tiki

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!

Spring Cocktails with Jägermeister

/ Dani DeLuna / 3 Comments

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Yes, you read that right! Spring Cocktails with Jägermeister!

Do you know who had no idea how versatile Jägermeister is? ME! I had no idea but oh my goodness, I’m so into it!

When I was initially approached about this campaign, I was a tad hesitant because when I thought of Jäger, I thought of shots (and y’all know i’m averse to shots). But then I read about some of the ingredients in Jägermeister: Cinnamon, Star Anise, Orange peel, Ginger root, Cardamom, Lavender, and I got really excited!

Bonus: as a part of this campaign, I have been given a couple of recipes from one of my fave bartenders, none other than Sother Teague from Amor y Amargo! If Sother endorsed Jägermeister, then I most definitely wanted to give it a try!

Jägermeister

Jägermeister, a fantastic combination of herbs and spices.

If we’re going to make recipes with Jägermeister, then we should start by treating it like we should treat any good Amaro/Aperitif/Digestif and break down the flavors.

Tasting Notes:

  • Nose: Ginger, Licorice, Spices, Anise, Root Beer, Citrus,
  • Tongue: Mint, Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom, Honey, spices, earthy, robust
  • Finish: long and wide, full bodied

Exciting right? Totally totally exciting! Let’s dive into some recipes!

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We’ll start with one of Sother’s Recipes, Precision Timepiece. This recipe feels like a Negroni variant, albeit one full of flavour and spices.

Precision Timepiece

Combine ingredients over ice and stir. Strain into double Rocks glass with ice. Express Orange peel and garnish.

Bonus: if you add a little Club Soda, you suddenly have spirited “Root Beer”.

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For the next recipe, you’re going to want to keep that bottle of Aperol handy but also get some Strawberries cause what says spring like Strawberries? (The answer is: nothing)

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To the Jäger and Aperol we add Chartreuse Jaune which has a mille-fleurs + honey aroma and is magical in spring cocktails.

Little Red Jacket

  • 1 1/2 oz Jägermeister
  • 1/2 oz Aperol
  • 1/4 oz Chartreuse Jaune
  • 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
  • 2 Strawberries
  • Club Soda
  • Garnish: 1 Strawberry, Lemon Wheel, Rosemary sprig

Muddle Strawberries and Lemon juice in tin. Add Jägermeister, Aperol, Chartreuse and ice. Shake and double strain into Collins glass over ice. Top with Club Soda and garnish with Strawberry, Lemon Wheel and Rosemary sprig. Sensational.

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And now it’s time for perhaps the most exciting formula yet: Jägermeister + Aged Rum = spiced Rum. I mean, why isn’t everyone all over this? I don’t have any Spiced Rum in My Home Bar but by combining these two together, I NOW HAVE SPICED RUM.

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Again, we’ll start with a recipe from Sother Teague cause this recipe is BRILLIANT.

German Vacation

  • 1 oz Jägermeister
  • 1 oz Flor de Caña Aged Rum
  • 3/4 oz Ginger Syrup*
  • 3/4 oz Orgeat
  • 3/4 oz Lemon Juice (Lime Juice works really well too)
  • Garnish: Heavy dashes of Peychaud’s bitters. I added the Hollowed out Lime half, Maraschino Cherries and Sail. Really, as long as you add the Peychaud’s, use whatever garnishes you want! (Candied Ginger would be amazing btw)

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into Collins or Tiki Glass over Cracked or Crushed ice. “Paint” the top of the drink with Peychaud’s bitters and garnish as you please.

Ginger-Syrup

*Ginger Syrup – Combine 1 cup of Sugar (Demerara or Turbinado), 1 cup of water and 1 cup of roughly chopped Ginger root in a Saucepan. Heat on low until just before liquids start to boil, then remove from heat. Cover and let sit for around 8-9 hours. Strain into jar and refrigerate. **If you are going to keep this syrup for several weeks, add around 1 oz aged Molasses Rum (like Flor de Caña) to syrup to preserve. Will make approx 2 cups of Ginger Syrup.

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The Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears are back again!

For the last Spring Cocktail with Jägermeister,  I’ve got a total West Indian Tiki cocktail for y’all!

