Showing posts with label passion fruit syrup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passion fruit syrup. Show all posts

Friday, July 17, 2026

mojave punch

1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum such as Coruba (Coruba)
1 oz Silver Puerto Rican-style Rum (Hamilton White 'Stache)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice (3/4+ oz) (*)
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Juice
3/4 oz Hibiscus Syrup (**)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a pilsner (collins) glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a paper umbrella skewering a cherry.
(*) Even at a heavy 3/4 oz, the drink was still a bit sweet so perhaps 1 oz would be a good lime juice amount. Over perhaps 1/2 oz lime juice + 1/2 oz lemon juice to keep the acidity where I want it but with the remainder as a more neutral citrus juice.
(**) I did a hibiscus tea bag in 4 oz boiling water for 5 minutes. After removing the tea bag, I added an equal weight of sugar and stirred to dissolve.
Two Fridays ago, I returned to the 2015 set of online recipe flashcards from the Tonga Hut in Los Angeles where I had found the Bermuda Dunes and selected the Mojave Punch. I was able to find photos of the drink at the Tonga Hut in blogs from 2017 and 2022 and multiple photos on Yelp. The recipe came across like a gussied up Hurricane with extra juices (the original Hurricane had fassionola syrup which some recipes include hibiscus); however, it also read a bit sweet so I upped the lime juice a bit (but perhaps not as much as I should have (see note above)). Once prepared, the Mojave Punch proffered a cherry, passion fruit, and floral bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel, lime, and orange notes on the sip shifted into funky rum, pineapple, passion fruit, and red berry-herbal flavors on the swallow. If you made a batch of hibiscus syrup, I recommend using some of the remainder on Aaron Butler's Koki'o Punch, Brick & Mortar's Velvet Rope, and my Red Skies at Night from Loyal Nine.

Saturday, July 11, 2026

malua

2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Peche (Mathilde)
1/2 oz Dry Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
8-10 leaf Mint

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass (ceramic mug), and garnish with a lime wheel and mint bouquet.
Two Saturdays ago, I was in the mood for something tropical, so I looked to my notes from my online recipe flashcard research and selected the Mālua at the Skull & Crown Trading Co. in Honolulu. A 2022 Yelp review made reference to it in the text and included a drink photo as well. Overall, the combination of mint, peach, and lime took the drink into Missionary's Downfall territory but with a tequila (and no pineapple and honey) spin on it. Here, the Mālua opened up with lime and mint aromas from the garnishes over peach and tropical ones. Next, lime, orange, and passion fruit notes on the sip were washed away by agave, peach, orange, and mint flavors on the swallow.

Monday, June 29, 2026

yellow cloud

2 oz Probitas Rum (1 3/4 oz Hamilton White 'Stache + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a pineapple crescent (omit) and a flower (ornamental pea blossom).
(*) A second set of online recipe flashcards and a magazine article about the bar's opening had this as Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur instead of syrup.
Two Mondays ago, I felt in a tropical mood, so I found the recipes that I uncovered that Paul McGee created for the Papaya Club at the Conrad Orlando resort. The Papaya Club along with Seaworthy were projects that Paul consulted for after Lost Lake closed but before he opened his own spot, Echo Lake. MarketWatch in 2024 had a photo and description of the drink in their article about the Papaya Club, and they listed it with Chinola liqueur for the passion fruit element, so perhaps they changed to syrup to save on cost if my 2025 recipe flashcards are correct. Here, the lime, passion fruit, and falernum trio reminded me of the Mai-Kai's Last Rights that inspired by mezcal-Ancho Reyes The Missing. Once prepared, the Yellow Cloud floated to the nose with a passion fruit, rum funk, and pineapple nose. Next, lime, pineapple, and a hint of tart passion fruit on the sip transformed into funky rum, pineapple, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow.

Sunday, June 14, 2026

saddle up!

