mango daiquiri

1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (2 oz Flor de Caña Añejo Oro)
1 dash Maraschino Liqueur (1/4 oz Maraska)
Juice 1 Lime (3/4 oz)
1 piece Mango (3/4 oz Mango Syrup)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (omit)

Blend with 1 scoop of shaved ice and pour into a large Tiki champagne glass (double old fashioned); I garnished with honeysuckles.
Two Wednesdays ago, I was flipping through Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery book when I spotted one of his originals that could utilize the mango syrup I made recently. That recipe was the blender drink, the Mango Daiquiri, and it accented the fruit notes with a touch of Maraschino akin to how Vic used it in his Pisco Punch, Demerara Dry Float, and Kona Gold. Moreover, the blended aspect also reminded me of his Maraschino-containing Beachcomber that I made a month or so before. Once prepared, the Mango Daiquiri welcomed the senses with a lime, mango, and nutty bouquet. Next, mango and lime mingled on the sip, and the swallow proffered rum flavors with added depth from the Maraschino liqueur.

menehune juice

2 oz Trader Vic Light Puerto Rican Rum (Don Q Grand Añejo)
Juice of 1 Lime (1 oz Lime Juice)
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/4 oz Orgeat (1/2 oz)
1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup (omit)

Whip shake, pour into a double old fashioned glass, garnish with a spent lime shell, a mint sprig, and a menehune (pea blossoms).

Around two weeks ago, Allan Katz, the owner of Las Vegas' Jammyland Cocktail Bar & Reggae Lounge (and not the New York distiller Allen Katz), went on a rant about the Mai Tai on Twitter; this should not be too surprising given that his profile reads "defender of the Mai Tai #deathtofalsemaitais." His rant was how the Mai Tai has been changed to remove its Jamaican roots, and how certain brands claimed solidarity with Black Lives Matter yet change the rum to their non-black island spirit. He argued that the Mai Tai was invented with a 17 year old Jamaican rum, and only its dwindling availability forced a change. While that rum is essentially no longer available, the base he argued needed to be Jamaican and not something other in the Caribbean. I commented that even Trader Vic knew that by calling his Mai Tai with Puerto Rican rum by a different name -- the Menehune Juice. I had never made this recipe for it appeared too similar to the Mai Tai itself, but now with this rant fresh in my head, I performed the experiment.
The Menehune Juice began to appear in the Trader Vic literature during the 1970s, and I sourced the recipe his 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery book. I then discovered that menehune are the flower mix in the Hawaiian lei, and I would later learn two things. First, that the menehune are mythological dwarf creatures believed by Hawaiians to live deep in the islands' forests and valleys. Trader Vic suggested that his drink would help find one by declaring, "You can't see or talk to a menehune until you drink some Menehune Juice. So drink some." The menehune here as a garnish was not a flower medley but a plastic toy or swizzle stick featuring this creature. Second, that the Mai Tai is not the same without a Jamaican rum. The Menehune Juice met the nose with a mint and lime aroma. Next, a creamy, lime, and caramel sip flowed into rum, orange peel, and earthy-nutty flavors on the swallow. Without the funk that Jamaican rum carries along, the drink was rather delightful but lacked any degree of pizazz.

honolulu

1 1/2 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Don Q Añejo)
1 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1/2 slice Pineapple (3/4 oz Pineapple Juice)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (1/4 oz Simple)

Blend with 12 oz ice and strain into a 10 oz coupe (shake with ice and strain into a 5 oz coupe).

Two Fridays ago, I selected Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery book since I was in the mood for something tropical. There I spotted a Trader Vic original called the Honolulu that reminded me of many "Hawaii(an)" named cocktails that included pineapple juice, citrus, and sweetener such as the Royal Hawaiian. However, most of those are gin drinks, and this one is a rum one with grenadine and rock candy syrup as the sweeteners. It sort of reminded me of a Mary Pickford with lemon and no Maraschino or a mint-less Santiago Julep that Trader Vic published in 1947.
The Honolulu danced its way to the nose with lemon and pineapple aromas. Next, waves of creamy lemon, pineapple, and hints of berry crashed on to the sip, and the swallow erupted with rum displaying vanilla and caramel notes. Indeed, with the lemon instead of lime, the aged aspect of the rum sang out (see the citrus talk earlier in the week).

gun club punch #2

Juice 1 Lime (1 oz)
1 1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (2 demerara sugar cubes dissolved in above citrus juice)
1 dash Curaçao (1/2 oz Van der Hum)
1 1/2 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Angostura White Oak)
1/2 oz 151 Proof Demerara Rum (El Dorado)

Blend with a scoop of ice, pour into a Big Shot mug, and fill with ice cubes (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with fresh mint and a fruit stick (mint sprigs and grapefruit swath).

