Giltron's Mixings

the mixing of exotic cocktails

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  • There IS a cure for the summertime blues.

    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!!

    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.

    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

    Good review.

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

  • Honey,does this taste funny?

    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!

  • Here’s looking at you,kid.

    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.

    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

    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.

    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.

    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.