Tiki

Admiral Montenegro

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Admiral-Montenegro-3

Y’all, it’s nearly August…YIKES! Ok, ok. Let’s all calm down a minute and reflect on what this means. 1. Summer is not over. 2. The light is changing and we’re looking forward to Autumn, which means that 3. Perhaps we want a lil depth and character in our Tiki drinks.

Amaro Montenegro is here to give us that character!

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Hello Luxardo Cherries, hello frosty glass.

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To the luscious Montenegro I’ve added Flor de Caña 7 (smoothest of all), Carpano Antica (the spices go so well with the Montenegro), Orgeat, and some Lime juice. This is a seriously satisfying and complex Tiki drink. Hope you enjoy!

Admiral Montenegro

  • 1 oz Amaro Montenegro
  • 1 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Aged Rum
  • 1 oz Carpano Antica Formula
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Orgeat
  • Garnish: hollowed out Lime Half with Maraschino Cherries

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Double strain into double Rocks glass (or short Tiki mug) over crushed ice and garnish.

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Cheers!

Blame the Monkeys No. 3

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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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!

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

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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.

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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!

DD’s Shrunken Skull

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Yesssss. Luv it. Luv it forever.

Blame it on the Monkeys

/ Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

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Have you ever had one of those days? One of those days where you feel like you’re living in a cartoon? A cartoon with Monkeys, ships made out of Lime halves, and paper sails? Maybe? Hmmm, never mind.

The inspiration for the next two Tiki drinks were literally these lil Monkeys I got from Zombie Hut in Brooklyn. Some friends and I went for a Tiki night back at the end of winter and we got these monkeys with our Scorpion Bowl. It was awesome. Now the Monkeys roam throughout my kitchen, scurrying up bottles of Giffard Banane and drinking all the Rum. They helped me make these cocktails, so they get at least some of the credit.

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Blame the Monkeys No. 1

  • 1 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
  • 1 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Corralejo Añejo Tequila
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/4 oz Orgeat
  • 1/4 oz DD Mix
  • Garnish: hallowed out Lime half, Maraschino Cherry wrapped Orange peel Rose, Monkeys

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into specialty glass over cracked, crushed or pebble ice, and garnish.

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Blame the Monkeys No. 2

  • 1 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7
  • 1/2 oz Bonal Aperitif
  • 1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
  • 1/2 oz Orgeat
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherry-speared Paper Sail, Monkeys

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into specialty glass over cracked, crushed or pebble ice, and garnish.

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Thank you lil Monkeys!

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: Tiki Cocktails

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

Fruity Cocktails with Fino Sherry

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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Edit: If you’re here for #SherryWeek, have an excellent time with these recipes!

Y’all, I have been waiting for this post ever since I got that bottle of Inocente Fino Sherry back in January. From the moment I put my lips on this Sherry, I knew, I knew it was going to go with fruit and I knew I was going to use it Long or Tiki style.

I’ve been biding my time.

Today on Instagram, I was challenged to make a Fog Cutter by @el_nova_1 (the person behind last week’s Navy Grog challenge who loves Tiki as much as many of us do) and make the drink immediately! It’s DAMN FABULOUS! LIKE DAAAAAAAYUM FABULOUS. Citrusy, dry, great flavour arc, deep. I’m in luv. With this challenge comes a great opportunity for me to post a couple of other Fruity Sherry drinks I’ve had sitting in my notebook.

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First things first about this Fog Cutter: I don’t have any Grape Brandy! I only have Calvados! The recipe also calls for Cream or Amontillado Sherry and I only have Fino Sherry. So, like any good Home Bar Gurrrrrrl, I’ve made some adjustments (ahem, Old Tom Gin) and named the variation “Karl the Fog Cutter” after my beloved San Francisco Bay Area’s archnemesis (or claim to fame), Karl the Fog.

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Karl the Fog Cutter

  • 2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1 oz Calvados
  • 1/2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  • 1/2 oz Inocente Fino Sherry (float)
  • 2 oz Lemon Juice
  • 1 oz Orange Juice
  • 3/4 oz Orgeat
  • Garnish: Sherry float, Orange wedge with Maraschino Cherry spear, Monkey

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into Tiki Mug or Collins Glass over Cracked Ice. Float the Sherry, garnish with Orange wedge with Maraschino Cherry and Monkey.

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This next one came from a flavour pairing obsession I currently have: Fino Sherry + Apricot Liqueur. It’s to die for. The nuttiness from the Orgeat & Fino go sooooo well with the Apricot. Literally the greatest thing since Smith & Cross Rum + Teeling Irish Whiskey. This one is straight up Tiki, so be sure you have a mint sprig and some Orgeat ready to go!

Marley’s Map

  • 1 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Rum
  • 1/2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Inocente Fino Sherry
  • 1/2 oz Orgeat
  • 1 oz Grapefruit Juice
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Garnish: Mint sprig, two Pineapple chunks and a Maraschino Cherry

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into double Rocks glass or short Tiki mug over ice. Garnish with Mint sprig, two Pineapple chunks and a Maraschino Cherry.

