Café Paraiso

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Café-Paraíso-1

Good Monday to y’all in deepest darkest January! If you, like me, partied a little too much this weekend, then you probably need a coffee. You probably need a coffee-cocktail. You probably need a Tiki coffee-cocktail. BOOM.

If you want to share a tropical drink during the month of January, use the hashtag #TikiTheSnowAway on Instagram and Twitter, or tag homebargirl on reddit.

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I am writing this to y’all at midnight with temperatures outside below 20° F here in ass-cold Brooklyn. The irony that I’m about to post an iced coffee Tiki drink is not lost on me. But hey, isn’t that what Tiki The Snow Away is all about?

In the world of the make believe, we have found our joy.

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Here are your cast of characters: DD’s Spiced Denizen Rum, Espresso, Coco Lopez, Piña, Lime, and some tasty nutmeg.

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This is both my first time making a Tiki coffee-cocktail and my first time photographing the “Nudie Mug”. Isn’t it a nice Nudie Mug? How luscious her currrrrves. How excellently sculpted her handle. Thank you Nudie Mug.

Café Paraiso

  • 2 oz DD’s Spiced Rum
  • 1/2 oz cold Espresso (sub Cold Brew Coffee)
  • 1/2 oz Coco Lopez (sub Coconut Cream)
  • 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: Tiki Paddle, freshly grated Nutmeg

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake like a rocket. Strain into Tiki mug over crushed ice. Grate nutmeg on top and garnish with Tiki Paddle.

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May these chilly times be filled with enough Café Paraiso to wake you up and give you life!

Tiki The Snow Away Daiquiri

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It’s #NationalDaiquiriDay and I decided to feature this post because Havana Club 3 Year is basically THE Rum for Daiquiris! Cheers!

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Woo! The first week of Tiki The Snow Away is nearly over, so I thought we’d take a “shift break” and celebrate the weekend with a round of Daiquiris!

If you want to share a tropical drink during the month of January, use the hashtag #TikiTheSnowAway on Instagram and Twitter, or tag homebargirl on reddit.

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I’ll be using Havana Club 3 Años for my drink cause I brought it back from Mexico with the sole intent of making classic Daiquiris. Soon Havana Club will be coming to the USA under the brand Havanista and I will try to let everyone know as soon as I hear of its arrival!

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Here’s what you need: Your fave white Rum/Rhum/Cachaça, Cane Sugar Syrup/Simple Syrup, Lime Juice.

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I’m pretty pumped about this Lime wheel, I think I’ve finally achieved the perfect cut!

The following specs are typically my preferred way to have a Daiquiri. I like ’em rather tart, so if you know you don’t want to go as tart as I, use 2:3/4:3/4.

Home Bar Girl’s fave Daiquiri

  • 2 oz Havana Club 3 Años (sub your fave white Rum)
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 3/4 oz Cane Sugar Syrup (sub Simple syrup)
  • Garnish: Lime wheel

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it like a rocket. Strain into chilled coupe, garnish with Lime wheel.

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Weekend Daiquiri cheers to all y’all! Keep the Tiki The Snow Away posts coming! I’ve been reposting a bunch on Instagram.

Mayan Macao

/ Dani DeLuna / 3 Comments

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Mooooving and grooooving right along with Tiki The Snow Away in these frigid times. Today’s drink uses Blood Orange (seasonally topical!) and Corralejo Tequila Blanco for a super refreshing winter Tiki drink!

If you want to share a tropical drink during the month of January, use the hashtag #TikiTheSnowAway on Instagram and Twitter, or tag homebargirl on reddit.

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Blood Orange: so beautiful, so much tastier than regular Orange! Don’t even deny it, it’s totally true.

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Here are your cast of characters: Corralejo Tequila Blanco, El Señorio Mezcal Joven, Ancho Reyes Liqueur, Pineapple Juice, and the aforementioned Blood Orange.

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Mayan Macao

  • 2 oz Corralejo Tequila Blanco
  • 1/2 oz El Señorio Mezcal Joven (sub any Espadin Mezcal)
  • 1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Liqueur
  • 1 1/2 oz Blood Orange Juice
  • 1 oz Pineapple Juice
  • Garnish: Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears, Pineapple chunks, Sword

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Double strain into collins glass or tall Tiki mug with ice, and garnish.

*if your Blood Oranges are not sweet enough, you may need to add 1/4 oz Simple Syrup. Taste and see!

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Salud to you and all your Tiki friends!

Sunken Cannonball

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Alright y’all, Tiki The Snow Away is poppin, so I thought I’d weigh in with my first drink. If you want to share a tropical drink during the month of January, use the hashtag #TikiTheSnowAway on Instagram and Twitter, or tag homebargirl on reddit.

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Here are your delicious Luxardo Maraschino Cherry cannonballs, drowning in a pool of 151.