1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Amaro Averna
1/4 oz Passion Fruit (Passion Fruit Syrup)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.
Two Sundays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and became intrigued by the Saddle Up! by Kathryn "Pepper" Stashek at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2019. I was lured in by the Averna-passion fruit syrup combination that I enjoyed in the Permanent Holiday and as well as in the African Queen when I utilized passion fruit syrup instead of liqueur. Once mixed, the Saddle Up! gave forth an orange, smoke, and roasted vegetal aroma. Next, caramel and tropical notes on the sip rode into roast agave, smoke, herbal, and tangy orange flavors on the swallow. As the ice melted over time, the drink became more passion fruit driven.

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

blood sacrifice

1 oz Dark Overproof Rum (Planteray OFTD)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Amaro Nardini
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet, orange slice (omit), parasol, and cinnamon (freshly grated).
With my new purchase of the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app, I sought out something with mint served in a ceramic mug. The recipe that called out to me was the Blood Sacrifice by David Ebert at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2025 as a riff on his tropical Fix, the Blood Moon, which lacks the rum. Nardini and Campari have paired well together in a number of drinks including the Klaus Kinski and the Host Body, so it seemed like an intriguing duo to star in a tropical number. Here, the Blood Sacrifice generated a cinnamon and mint aroma. Next, lime, caramel, and tropical notes on the sip blessed funky rum, bitter orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a passion fruit finish.

Monday, June 1, 2026

dry daiquiri

1 1/2 oz Light Rum (Old Ipswich White Cap)
1/2 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 tsp Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed).
Two Mondays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and became intrigued by Dry Daiquiri from Kevin Armstrong at Match Bar in London circa 2005. The Dry Daiquiri has the Campari-passion fruit duo that I first learned about in the Novara; with dark rum and a touch of absinthe, this combination becomes the Benjamin Barker Daiquiri, and with pineapple, this combination shares similarities with the Commando Bird. In the glass, this Daiquiri offered up a tropical and complex orange aroma. Next, lime and melon notes on the sip stepped aside for rum, bitter orange, and passion fruit flavors on the swallow.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

demerara dream daiquiri

1 oz Aged Demerara Rum such as El Dorado 12 Year (Hamilton's Demerara River)
1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum such as Appleton 12 Year (Appleton 8 Year)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry.
Two Sundays ago, I finally got around to opening up my copy of Justin Wojslaw's Coconuts & Carnage book published by Wonk Press. Since my mint was not ready to harvest, I opted for the author's Demerara Dream Daiquiri which had the passion fruit, vanilla, and lime structure of the Apocalypto but with two aged rums and Angostura Bitters in place of pisco. Once shaken and strained, the Demerara Dream Daiquiri gave forth a woody rum, allspice, and vanilla bouquet to the nose. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip subsided into rum, passion fruit, vanilla, and clove flavors on the swallow.

Friday, May 22, 2026

obvious choice

1 oz Mezcal (Convite Esencial)
1 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
3/8 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wedge (omit).
Two Fridays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and happened upon the Obvious Choice by Matty Clark at Dutch Kills in New York City. The recipe has the agave spirit, lime, cinnamon, and passion fruit components of the Easy Out but with mezcal and Amontillado instead of tequila and Amaro Montenegro, so I was intrigued. Once prepared, the Obvious Choice showcased vegetal, smoke, nutty, and cinnamon aromas to the nose. Next, lime and grape on the sip developed into smoky agave, passion fruit, nutty grape, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

Thursday, April 2, 2026

penumbra

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/8 oz Honey Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, and strain into a Sour glass.
Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the most recent set of online recipe flashcards for Attaboy that I uncovered. There, I found the Penumbra and an almost identical drink called the Orange Moon that was served in an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube instead of served up. For a time frame, I turned to Yelp where there was a June 2023 review with a photo of the Penumbra served in a coupe, and an October 2023 review with photo of the Orange Moon served in an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube and short metal straw. One of the reviews described the combination as, " I felt like it tasted like an orange creamsicle." The combination of gin, Aperol, and passion fruit reminded me of the 'I'iwi Bird, and Aperol and passion fruit factored into my gentian liqueur-based Italian Stallion and Baldwin Bar's aromatized wine-based Rome with a Slight View. Once shaken and strained, the Penumbra cast out an orange, passion fruit, and pine aroma. Next, a creamy orange sip was overshadowed by gin, passion fruit, and orange flavors on the swallow.

