ka lima lima hema

4 1/2 oz Four Roses Bourbon (3 oz Evan Williams Bonded)
1 1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum (1 oz)
1 1/2 oz Lemon Juice (1 oz)
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice (1 oz)
1 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Juice (1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup)
1 1/2 oz Luxardo Amaretto (1 oz)
3/4 oz Honey Syrup (1/2 oz)
3/4 oz Grenadine (1/2 oz)

Flash blend (whip shake) with crushed ice, pour into a bowl, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with 2 orchids (2 stems ornamental pea blossoms) and a sparkler (omit). Serve with 4 straws (2 straws).

Two Thursdays ago, Andrea was in the mood for some liquid air conditioning, so I decided on a large format drink, the Ka Lima Lima Hema, that I had found in online recipe flashcards for Houston's Kanaloa. The drink appears in Houston's Chronicle article on sharable drinks around town in 2019, and I shrunk down this serving for four by a third. The amaretto stood out for I have only had that ingredient in tropical-like drinks twice: in the Mai Tai-like Arrack & A Hard Place and the classic Caribbean Punch, so I was curious to try it in this mix. Moreover, the Bourbon-OFTD Rum combination was one that I utilized in the Cobra's Tail and enjoyed in the (And) Knobs Is Thirteen. This large format item also allowed me to finally use the Munktiki Sea Mine bowl that I received years ago in a bartender Secret Santa (the shrunk down by a third build was still not big enough for its 40 ounce capacity). The Ka Lima Lima Hema conjured up a floral bouquet to the nose. Next, orange, lemon, caramel, and passion fruit notes on the sip transformed into Bourbon, rum, passion fruit, almond, and berry flavors on the swallow. Overall, it reminded me perhaps of a more complex Fiji Mermaid.