Two Tuesdays ago, I was feeling in a tropical drink mood, so I selected Trader Vic's 1972 Bartender's Guide from the book shelf. There in the punch section was the second variation of the Gun Club Punch; I had made the first variation about two years ago. In the second variation, the juices went from lime and pineapple to lime and grapefruit and the sweeteners from grenadine and curaçao to rock candy syrup and curaçao; moreover, the partner of the light Puerto Rican rum switched from dark Jamaican to overproof Demerara. In both cases, I upped the sweeteners to better balance the lime juice's tartness.
The Gun Club Punch #2 gave forth a mint and grapefruit aroma from the garnishes. Next, lime and grapefruit mingled on the sip, and the swallow shared rum, orange, and vanilla notes. Overall, the rums, lime, and grapefruit reminded me of a Jet Pilot albeit in a more mellow format without all of the spice notes.

aku aku

Juice 1 Lime (1 oz)
8-10 leaf Mint (10 leaves)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (1/2 oz Simple)
1/2 slice Pineapple (1 oz Pineapple Juice)
1/2 oz Peach Liqueur (Briottet Crème de Pêche de Vigne)
1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Angostura White Oak)

Blend with ice (~8 oz) and pour into a large cocktail glass (water goblet). I garnished with a mint sprig and a nasturtium blossom.
Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for Trader Vic's 1972 edition of his Bartender's Guide where I spotted one of his originals, the Aku Aku. The recipe appeared to be his take on Don the Beachcomber's circa 1940 Missionary's Downfall with rock candy syrup instead of honey. Once prepared, the Aku Aku gave forth a glorious mint aroma. Next lime and pineapple mingled on the sip, and the swallow offered complementary rum, peach, and mint flavors.

demerara dry float

1 oz 86 proof Demerara Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1 dash Maraschino (1/4 oz Luxardo)
Juice 1 Lime (1/2 oz)
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Nectar (1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (combined with passion fruit above)
1 dash Lemon Juice (1/4 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a footed iced tea or 10 oz glass (small Tiki mug). Fill with crushed ice and float 1/4 oz 151 proof Demerara rum (Lemon Hart 151). I added mint and a flower as garnish to the recipe.
After Friday's bar shift two weeks ago, I was in the mood for some Tiki, so I turned to Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery for recipe inspiration. The drink that called out to me was a Trader Vic original called the Demerara Dry Float that called for a pair of Guyana rums, a duo of citrus, and two fruity modifiers. Once built, the vessel gave forth mint-accented aromas of overproof rum. Next, citrus with some additional fruity notes from the passion fruit and cherry liqueur filled the sip, and the swallow proffered rum on the swallow along with passion fruit fading into Maraschino in a rather floral way.

rum boogie

2 oz Trader Vic's Rum & Brandy [or equal parts Puerto Rican rum and brandy] (1/2 oz Vale d'Paul Agricole-style Rum + 1/2 oz Camus Vs Cognac)
1 oz Demerara 151 Proof Rum (1/2 oz Lemon Hart 151)
1 dash Curaçao (1/2 oz Van der Hum)
1 dash Herbsaint (1/2 barspoon)
3 oz Orange Juice (1 1/2 oz)
2 oz Lemon Juice (1 oz)
1 oz Pineapple Juice (1/2 oz)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (1/2 oz Simple Syrup 1:1)

Blend with 1 scoop of ice in an electric drink mixer and pour into a Tiki bowl (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Decorate with a gardenia (hibiscus and mint). Note: I halved the recipe.
Two Sundays ago after my last work shift before departing to Tales of the Cocktail, I kept the Tiki vibe going by reaching for Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery. In another one of Trader Vic's books, I recently had spied a photo of the special vessel he used for his restaurants' Rum Boogie, and when I spotted the recipe that night, I decided to give it a go. Once prepared, it proffered a mint and floral aroma with hints of anise from the Herbsaint. Next, the sip was rather fruity from the orange, lemon, and pineapple juices with a touch of caramel from the Lemon Hart rum. Finally, the swallow began with funky rum and rich orange notes and ended with a lightly herbal finish. Indeed, the combination of orange juice and Herbsaint reminded me a bit of the Monkey Gland.

ponche

2 oz Tequila (Piedra Azul Blanco)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Nectar (Passion Fruit Syrup)
1/2 oz Rock Candy Syrup (1/2 oz BG Reynolds Vanilla Syrup)
2 dash Vanilla (combined above)