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Here are your cast of characters: DD’s Spiced Rum with Denizen Merchant’s Reserve, Hamilton 151 Demerara Rum, Grand Marnier, Lime, and Pineapple.

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Sunken Cannonball

  • 2 oz DD’s Spiced Rum
  • 3/4 oz Grand Marnier
  • 3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • ~1/2 oz Hamilton 151 Demerara Rum
  • Garnish: Lime shell, 3 Luxardo Maraschino Cherries, 151 Rum in the shell

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into rocks glass or short Tiki mug over cracked/crushed ice. Add Cherries and 151 Rum to the Lime shell and garnish.

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Cheers fellow Tiki lovers!

DD’s Spiced Rum

/ Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

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Since we’ll be using this Rum a fair amount during Tiki The Snow Away 2016, I thought I’d create a separate post for it. Thanks again to Denizen Rum for creating the truly spectacular Merchant’s Reserve that makes up the bulk of this mix.

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DD’s Spiced Rum

  • 6 oz Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum (sub Jamaican Rum)
  • 2 oz Plantation Barbados 5 Rum (sub a smooth aged Rum)
  • 1 1/2 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
  • 1 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup

Combine ingredients in a bottle and agitate gently so all ingredients are integrated.

Happy Spiced Rum making!

Welcome to Tiki The Snow Away!

/ Dani DeLuna / 21 Comments

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HAPPY NEW YEAR & welcome to Tiki The Snow Away 2016! We made it through the Holidaze and now we’re gonna brighten up this dreary month with some fabulous Tiki drinks!

Before we get this party started, Imma answer some questions you may have:

A. What is Tiki The Snow Away? Last year, I’d had way too much Egg Nog, it was snowing constantly, and I was like, “screw these heavy drinks, I’m only going to have citrusy Tiki drinks for a month!” I decided to bring it back cause what’s more fun than Tropical drinks in January?

If you post a Tiki drink on Instagram or Twitter during January, use the hashtag #TikiTheSnowAway and I will re-post my fave drinks. If you post a Tiki drink on reddit, tag me and I will re-post them in a couple of roundups.

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Fresh fruit

B. What kind of produce do you need? Fresh fruit. Now, I know this is a winter Tiki party, but you should be able to get Limes and Grapefruit from your local grocery store. It also means that you can use BLOOD ORANGES! WOOOOOO!

If you can’t find any good Pineapples to juice, I would recommend getting a bottle of unsweetened Pineapple Juice.

*Note: If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, I know it’s summer so, go wild with your fruit selections.

Rums

RUM BUM BUM BUM BUMMMMMMMMMM

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Tiki liqueurs

C. What sort of Spirits & Liqueurs will you need? RUM. You’re going to need a lot of Rum. You’ll also need Blanco Tequila, Mezcal, and really any spirits you’ve got from the Caribbean/Central/South American regions. Since these are Tiki drinks, I’d also recommend the three liqueurs shown in the above photo. Allspice Dram is packed with a Jamaican spice set, Falernum is a lime/vanilla/spiced liqueur, and of course regular or Blue Curaçao.

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DD’s Spiced Rum

D. Will I need anything else? Glad you asked. Orgeat is a super important Tiki ingredient. (How else will we attempt to make the greatest Mai Tai in the world?) I’m also going to be using Coco Lopez in some of my drinks. Cinnamon Bark syrup is absolutely essential to winter Tiki and so is Spiced Rum. I tend to loathe pre-made spiced Rum, so I created an easy batch of my own.

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DD’s Spiced Rum

  • 6 oz Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum (sub Jamaican Rum)
  • 2 oz Plantation Barbados 5 Rum (sub a smooth aged Rum)
  • 1 1/2 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
  • 1 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup

Combine ingredients in a bottle and agitate gently so all ingredients are integrated.

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Tiki garnishes are the best!

E. Anything else? Anything at all? You’ll also need fun Tiki garnishes. Go wild! Grab those Tiki Umbrellas, Pineapple spears, plastic monkeys, swirly straws. FUNNNNNN is the goal here.

Hope y’all have a blast. #TikiTheSnowAway is the best way to spend your January!

 

NYE at King Tai in Brooklyn

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

King Tai NYE 2015

Happy New Year Y’all! Hope you have tons of fun partying in whatever way suits you best.

For those of you in NYC, King Tai Bar in Brooklyn is having a Tropical Rum party hosted by none other than the Kween of Rum, Shannon Mustipher. I’ll be there with bells on and Denizen Rum drinks in both hands!

Cheers!

Happy Holidaze

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Happy-Holidaze-2015

Happy Holidaze to all y’all! May your drinks be super tasty and your festivities be super fun. Most of all, if you’re hosting/bartending, don’t wear yourselves out! Keep it cool, keep it real.

Luv y’all!