A Mountain of Crushed Ice

Tiki Month – 2070 Swizzle

Third drink up for the Tiki Month hosted by the Pegu blog is a drink that was created by Martin Cate at Smuggler’s Cove - the nicely spicy 2070 Swizzle.

I`m serving it in my third mug from the Fireworks studio in Glagow, the coconut mug. I could have made a drink that contains coconut and the best one that comes to mind i the Coconaut but i have already had it on here so i went and searched for something else and found the 2070 Swizzle.

This swizzle contains Angostura 1919 and demerara rums, lime and honey, allspice dram, angostura bitters and what i believe is the secret to success . 4 drops of pernod which is an ingredient that was extensively used by Don the Beachcomber and which in very small amounts ( 4-6 drops usually) adds a third dimension to the drink by adding contrast, i really like it.

If you can`t find pernod you may use absinthe or herbsaint. The absinthe is less sweet than the other two which are not absinthes (pernod is a pastis and herbsaint is a brand name of anise-flavored liquor, originally made in New Orleans, Louisiana) - but since only only drops are used it doesn´t matter which one you use. Personally i used absinthe which are more to my liking in tiki drinks while i prefer herbsaint in say a sazerac.

2070 Swizzle (by Martin Cate)

1 oz Angostura 1919 Rum
1 oz 151 Demerara Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/4 oz Allspice Dram
4 drops Pernod
2 dashes Bitters

Swizzle and sprinkle nutmeg on top.

The 2070 swizzle is an awesome drink and there´s also a version of it called “2070 Swizzle Redux” created by Swanky over at the Grogalizer. Let´s try it:

2070 Swizzle Redux

1 oz Angostura 1919 or other quality Gold Rum
1/2 oz Lemon Hart 151
1/2 oz Smith & Cross
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Infused Simple Syrup (If you use Trader Tiki/BG Reynold’s, you may need to cut it back. His syrup is extremely strong. Cut it in half)
1/2 oz Honey Mix
1/2 oz Strong Kona coffee (chilled of course)
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
4 drops Pernod
2 dash Angostura bitters
1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg on top
Cinnamon Stick swizzle

Here is instructions from Swanky that i found on the Tiki Central:

Use about 1/2 cup crushed ice, flash blended for a few seconds. Lately I prefer to put everything in the blender but ice, set it to the lowest setting, on mine it is “Stir” and get all the ingredients mixed.

Then I add the ice and hit it on high. I zap it for a second, let it stop and repeat. Do that maybe 3 or 4 times. Pour into the proper glass (collins/zombie, or the classic aluminum ones) and add ice to fill. Grate some fresh nutmeg on top. Add cinnamon stick as swizzle.

If you use an aluminum glass, or even a collins, take a napkin and unfold it, then refold it longways. You should have a good frost on the glass. Lightly wet one corner of the napkin and press it to the glass so it freezes in place. Wrap around and do the same to the other end. This makes the drink easier to hold since it is so cold.

I didn`t have any Angostura 1919 but i do have some left of the Caroni -97 single barrel rum so i used that with excellent results in both drinks, awesome actually…

And my blender has broken down so this one is swizzled the old fashioned way with a wooden swizzle stick.

The 2070 Swizzle Redux tastes to me like a coffee spiced cousin to the first one with a little bit less demerara flavor and more of the Jamaican funk and (in my case) strong Caroni heaviness – and even though Caroni is a rum from Trinidad many of their strong rums does resemble Jamaican pot still rum.

Happy Tiki Month!

Tiki Month – Hala Kahiki

Tiki Month is already half gone…at least on the Pegu blog and therefore it´s time i come up with a drink in my next mug of the three i got from the Fireworks Studio.

There`s so many great tiki mug makers out there and i have a bunch on my list. I`m not obsessed with collecting yet but that has very much to do with that most mugs are made in the US and the shipping is high. If they were more easily accessible i`m sure i would have had many many more…

Today the theme is Pineapple!

For the pineapple mug i wanna make a drink containing pineapple but not a Pina Colada even though this specific mug is made for the Glasgow Tiki Bar´s Pina Coladas.

I`m very vey fond of the combination of strong Jamaican rum and aged rhum agricole and so that´s what`s going into this drink which is my own creation. And i`m gonna add some sparkling white wine to the party.