Blend with 1 scoop of ice and pour into a 10 oz glass (Recipe was doubled, shaken with ice, strained into a 18 oz Tiki bowl, and topped with crushed ice). Decorate with a mint sprig.
Two Mondays ago, I turned to Trader Vic's 1972 Bartender's Guide for some refreshment to cut the summer night's heat. There, I spotted the tequila-based Ponche that seemed rather tropical. I ended up doubling the recipe in part to make use of the new vintage Tiki bowl that I had bought. Once built, the Ponche gave forth luscious mint and vanilla aromas. Next, lemon and hints of pineapple on the sip transitioned into tequila, passion fruit, and pineapple on the swallow with a vanilla finish. Overall, the drink reminded me of the tequila Hurricane variation I created last year for an event, the Hopping through the Frothy Waves, with additional pineapple and vanilla elements.

kahala cooler

1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Caliche)
1 oz Brandy (Camus VS Cognac)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
Juice of 1/2 Lime (1/2 oz)
3/4 oz Amer Picon (Torani Amer)
1 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (Omit)

Shake with shaved ice and pour into a 12 oz glass. Garnish with a spent half lime shell.
I was in a tropical drink mood after my shift two Sundays ago, so I turned to Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery for a recipe. The Kahala Cooler stood out for it reminded me of Trader Vic's use of Amer Picon and grenadine in the Jayco. In the glass, the Kahala Cooler shared a mint and lime oil bouquet to the nose. Next, lime and a caramel richness from the Picon on the sip transitioned into rum, brandy, bitter orange, and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

mahukona

1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Banks 5 Island)
1/2 oz Triple Sec (Cointreau)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 slice Pineapple (3/4 oz Pineapple Juice)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (1/4 oz Simple)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Blend with 1/2 scoop of ice, pour into a 10 oz Pilsner glass, and top with shaved ice (shake with ice and strain over crushed ice). Garnish with mint sprigs and a fruit stick.
Two Sundays ago, I was still mourning the seasonal passing of Yacht Rock Sundays so I turned to Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery for some easy drinking boat Tiki. The Mahukona seemed like a decent option as it came across like a Rum Sidecar with pineapple and bitters in the mix. Once built, it offered mint aromas over fruity undertones. Next, the lemon notes dominated the sip, and the swallow shared rum, orange, pineapple, allspice, and clove flavors.

potted parrot

2 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (DonQ Cristal)
1/2 oz Curaçao (Van der Hum)
1/4 oz Orgeat (1/2 oz Orzata)
1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup (omitted)
1 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Orange Juice (1 1/2 oz)

Shake with a half scoop of shaved ice and pour into a Pilsner glass. Garnish with mint and serve with straws.
After Yacht Rock Sunday, I wanted to make a Tiki drink for myself. For ideas, I turned to Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery and spotted the Potted Parrot which looked a lot like a Mai Tai with lemon and orange instead of lime juice. Once prepared, it offered mint and floral aromas. A crisp lemon and orange sip led into a rum, orange, and almond swallow.

surbiton road

1/2 Lime (cut into wedges)
1 small handful Basil Leaves (~12)
1 oz Vanilla Rock Candy Syrup
1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
1/2 oz Punt e Mes

Muddle lime, basil, and syrup. Add rest of ingredients and ice, shake, and double strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a basil sprig and a straw.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I went down to Eastern Standard for dinner and drinks. When bartender Naomi Levi came by to talk about cocktails, I asked if she had any basil to make me a drink that Devin Hahn of the Periodista Tales blog had told me about. When she heard the request for basil, she immediately knew what I wanted and ran off to see if she could find any in the kitchen. The drink was called the Surbiton Road after the street in Kingston, Jamaica, where the Italian Consulate is located. Her premise was to figure out what could be made in Jamaica given only two things that the Consulate could bring over from Italy. For those two items, she selected basil and the amaro-like sweet vermouth Punt e Mes.
The Surbiton Road greeted my nose with an aroma of basil and rum. The sip was a combination of the lime, funky pot stilled Smith & Cross, and molassesy Blackstrap rum flavors that were followed by vanilla from the syrup and both grape and bitter notes from the Punt e Mes on the swallow. The basil added greatly to the sip to make it more complex than the swallow. Overall, the Surbiton Road was a savory smash that was a good departure from the bar's more standard mint-based ones.

chocolate flip

1 1/2 oz Cruzan Blackstrap Rum
1/2 oz Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Rock Candy Syrup
1 Egg

Shake once without ice and once with and strain into a coupe glass. Top with 1-2 oz of Left Hand Milk Stout. Grate chocolate over the top of the egg froth.

