Sunday, July 10, 2016

tiki puka puka

1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Don Q Cristal)
1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
1 oz Demerara 151 Proof Rum (Lemon Hart 151)
1 oz Orange Juice
3 oz Trader Vic Navy Grog Mix (1 oz each lime juice, grapefruit juice, and allspice dram)
1 dash Grenadine (1/2 oz)

Blend with 1 scoop of ice (shake with ice, strain, and fill with crushed ice). Decorate with a gardenia and dash the flower with orange blossom water.

Two Sundays ago, I began to flip through Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery for ideas. The Tiki Puka Puka caught my attention, and I double checked that this recipe was unique from the Tiki-Ti's 1961 Puka Punch. Luckily, the recipe's mysterious "Trader Vic Navy Grog Mix" was described by Jeff Berry in the Voodoo Grog as equal parts lime, grapefruit, and allspice dram via a tip in a 1972 Trader Vic's book.
The orange blossom water dropped onto the floral bouquet contributed greatly to the drink's nose along with the mint that I also garnished with. Next, the sip was caramel from the rums and rather tropical from the citrus and pomegranate mix, and later orange blossom water began to enter the flavor profile. Finally, the swallow was a classic medley of rums and allspice.

1 comment:

Jason said...

I’ve been looking for this recipe since Trader Vic’s decided to do one of their extremely rare releases of their grog concentrate last week (see their website). It’s pretty clear, however, when comparing the grog concentrate with the Beachbum’s suggested substitution that the two aren’t even close. There’s definitely allspice in the grog concentrate, maybe faint traces of clove, nutmeg, and vanilla, too. It’s definitely not citrusy, and what REALLY stands out is the impossible to miss kola flavor and aroma. If you’ve ever tasted the syrup used to make Coca Cola slurpees, it’s that, concentrated, plus some wonderfully fragrant spices.