Giltron's Mixings

the mixing of exotic cocktails

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  • And now for something,completely different.

    When you think things tropical,you probably don’t think apricots. But apricot brandy features in many Tiki drinks. For example,the Book of Tiki Zombie:

    Mix #21 Book of Tiki Zombie

    2oz gold rum
    1oz dark rum
    1oz white rum
    1oz lime juice
    3/4oz papaya juice
    3/4oz pineapple juice
    ½ apricot brandy
    1tsp simple syrup

    Shake with ice and pour into tall glass. Add a float of 151 Demerara rum.

    Apricots have an interesting sweet/tart flavor that usually is the finish to drinks that use it. It works quite well as a balancer between sweet syrups and sour juices. As with most brandies,the flavor can come forward if you use too much,and that will be all you taste,so use sparingly.

    Mix #49 Fruits Loops

    1oz white rum
    1oz gin
    3/4oz pineapple mango juice*
    1/2oz apricot liqueur**
    1/2oz mandarin orange juice***
    1/2oz passionfruit syrup

    *I just mixed pineapple and mango juice together and measured off the right amount.
    **I used apricot brandy.
    ***I used tangerine juice,which is close enough.

    Shake with plenty of ice and serve in a double rocks glass.

    This was created by Marie,an award winning bartender,and is featured on BG Reynold’s website. A nice,sweet,summer-y drink.

    Mix #50 Golden Gun

    1oz gold rum
    1oz white rum
    3/4oz lime juice
    3/4oz simple syrup
    1/2oz apricot brandy
    1/2oz grapefruit juice
    dash of bitters

    Shake and strain over fresh ice.

    Created at a Tiki Oasis event,this drink is pretty tart given the amount of simple added.

    Mix #51 Blackbeard’s Ghost

    1.5oz white rum
    1/2oz demerara rum
    1.5oz orange juice
    1oz lemon juice
    1oz falernum
    1/2oz apricot brandy
    2 dashes Angostura bitters

    Shake with plenty of ice.

    Do you like falernum? Because that’s what you’ll taste when you drink this. If I was going to make this again,I’d reduce the falernum and swap in tangerine for orange juice. But I think I’ll just stick with my drink.

    (Update: using velvet falernum instead of golden made it much better.)

    Mix #52 Karate Punch

    1.5oz light rum
    1.5oz dark rum
    1oz lime juice
    1oz pineapple juice
    1oz simple syrup
    3/4oz apricot brandy

    Shake with ice and pour into highball glass.

    To be honest,I could take or leave this. It just doesn’t stand out as a drink. If you like apricot brandy,then you might like it.

    Mix #53 Forbidden Serpent

    2.5oz white rum
    1oz dark rum
    1/2oz apricot brandy
    1/2oz peach schnapps
    2oz orange juice
    2oz pineapple juice
    1oz lime juice

    Shake with plenty of ice and pour into black mug.

    From the season three episode of Tiki Bar TV,“Snake”(featuring the lovely Lala!),this drink has enough kick on its own. But I couldn’t find any peach schnapps back in 2020,so I used Peach 99 instead. At significantly more proof than schnapps,this basically turned this drink into another Zombie. You don’t hear me complaining though.

    This week’s episode has been brought to you by…..the Larch.

  • Blended 2: Electric Boogaloo

    The dog days of summer might be past,but it’s still plenty hot enough outside to enjoy a cold blended drink. So here are some more potions to keep your blender busy.

    Mix #41 Pusser’s Painkiller

    2oz Pusser’s Rum
    4oz pineapple juice
    1oz orange juice
    1oz cream of coconut
    ground nutmeg

    Blend everything except nutmeg. Pour into mug,top with nutmeg.

    As I said in my Black Tot Day post,I like my painkillers blended. Use Gunpowder Strength if you want to add more octane.

    Mix #46 Scorpion

    1.5oz gold rum
    3/4oz brandy(cognac)*
    2oz orange juice
    1oz lemon juice
    1/2oz orgeat

    Blend with ice.

