Rum

Blame the Monkeys No. 3

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

Blame-the-Monkeys-No-3-1

Well, it’s officially Frozen Drink season. It started with National Daiquiri Day on Sunday and now, I just want everything frozen. ALL OF IT! Today’s frozen Tiki drink is part of an ongoing series of Rum cocktails + monkeys. “Why are we blaming the monkeys?” you may ask. Well, they’ve taken over my Home Bar and have drunk all my Rum!

Blame-the-Monkeys-No-3-4

Hello lil conniving Monkeys. Leave my Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears alone!

Blame-the-Monkeys-No-3-5

The inspiration for this particular version of Blame It on the Monkeys comes courtesy of Patrón Citrónge Mango Liqueur. This stuff is damn tasty and perfect for all our tropical cocktails. I luv it. To this we add two kinds of rum, a bunch of other fruitiness and a blender. Blend baby, BLEND!

*btw, this recipe is for a 14 oz Tiki Mug*

Blame the Monkeys No. 3

  • 1 1/2 oz Angostura 7 Year Aged Rum
  • 1 1/2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 3/4 oz Patrón Citrónge Mango Liqueur
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 1 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
  • 3/4 oz Simple Syrup**
  • 7-8 oz Crushed ice
  • Garnish: Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears, Pineapple, Maraschino Cherries, Monkeys.

Combine ingredients in blender and blend for around 7 seconds, or until nice and frothy. Pour into Tiki Mug and garnish.

**You may think this is a lot of sweetness, when making blended cocktails, you have to bump up the sweetness to compensate for all the ice. Feel free to reduce to 1/2 oz if you like.

Blame-the-Monkeys-No-3-3

Cheers to y’all in these hottest of times! May the Tiki gods favor you and protect you from these crazy monkeys!

Thanks to MBooth for the Patrón Citrónge Mango Liqueur!

4th of July Daiquiri Party: Blue Daiquiri No. 2

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Blue-Daiquiri-No-2-1

The 4th of July Daiquiri Party is in full swing on Instagram! If you want to submit a photo and recipe, use the hashtag #4thofJulyDaiquiriParty!

Blue-Daiquiri-No-2-2

Today’s Daiquiri is a Blue take on the classic Daiquiri No. 2 from the famous La Floridita Bar in Cuba. I love this Daiquiri, it’s supremely bright and refreshing with nice Orange flavours. I’m literally just subbing the Blue Curaçao for clear Curaçao, so there isn’t much variation here. The blue colour does make me want to get on a plane and go to a tropical island though!

Blue Daiquiri No. 2

  • 2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • Barspoon Senior Blue Curaçao
  • 3/4 oz fresh Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
  • Barspoon fresh Orange Juice
  • Garnish: Orange wedge

Combine ingredients over ice and shake like a rocket! Strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with Orange wedge.

Blue-Daiquiri-No-2-3

Cheers to all of us on this 4th of July Holiday weekend!

4th of July Daiquiri Party: Leggo My Mango

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Leggo-My-Mango-1

The 4th of July Daiquiri Party is totally raging on Instagram! It’s a rager y’all! If you have a Daiquiri that you’d like to post, use the hashtag #4thOfJulyDaiquiriParty.

Leggo-My-Mango-3

Yesterday, I got a surprise package in the mail with a fabulous bottle of Patrón Citrónge Mango Liqueur in it! This liqueur is sweetly fragrant with notes of Mango, Citrus and even Peach. In the mouth it has a nice viscosity and is bursting with delicious Mango flavor. Supreme.

Leggo-My-Mango-4

It was such perfect timing for the Daiquiri party too! The delicious flavours of the Patrón Citrónge Mango Liqueur led me to think about having Salt as a garnish. Other than that, it’s in the standard Daiquiri format.

Leggo My Mango

  • 1/2 oz Patrón Citrónge Mango Liqueur
  • 2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: Pink Salt

Combine ingredients over ice and shake with a mad fury! Rim 1/2 of the Coupe with Pink Salt. Strain drink into coupe.

Leggo-My-Mango-2

Cheers! Happy 4th America!