Gamekeeper’s Grog

  • 1 oz Jägermeister
  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
  • Garnish: Hollowed out Lime half, Grapefruit peel Rose, Maraschino Cherry, Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into double Rocks glass and garnish.

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Wasn’t that totally delicious? Yes, it totally was! Don’t worry, this isn’t the end of my relationship Jägermeister as a cocktail ingredient. I’ll keep posting recipes as I come up with them.

Note: I cannot emphasize how thrilling of a discovery it was that Jägermeister + Aged Rum = spiced rum. YAAAAAAAAS Kween!

Thanks to M Booth for including me in this exciting campaign and sending the bottles of Jägermeister, Aperol, Amaro Montenegro and Dale Degroff’s Pimento Bitters!

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: Tiki Cocktails

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

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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!

#RumForTheHills: Don’s Special Daiquiri

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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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!

Classic Cocktails: Army & Navy + Variations

/ Dani DeLuna / 3 Comments

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Many moons ago, I had my first trip to The NoMad Bar with a whole bunch of newly acquainted friends. It has since become my favourite bar in NYC because they simply have the most adventurous and yet totally drinkable cocktails in the city. They consistently surprise, inspire and encourage me to push the envelope while remaining true to form. (i.e. They frequently use Fino Sherry and Amari in Tiki drinks. Brilliant.)

They also make a damn good Army & Navy.

I am a huge fan of Gin Sours in any form but something about the combination of Orgeat and Lemon Juice really moves my taste buds to flight! Oh and I highly recommend this B.G. Reynolds Orgeat, it’s a bit toasted, has just the right amount of floral notes and is quite tasty. Let’s make an Army & Navy right now, shall we?

Army & Navy (from David A Embury, Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. 1948.)

  • 2 oz English Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
  • 3/4 oz Orgeat
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherries

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it up! Strain into coupe, garnish with Maraschino Cherries. Sip and smile.

Wasn’t that tasty? Yes, yes it was so damn tasty! Wouldn’t you like to drink another? Hold off on that ’cause we have a couple of variations:

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So obvi the Army & Navy is a drink begging for rum. I decided to split the base with Flor de Caña 7 and Hayman’s Old Tom Gin. The Old Tom then inspired me to use some of those Boker’s Bitters that I love so dearly.

Sir Joseph Porter

  • 1 oz Old Tom Gin
  • 1 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
  • 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
  • 3/4 oz B.G. Reynolds Orgeat
  • 1 dash Angostura Bitters
  • 1 dash Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s Bitters
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherries

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it up! Strain into coupe, garnish with Maraschino Cherries. Sip and grin.

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Yes! The Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears are back!

If an Army & Navy variation was begging for rum, the next logical step (in my island themed brain) was to take it to Tiki Paradise! I’m obviously very excited about this drink. It’s just fabulous. Really, any excuse to use Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin in a cocktail is a dream come true for me.

Captain Corcoran

  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1 oz Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin
  • 3/4 oz B.G. Reynolds Orgeat
  • 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
  • 1 dash Angostura Bitters
  • 1 dropper Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters
  • Garnish: Three Maraschino Cherries and Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it up! Strain into coupe, garnish with Maraschino Cherries and Bunny Ears. Sip and giggle.

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Did you get the joke? The variations are named after characters from the HMS Pinafore. Clearly I think everything in life should be a tad silly but nary an April Fools prank shall I make.

Enjoy your Army & Navy and HMS Pinafore Variations! Cheers!

Garden Isle + the end of #TikiTheSnowAway

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

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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

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

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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. 🙂

Ola Azul

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Ola-Azul-1

#TikiTheSnowAway continues through the end of January, so let’s ride this Blue Wave to tropical happiness. My tan girlfriend just got back from Costa Rica and so the drinks are now surf related y en español. ¡Salud my Tiki brethren!

Ola Azul

  • 1 1/2 oz Denizen Aged Light Rum
  • 1/2 oz Jalapeño infused Blanco Tequila
  • 1/2 oz Blue Curaçao
  • 1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 1 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice
  • 2 oz Club Soda
  • Garnish: Pineapple Spear, 2 Pineapple Chunks and 1 Lime Wheel

In tin, combine ingredients and short shake over ice. Strain into Collins glass or specialty glass over ice. Garnish with Pineapple Spear, 2 Pineapple Chunks and 1 Lime Wheel.

