#RumForTheHills: Painkiller

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National Rum Day is this Sunday y’all, and what better way to celebrate than with one of the best Tiki drinks ever! As I mentioned in my Hamilton Tiki Takeover post, I went to a Caribbean restaurant the other night for a Ministry of Rum tasting & Tiki party, and had several stunning Painkillers made by the incomparable Shannon Mustipher.

I can’t get this drink out of my head, it will not leave me alone! So I decided to try to make one at home and see how it turned out. It turned out pretty damn good although Shannon’s is better!

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The main difference between my Painkiller and Shannon’s is that she has Pusser’s Rum and I do not have an English Navy Rum. To overcome this challenge, I decided to mix two Rums together: Angostura 7 Year Rum and my newly acquired Hamilton 151 Rum to up the proof and give the drink that Navy Rum bite.

It was a good combo!

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Never forget the Nutmeg y’all. The Nutmeg is everything for this magical drink!

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I followed the Painkiller recipe from Beachbum Berry’s Total Tiki app while keeping in mind that I was using two Rums. I also made a last minute decision to add some Angostura Bitters to the mix for complexity. Yummmm.

Home Bar Girl’s Painkiller

  • 2 oz Angostura 7 Year Aged Rum*
  • 1/2 oz Hamilton 151 Overproof Demerara Rum**
  • 4 oz unsweetened Pineapple Juice
  • 1 oz fresh Orange Juice
  • 1 oz Coconut Cream
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Garnish: Orange wedge, Pineapple chunk, Cinnamon stick, grated Nutmeg, Hawaiian surfbort

Combine ingredients with a lot of crushed/cracked ice and shake it baby! You want this drink to be really frothy. Dirty pour (don’t strain, pour ice and all) into Tiki mug. Garnish with all of the things.

*If you have Pussers Rum or an English Navy Rum, use 2 1/2 oz.

**This Hamilton 151 Demerara Rum is the shit. It blows Lemon Hart out of the water. I AM NOT KIDDING.

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This drink will literally make you feel like you’re on vacation, so get ready for some Tropicaaaaaal breezes! Happy Rum times to you all! If you have any Rum cocktails that you would like to share on Instagram, use the hashtag #RumForTheHills.

Hamilton Tiki Takeover at Glady’s: Photo Essay

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On July 28th, my girlfriend, some friends and I went to the best event ever: Hamilton Tiki Takeover at Glady’s Caribbean restaurant in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Shannon, the beverage director and Rum Kween, invited me a few days before and I was beyond excited.

Ministry of Rum tasting! Ed Hamilton in Brooklyn! Tiki drinks with some of the best Rums ever! WOOOO!

Instead of saying millions of words about how marvelous this event was, I’m gonna do this Photo Essay style. Thanks to Blueprint Spirits for hosting the tastiest Rum event ever.

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The supreme menu for the evening: Kill Devil Grog, Bird of Paradise, Reanimator, Ministry of Rum Flight.

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Lil birdies waiting to contain the fabulous Bird of Paradise cocktail.

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Reanimators waiting for Tiki flames!

Hamilton Rum Reanimator Flame

FLAAAAAAAME!!

Hamilton Rum Reanimator

Note the Jerk Pork next to this Reanimator. Yummmm. 

The Carmelized sugar and charred lime smell on the Reanimator was legit out of sight! So was the drink itself. Definitely one of the most smooth, yet complex, yet refreshing, yet mind-blowing Tiki drinks I’ve ever had.

Here are the ingredients.

Reanimator

  • Rhum Agricole Ambre
  • Hamilton Jamaica Rum
  • Hamilton 151 (RIP Lemon Hart)
  • Honey
  • Falernum
  • Grapefruit Juice
  • Lime Juice
  • Absinthe
  • Bitters

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold

Next, I asked Shannon if we could go off menu and make a Daiquiri with Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum, Lime and Giffard Banane du Bresil Liqueur. It was so much tastier than I could have hoped!

Shannon Gladys Hamilton Rum

Shannon, master of measurement.

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The specs for this totally righteous Daiquiri were:

  • 2 oz Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum
  • 3/4 oz Giffard Banane
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • Lime wheel in coupe

Shake it like a rocket, double strain. Slurp.

Gladys Rums

Now, Glady’s already has a killer selection of Rum. This was probably 1/4 of their total collection. Needless to say, I wanted to check out their regular menu.