    *Some recipes use pisco.

    A classic Tiki drink. A bit tart for my taste,next time I try it I’m going to back off the lemon juice and swap tangerine for the orange.

    Mix #47 Midori Colada

    1/2oz white rum
    1.5oz Midori
    2oz coconut cream
    1.5oz pineapple juice

    Blend with ice until smooth

    With only a half ounce of rum,this makes a nice low-wattage drink for parties and cookouts. The melon/coconut/pineapple blend isn’t too sweet and the drink comes out a nice light green that looks good in a glass.

    Mix #48 Sugar Island Rum Runner

    3/4oz Sugar Island spiced rum
    1/4oz blackberry liqueur*
    1/4oz creme de banana liqueur
    2oz orange juice
    1/2oz grenadine
    8oz ice

    Blend until smooth.

    *I used blackberry brandy.

    I found Sugar Island rum at the local liquor store and gave it a try. It’s now my go-to for spiced rum. This recipe is from their site,which seems to be down at the moment. The bright color,fruity taste,and low yield payload make it an excellent party drink.

    Yo ho ho and a blender of rum!

  • Here we go again!

    I’ve once again been published! The new issue #20 of Exotica Moderne has my Funk #44 in ‘the Cocktail Hour’,page 43.

    What’s even cooler is I own a couple versions of that mug:

    Hope you all enjoy the drink!

  • Toasting the arts.

    I recently went to the grocery store to pick up some more cold pressed lime juice. This stuff is awesome. It’s actually better than fresh squeezed IMHO because there’s zero effort and cleanup involved(I am a bachelor) and because it’s a mix of many limes,the PH is balanced. Unfortunately they were out,but they did have cold pressed tangerine juice. So I picked some up to experiment with substituting for orange juice. After getting home,I logged into Facebook and found I had been given a top fan badge from MeduSirena. She’s the famous fire eating mermaid,and one of these days I need to get down to the Wreck Bar to see her. Anyway,to celebrate whenever a Tiki A-Lister notices me on Facebook,I make one of their cocktails,or a cocktail that is representative of them. So I made her cocktail:

    Mix #42 Sea Hag

    2oz white rum
    2oz blue curacao
    4oz orange juice
    1oz lime juice
    1oz lemon juice

    Shake with plenty of ice and pour into double rocks glass.

    This recipe comes from the Lava Flow Inn. If you’ve never heard of this bar,that’s because it’s the personal bar of Matt Reese,one of the co-owners of Home Aloha. They had the recipe on one of their Mai Tai glasses. I tried it awhile back and found it was a bit tart for my taste. So this time around I decided to swap the lemon juice for pineapple and swapped my new tangerine for orange. These changes sweetened the drink without radically altering it,and it’s how I’ll make it from now on.

    Here’s the other toasting drinks I’ve made.

    Mix #43 Gamma Gamma Hey

    1oz Smith & Cross
    1oz Plantation Original Dark
    ½ allspice dram
    1/2oz passionfruit syrup
    1/2oz guanabana nectar*
    1/2oz lime juice
    1oz Plantation OFTD

    Shake everything except OFTD with ice and pour into mug. Float OFTD on top.

    *Guanabana is also called sour sop and can be found in the Latin section of your grocery store.

    I made this again after Ken from House of Tabu accepted my friend request. I’ve been a huge fan of his mugs and his Tiki magazine Exotica Moderne(that my Corsair Punch was published in). This was the drink card recipe from the original blue Gamma Gamma Hey mugs(one of my favs),and the Tabu recipes have all been delicious. Warning,it will mess you up.

    Mix #44 Hippopotomai-Tai

    1oz dark rum
    1oz light rum
    1oz lime juice
    1/2oz orange curacao
    1/2oz orgeat
    1/2oz agave nectar

    Shake with plenty of ice and pour into double rocks glass.