Thanks to M Booth for the Patrón Citrónge Mango Liqueur!

4th of July Daiquiri Party

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

Daiquiri-1

Happy 4th of July Weekend to everyone! I’ve been thinking about what I really want to drink/serve at my 4th of July party and honestly, I just want a Daiquiri! Daiquiri Prrrrrrrrrty!

If you want to join in the fun on Instagram and Twitter, use the hashtag #4thOfJulyDaiquiriParty.

That being said, “I just want a Daiquiri” means so many things to me, and there are many variations one can make by adding one or two ingredients to the Rum + Lime Juice + Sweetness formula. I mean, just by switching out the Rum itself or changing from refined sugar to turbinado sugar can have a profound effect on the flavours of the drink.

Daiquiri-2

First, let’s start with the basics. Flor de Caña 7 Year is my all time fave aged molasses Rum. It is viscous as hell, creamy, with caramel smoothness for DAYYYYYYYS. It will make the best damn Daiquiri you’ve ever had. No lie.

Flor de Caña 7 Year Aged Rum Daiquiri

  • 2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 3/4 oz Demerara Sugar Simple Syrup (1:1)
  • Garnish: Lime Wheel

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into coupe and garnish with Lime Wheel.

DP-Daiquiri-2

Now that we’ve got a nice basic Daiquiri down, we can get a little more creative. For this one, we’re going to use a funky Rum from Jamaica that has been aged in the UK: Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum. Our sweetners are going to get more complex with the addition of Falernum and some of my patented (I wish! Soon!) DD Mix. The spice set will come from the funkiness of the Smith & Cross, DD Mix, and one dropper of Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters. Highly recommend these bitter’s y’all!

DP Daiquiri

  • 1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
  • 1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 1/4 oz DD Mix
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 1 dropper Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters
  • Garnish: hollowed out Lime half*

In tin combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Pour entire contents of shaker into mason jar. Garnish with one of the Lime halves you used when you juiced the Lime.

Don's-Special-Daiquiri-3

For this next one we’re going to go to the books and use a totally fabulous recipe from the 1970’s, Don’s Special Daiquiri. This variation was created to commemorate Don the Beachcomber and use his 1934 Daiquiri recipe while adding a couple of modifiers. I altered the recipe a tad because I felt it needed to be a bit more tart.

Don’s Special Daiquiri

  • 1 oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)
  • 3/4 oz Aged White Rum (Denizen Aged Rum)
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
  • 1/2 oz Honey Syrup
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherry

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with Maraschino Cherry.

DeLuna-Daiquiri-2

Lastly, we’re going to use three different Spirits in a Daiquiri that I named after my family. It uses two kinds of Rum and one of my all time favourite infusions, Pineapple Plymouth Gin.

DeLuna Daiquiri

  • 1 1/2 oz Denizen White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Rum
  • 1/4 oz Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin
  • 1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: Pineapple Chunks

Combine ingredients in over ice and shake. Strain into coupe. Garnish with Pineapple.

DeLuna-Daiquiri-1

Well, that’s it for this roundup. If you’re looking for more recipes, you could always try Or-zah Gabor or a classic Hemingway Daiquiri. Happy Independence Day USA!

Seasoned Traveler

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Seasoned-Traveler-1

After a chilly few days in New York City, and many, many Pride parties celebrating our collective gay victory, I feel it’s time for a stirred drink. To me, this cocktail represents a small respite from the collective hot-weather-shaken-citrusy-cocktails which will dominate every bar menu until September. Let us breathe deeply, take a moment, and let the thick luscious viscosity and complex flavours take us away.

Let us all become Seasoned Travelers.

Seasoned-Traveler-3

This maginificent drink features several of my favourite things all at once: Fino Sherry, Bonal Aperitif, Flor de Caña 7 Year and Giffard Banane. Enjoy this one whenever you have a moment to spare.

Seasoned Traveler

  • 1 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year
  • 3/4 oz Bonal Aperitif
  • 1/2 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
  • 1/2 oz Inocente Fino Sherry
  • Garnish: Luxardo Maraschino Cherry

Combine ingredients over ice and give it a long, loving stir. Strain into coupe, garnish with Cherry.