Gladys Painkiller

But instead of checking out the whole of their menu, we just ordered as many Painkillers as we could handle! Best coconut drink ever and Pusser’s Rum really makes this drink. Piña Coladas ain’t got nothing on the Painkiller!

I wasn’t able to photograph Ed Hamilton (he was a busy busy man!) but I did get to chat with him for a minute.

Me: “Hi! My name is Dani and I’m a really big fan!”

Ed: “Hi Dani, you don’t look very big!”

Me: “Well, no, I’m kind of small.”

Ed: “You see (stands up and towers above me), I’m very big! Haha!”

Then I tasted the Hamilton 151 and damn, it really is 100x better than Lemon Hart. I told him so and then said, “well it’s ok that Lemon Hart is dead.” And he said, “Lots of people have told me that they like Hamilton 151 more and yes, Lemon Hart is dead.”

From the lion’s mouth!

Hope you enjoyed this photo essay and be sure to get some Ministry of Rum in your collection!

Admiral Montenegro

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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

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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!

National Daiquiri Day with Brugal Extra Dry

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Woo! Did y’all know that there is a National Daiquiri Day? Yessssssss there is and it’s today! Like we even needed an excuse to celebrate this most magnificent of Cocktails. Daiquiris have actually been my fave drink this summer and are always my go to for testing out Rums.

Well, today we’ll be making a few recipes with an excellent Rum for Daiquiris, Brugal Extra Dry.

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Brugal Extra Dry, you’re simply irresistible! So well dressed too. 

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My fave way to make a classic Daiquiri is in a 2:1:3/4 format cause I like things to be TART!

Brugal Extra Dry Daiquiri

  • 2 oz Brugal Extra Dry
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
  • Garnish: Lime wheel

Combine ingredients over ice and shake like a rocket. Double strain into coupe and garnish.

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Next we’ll make a Pineapple Cinnamon Daiquiri cause why not? Right? Pineapple and Cinnamon go extremely well together in tart Rum filled cocktails. Add a lil Tiki umbrella and we’ve got a real crowd pleaser!

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Brugal Extra Dry Pineapple Cinnamon Daiquiri

  • 2 oz Brugal Extra Dry Rum
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1/2 Cinnamon Bark Syrup*
  • Garnish: Pineapple + Tiki Umbrella

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it baby, shake it. Double strain into coupe. Garnish with Pineapple and a Tiki Umbrella.

*Cinnamon Bark Syrup

  • 1 oz or approx 0.06 lb Cinnamon Bark
  • 2 Cups of Water
  • 2 Cups of Sugar (Demerara used here)
  1. In sauce pan, muddle Cinnamon Bark until it is in shards.
  2. Add Sugar and Water and slowly bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
  4. Turn heat off and set sit for around 8 hours covered.
  5. Double strain into container. Smell it. Try not to drool.
  6. Keep in fridge.

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Lastly, we’re going into deep freeze mode for this Banana Ginger Daiquiri. Look at its creamy goodness, behold those cherries! Get excited!

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Quick note on this one: If you find that 1 1/2 oz Lime is too much, feel free to reduce it to 1 or 1 1/4. Remember, I like my Daiquiris tart!

Frozen Banana Ginger Daiquiri

  • 2 1/2 oz Brugal Extra Dry Rum
  • 1 1/2 oz Lime
  • 1 1/4 oz Ginger Syrup*
  • Around 1/2 a frozen Banana
  • 5-6 oz Ice
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherries

Combine ingredients in blender and blend for just about 7 seconds, or until frothy but not too whipped. Pour into double rocks glass and garnish.

Ginger Syrup*

  • Approx 1 Cup of chopped ginger
  • 1 cup Turbinado Sugar
  • 1 cup of water
  1. Combine ingredients in saucepan and heat on lowwwwww until liquids begin to simmer.
  2. Try not to let boil, but simmer for around 30 mins.
  3. Turn off heat, let cool a bit and taste. If it’s gingery enough, let it sit in the pan for 8 hours covered.
  4. If not, turn the head back on lowwwww and simmer for another 20 mins, then repeat step 3.
  5. Fine strain syrup into container making sure to press the Ginger and extract as much goodness as possible.
  6. Keep in fridge.

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Well, that was tasty.

Thanks to Brugal for making the perfect Rum for all our National Daiquiri Day needs! Thanks to MBooth for the delicious Rum!

