Giltron's Mixings

the mixing of exotic cocktails

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  • Here’s looking at you,kid.

    When you think of bourbon,you probably think of this guy:

    But bourbon can also be used in Tiki drinks. Trader Vic created the classic Port Light cocktail with bourbon:

    Mix #29 Port Light

    1oz bourbon
    1oz lemon juice*
    1/2oz passionfruit syrup
    1/2oz grenadine

    Blend with crushed ice for 5 seconds.

    *Lime juice can also be used. This is also sometimes shaken instead of blended.

    The Trader also made a bourbon version of the Mai Tai:

    Mix #2 the Honi Honi

    2oz bourbon
    1oz lime juice
    1/2oz orange curacao
    1/2oz orgeat
    1/4oz simple syrup

    Kevin Crossman had his bourbon Tiki recipe published in issue 13 of Exotica Moderne:

    Mix #30 Turkey Grog

    1.5oz Wild Turkey 101 bourbon
    3/4oz Smith & Cross rum
    3/4oz lime juice
    1/2oz falernum
    1/2oz Don’s spices #2*
    1/2oz honey syrup
    1/2oz grapefruit juice
    2 dashes Angostura bitters

    *1:1 vanilla syrup and pimento dram

    I tried all these and they’re ok,but I’m just not a bourbon man.

    on second thought…….

  • Not just rum.

    While most Tiki drinks use rum,other spirits are occasionally used as well. The Saturn(invented in 1967 by Filipino bartender Joseph “Po Po” Galsini for the IBA World Cocktail competition) is the classic gin Tiki drink:

    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.

    The original was blended,but many places shake the drink as well. I prefer it blended. If you want to introduce a gin drinker to Tiki,this is it.

    Last October,the Search For Tiki ran a series of Halloween recipe postings. Most used Plantation rums(which I find excellent),but this one used Citadelle gin:

    Mix #28 Gunslinger’s Grave

    2oz gin
    1oz orange juice
    3/4oz lemon juice
    1/2oz grenadine
    1/4oz passionfruit syrup
    1/4oz allspice dram
    2 dashes Angostura bitters
    2oz soda water

    Shake everything except soda. Pour soda into glass and add mix and more ice.

    I started out using Tanqueray gin,but this drink turned me on to Citadelle,which is now my gin of choice. It’s smoother with a nicer bouquet,and the art deco bottle looks cool in your bar. Oh,and this mix is good enough for me to add it into my regular rotation roster.

    Gin,you win!

  • Random Stuff

    Just some handy info.

    ounce 1oz = 30ml

    teaspoon = 1tsp = 1/6oz = 5ml = barspoon

    tablespoon = 1Tbsp = 1/2oz = 15ml

    Mai Tai glass* = double rocks glass = 10-16oz

    *Trader Vic’s Mai Tai glasses are 12oz.

    1 shot = 1oz in drink recipes and in the bars of most of the world

    1 shot = 1.5oz in the USA and Russia(about the only thing we agree on)

    1 part = 1oz in most drink recipes

    1 drop = a drop from an eyedropper(trust me,just buy a dropper instead of trying to drip from the bottle)

    dash = 1/8tsp or 1ml or about 10 drops

    Don’s Mix = 2:1 white grapefruit juice to cinnamon syrup

    Don’s Spices #2 = 1:1 vanilla syrup and pimento dram

    Don’s Spices #4 = cinnamon syrup

    Don’s Zombie Mix = Equal parts grenadine/falernum/absinthe/dry curacao

    POG = equal parts passionfruit/orange/guava juice

    Sweet and Sour Mix = 2 parts simple syrup,1 part lemon juice,1 part lime juice

    Amaro(Amaro di Angostura) = 1:1 Angostura bitters and rich simple syrup

    Here’s a chart of old timey measurements:

    And here’s a handy glassware chart:

  • Rules to live by.

    The tenants of the Order of the Golden Fez.

    Rules to live by when visiting a Tiki bar.

  • You’ll need to bring along a 10th level cleric to read this post.

    The Zombie is a legendary Tiki drink created by Don the Beachcomber. It’s famous for both its potency and for the mystery of ingredients needed to make it. You see,Donn didn’t want folks getting their hands on his recipes,so he did everything in code. 2oz of rum bottle A,1oz of mix #2,etc. So the original recipe was lost in time. Then along comes Jeff “Beachbum” Berry,who decides to get all serious with Tiki drink research,and he presented the following recipe created from painstaking research:

    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 it all together and pour into tall glass. Add a float of 151 Demerara rum and garnish with a green cherry,a pineapple stick,and a red cherry on a toothpick,then sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over it.

