitos return, bartenders also found a great excuse to bring out that wicked tool, the Muddler, paving the way for its Brazilian relative, the Caiprinha, to come back in style as well. The Old-fashioned never really left, but making it proper… that’s a post for another time. |
Recently, after the 10 cane 10k I was served what could have been a decent Mojito that the bartender, in my opinion, absolutely RUINED with the addition of Triple Sec. Instead of refreshing it was an overly-fruity mess. I’m sure the wax cup didn’t help. The original needs no help.
Unlike Mr. Hemingway, I like my Mojito’s best homemade, when the weather is hot (as it is now) and the mint is fresh from the garden. I’m sure I’ve got a few areas for debate here, but this is how I like ‘em.
Mojito
- 2 oz Light Rum (Don Q)
- 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
- 1/2 oz Lime
- 8-10 mint leaves (Spearmint)
- Charged Water
Place the Mint and a quick spritz of charged water into the bottom of a tall glass. Take your nearest muddler in hand and gently muddle the mint to release the oils (not making chopped salad here). Add Sugar and Rum, fill the glass with Crushed Ice, top with Charged Water and Stir or Swizzle until the mint leaves are pressed pleasingly against the glass. Serve with Straw.
Light, refreshing… your mouth should instinctively “aaah” with each sip. It can be an effort to find decent mint (unless you grow your own… highly recommended), and its rising popularity has caused many a bartender to curse into their sleeve garter, but this is drink is so very worth doing right.
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Representatives of 10 Cane Rum recently informed me (and provided a sample for review, thank you kindly), that they have released a Mojito Kit, featuring 10 Cane Rum and Stirrings Mojito Mix. For the sake of science, I tried the 10 Cane in both the traditional, and with the Stirrings product. |
| The 10 Cane makes for a damned fine Mojito. Initially skeptical due to its major differences from traditional Cuban Light Rum, I found the 10 Cane Rum very pleasing and not overwhelming. It just added a few subtle citrus and floral notes to the mix that worked very well.
The Stirrings premade… well, what to say. I’m the guy who yells at the mixer aisle in the grocery store, and there are a lot of reasons to yell. Stirrings generally has a higher end product than, say, Finest Call, but I’m not going to be replacing the use of fresh mint and lime any time soon. The mint flavor is a bit too Lifesavers WinterGreen for me, and the lime used is Key Lime, which has a lot more tartness and sweetness than I like in my limes. Though it works fine as a mint-lime soda. Splash a little into some soda water for a daytime “I’m still at work no booze just yet” refresher. |
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Of course, everyone has got their own way of doing things with this drink. So long as it isn’t miles off of the original recipe (Myers, really?), I’m always game to try the local specialty. For more comments and rebuttals on the Mojito than you can shake your muddler at, check out Jeff’s Mojito Dos and Donts post.
Got a favorite mint to use? Just want to show off a picture of your wicked new Cabana Cachaça muddler? Post it in the comments!
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