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Now back to that Cobbler. Goodness, I get such a thrill out of making and/or drinking a Cobbler! This one came to me in the night and I had to write it down before I fell asleep. Again, we’re using the glorious Apricot + FIno Sherry combo along with Carpano Antica Vermouth, Old Tom Gin, and Boker’s Bitters. I wanted this one to taste Old Skool/Pre-Prohibition.

I definitely Flavor Bible’d the Rosemary + Blueberry + Strawberry + Lemon + Orange flavours. If you don’t have the Flavor Bible yet…get to it!

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Stafford Cobbler

  • 1 1/2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  • 1 1/4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
  • 3/4 oz Inocente Fino Sherry
  • 1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
  • 3/4 oz Lemon juice
  • 1/4 oz Honey Syrup
  • 2 dashes Boker’s Bitters
  • Small handful of Blueberries, muddled
  • Garnish: Strawberry, Blueberry, Orange wheel, Rosemary sprig

In tin, combine Lemon Juice and Blueberries and muddle. Add remaining ingredients, ice and short shake. Strain into Stemmed glass filled with ice and fruit, Orange wedge and Rosemary Sprig on top. Serve with a straw and a spoon so your guests may eat the fruit!

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Yassssss gurrrrrrrl, Ms Stafford Cobbler, lemme get real close.

Thanks again to The Baddish Group for the fantastic bottle of Carpano Antica!

Garden Isle + the end of #TikiTheSnowAway

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Well, this is the final #TikiTheSnowAway 2015 post! I’ve had a really tropical January and hope you have too! I figured I would save the best/most for last and this one is definitely the most. There are a billion ingredients in this drink because it’s Tiki and with Tiki all your dreams can come true! Even if your dreams are having a drink with at least 10 ingredients in it! Let Tiki live on in our hearts until the Summah time!

Garden Isle

  • 1 1/2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Aged Rum
  • 1/2 oz Senior Blue Curaçao
  • 1/2 oz Lemongrass & Ginger infused 151 Vodka
  • 1/2 oz DD Mix
  • 1 oz Freshly squeezed Grapefruit Juice
  • 2 droppers Elemakule Tiki Bitters
  • Club Soda
  • Garnish: Pineapple Spear, 2 Pineapple Chunks and Orange Slice

In tin, combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into Collins glass or Tiki glass. Top with club soda, ice and garnish with Pineapple Spear, Pineapple Chunks and Orange Slice.

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Garnishes, sweet, beautiful garnishes. 

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Bye bye, #TikiTheSnowAway, luv u, miss u, see u l8tr.

Beach Blanket Bazonga

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I can’t believe January and #TikiTheSnowAway are nearly over! I never want it to end! At this point, I’m starting to wonder if I should just open a Tiki joint….This cocktail really reminded me of something I might order at NoMad Bar. Something about the combination of Coconut Milk, DD Mix and the two Citrus Juices gives Beach Blanket Bazonga a sultry flavor while still being totally Beach party ready.

Beach Blanket Bazonga

  • 1 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  • 1 oz Flor de Caña 7 Aged Rum
  • 1/2 oz DD Mix
  • 1 oz Coconut Milk
  • 3/4 oz Freshly squeezed Grapefruit Juice
  • 1/2 oz Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
  • 2 dashes Regans’ Orange Bitters
  • Garnish: Mint sprig

Combine ingredients in tin and shake it gurrrrrrl, shake!  Strain into double rocks glass and serve on one big rock or crushed ice if you have it. Spank the Mint and garnish.

*You may have to whip the coconut milk for a bit with a whisk if it’s chunky. Whip away!

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MxMo + An English Sailor

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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You guys, worlds have collided! It turns out that the Mixology Monday theme for the month of January is BLUE! It’s like I don’t even need an excuse to keep going with #TikiTheSnowAway. Tiki is everywhere. Tiki is omnipresent. Tiki IS.

Blue MxMo Logo

MxMo is a monthly cocktail party with a theme. They give the theme, then we cocktail bloggers post our drinks to fit this theme. This months’ boistrously Blue theme is being hosted by Andrea over at GinHound and she is using Blue in two ways:  “melancholy” or “Tiki”. Obvi, I’m going with Tiki.

ALSO: why has no one made a Blue Monday joke here? Seriously. Such a great opportunity.

An English Sailor

  • 2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  • 3/4 oz Senior Blue Curaçao
  • 1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
  • 1 dash of Orange Bitters
  • Garnish: Lemon peel and Maraschino Cherry flag

In container, combine ingredients over ice and shake baby shake. Strain into coupe, garnish with Lemon peel and Cherry flag.

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What fun! This is my first time to participate in MxMo and I’m looking forward to more challenges! Have the best Blue Monday ever, y’all. 🙂