    This was published in Sven Kirsten’s book,The Book of Tiki,in a chapter Jeff wrote entitled “Mixologists and Concoctions”. As an aside,it was also printed in the booklet of the Ultra-Lounge CD Vol 1 Mondo Exotica:

    which also includes a bad recipe for a Blue Hawaii(you’ve been warned). This was considered to be the Zombie recipe,until 2005 when Jeff received some new info. After a bunch more research,he came up with this updated version:

    Mix #22 Remixed Zombie

    1.5oz gold rum
    1.5oz dark rum
    1oz 151 Demerara rum
    3/4oz lime juice
    1/2oz Don’s mix *
    1/2oz falernum
    1tsp grenadine
    6 drops absinthe
    dash Angostura bitters
    6oz crushed ice

    Blend at high speed for 5 seconds. Pour into tall glass and add ice to fill.

    *Don’s Mix is 2 parts white grapefruit juice to 1 part cinnamon syrup. I’ve used regular grapefruit juice and BG Reynolds syrup with good results.

    As you can see they’re pretty different recipes. From what I’ve read,the Remixed is probably the correct one,but I prefer the BoT version because it’s sweeter. Either way,the Donn wouldn’t serve anyone more than two Zombies,and given the octane rating of these,I wouldn’t either. Pick the one you like best,or give them both a try. Just make sure you’re sitting down at home when you do it.

    Ok class,now that we’ve covered the original Zombies,let’s take a look at some modern versions. The aforementioned Beachbum has gotten together with Hamilton Rum to create a special zombie blend(which I’ve used to make a seriously twisted Mai Tai) and a recipe that showcases it:

    Mix #23 Hamilton-Beachbum Zombie

    2oz Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Rum Blend
    3/4oz lime juice
    1/2oz white grapefruit juice
    1/2oz cinnamon syrup
    1/2oz falernum
    1tsp grenadine
    8 drops absinthe
    dash Angostura bitters
    6oz crushed ice

    Blend for 5 seconds at high speed.

    This is slightly less powerful than the originals,but don’t let that ‘only’ two ounces of rum fool you,this does pack a punch.

    Ken Holewczynski(no I don’t know how to pronounce that) is the very cool dude who is behind the House of Tabu,creator of the Order of the Golden Fez,and publisher of the excellent Tiki magazine Exotica Moderne(so you should probably buy him a Mai Tai if you ever meet him). He came up with his own Zombie riff,from issue #17,the same one I was published in:

    Mix #24 Zombo

    2oz Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Rum Blend
    1oz orange juice
    1/2oz lime juice
    1/2oz falernum
    ½ Demerara syrup
    1 bottle Underberg

    Shake everything except the Underberg with ice and pour into a tall glass. Top with more ice and insert bottle of Underberg into the glass upside down.

    First,never drink Underberg straight,always mix it with something,trust me. This is an interesting drink,the falernum and Underberg really come forward. Very spice-y and bitter-y. I actually pulled the bottle out after a couple pulls because I found it a bit intense. I liked it,but it won’t appeal to the daiquiri/pina colada crowd.

    BG Reynolds,maker of fine syrups,has also created a couple versions. Here are two from their site:

    Mix #25 Atomic Zombie

    2oz white rum
    1oz Plantation OFTD rum
    1oz lime juice
    1oz lemon juice
    1oz pineapple juice
    1oz fassionola
    1/2oz cinnamon syrup
    dash Angostura bitters

    Blend with 1.5 cups of ice.

    A slightly sweeter Zombie with a good bit of kick.

    Mix #26 Fassionola Zombie

    1/2oz Demerara 151
    1/2oz Demerara rum
    1/2oz dark rum
    1/2oz white rum
    1oz fassionola
    1/2oz lime juice
    1/4oz Demerara syrup

    Blend with 1.5 cups of ice.

    Be careful with this one. It’s only got two ounces of rum,but a half ounce is 151. Combined with all that fassionola and you can have a recipe for a good hangover.

    So put down your barb-wire-wrapped baseball bat,lash a walker to a treadmill to power your blender,and forget all your troubles with what Donn called “a mender of broken dreams”. Just remember the rules and stop at two,or you might be a zombie in the morning.

  • “Hermes Melon Liqueur”

    If you’ve never heard of this,it’s probably because they changed its name to Midori in 1978. Midori is an interesting honeydew liqueur;it’s bright green colour and unique textured bottle make it look like something a Romulan or elf would drink. It’s a rare ingredient in Tiki cocktails,but can make a very nice drink.