Postnote 5/27/26: The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app confirms this recipe and attributes it to Zack Gelnaw-Rubin.

Saturday, February 21, 2026

te anuanua

2 oz Jamaican Rum (1 3/4 oz Appleton 8 Year + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a glass or mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig, a half passion fruit, and an orchid (spent lime shell with 151 proof rum (El Dorado) ignited).
Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted on a friend's Instagram called the Te Anuanua. It was created by Derek Cole on his Make and Drink account on YouTube, and this Mai Tai riff's name translates to rainbow in Tahitian. The combination seemed familiar, and I decided to make it and check later; my hunch was right, for the Te Anuanua is essentially the Tequi la Banane that I had a month before but with rum and lime instead of tequila and lemon and a flip of the banana liqueur and orgeat amounts. In the glass though, the Te Anuanua began with a rum funk, banana, and passion fruit aroma. Next, a slightly creamy lime and caramel sip refracted into funky rum, nutty, banana, and passion fruit flavors on the swallow.

Thursday, February 12, 2026

what the dickens?

3/4 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. The recipe card from 2021 had no garnish, but their Facebook post form 2024 had a pineapple wedge as garnish.
Two Thursdays ago, I was perusing online recipe flashcard sets when I spotted a drink called What the Dickens? from Flask & Cannon in Jacksonville. I was able to find a reference to the drink as early as 2018 on their Yelp, and I found a description and photo of the drink on their Facebook from 2024. The Cognac-pineapple rum is a combination that I have used in my Why Don't You Do Right (renamed Sunken City for a competition) and enjoyed in the Tropical Sazzy. Here, the What the Dickens? offered up Cognac, caramel, pineapple, and allspice aromas to the nose. Next, lime and passion fruit notes on the sip evolved into brandy, rum, pineapple, passion fruit, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.

Thursday, January 22, 2026

tequi la banane

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice (3/4 oz)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Giffard Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Liqueur (Passion Fruit Syrup)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Julep cup (Tiki mug), and garnish with shaved almonds.
Two Thursdays prior, I selected my copy of the Easy Tiki book to match my mood, and the Tequi La Banane by Orlando Franklin McCray at Night Moves in Brooklyn called out to me. The adapted recipe utilized banana and passion fruit liqueurs to replace the infusions prepared at the bar. Banana with passion fruit flavors in cocktails dates back to the 1930s such as in the New Victoria from the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book, and of course in more recent recipes such as Commando Life and Freak C'est Chic. Once prepared, Tequi la Banane unpeeled a passion fruit, vegetal, and almond aroma. Next, lemon and passion fruit notes on the sip ripened into caramel, vegetal, passion fruit, and banana flavors on the swallow.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

hi-tide boogie

1 1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1/4 oz Don's Spices #2 (1/8 oz Vanilla Syrup + 1/8 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's))
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Lime Juice

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a TIki mug, and garnish with a mint sprig (swizzle stick).
Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a reference to the Hi-Tide Boogie by Justin Wojslaw at the Diller Room in Seattle that I traced back to Andy Boimila's Mixing Up Tiki channel on YouTube. Justin named this after the rockabilly and surf music studio Hi-Tide Recordings. The cinnamon and Don's Spices #2 combination reminded me of the classic Nui Nui and Colonel Tiki's (And) Knobs is Thirteen, and cinnamon and passion fruit are a natural duo that I last tried in the Pagan Punch a few short weeks ago. In the mug, the Hi-Tide Boogie swept in with dark rum, vanilla, and cinnamon aromas. Next, grapefruit, lime, and caramel notes on the sip receded into burly rum, vanilla, passion fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

Friday, January 9, 2026

the urban archaeologist

1 1/2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (3/4 oz Coruba)
2 oz Demerera Rum (1/2 oz Lemon Hart 80° + 1/2 oz Diamond 151°)
2 oz Spanish-style Lightly Aged Rum (1 oz Prichard's Crystal)
1/2 oz Curaçao (1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry)
2 oz Lime Juice (1 oz)
1 oz Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice (3/4 oz)
1 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (3/4 oz)
1 oz Orgeat (1/2 oz)
1 oz Simple Syrup (1/2 oz)
6 dash Angostura Bitters (3 dash)

Pulse blend with 2 cups of crushed ice (whip shake with crushed ice), pour into a Tiki mug, and top with crushed ice.