    Kevin Crossman is a Mai Tai enthusiast who runs the site Ultimate Mai Tai. I found this recipe on Etsy. It was carved into a wooden cutting board and is supposed to be one of the drinks from the Trader Sam’s Tiki bars at the Disney parks. I can’t vouch for it’s authenticity,but I can vouch for the fact that it makes a nice,slightly sweetish version of the Mai Tai. I think he would approve of it.

    Mix #45 Chimp in Orbit

    1.5oz 151 rum
    2oz orange juice
    1oz lemon juice
    1oz sweet vermouth
    1/2oz orange curacao
    1/4oz creme de cacao
    1/4oz grenadine

    Blend with ice.

    I made this for Crazy Al Evens. He’s a Tiki artist who makes ridiculously cool mugs and fronts an exotica group called APE the Band. With one and a half ounces of 151,after a couple of these,you’ll be crazier than he is!

    Mix #17 Midori Cactus Juice

    1oz coconut rum
    1oz vodka
    1oz Midori
    3oz pineapple juice
    splash of club soda

    Shake everything together except soda. Pour into glass,top with soda,and stir.

    Moki Sato is a very talented exotica artist from Japan who was featured on the cover of issue 19 of Exotica Moderne. I really like the way he blends traditional exotica with a touch of anime. I toasted him with one of the mixings from my Midori post that was good enough to make it into my regular rotation. I just need to get one of his mugs to enjoy it in.

    So now you have some delicious cocktails to enjoy while checking out some seriously cool people. Enjoy!

  • Happy Black Tot Day!

    Today we remember the end of the daily rum ration in the British Royal Navy;Black Tot Day. On July 31st,1970,the tradition started in 1740 by Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon came to an end. Oh the sailors were given a ration of beer,but I mean….beer. That’s not rum.

    So to celebrate this holiday properly,you need to make one of two drinks:

    Mix #10 Traditional Grog

    1.5oz navy strength rum*
    1oz lime juice
    1/2oz simple syrup**

    *I recommend Pusser’s Gunpowder or Hamilton’s Navy Grog Blend.
    **Rock candy or Demerara syrup work best.

    The original grog as ‘enjoyed’ by the sailors.

    Mix #41 Pusser’s Painkiller

    2oz Pusser’s Rum*
    4oz pineapple juice
    1oz orange juice
    1oz cream of coconut
    ground nutmeg

    *For Black Tot Day,I recommend Pusser’s Gunpowder.

    Shake everything except nutmeg. Pour into mug filled with ice. Top with nutmeg.

    Pusser’s was actually issued to sailors,so it’s perfect for Black Tot. Their recipe was dictated by military standards. Must be why it tastes so good. A very smooth Demerara rum made of a blend of five rums from Guyana and Trinidad. Oh,and in keeping with summertime and blending,I prefer blending my Painkillers to shaking them. Try it!

    Oh,and since it’s a holiday and all,why not make both?

  • There IS a cure for the summertime blues.

    So,Sharkfest is over,and it might hit 100 F today. But it’s ok,because I have my AC and my blender. Blended drinks are perfect for cooling down in hot weather(that it to say,they’re ‘perfect’ when they have rum in them). And it just so happens that there are many excellent Tiki recipes that call for blending. Here are the few that I’ve tried. A note about blending: many Tiki recipes call for blending only three to five seconds,while others aren’t specific. I blend my drinks to the consistency of a slushy,just personal preference. I suggest you do the same and just blend them the way you want.

    Mix #33 Megalodon

    1oz Lemon Hart 151
    1oz white rum
    1.25oz lime juice
    1oz agave syrup
    1tsp red fassionola

    Blend with a cup of ice for 5sec.

    Sweet and powerful drink from my previous Sharkfest post.

    Mix #27 Saturn

    1.5oz gin
    1/3oz orgeat
    1/3oz falernum
    1/2oz passion fruit syrup
    1/2oz lemon juice

    Blend with ice until slushy.

    This was from my gin post. A nice light drink.