Seasoned-Traveler-2

Santé mes amis!

DD’s Shrunken Skull

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

DD's-Shrunken-Skull-5

As y’all probably know, I occasionally participate in Tiki Challenges on Instagram which are either put on by El_Nova_1 or another SoCal Tiki fanatic. Maybe it’s cause I love Tiki so much or maybe cause it makes me feel connected to California, either way, I love these recipes!

This week’s challenge is for a Shrunken Skull, a simple and brilliant Tiki cockail.

Shrunken Skull (Recipe from the 1950s)

  • 1 oz Puerto Rican Rum
  • 1 oz Demerara Rum
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 1 oz Grenadine

Combine ingredients and shake over ice. Dirty pour into Skull mug. Garnishes are up to you. Flames are encouraged.

DD's-Shrunken-Skull-6

Well, as we all know, I only have so much space in my tiny apartment and therefore only keep so many rums. I had to make some substitutions but happily with substitutions come creativity, and so my Shrunken Skull is a little outside of the box. Still damn tasty though.

DD's-Shrunken-Skull-1

I decided to add the DD Mix because I wanted a little more depth and spice in my Shrunken Skull. I also don’t have any 151 Rum to flame with but I do have some fabulously fragrant Lemongrass & Ginger infused 151 Vodka. It works perfectly and makes the greatest smelling flame ever!

DD’s Shrunken Skull

  • 1 oz Angostura Rum 7 Year
  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 3/4 oz Grenadine Syrup
  • 1/4 oz DD Mix
  • Garnish: hallowed out Lime Half with flaming Lemongrass & Ginger infused 151 Vodka.

Combine ingredients with loads of ice and shake. Dirty pour into double Rocks glass. Pour Lemongrass & Ginger infused 151 Vodka into Lime half and set on top of ice in glass. Strike a match and light that shit up.

DD's-Shrunken-Skull-3

Tiki Cheers to all y’all. If you wanna participate in the challenge on Instagram, the hashtag is #ShrunkenSkullChallenge2015.

Golden Banana Grog with Giffard Banane

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

Golden-Banana-Grog-2

Y’allllllllll, I’m back from vacation in the Berkshires and I am ready to talk about Giffard Banane du Bresil! A couple of weeks ago, I posted on Instagram that I had acquired this most magnificent of liqueurs from Duke’s Liquor Box. (If you’re ever in Greenpoint, Brooklyn you must go, they have the best stuff ever!) Then around 10 days ago, I posted two recipes called Blame it on the Monkeys No. 1 & 2, which included a recipe with Banane du Bresil. Now here we are and I feel like I haven’t quite addressed the incredibleness of this Liqueur.

Giffard-Banane-du-Bresil

To be frank, Banane du Bresil is Banana Bread in a bottle. Now that might sound hilarious, but this flavour has such a huge world of possibilities! “Banana Bread” would go well with Cognac, Bourbon, Rum, Cachaça, Añejo Tequila, loads of Amari/Aperitif/Digestif (Byrrh, Montenegro, Aperol), fortified wines (Carpano Antica, every type of Sherry), other Liqueurs (Domaine de Canton, Apricot, Falernum) and so many fruits that I can barely wrap my head around what to do with it.

This liqueur is literally everything.

Tasting Notes:

  • Nose: Banana Bread, Banana, baking spices, tropical notes like you’d get from Falernum
  • Tongue: Buttery Banana, Cognac, spices, nutty, Banana Bread, ginger
  • Finish: Banana Bread, short, wide finish with spices lingering for a while

Gooooooodness, it’s just so damn amazing.

What do we do when we get a new Liqueur that might possibly go with Rum? That’s right, we make a Daiquiri. I chose Denizen because it has Grassy, Banana notes and thought it would pair well with the Banane du Bresil.

Banane du Bresil Daiquiri

  • 1 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
  • 2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1 oz Lime Juice

Shake over ice and strain into coupe.