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Diplomatico World Tournament + Booze Cruise

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

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Y’all, I had the fabulous opportunity attend the Diplomatico World Tournament US Final on 12 Jan. This round of the competition pitted six excellent bartenders from around the country against one another to make the greatest Rum cocktail ever and go to Venezuela to represent the USA in the World Final. Awesome cocktails. Awesome Rum.

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We’re talking REALLY awesome Rum. I will be getting some Diplomatico soon and will give y’all a thorough review and some recipes soon. As a member of the press, I was treated to a Rum tasting while viewing the competition. Here’s my quick run down of the Rums from Top Left to Bottom Right:

  • Añejo: a blend of 2-4 year Rums. Fruity, grapey, wheaty, caramel, vibrant, playful, light. Would totes use in shaken cocktails.
  • Blanco: aged for 6 years and then charcoal filtered, made from molasses and sugarcane honey. Straightforward and smooth. Would also totes use in shaken cocktails.
  • Reserva: aged for 8 years, made from molasses and sugarcane honey. Orange, cola, spice, banana, caramel, nutty, darker fruits. I’d lean toward a stirred drink but would still use shaken.
  • Reserva Exclusiva: aged 12 years. low, dark, cinnamon, dried apricots, prunes, banana. Velvety wonderfulness. Wow, just WOW. I took a sip and had to just sit there for a minute. It’s sweet on it’s own so be careful using it with sweet modifiers.
  • 2000 Vintage: made from sugarcane honey, aged in bourbon casks and then sherry casks. currants, salinity, orange. Love it. Would sip neat or perhaps use in a stirred drink.
  • Ambassador: Aged in bourbon casks for 12 years and then finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Fabulousness in every sip. really reminded me of cognac, dark fruits, caramel, anise, coffee, tobacco, dark chocolate. Sip neat or maybe with a little dilution.

Back to the competition: the judging panel included Dale DeGroff, aka King Cocktail, Leo Robitschek, the NoMad Bar man (y’all know how I feel about NoMad), as well as Nick Nistico, the US representative in the 2013 World Tournament. The cocktail was judged across several categories including Presentation, Taste, Originality and Technique.

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This is Nick Meyer, a bartender at Brilliantshine in Santa Monica, CA. This is the man who won. Now, as I was born in Santa Monica, I was immediately biased. Then when his cocktail was all Bananarama, I was like so much more biased! Win Bananaman from Santa Monica, WINNNNNN the World Tournament! Y’all, he made his own Banana Phosphate (like Banana soda) and the judges kept sipping it the whole time. Tasty business.TIKI! Here’s the fabulous recipe:

“Chimpin’ Aint Easy”

.75 oz Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.75 oz Housemade Macadamia Piloncillo Syrup
.75 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
.5 oz Diplomático Anejo
1.5 oz Housemade Banana Phosphate
Method: Served on crushed ice with a metal straw

Garnishes:
Edible marigolds candied with banana dust
Kona coffee grounds mixed with bitter chocolate shavings dusted on top
Banana chips

Killer right? Such a great drink. You could totally drink this all night. Maybe I will move back home to Santa Monica….

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After the competition, there was a Booze Cruize! And on this Booze Cruize, we got to taste each of the drinks in the competition. Here’s Bananarama, or as it’s officially known, “Chimpin’ Ain’t Easy”:

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Now, my fave drink of the night was actually by Ryan Gannon from Cure in New Orleans, LA. Though Bananarama was sensational, I felt this one showcased the Rum a little bit better and the Amaro was awesome in it. Again, TIKI!

“Little Boots”

1 oz Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Orgeat
35 drops Bittermens Tiki Bitters
Method: Combine all ingredients in the mixing tin and whip shake with one cracked
cube. Pour unstrained into Collins glass filled with cracked ice.

Garnish: 7 drops of angostura bitters and one lemon peel

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And here are the contestants + the Master of Ceremonies, Mr Tad Carducci of Tippling Brothers:

Totally fun event, totally tasty cocktails, totally delicious rum! Thanks to Diplomatico and the Baddish Group for having me!

Oh and P.S. I’m totally counting this post as #TikiTheSnowAway cause almost all of the drinks at the competition were Tiki Style.