    Mix #34 Singapore Symphony

    1oz gold rum
    1oz gin
    1.5oz pineapple juice
    1/2oz lemon juice
    1/2oz passion fruit syrup
    1/4oz grenadine

    Blend with ice and pour into Tiki mug.

    If you join Trader Vic’s mailing list,you get occasional drink recipes. This was one I just got around to trying. The rum and gin do well together in this,and it’s just the right amount of sweet. Will be putting this in my regular rotation.

    Mix #35 Tonga Punch

    2oz light rum
    2oz orange juice
    1oz lemon juice
    1/2oz orange curacao
    1/4oz grenadine

    Flash blend with ice,pour into tall glass,garnish with mint sprig.

    This is another Trader Vic’s drink,this time off the back off their grenadine bottle. It’s a bit sour for my taste. If I were to make another,I’d reduce the lemon juice and up the grenadine.

    Mix #36 A Taste of Honey

    1oz overproof rhum*
    3/4oz honey syrup
    1/2oz lime juice
    8 drops allspice dram

    Blend with 6oz ice until it can be eaten with a spoon.

    *I used Pusser’s Gunpowder

    From BG Reynolds site. A very nice concoction. But watch how many you have,as the overproof rum and all that honey will no doubt give you a taste of hangover.

    Mix #37 Derby Daiquiri

    1.5oz light rum
    1oz orange juice
    1/2oz lime juice
    1/2oz rock candy syrup*

    Blend for 15sec. Serve in a coupe glass.

    *Rock candy syrup is sweeter than standard simple syrup. If you only have standard,then double it to a full ounce.

    Another BGR recipe,from the back of their Rock Candy Syrup(which they no longer make). As long as you get the syrup measurement right,it’s a nice drink. One of these days I need to just get a bottle of rock candy syrup,just because that’s what the Trader used in his Mai Tais.

    Mix #38 Pago Pago

    1oz dark rum
    1oz orange juice
    3/4oz lime juice
    3/4oz grapefruit juice
    3/4oz honey syrup
    dash Angostura bitters

    BGR wants you to blend just the ingredients without ice,then pour it into a glass filled with crushed ice. I just blended the damn thing and it turned out very nice.

    Mix #39 Coco Naut

    2oz white overproof rum*
    1.5oz cream of coconut
    1oz lime juice

    Blend with 12oz ice.

    *I used Maggie’s Farm Queen’s Share Unaged.

    I found this on the web. One blog posting attributed this to Beachbum Berry,but it had a ridiculous amount of cream of coconut and three ounces of rum. Didn’t really sound like his style,so some searching found me this version on Difford’s Guide. I trust them as a reliable source,so I went with theirs. Sweet and strong,again too many of these will lead to a hangover.

    Mix #40 Beachcomber’s Gold

    1oz light rum
    1/2oz dark rum
    3/4oz passionfruit syrup
    1/2oz honey syrup
    1/2oz lime juice
    2 dashes Angostura bitters

    Blend with crushed ice.

    There’s a couple versions of this Don the Beachcomber’s classic. Most are fairly consistent and just play with the proportions of the syrups and juice,so feel free to experiment to dial it in just the way you like. A nice summer drink.

    As Jimmy Buffett would say,there’s booze in the blender and soon it will render,that frozen concoction that helps me hang on. Aloha folks!

    BTW,my weapon of choice is a Blendjet. Perfect for bachelors.

  • Dun-dun,dun-dun,DUN-DUN!!

    It’s that glorious time of year again folks; SHARKFEST! When National Geographic basically lets sharks take over its programming for an entire month. And in celebration,here are some shark inspired drinks.

    Mix #31 Shark Bite

    3/4oz spiced rum
    3/4oz white rum
    1.5oz sweet & sour mix
    1/2oz blue curacao
    tsp grenadine

    Shake everything except grenadine and pour into glass. Drip grenadine over top.