Two Fridays ago, I was perusing recipes on The Atomic Grog when I landed on The Urban Archaeologist by blog author Jim Hayward in 2020 in honor of Sven Kirsten who made a study of retro style. As for the name, Punch described, "Sven Kirsten, a German-born cinematographer and self-described 'urban archeologist,' whose The Book of Tiki: The Cult of Polynesian Pop in Fifties America, published in 2000, is touted as a veritable bible within the genre." Since the drink was designed to fit in a 30 ounce mug of a cannibal taking a bite out of The Book of Tiki, I halved the volumes to fit into a 16 ounce mug as suggested by Jim on his site; I also took up his advice of splitting the Demerara rum into normal and overproof to help cut through the sweetness. On my Instagram, Jim commented "Also a fine tribute to Beachbum Berry's research." I returned to his blog where he expounded on that thought with, "If these ingredients seem familiar, it's because they're among those featured most often in the 80+ recipes in Jeff 'Beachbum' Berry's influential Grog Log (1998), the go-to resource for creating cocktails while we studied The Book of Tiki. Not surprisingly, The Urban Archaeologist tastes exactly like Grog Log should taste like. There's a ton of flavor, with an emphasis on the tart and sweet, but it's also perfectly balanced with the requisite bold and rummy backbone."
Overall, the recipe reminded me most of one of the drinks from Berry's collection, the Cocoanut Grove Cooler, with the orange juice, curaçao, passion fruit, and orgeat components, so it was definitely in Jim's intended ballpark for flavor. Once assembled, The Urban Archaeologist uncovered an orange and passion fruit aroma. Next, a creamy orange and lime sip dusted off dark funky rums, passion fruit, almond, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

Thursday, January 1, 2026

the missing

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Two Thursdays ago, I was still thinking of the Mai-Kai's Last Rites that I had the night before. Hearing "Last Rites" made me think of the 1988 Ministry song "The Missing" that has those as the lyrics, and I took the trio of citrus plus modifiers and was inspired to replace the rums with something appropriate for my new job at Gato Exotico. Indeed, I ended up using the 3:1 mezcal to Ancho Reyes ratio found in the Ancho Noir and Aztec Warrior. When served over a large ice cube instead of the Last Rite's crushed ice, The Missing gave forth grapefruit, vegetal, and smoke aromas. Next, lime, roast, and passion fruit notes escaped into smoky agave, pepper spice, tropical, and clove flavors on the swallow.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

last rights (tribute to the 2016 recipe)

1 1/2 oz Gold Rum (Barbancourt 8 Year Rhum)
1/2 oz Black Strap Rum (Cruzan)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)

Flash blend (whip shake) with crushed ice, pour into a Zombie glass (Tiki mug), and fill with crushed ice. I garnished with a spent lime shell filled with El Dorado 151° white rum and ignited.

Two Wednesday, I scanned the recipes on The Atomic Grog and got intrigued by a few of the Mai-Kai tributes that Jim Hayward had created to replicate the bar's originals. The one I made was the updated 2016 version of the Last Rites that the bar created for their 60th anniversary. They tweaked their circa 2012 more neutral rum recipe to have a distinctive molasses note that Jim figured out to be black strap rum. Of course, both of these recipes were based off of the 1959 recipe that Jeff "Beach Bum" Berry published in Sippin' Safari straight from Mai-Kai bartender Lariano Licudine's notebook that featured an aged rhum agricole with the same ingredients list but slightly different proportions. Overall, it is a similar combination that I last saw in the Cannibalernum with a duo of pineapple and high proof rums. Once prepared, this 2016 recipe greeted the nose with passion fruit and molasses aromas. Next, lime, passion fruit, and caramel notes on the sip brought the coming of rum, molasses, tropical, lime, and clove flavors on the swallow.