The name of the drink means “Pineapple” in Hawaiian which is just about right since the drink has it and the mug has it´s shape…I`ll also add some coffee for contrast – pineapple and coffee is a match made in heaven and a well known flavor combo when it comes to tiki drinks.

Hala Kahiki (hah.lah-kah-hee-kee)

5-6 fresh pineapple chunks (or enough to give about 2 oz juice)

0.25 oz demerara syrup + 0.25 oz liquid honey

0.25 oz coffee liqueur

1.5 oz Jamaican dark rum – preferably a flavorful and strong one like Smith and Cross

0.5 oz aged rhum agricole

0.5 oz fresh lime juice

A little sparkling white wine to top

Crushed ice

Muddle the pineapple slices with the syrup and honey in a shaker. Add coffee liqueur, rum and lime and shake well with ice. Double strain into a tiki mug filled with crushed ice and top with sparkling white wine.

Garnish with pineapple leaves, chunks and maybe a cherry.

One thing when garnihing with pineapple leaves, don`t let them sit in the drink for very long because the drink will get bitter.

This drink tastes just awesome, it´s fruity, strong and spicy but of course the choice of rums will have a great impact on the flavor in the first place but also the choice of coffee liqueur. I used Fair Cafè which is made from organic fair trade coffee and is very tasty. I once wrote a review of it and the link is here.

Now say “Inu A Kena”…which in Hawaiian means to “drink until satisfied” or “drink to quench thirst” – and it also is the name of a very good blog worth checking out!

Aloha….

Tiki Month – Sumatra Kula

Since it`february it´high time i plunge into the Tiki Month which is an annual and very cool event over at the Pegu blog.

I´m a bit late to the party because of mardi gras and then a rum review (Caroni-97) – but now i`m ready and very timely i happened to get a few new tiki mugs….

It might look like a joke to say i`m doing the tiki month here since every month all year is tiki month on this blog more or less…but nevertheless – Doug` tiki month is OFFICIAL and when it kicks off it´s some serious business!

His annual tiki month is a beloved thing and it sets the tone for the rest of us tiki afficionados… His rapid parade of interesting posts are guaranteed to keep you busy for a long while and i get a lot of inspiration from them.

To kick it off here i decided to make the cocktail that is the namesake for one of my new tiki mugs – the Sumatra Kula. The mugs i got are made at the Fireworks Ceramics Studio in Glasgow, Scottland and they are made for the Glasgow Tiki Bar.

I got three mugs, the Sumatra Kula, the Coconut and the Pineapple which they serve their pina coladas in at the bar.

Nice work they are doing!

So the cocktail to go first in the Sumatra Kula mug has to be the Sumatra Kula of course. It´s a classic typical tiki drink with rums and fresh fruit juices. But instead of using a white (or light) rum and a rhum agricole blanc i went on the dark side…

Sumatra Kula (Sippin`Safari)

0.5 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz grapefruit juice
0.5 oz orange juice
0.5 oz honey-mix (equal parts honey and water, warm up to mix, let cool and bottle, keeps in the fridge for about a week)
1.5 oz Caroni -97 single barrel heavy rum ( Sub with Smith and Cross)
1 oz rhum agricole vieux
3 oz crushed ice

Put everything in blender, saving ice for last, blend at high speed for no more than 5 sek. Pour into a tiki mug and add crushed ice to fill. Garnish with a mint sprig. (which i didn´t - i used pineapple slices and leaves.)

Happy Tiki Month!

Caroni – 97 Single Barrel Rum

What would we do without good rums?

I got a Caroni here…Caroni 1997 single barrel rum from Trinidad…it´s a full proof heavy rum ( 61.8% ABV) aged 15 years – 13 years in Trinidad and 2 years in England and then bottled in Glasgow, Scottland. The color is a beautiful dark mahogany.

The Caroni disitllery was closed down in 2002 due to industry consolidation and many of the barrels that were sold ended up in England.

This bottle i have here is a sample provided by the Swedish bottler ” Swedish Firewater” (Svenska Eldvatten in Swedish) and they are an independent bottler mainly specializing in Whiskey) This bottle is a bourbon cask #108 out of 114 bottles.

CARONI SUGAR FACTORY

There were originally more than 50 different rums brands produced in Trinidad – by 1950 that number had reduced to 8 and today there is only one left – Angostura. Caroni was established in 1918 on the site of the old Caroni Sugar factory and operated until 1993.