    This can be found on different places on the web. In every case,their pictures look way better than mine:

    If I really wanted this to look cool,I would’ve blended it and used fassionola. But the important thing is the taste,and it’s not that good. Even after the grenadine mixes in,it’s too sour. If I had blended and used like half an ounce of fassionola it would have not only looked better,but probably tasted better. But I just don’t see me making another one.

    Mix #32 Shark’s Tooth

    1.5oz gold rum
    1/2oz pineapple juice
    1/2oz lime juice
    1/2oz Demerara syrup
    1/4oz grenadine

    Shake everything with ice.

    So I’ve no idea what this drink has to do with sharks,but it is tasty. Don the Beachcomber made the original with more rum and cherry syrup instead of grenadine,but I’m pretty happy with this one.

    Mix #33 Megalodon

    1oz Lemon Hart 151
    1oz white rum
    1.25oz lime juice
    1oz agave syrup
    1tsp red fassionola

    Blend with a cup of ice for 5sec.

    The Meg was a huge,scary,prehistoric shark. This drink is every bit as cool looking,powerful,and sneaky as its namesake. With a full ounce of 151 it’s got punch,but the smoothness of the Demerara Lemon Hart combined with the sweetness of the agave and fassionola mean you won’t feel it until it’s too late. I found this recipe on Drunken Tiki,but apparently their site is down. They are still up on Facebook if you want to check them out. This is a really good drink,and you definitely want to limit yourself to two so as to be able to stay in the lifeboat and stave off a next-day hangover.

    And I’ll end this post with my favorite pop-culture mug. The swizzle totally completes it.

    Have fun in the water this summer folks!

  • Warning: don’t try these at home.

    So in my first post,I gave the recipe for the proper Mai Tai. I also stated that there were many versions that weren’t any good. “A tragic waste of rum” I said. Well,I ran into one of these lately,and thought it would be a good idea to explain WHY these attempts at a Mai Tai were bad,instead of simply trashing them. So here are two very wrong Mai Tais and why they’re wrong. The more you know….

    This is the Mai Tai recipe from the site of Dumas rum. I was recently given a bottle of this as a tip at work. It’s decent rum,although I think the 12yr Appleton is smoother. It worked ok in a Mai Tai,but I’m sticking with my English Harbor. Anyway,I was curious about it since it was a local rum,and looked up their site. And I’m sorry but that it not the way to make a Mai Tai. First off,three shots of rum are really going to put some kick into it. The Mai Tai is a relaxing cocktail,not a high octane drink like a Zombie. Then there’s the extra sweet and bitter with no sour. A little simple syrup goes a long way,so a half ounce is kinda a lot. Then they use three quarters of an ounce of triple sec instead of curacao which will add some bitter. Then there’s the additional sweet of the orgeat,but no lime juice to balance with sour. This is not going to be an easy sipping drink you’re going to want on the regular. It will,however,be an excellent recipe for a hangover. So I’m going to skip mixing this one.

    Here we have a glass available on Etsy.

    Isn’t that handy that the glass has measuring lines to make it easy to mix a cocktail? Too bad you won’t want to drink it. There’s basically no sweet in it at all. It’s going to be super tart and you’re just going to have to choose between forcing it down or waste the rum down the sink.

    Seriously folks,trust me on this. You want to stick to the original recipe. There’s good reason why the Trader stuck with it. Cheers!

  • Good review.

    Left my friend a Mai Tai at work. He left me a thank you note.

  • Honey,does this taste funny?

    Oops,missed a Circus Peanut recipe in my previous post:

    Mix #31 Honey Glazed Nut Punch

    2oz Demerara rum
    3/4oz lime juice
    3/4oz grapefruit juice
    3/4oz Circus Peanut syrup
    3/4oz honey syrup
    1/2oz cinnamon syrup

    Shake with plenty of ice.

    Very sweet. Next time,I think I’ll dial back all the syrups to a half ounce and up the juices to a full ounce. I’m trying Monin honey syrup and Torani cinnamon and they’re quite good.

    (update: yes,upping the juices to one ounce and dropping the syrups to a half ounce worked very well)

    See you down the road!