To be honest, this definitely is my new fave Daiquiri and will probably be my go to til the end of the summer.

Golden-Banana-Grog-1

Now let’s get to this Golden Banana Grog. Again, I chose Denizen for its Banana, Grassy notes, and Smith & Cross for it’s funky, fruity notes. Banana & Orgeat are a natural match (didn’t even have to consult the Flavor Bible for this!) and Lime juice is the perfect acid to round out the drink. Hope you Enjoy!

Golden-Banana-Grog-5

These lil Banana slices are totally snoozin under the Tiki Umbrella.

Golden Banana Grog

  • 1 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
  • 1 3/4 oz Denizen Aged White Rum (Sub any Trinidadian Aged White Rum)
  • 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum (Sub any funky Jamaican Rum)
  • 1 1/4 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Orgeat
  • Club Soda
  • Garnish: 3 Banana slices & Umbrella

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into Collins glass over ice. Top with Club Soda and garnish.

Golden-Banana-Grog-3

Yesssss. Luv it. Luv it forever.

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: Tiki Cocktails

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Mad-Men-Tropical-1

Blue Hawaii & Mai Tai

To celebrate “The End of An Era”, welcome to a series of drinks from the television show Mad Men. Each week I’ll be featuring different cocktails from the show, so we can all drink along with our favourite Madison Avenue Ad-men and women.

By now, y’all should know that my love for Mad Men is deeeeep. It’s a meticulously filmed show with fabulous fashion, the story has me in the grip, and the cocktails are beauuuuutiful!

Mad Men Megan Blue Hawaii 1

Don’t you just love Megan’s hat? Beach hat perfection!

In the opening scenes of S6E1, Don and Megan are in Hawaii. (I want to be in Hawaii RIGHT NOW!) As Don reads an incredibly ominous passage from Dante’s Inferno, Megan’s second (third, fourth?) Blue Hawaii is delivered by one of the Hotel Staff. It’s almost like Don and Megan are in totally opposite worlds in these scenes. She, lost in her tan and tropical cocktails, Don in a brooding haze.

If I had to choose between those two temperments, I would totally be #TeamMegan in this scene. Give me the next Blue Hawaii!

Blue-Hawaii-1

When it comes to making classic Tropical and Tiki drinks, I like to be accurate! I use the Beachbum Berry Total Tiki app to look up recipes and then make them as closely to the original as possible. Blue Hawaii was created in 1957 by Harry K Yee of the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki to promote Bols Blue Curaçao. Personally, I like to use “The Genuine” Senior Curaçao cause this shit is tastyyyyyy.

Blue-Hawaii-2

Blue Hawaii

  • 3/4 oz White Rum
  • 3/4 oz Vodka*
  • 1/2 oz Blue Curaçao
  • 1 oz Sweet & Sour Mix**
  • 3 oz Pineapple Juice
  • Garnish: Not specified but usually Pineapple & Maraschino Cherry

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a glass filled with Cracked, Crushed or Pebble ice. Garnish with fruit.

*I’m a Gin Gal and ususally swap the Vodka for Gin. Ginny, Gin, Gin. This drink is even tastier with Gin. (shocking!)

**Sweet & Sour Mix is 1 part Simple Syrup and 2 Parts Lemon Juice. Make your own, never ever buy it pre-made. Freshness is key.

Rachel Menken Mai Tai

RIP Rachel Menken, you were such a serious lady.

Now let’s go back to the beginning. Yes y’all, there is a Tiki drink all the way back in S1E1!

Don has made a mess of things with Rachel Menken and is asked by the partners to patch things up. They go for drinks that same evening. Don orders a Whiskey Neat while Rachel orders a “special Mai Tai” and what a Mai Tai at that! Look at that Pineapple “Firebird” garnish! It’s totally fabulous! Someday I will achieve such garnish greatness. However, I’ve noticed that the Mad Men props people forgot one key element to a Mai Tai garnish, the Mint sprig.

Mai-Tai-1

If it be a Mai Tai, there shall be a Mint Sprig in the garnish!