The Caroni sugar factory started to operate a cast iron still in 1918 and at that time there were some eight or ten other sugar factories operating, each producing different types of rums and these rums were bought up by merchants and sold to rum shops all over the island. There were all kinds of “blends” and concoctions being made by both the merchants and the rum shop owners and sold over the counter as “petit quarts”

Eventually Caroni increased the quality of the distilling process and went from the original cast iron still to use a wooden coffey still – until 1945 when they got a copper still which was followed by a single column in 1957 and then a four column Gerb Herman still in 1980.

For nearly 100 years Caroni has had large sugar estates on the island and was the major producer of molasses. Sadly now since it`s closed no more of their magnificient rums are produced and when it´s gone it´s gone.

And that is sad because the Caroni rums are unique. That said i must confess i haven`t yet tried many but the ones i`ve tried have all been outstanding and original in the same way as the demerara rums are.

And i must say the flavor DOES remind me quite a bit of a demerara rum, it has the same full bodied and a bit smoky character but without that demerara flavor that only demerara rums have but it has the same type of character.

Caroni 1997 Single Barrel Rum

I assume this rum isn`t heavily filtered and thus been keeping most of it´s flavor components – esters and sugars etc and so we have a heavy style full flavored and strong rum here. Ready to be tried neat and mixed by yours truly…

I must say i`m against ruining good rum with additives and whatnot and filtered to the point of losing both character and personality becoming a commercial anonymus product for the masses – sadly believing that what they drink is real rum…but maybe that`s just me…

But that`s not the case with this rum i have here – this is pure rum full of flavor. Since it´s so strong i been sipping it very carefully, then added ice/water to dilute it and then finally mixed in a few rum cocktails containing juices, sugars and ice.

Nose

The nose is strong and breathing closely it´s a bit harsh due to the alcohol strength but after letting the rum sit and breathe in the glass for about 10 minutes the initial harshness is gone and there`s wonderful aromas of oak, sugarcane, caramel and toffee and t´s just lovely…

Mouth

Due to how strong it is i don`t recommend sipping this alone but add some ice to the glass or use it as mixer or as a float in cocktails. For this review i did sip a little diluted in water and leaving it in the mouth for a while bring forth the same flavors as in the nose but stronger and fuller.

I think this rum is in flavor like a fine cognac with sugarcane and caramel but too strong to drink neat. There is also a spicy smokiness to it that i like very much. In my opinion it´s a real good rum.

Cocktails

Strong rums like this i personally never sip but always mix in drinks or use as floats and i made four rum drinks and i must say this rum is a fantastic mixer and it makes a killer Mai Tai of the kind i have only made with demerara rums before. As a mixer this rum is a total winner.

Caroni Mai Tai

1.5 oz Caroni

0.75 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz orange curacao ( i used Ferrand´s Dry Curacao)

0.25 oz orgeat

0.25 oz sugarcane syrup

Crushed ice and a fresh mint sprig

Half spent lime shell in the shaker and then dropped in the glass – to add the aromatic fragrant oils from the peel

Shake with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Smack a mint sprig and put a short straw near the mint.

This recipe is the classic Trader Vic`s Mai Tai – i have only reduced the usual 2 oz of 2 different rums to 1.5 of the Caroni due to it`s strength and then also reduced the 1 oz lime juice to .75.

This Caroni Mai Tai is very addictive….

And for the second drink, i choosed a cocktail from the book “Cuban Cocktails” (by Anistatia Miller & Jared Brown) called Nacional Cocktail ( 1948 version) and changed it a little bit by adding a little sugarcane syrup and up the pineapple juice 1 oz and added 2 dashes of Boy Drinks World Serrano Cocktail Spice – which technically isn`t a bitter but a highly concentrated pepper tincture.

You may sub it by infusing the simple syrup with a fresh serrano pepper to get that serrano heat and flavor in the drink. Just cut up a pepper and let it boil shortly with the syrup when you make it and leave to cool.