    Mix #16 Fink Bomb

    1oz Cruzan coconut rum*
    1oz Midori
    3oz pineapple juice
    1/2oz Stroh 160-proof rum*

    Fill a double old fashioned glass with ice,then pour in the following order: coconut rum,Midori,pineapple,and then float the Stroh’s on top.

    *I used Shipwreck coconut and Lemon Hart 151.

    A friend sent me this recipe after buying the book Liquid Vacation from Frankie’s Tiki Room. He used Parrot Bay and Kōloa Kauaʻi Dark Rum. It looked cool,so I tried it. I first used Thrashers(pictured),but later switch to Shipwreck,and used Lemon Hart 151 for the float. Stroh’s is a spiced rum while LH is Demerara,so I think my version is probably smoother. While Frankie’s wants you to use a straw and go up from the bottom,I prefer drinking it from the lip to get to the 151 first. Overall it’s a very nice mixture of rum and sweet and it’s made its way into my regular rotation of mixings.

    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.

    After trying the Fink Bomb,I became interested in Midori and did some searching on the ‘net for recipes where I found this on Midori’s site. A very smooth sweet drink that works well as a cooler.

    Mix #18 Midori Illusion

    1/2oz vodka
    2oz Midori
    1/2oz triple sec*
    1oz pineapple juice
    1oz lemon juice

    *I used Pierre Ferrand dry curacao.

    Meh,maybe triple sec would have worked better,but this just didn’t do it for me. It just didn’t taste like a properly balanced drink. Doubt I’d try it again with triple sec.

    Mix #19 Japanese Slipper

    1oz Midori
    1oz Cointreau*
    1oz lemon juice

    *I used Solerno blood orange.

    Again,maybe I should’ve followed the original recipe and used Cointreau,but this just didn’t do it for me. Way too orange forward and bitter. Of course I did get the recipe off Wikipedia,so maybe they’re to blame. In any case,with only two ounces of low octane liqueur,it’s not a bad drink for lightweights.

    Update: I remade this with the proper Cointreau,and it did taste much better. Still orange forward without much melon,but I liked it.

    Mix #20 Scooby Snack

    3/4oz coconut rum
    3/4oz Midori
    3/4oz creme de bananes
    3/4oz pineapple juice
    2oz whipped cream

    Shake everything except whipped cream and pour into glass. Top with whipped cream and pineapple wedge for garnish.

    Found this after reading the Wikipedia page for Midori. Most sites say it’s named for the famous cartoon,but History of Shots says it was named for a Japanese doctor of holistic medicine named Nishiwaki Scooby. Since it uses Midori(originally produced in Japan) I’m going with their version. It’s a very interesting drink in that it starts out banana-y,then the melon kicks in,and it leaves you with a coconut finish. Quite nice actually,and you can use it as a Halloween drink.

    Until next time,Sayōnara!

  • My Mixes

    As I said in my intro post,I’ve had a recipe published in Exotica Moderne:

    Mix #13 Corsair Punch

    2oz Appleton Estate 8yr Reserve*
    2oz orange juice
    2oz pineapple juice
    3/4oz lime juice
    3/4oz grenadine
    1/2oz orgeat

    *Or your favorite Mai Tai rum.

    It’s a sweeter drink with plenty of vitamin C that goes well with pizza.

    I’ve also come up with a few others,and have some experiments in the works. Here’s the ones that I’ve gotten to work so far.

    Mix #4 Davy Jones Mai Tai

    2oz Hamilton Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Blend
    1oz lime juice
    1/2oz blue curacao
    1/2oz orgeat
    1/4oz simple syrup

    Mix #5 Funk #44

    2oz Lemon Hart & Sons 1804
    1oz lime juice
    1/2oz Solerno blood orange
    1/2oz orgeat
    1/4oz BG Reynolds Demerara syrup

    Previously posted under “The Other Mai Tais” below. The Davy Jones is an upgunned Mai Tai with creepy coloring,perfect for a Halloween party. The Funk #44 is a sweeter,funked up Mai Tai.

    Mix #14 Pirate’s Parley

    1oz Demerara rum
    3oz pineapple juice
    3/4oz lime juice
    1/2oz apricot brandy
    1/2oz orange curacao

    Ok,this is a cheat. Tiki Bar TV had a drink called “Diplomatic Immunity” that used an ounce of Scotch. I’m not a Scotch drinker,so I subbed in Demerara rum,and it turned out good. Since I was pirating the drink,I ‘pirated’ the name(I give my drinks pirate themed names ‘cuz I’m silly like that).