Last Wednesday, Andrea and I headed over to Eastern Standard for some drinks after a dinner at India Quality. For my nightcap, I asked bartender Kevin Martin if he had any egg drink ideas. When he mentioned that he had a "chocolate flip," I was a little hesitant because it sounded like it could be an overly sweet and insipid Chocolatini disaster. However, I know Kevin and his general aesthetic, so I conveyed my trust to him. And I am quite glad that I did!
I think the first aspect that got me excited was when I saw him topping off the drink with Left Hand's Milk Stout -- a dark, rich, and chocolaty beer that seemed like the perfect complement to the flip's molasses and cacao components. The flip's aroma was dominated by the freshly grated chocolate floating on top of the egg foam. The blackstrap rum's richness on the beginning of the sip blended into the chocolate notes on the swallow rather well. At first, Kevin added about an ounce of the beer for he ran out of space in the glass. He left the bottle in front of me and told me to top it off as I saw fit. After adding another ounce of stout, the drink dried out a bit with the increased hops notes on the swallow. Furthermore, the roasted maltiness of the beer began to play a more significant role in the flavor profile after this addition. From a drink that made me afraid to consent to it from the name alone to a drink that I was afraid that my glass was going to end up empty before I knew it, this creation was quite an amazing surprise!

casablanca

2 oz Medjool Date-infused Gentleman Jack
1/2 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro
1/2 oz Rock Candy Syrup
1 dash Ginger Bitters (Housemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

After my DJ gig on Monday night, Andrea and I walked over to Eastern Standard to get dinner and drinks. For my first cocktail, I asked bartender Josh Taylor for the Casablanca off of the infusion section of the menu. "A thousand and one pleasures to be yours" was the subtitle underneath the drink name, and Josh more aptly described the drink as a Toronto variation. The menu listed both dates and vanilla flavors; however, the vanilla was not in the whiskey but in the housemade rock candy syrup. When I inquired about the ginger bitters, Josh replied that they were his creation and were a result of needing to use an excess of ginger purchased for an event last year.

The Casablanca started with a whiskey, ginger, and herbal nose. The dates provided a richness that mellowed the whiskey, and the drink was minty and slightly spicy on the swallow. The S. Maria al Monte proved to be more gentle in this drink than the Fernet Branca in the Toronto.

[pirate flip]

1 oz Cruzan Blackstrap Rum
1 oz Old Monk Rum
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Rock Candy Syrup
1 barspoon St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 Egg

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with grated nutmeg.
For my after dinner drink last night, I asked Hugh Fiore for a flip and he suggested a drink that bartender Kit Paschal created that transitioned decently from my last cocktail. The drink paired up two dark rums with elements of Caribbean and Tiki drinks in the mix, and it sounded on the money. When the drink arrived, I was amused at how similar it looked to Thursday night's Jerez Flip, but it was a very different creature from Tommy's concoction. This drink was replete with dark rum notes on the nose and on the taste. The blackstrap molasses flavors from the Cruzan rum were tempered by the orgeat syrup to yield a rather pleasant sweetness. Unfortunately, the Allspice Dram was a bit swallowed up by the richness of the egg and the rums and could have been increased; however, it did add to the complexity of the swallow. But as the drink warmed up, the dram flavors and the vanilla from the Old Monk rum became much more apparent and the flip became a bit more aromatic in nature. My intuition that the recipe could do no wrong was indeed correct.

[christmas flip]

1 oz. brandy (I think Hine cognac was used)
1 oz. green chartreuse
1/2 oz. vanilla infused rock candy syrup
1/2 barspoon fernet branca
whole egg

Shake all ingredients first without ice to emulsify the egg, then add ice and shake again. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with a mint leaf.

Where: Eastern Standard
When: 17 November, 2008
Who: Hugh Fiore

Purpose: To make a flip based on a recipe from Gary Regan's recent sfgate.com column, using green chartreuse instead of yellow chartreuse.

Ordinal: Third drink of three, no accompaniment
Nose: No trace of egg smell, mint and vanilla aroma
Taste: Subtle taste of mint from the Fernet and green chartreuse, only a tiny trace of bitterness

Summary: This is a wonderful Christmas-y flip (Jess, Hugh said he wanted to make you one next time you see him). Hugh liked it enough to add it to his lil black book. Very clever, using that vanilla rock candy syrup - the original called only for simple.

harvest

Sherry Gustav
Benedictine
House-infused Pumpkin/Fall Spice Vodka
Rock Candy Syrup
Egg White

Check it out, I had a drink containing vodka -- how unlike me! But I now rarely question anything Hugh puts in front of me, and am even more rarely disappointed. I'm not usually a pumpkin girl, but the spices and Benedictine really took center stage in this drink. Nice and warm and confection-like, without being too damn sweet.

By this point I was taking even-less-complete notes on a napkin! You see how hard I work for you?

ES gin flip

Beefeater gin
simple syrup
rock candy syrup
almond syrup
egg
Grate nutmeg over the top -- with a Microplane, of course.


Okay, I so need to start making flips at home. This was a treat after dinner that was totally unexpected and ohmygod, why have I not had one before? So very yummy. We are talking dessert here.

Postnote: Frederic added on February 11, 2012

• 1 heaping barspoon Sugar
• 2 oz Beefeater Gin
• 1/2 oz Almond Syrup (a/k/a Orgeat)
• 1 Egg
Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.