Trinidad meets Cuba

1.5 oz Caroni

2 oz pineapple juice

0.25 oz apricot brandy

0.25 oz sugarcane syrup

dashes of lemon juice

2 dash serrano cocktail spice (boydrinksworld.com)

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

The combination of strong Caroni rum, Pineapple, lemon, apricot and the hot serrano flavor makes this cocktail really stand out, it´s very very tasty! The combo of serrano and pineapple is match made in heaven…

Trinidad Bird

1 oz Aperol

1.5 oz Caroni

0.5 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz sugarcane syrup

4 oz pineapple juice

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with an orange slice, lime slice, sherry and fresh mint.

This is a fruity drink but the rum still shines through.

Caroni Rum Punch

2 oz Caroni

0.75 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz sugarcane syrup

0.25 oz grenadine – homemade if possible and preferably hibiscus grenadine

3 dashes angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass with cracked ice. Garnish with an orange slice and fresh mint.

In this drink the rum didn`t shine through like it did in the two others but it was a nice and fruity drink. I believe a poor commercial grenadine would ruin this drink so try make your own, it´s worth it.

Conclusion

So my final conclusion is that this Caroni -97 single barrel rum is a real gem, fit to sip with some ice dilution and excellent to mix with.

I like this style of rums, they has got lots of flavor, are full bodied and complex and many of them are strong which is something i like since i mix a lot of tiki drinks.

Mardi Gras Cocktails!

In New Orleans there`s nothing but a giant party right now with both the Mardi Gras and Superbowl celebations going on with the big game being played tomorrow and then it´s just a week until Mardi Gras and that means it´s high time for me to come up with this years Mardi Gras cocktails.

Last year the King Cake vodka was launched and i wrote two posts about it and then later this year in the fall the Fleur de Lis vodka was launched by the same company – Lucky Player Vodka.

Maybe a few of the drinks i make here can be of inspiration to celebrate this years Mardi Gras whether you are in New Orleans or not, a Mardi Gras party can be thrown anywhere!

Just bring on the right attitude, some great Louisiana cooking and put on the Mardi Gras music and don`t forget the drinks! Let the good times roll!

Queen Zulu

1 oz white rum ( choose a flavorful one like Plantation 3 Stars)

1 oz Fleur de Lis vodka

0.75 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 – 0.5 oz sugarcane syrup

Shake with ice and serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a yellow/gold sugar rim and a lemon peel.

Flambeaux Fire

1 oz passionfruit juice

0.5 oz fresh lemon juice

0.5 oz orange juice

0.5 oz sugarcane ssyrup

1 oz Gosling´s Black Seal dark rum

1 oz Rittenhouse 100 proof rye

0.5 oz Old New Orleans Cajun Spiced rum

Shake with ice and serve in goblet with crushed ice, pineapple garnish and a flaming half lime shell.

This one is a strong and spicy drink..

Rolling with Nyx

1 oz pineapple juice

0.75 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz green chartreuse

0.25 oz king cake vodka

1.5 oz white rum ( Plantation 3 Stars)

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled champagne coupe rimmed with purple and green sugar.

Muses Rum Punch

2 oz Jamaican dark rum ( like Coruba )

2 oz flavorful white rum

1 oz orange juice

1 oz pineapple juice

0.5 oz sugarcane syrup

0.5 oz fresh lime juice

0.25 oz coffee liqueur

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass rimmed with mardi gras color mix sugar and filled with crushed ice.

Black River Punch

Here´s another interesting cocktail i stumbled upon, the Black River Punch.

This cocktail was at first an un-namd Planter´s Punch variant. The Planter´s Punch is as we know based on the old rhyme - 1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong, 4 of weak…and with that formula you can make all kinds of variations.

The Black River Punch was created by Kevin Upthegrove aka Heylownine. I`m gonna serve it here and also try it with rhum agricole and switch the black tea for a ginger tea to see how that will do.

From the info i got – the name Black River Punch is inspired by the Jamaican influence in this drink from the Smith and Cross rum to the pimento dram.

The Black River runs through the Appleton Estate in the Saint Elizabeth parish and the capital of the parish – Black River was once a sugar port and exporter of rum and allspice. So i think the name is just about right, perfect actually.

Black River Punch

1 oz lemon juice
1 oz Demerara sugar syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (recipe from Beachbum Berry Remixed)
1/4 oz pimento dram (recipe from Beachbum Berry Remixed)
1 oz Smith and Cross Jamaican rum
1 oz Batavia Arrack
2 oz strong black tea

Gently shake with ice cubes, pour into tall glass. Add more ice to fill. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

I would describe this drink as strong, rummy and spicy.The strong black tea is also a nice addition adding a different spiciness than the pimento dram and the rums blending in creating layers of spice. NICE!