    Mix #15 Black Beard’s Ghost

    2oz light rum
    2oz orange juice
    1oz lemon juice
    1oz blackberry brandy
    1/2oz orgeat

    This has a berry-lemonade taste. Lemon juice messes with my tummy,so the orange juice and orgeat keep it citrus-y while taking the edge off the lemon.

    Hope you like these!

  • Mugs!

    Brian wants to see some of my mugs. Since he was nice enough to ordain me Grand Poobah,I figure posting a few pics is the right thing to do. Enjoy buddy!

    My Order of the Golden Fez shrine. There used to be a couple bottles of rum in there,but the Baboon kept taking nips when I wasn’t looking.

    The top of my entertainment center.

    My bookcase.

    The top of my shelving unit.

    A cool old barrel mug from the ‘40’s.

    Glow-in-the-dark mugs. I picked them up cheap on Etsy. They have no markings,so I don’t know who made them. If anybody knows about these,please drop me a line.

    My user mugs. These are the doubles that I actually drink out of.

    That’s enough for now. I have recipes that came with some of my mugs,I’ll post pics of those when I post the drinks. Aloha!

  • Words of Wisdom

    From Feb in my Islands in the Sun calendar:

  • Feeling Groggy

    On the menu of most Tiki bars is a drink with ‘Grog’ in the name. This is due to this gentleman:

    His name is Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon,and in the pantheon of Tiki gods,he’s right up there with the legendary Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic. Why do you ask? Because on the 21st of August,1740,the good Admiral issued Order to Captains No. 349 for sailors of the British Navy to be issued a daily ration of rum,watered down,and livened up with lime or lemon and sugar cane for “good husbandmen”(the lime later became standard issue to prevent scurvy,and is why the British are called ‘limeys’). This became known as “grog”,and was basically the very first Tiki cocktail.

    Back in the day,life aboard ship was,how should I put this,crappy. One of the many issues faced on long voyages was a lack of potable water. Water was stored in wooden casks and would go bad in short order. Beer was carried aboard ship because it would last longer. But when British ships began operating in the Caribbean,they switched to rum because it was easy to find and cheap to purchase,and it would last longer. Originally it was issued straight,but as this caused ‘disciplinary problems’,it was later watered down. The name grog came from Adm Vernon’s nickname “Old Grog”,which came from his habit of wearing a grogham cloth coat or cloak in bad weather. The grog was issued twice a day,just before noon and again at the end of the workday. The rum used was generally around 114 proof,and this was confirmed by the Purser(or Pusser) who would mix an amount of rum with gunpowder and light it;if it burned,then it was of the proper strength to be issued. It is from this test that we get ‘navy strength’ rum. Fortunately,in modern times we have ice to mix with our drinks,so we can actually enjoy our grogs. So give these cocktails a try,and be sure to use the toast,“splice the mainbrace!”.

    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.

    This is basically a historically correct grog recipe,save that it is shaken with ice. It skews a bit sour depending on the syrup used,and actually utilizes navy rum.

    Mix #11 Navy Grog

    1oz light rum
    1oz dark rum
    1oz Demerara rum
    1oz honey syrup
    ¾ oz lime juice
    3/4oz grapefruit juice
    2oz club soda

    Shake everything except soda with ice. Pour into double rocks glass and top with soda.

    This is the traditional Tiki drink. The ‘legit’ method uses a cone made of ice with the straw going through it,but really regular ice works just fine(and doesn’t require any extra effort). Note that with three ounces of rum,plus the honey,you will probably feel pretty groggy the next day after a couple of these.

    Mix #12 Sailor’s Grog

    1.5oz spiced rum
    1/2oz 151 Demerara rum
    3/4oz lime juice
    3/4oz orange juice
    1/2oz falernum
    1 dash Angostura bitters
    1.5oz ginger beer

    Shake everything except beer with ice and pour into double rocks glass. Top with beer.

    BG Reynold’s riff on grog is a spicy cocktail for folks who like a little zip to their drink. It terms of power,it splits the difference between the other two grog recipes.

    FYI,the rum ration was ended by the Royal Navy on 31 July,1970(called Black Tot Day) due to concerns that consuming high proof spirits was not compatible with the complicated machinery and electronic systems on modern vessels. So now the poor squids have to drink beer. Yet one more reason why I was Air Force instead of Navy.