Once again, I’ve referenced the Beachbum Berry Total Tiki app for this Mai Tai. The original Mai Tai was created by Trader Vic in 1944 for his famous Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. According to legend, Trader Vic created the drink for some friends of his who had just flown in from Tahiti. One of the friends tasted the drink and exclaimed: “Maita’i roa ae!” or “Out of this world!”

Mai Tai (Trader Vic’s Original Recipe)

  • 1 oz Jamaican Rum
  • 1 oz Aged Martinique Rhum
  • 1/2 oz Curaçao
  • 1/4 oz Orgeat
  • 1/4 oz Simple Syrup
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: Mint Sprig

Now, I’ve had to make some substitutions because I don’t have clear Curaçao or Martinique Rhum. I also would rather have a bit more Orgeat in my drink than add 1/4 oz Simple Syrup.

Mai Tai (this is what Home Bar Girl has in her apartment Recipe)

  • 1 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Cointreau Triple Sec
  • 1/2 oz Orgeat
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: Mint Sprig, Pineapple, Maraschino Cherry

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into Double Rocks glass on Cracked, Crushed or Pebble ice. Garnish with Mint Sprig, Pineapple and Maraschino Cherry.

Mai-Tai-2

As far as the Mai Tai goes, there are a million variations so, have fun! I just recommend that you start with two kinds of Rum, some kind of Curaçao or Triple Sec, Orgeat, Lime Juice and a Mint sprig. Once you’ve got a feel for how these things taste together, get creative!

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed these Tiki drinks from the Mad Men series. I’ll be doing this until the bitter end. See you next week!

#RumForTheHills: Or-zah Gabor

/ Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

Or-zah-Gabor-2

Y’all, for real, this might be the greatest name of all time for a Daiquiri variation and I didn’t come up with it! My friend Eleni Crush and I were talking about the wonders of Orgeat and she said, “Orgeat Gabor would be a great name for a cocktail.” It stopped my heart! So perfect! We decided to change the spelling to “Or-zah” and I started searching for the right ingredients.

Now, the thing about Orgeats is that they all taste differently. BG Reynolds’ Orgeat is a tad toasty and not quite as sweet as some of the other ones I’ve tasted. You will probably have to adjust the ratios of the drink depending on the Orgeat you have. For example, I was working on this drink with KJ Williams at Flatiron Lounge and they use a homemade Orgeat. We totally had to toss the Falernum and decrease the Lime because their Orgeat was sweeter than mine.

Fair Warning: this drink will knock you on your ass, Navy Strength Rum is no joke. 🙂

Or-zah-Gabor-3

Or-zah Gabor

  • 1 3/4 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
  • 1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 3/4 oz B.G. Reynolds Orgeat
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • No Garnish

Combine ingredients over ice and vigorously shake until your body feels like a thunderclap. (jkjkjk, don’t give yourself a heart attack.) Double strain into coupe. Sip slowly and dream of sunny days and fabulous times.

Or-zah-Gabor-1

You will want to guzzle this Daiquiri, don’t do it! I want you to live!

Don’t forget to join in the Rum fun with #RumForTheHills on Instagram. 

#RumForTheHills: Don’s Special Daiquiri

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

Don's-Special-Daiquiri-1

A few of us on Instagram have started a #RumForTheHills hashtag and so I thought I’d start with a really fabulous Daiquiri recipe from the 1970s. I got this recipe from the Beachbum Berry Total Tiki app and it’s a knock out! If you don’t have this app (or one of his books) you need to get on it!

This Daiquiri is a version of Don the Beachcomber’s 1934 Mona Daiquiri. Now, of course I made a couple of modifications, namely, 1/4 oz more lime juice and 1/4 oz more Rum cause I like my Daiquiris tart and boozy.

Don's-Special-Daiquiri-2

Don’s Special Daiquiri

  • 1 oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)
  • 3/4 oz Aged White Rum (Denizen Aged Rum)
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
  • 1/2 oz Honey Syrup
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherry

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with Maraschino Cherry.

Don's-Special-Daiquiri-3

Hope you enjoy and if you wanna join in the party, use #RumForTheHills on Instagram!