Now i wanted to make a twist of the drink as well and rhum agricole was the way to go..

Martinique owes its name to Colombus who landed on the island on 15 June 1502.

The island was then called “Jouanacaëra-Matinino”, which came from a mythical island described by the Tainos of Hispaniola. But according to historian Sydney Daney, the island was called “Jouanacaëra” by the Caribs, which would mean “the island of iguanas”.

After Columbus’ initial discovery, the name then evolved along the pronunciations Madinina (“Island of Flowers”), Madiana, and Matinite.

When Columbus returned to the island in 1502, he rechristened the island as Martinica. It finally, by influence of the neighboring island of Dominica (La Dominique), came to be known as Martinique.

So it was called the island of flowers…(Madinina) and that inspires both the name and the flower garnish of the drink and then we got the rum – it´s the island of flowers and rum…

Madinina Rum Punch

1 oz equal parts fresh lime and lemon
1 oz demerara syrup
0.5 oz falernum
3 oz aged rhum agricole
2 oz green ginger tea
0.5 oz St Germain
2 dash Bad Dog Fire and Damnation bitters

Shake and strain into a goblet with ice cubes and add a 0.5 oz float overproof dark rum (i used Plantation Original Dark overproof ) and garnish with a tropical flower.

This drink turned out to be what i would call a stiff strong rum punch – with that typical agricole flavor and it´s spicy…

It contains 3 oz rum plus 0.5 oz float overproof. It was tasty and went down easily…but i guess one is enough.

Enjoy!

Swizzling with Arrack and Chartreuse

I was browsing around to find some drink inspiration and stumbled upon one of Cocktailvirgin´s posts – the St Bruno Swizzle. What got me at first was the picture, it looked so tasty and reading the recipe finding out the drink contained green chartreuse and Batavia arrack i couldn`t wait to try it out.

And it didn`t hurt that there was a link to another interesting drink also with Chartreuse and Batavia arrack – the “Swamp Water Fix” – and that one i decided to turn into a swizzle and add some aged rum as well.

The Swamp Water Fix originates from a drink called Swamp Water containing green Chartreuse, pineapple juice and lime. That drink is from the 70s and the recipe can be found in Stan Jones’ Complete Barguide.

Both the Swamp Water drinks and the St Bruno Swizzle reminds me about the famous Chartreuse Swizzle which we the CSOWG gang (Cocktails and Spirits Online Writers Group) so happily imbibed from flower vases as drink vessels in the Mixohouse during the “good old days” in New Orleans.

I wrote a post or two about the Chartreuse Swizzle and really, there is something purely magic about the combination of green chartreuse, lime, falernum and pineapple and as we had it – JWray overproof Jamaican rum. (Can be made with other rums too with stunning results)

The garnish for the Swamp Water Fix is a wide strip of lime peel that should resemble a serpent in the swamp water.

But back to the first drink, the St Bruno Swizzle – it was created by bartender/Scott Marshall and the drink name refers to the founder of the Carthusian Order who established the enclosed monastic society in 1084.

It was the Carthusian monks who in the 1740s produced the Chartreuse liqueurs.

Reading Fred´s flavor description got me both thirsty and curious if i would find it as tasty as he did:

The St. Bruno Swizzle offered up a chocolate aroma that was paired with caramel notes from the aged rum. The citrusy sip preceded the funky Batavia Arrack flavors, the Green Chartreuse herbal notes, and the Yellow Chartreuse savory ones. At the end, instead of the drink drying out from the floated bitters, it got pleasantly chocolaty.

There was only one way to find out of course and luckily i had all the ingredients on hand. So here are the drinks:

St Bruno Swizzle

1 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Add the ingredients in a tall glass half filled with crushed ice and use a swizzle stick to swizzle up and down to chill until frost forms on the outside of the glass. Top of with more crushed ice and float 1/2 oz Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum and 2 dash Bittermen`s Mole Bitters, and add a straw.

I also added a piece of lemon peel and a cherry for garnish.