Thursday, December 25, 2025

pagan punch

2 oz Coruba Dark Jamaican Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a glass (Tiki mug), and fill with crushed ice. The instructions did not list a garnish, but the photo showed mint sprigs and a plastic spider (grapefruit peel snakes).
Two Thursdays ago, my shipment of a half dozen new Tiki mugs arrived, and I sought out uses for them. On my phone, I found a screenshot of the Pagan Punch by San Francisco home enthusiast Joe Kennedy that he posted on Facebook's Tiki Recipes group back in October. It was a cross of Pagan Idol's Quarantine Order with Stephen Remsberg's Planter's Punch featuring Coruba Rum (which we had at his house in 2010 as alluded to in this post). The passion fruit-cinnamon syrup duo is one that I utilized in my Bucking the Tiger a few days after having it in the Samson Swizzle; my earliest blog post with the duo turns out to be something I came up with independently during Loyal Nine's Yacht Rock Sundays in 2015 called the Key Largo. In the new mug, the Pagan Punch prayed to the nose with grapefruit and cinnamon aromas. Next, caramel, grapefruit, lime, and passion fruit notes on the sip chanted until dark funky rum, passion fruit, cinnamon, and allspice flavors from the swallow reared their heads.

Sunday, December 21, 2025

beyond the solar system

3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Orgeat

Whip shake with crushed ice, dump into a glass (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with an apple fan dusted with freshly grated cinnamon.
Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had bookmarked on Instagram back in October from user WeeklyTiki called Beyond the Solar System. This Saturn riff seemed like a good followup to the tequila Saturn called the Papa Noel from the Sippin' Santa series I had two days prior. Here, a rye-funky rum version had me curious for the rum-laden Janus was so delightful; moreover, the falernum was also swapped to cinnamon syrup. In the mug, the Beyond the Solar System welcomed the nose with an apple and cinnamon aroma. Next, creamy, lemon, and tropical notes on the sip launched off to rye, funky rum, earthy nutty, cinnamon, and passion fruit flavors on the swallow.

Friday, December 19, 2025

papa noel v1

1 1/2 oz Camarena Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/4 oz Orgeat
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a 12 oz Pearl Diver glass (coconut Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a pineapple wedge, orchid, and paper umbrella (umbrella only).
Two Fridays ago, I reached for the recipe collection from the Sippin' Santa events and selected the Papa Noel version 1 from the 2018 menu (version 2 posted down below seems to be from 2019). Overall, it read like a reposado tequila Saturn with Peychaud's; I recently had the Jamaican rum and lime juice version, the Janus, so trying an agave version seemed intriguing. Once prepared, this version of the Papa Noel orbited the nose with agave and passion fruit aromas. Next, a creamy lemon sip landed upon tequila, passion fruit, nutty, clove, and anise flavors on the swallow. Indeed, I was impressed how the vegetal nature of the agave completely reshaped the way a Saturn-like drink came across.
Papa Noel v2
• 2 oz Blanco Tequila
• 1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur
• 3/4 oz Orgeat
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• 1/4 oz Pineapple Juice
• 3 dash Cardamom Bitters
Similar directions as v1.

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

on christmas island

1 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (Hamilton Demerara River 86°)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Donn's Spices #2 (1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup + 1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's))
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a glass or mug (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish in tropical fashion (mint and nutmeg).
Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the Pandemic-era Lost Lake email recipe collection when I spotted the On Christmas Island created for their first Christmas Pop-up in 2017 alongside drinks from Boilermaker in Manhattan and Latitude 29 in New Orleans. I also found this in the Sippin' Santa recipe collection which attributed it to a year earlier in 2016. The lemon juice balanced by ginger and passion fruit syrups reminded me of Lost Lake's No Bye/No Aloha but with Donn's Spices #2 instead of orgeat and vanilla. It turned out that this recipe made good use of the last of this season's mint before a killing frost took out every last plant in the yard soon after. In the mug, On Christmas Island presented mint, woody spice, and hints of caramel, rum funk, and passion fruit to the nose. Next, lemon, caramel-molasses, and hints of passion fruit on the sip flowed into funky rum, ginger, and allspice flavors with a vanilla-passion fruit finish.