4th of July Daiquiri Party

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

DD’s Shrunken Skull

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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.

It’s Pimm’s Season

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Well here we are, together in the bright cheer of spring. And what do we drink in this most thrilling of seasons? We drink Pimm’s No. 1!

For those of you who haven’t had the supreme pleasure of sipping a Pimm’s Cup yet, it’s divine. Pimm’s No. 1 is a Gin based Liqueur which was originally envisioned as a “bottled cocktail”. There used to be six different Pimm’s Cups each with their own base spirit. Today there are the orginal Pimm’s No. 1, Pimm’s Blackberry & Elderflower, Pimm’s No. 3 Winter Cup, and Pimm’s No. 6 with a Vodka base. In the NYC area, I’ve only seen the No. 1 and Blackberry & Elderflower.

Pimm’s No. 1 tasting notes:

  • Nose: Ginny & juniper, coriander, delightfully fruity and herbaceous bouquet, Orange, Strawberry, spices
  • Taste: Gin, vegetal, citrus
  • Finish: short and wide

So essentially, we’re talking the greatest spring/summer Liqueur for anyone who loves Gin!

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Pimm’s No. 1 Cup (official recipe)

  • 60 ml / 2 oz  Pimm’s No. 1
  • 150 ml / 5 oz  Lemon Soda (the dry British sort)
  • Garnishes: Mint, Strawberry, Orange Slice, Cucumber

Combine ingredients in a Collins glass over ice and stir. Serve with a straw and fabulous garnishes.

Now, you know this wouldn’t be a Home Bar Girl post without some variations, so here we go!

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Pimm’s Collins

  • 2 oz Pimm’s No. 1
  • 1 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  • 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
  • Top with Soda Water
  • Garnishes: Mint, Cucumber, Strawberry, Orange Wheel

Combine Pimm’s, Gin, Lemon Juice and Simple syrup and stir. Strain into Collin’s glass with ice and garnishes. Top with soda water and serve with a straw.

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Caribbean Pimm’s Cup

  • 2 oz Pimm’s No. 1
  • 1/2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Aged Rum
  • 1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • Top with Ginger Ale
  • Garnishes: Mint, Pineapple, Cucumber, Strawberry, Orange slice

Combine Pimm’s No. 1, Rums, Falernum, Lime Juice and stir. Strain into Collins glass with ice and garnishes. Top with Ginger Ale and serve with a straw.

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Mexican Pimm’s Cup

  • 2 oz Pimm’s No 1
  • 3/4 oz Casa Noble Blanco Tequila
  • 3/4 oz Cointreau
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • Soda Water
  • Garnishes: Cucumber, Orange Wheel, “Mexican Flag” of Lime Wedge, Banana Slice and Strawberry

Combine Pimm’s, Blanco Tequila, Cointreau, Lime Juice and stir. Strain into Collins glass with ice and garnishes. Top with Soda.

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Let’s just look at this again cause this “Mexican Flag” garnish is my fave thing ever. Also, yummmm.

Cheers to you and yours during Pimm’s Season! Thanks again to the Baddish Group for the Casa Noble Tequila!

#RumForTheHills: Don’s Special Daiquiri

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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.

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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.

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

West India Docks

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As part of #IrishWhiskeyMonth, I wanted to repost one of my favorite Teeling Whiskey drinks from last year: West India Docks. This tropical sipper combines Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum and Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey in what I consider to be the best split base of all time.

If you wanna join the party, use the hashtag #IrishWhiskeyMonth on Instagram and I’ll repost your photo! The only rule is that you have to include Irish Whiskey in your cocktail.

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Are you a bartender/cocktailier/Home Bar Gurrrrl? Have you combined these two spirits? Nope? GET ON IT.

I split the base equally, sipped it, died and went to heaven and then made a truly terrific tropical drink. I really tried to keep it at 5 ingredients but this cocktail needed a bit of Angostura Bitters for honesty.

West India Docks

  • 1 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
  • 1 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Grenadine
  • 4 Pineapple Chunks
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Garnish: Two Pineapple Chunks

Combine Lime Juice, Grenadine and Pineapple chunks in tin and muddle. Add Teeling Whiskey, Smith & Cross Rum, Bitters and Ice. Shake and double strain into coupe. Garnish with two Pineapple Chunks.

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No lie, this is truly fantastic. If you’ve got Teeling + Smith & Cross, you need to try these two together. #TropicalTeeling