I didn´t have Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum but i have Plantation Original Dark Overproof Rum….much better to float with i think…

The flavor of the drink is what i would call aromatic…I love the funky notes from the Batavia arrack and the green chartreuse is very herbal – while the yellow chartreuse is herbal too i find it more tropical in flavor and paired with some fresh lime…it´s mouth watering and yummy.

There´s a hint of sexy chocolate in the mix…from the mole bitters. Then the float of overproof dark rum on top is like the icing on the cake or the cream on the coffee…

I liked this cocktail but one cocktail is never enough…

Swamp Water swizzle

1 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 drop Bitter Truth Celery Bitters

Add ingredients to a tall glass and fill with crushed ice and swizzle to mix. Insert a wide lime twist in the glass, top with more ice, dust some cinnamon on top and add a straw.

This drink was rounder in flavor, probably because of the pineapple juice and the celery bitters. It had a similar flavor though since both drinks contains Batavia arrack and Chartreuse but definitely more “round” and “full” and if i was to choose one of them i`d take this one.

Such aromatic drinks…i hope yall will and can try them out sometimes. I call the green Chartruse the “green magic potion”…

Cachaça de Minas Gerais – João Andante

The liquid gold of Brazil….Cachaça.

If you`re not familiar with cachaça i wrote a post about cachaça and rhum agricole long ago and tried to explain the difference between them since they both are made from sugarcane juice and yet so different.

The cachaça i have here now, João Andante – is a handcrafted artisanal aged cachaça from Minas Gerais – and it tastes wonderful…..

Minas Gerais is the biggest and best cachaça producing state in Brazil and one can always expect a good selection of cachaças from people from Minas Gerais.

João Andante has a sweet sugarcane nose with grassy earthy notes and it tastes sweet, buttery and earthty, complex and very smooth – and it`s 40% ABV or 80 proof.

It´s aged 2 years, one year in amburana wood and one year in oak. The amburana is known to give a light yellowish tone to the cachaça and so i guess the oak may impart some brownish/darker hues?

There´s not much to read about this cachaça online so i have no real good info on it´s history or how it´s made. Seeing to that there are so many cachaças in Brazil i really would like to see more brands exported, as it is now only a fraction that gets out of Brazil. I`m lucky to have a brazilian friend and i can safely say that i wouldn`t have been able to try the great cachaças i have tried otherwise.

I have actually only made caipirinhas with my João Andante because it really makes some killer caipirinhas….and just as with a classic daiquiri for real good rums – the simple combination of cachaça or rum and lime and sugar really allows the flavor of the spirit to shine through.

It also is a very good sipping cachaça especially with that buttery aftertaste but to round this post off i also made a vanilla version of a caipirinha.

The João Andante website is only in portugese unfortunately but there´s always google translate – but that doesn´t always get very accurate..

Vanilla Caipirinha

2 oz João Andante aged cachaça

1 large lime to muddle

0.5 oz sugarcane syrup or 2-3 heaped tsp brown sugar

seeds from one vanilla bean

Cut a large lime into 8 wedges and put them in a rocks glass, add vanilla seeds and sugar and muddle. Add cachaça and crushed ice and stir well. The crushed ice will melt a little and makes the flavors blend wonderfully.

I like sugar rims so i used some molasses sugar mixed with some of the vanilla seeds to rim this one but that´s not necessary. Then i added a vanilla bean as garnish.

Simple and good…this drink can of course be made with any good cachaça, preferably artisanal and i think aged goes better with the vanilla as both are naturally dark colored.

Caipirinha

Same as above but without vanilla bean. You may make all kinds of Caipirinha variations by adding fruits to the muddle. It´s such an easy drink to make and the key is good quality and fresh ingredients.

Samoan Typhoon

Here´s a strong and spicy rum drink from Sippin´Safari, it was created at the Hawaiian Village motel and restaurant in Tampa in 1969 by chef Joe King Sui in true tiki style and ambiance back in the golden tiki days.

The drink is a mix of dark or aged Puerto Rican and Myers rums,vodka, pineapple, orange and and lime juices, passionfruit syrup and honey and blended with crushed ice.

I have changed it up a little bit though since i don`t have the exact rums, so i used Smith and Cross and Appleton Extra and a homemade vanilla flavored vodka and then all fresh juices.

It turned out a strong and spicy drink…

Then i made a variation of it and changed the Appleton for an aged rhum agricole and the vodka for a white rum, then switched orange juice for fresh grapefruit juice and added a dash of angostura bitters.

Turned out tasty as well.

SAMOAN TYPHOON

0.75 oz fresh lime

1 oz unsweetened pineapple juice

1 oz fresh orange juice

0.5 oz liquid honey

0.25 oz sugarcane syrup

0.25 oz passionfruit syrup

2 oz Appleton Extra dark Jamaican rum

0.5 oz Smith and Cross strong dark Jamaican rum

0.75 oz vanilla flavored vodka (natural homemade with tahitian beans)

2 cups crushed ice

Dissolve honey in lime juice and place in a blender with all other ingredients and blend for 30 seconds. Pour in a tiki mug or tall glass and fill up with more crushed ice.

Garnish with pineapple leaves or slice and if you wish maraschino cherry.

TYPHOON FURY

0.75 oz fresh lime

1 oz unsweetened pineapple juice

1 oz fresh grapefruit juice (yellow)

0.5 oz liquid honey

0.25 oz sugarcane syrup

0.25 oz passionfruit syrup

2 oz aged rhum agricole ( i used Clemént VSOP)

0.5 oz Smith and Cross strong dark Jamaican rum

0.75 oz white rum ( i used Denizen rum)

Dash Angostura bitters

2 cups crushed ice

Proceed as with the first drink and serve in a rum barrel tiki mug. Garnish with pineapple wedge and fresh mint.

Bad Dog Bar Craft Cocktail Bitters

I love cocktail bitters! these little drops that can change a cocktail and take it to a different level, the salt and pepper of the drink!

I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel from Bad Dog Bar Craft at this year´s Tales and he handed me two bottles of bitters to try out – the “Fire and Damnation” and “Sarsaparilla Dry”. The first name tells us there´s some heat in it…

Bad Dog Bar Craft are located in Austin, Texas and makes small batch handcrafted cocktail bitters.

Fire and Damnation

This bitter is the Bad Dog`s take on a historical recipe found in “The Gentlemen’s Companion” by Charles Baker Jr in 1939.

It contains habanero extract, black tea, subtle smoke, green vegetal pepper and molasses.

I was plesantly surprised though at the fresh habanero taste….and then you get hit by smoke…

Anyone who eats habanero and it`s close cousin scotch bonnet knows these chilies does have a very fresh fruitiness that is almost intoxicating and very addictive…i just love that flavor.

Habanero is a very hot chile and these bitters are hot, here´s enough with one drop or two and it adds a new dimension to classical drinks and of course goes just perfect with tequila.

Sarsaparilla Dry

This one is woody and “rooty” or – old fashioned root beer flavor but bitter and dry. Flavor components in it are root beer, herbal tannins and sarsaparilla.

Suggested Use: Work beautifully in stirred drinks and pairs well with sweet Italian vermouth, armagnac, whiskey, gin, dark rum.

Volcanic Daiquiri

2 oz white rum ( i would recommend Plantation 3 Stars or Denizen rum)

0.75 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz sugarcane syrup

2 dash Fire and Damnation bitters

The daiquiri is as you know if you read this blog one of my absolute favorite cocktails and i have lost count on how many variations i`ve made and this is one more – with a hot bite!

The hint of habanero in this cocktail…so goood…

Blood, Sand and Fire

1.25 oz Tequila reposado
3/4 oz Cherry Brandy (Cherry Heering)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz Orange Juice
1 dash Fire and Damnation bitters

Shake together ina shaker with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe and add a float of tequila at the top.

Oh how i love the Blood and Sand cocktail…and this spicy version takes it to another level!

Spiced Winchester

1 oz Haymen’s Old Tom gin
1 oz Martin Miller’s Westbourne Strength gin
1 oz Tanqueray dry gin
¾ oz lime juice
¾ oz grapefruit juice
¾ oz St. Germain
½ oz grenadine
¼ oz ginger syrup
1 healthy dash Sarsaparilla Dry bitters
Shake with ice and strain in to a crushed-ice filled Tiki mug.

The Winchester is a tiki drink with 3 different gins and was created by Brian Miller and named after Angus Winchester.

The only change in the recipe is that the heavy dose of angostura bitters is replaced with sarsaparilla bitters.

You can get more info on Bad Dog Bar Craft and where to find the bitters here.

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