Giltron's Mixings

the mixing of exotic cocktails

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  • “Hermes Melon Liqueur”

    “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

    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!

    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

    Words of Wisdom

    From Feb in my Islands in the Sun calendar:

  • Feeling Groggy

    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.

  • Send in the Clowns!

    Send in the Clowns!

    BG Reynolds makes wonderful syrups that make delicious cocktails. While perusing their site,I found this:

    I was immediately intrigued. Especially after looking through their recipes section and finding this:

    I mean,who wouldn’t want to try a drink with that name? And thus,my love of ‘clown syrup’ began. Here’s the drinks from BGR’s website that I’ve enjoyed. I think you will too.

    Mix #6 Fear of a Clown Planet

    2oz dark rum
    1oz orange juice
    1oz pineapple juice
    1/2oz lime juice
    3/4oz Circus Peanut syrup

    An excellent mix of sweet and sour in the same way as a properly made Mai Tai. If your friends think they’re too cool to try a drink made with circus peanut flavoring,have them give this a try. They’ll honk their approval.

    Mix #7 Clown Barf

    2oz gold rum
    3/4oz grapefruit juice
    3/4oz lemon juice
    1/2oz fassionola
    1/2oz Circus Peanut syrup
    2 dashes Angostura bitters
    6 drops absinthe

    A sweet drink,snobs will call it “touristy”,but I would serve it at a barbeque. Also goes well with pizza.

    Mix #8 Blair’s Mistake

    1oz light rum
    1oz gin
    1oz lime juice
    3/4oz honey mix
    3/4oz Circus Peanut syrup
    1/2oz pineapple juice
    dash Angostura bitters
    soda water to fill
    1oz overproof rum float*

    (*I recommend Lemon Hart 151 as it floats well. And is delicious. Oh,and kinda strong.)

    The mistake Blair made was to have more than one of these. They’re really good,but the sweet syrups with three ounces(one overproof) of liquor are a recipe for a serious hangover if you’re not careful.

    Mix #9 Djumbo Grog

    1oz overproof rum
    1oz dark rum
    1oz light rum
    1.5oz grapefruit juice
    1oz Circus Peanut syrup
    3/4oz lime juice
    1/2oz cinnamon syrup
    1/2oz falernum
    2 dashes Angostura bitters

    Rumor has it that this drink was invented by PT Barnum. After hearing about Don the Beachcomber’s Zombie,had said to one of his clowns,“hold my cotton candy”,and proceeded to come up with this potent concoction. It’s got all the kick of a proper Zombie,but goes down easier. An appropriate drink for watching the upcoming political debates.

    So break out your silly nose and enjoy!

  • The Other Mai Tais

    The Other Mai Tais

    While there is only one true recipe for the original Mai Tai,that’s not to say there can’t be variations. The Trader himself had his own alternative Mai Tais. The Honi Honi was his bourbon Mai Tai,which just subbed bourbon for rum. I used Makers Mark to make these for a friend at our Xmas party who didn’t like rum. He loved it.

    Mix #2 the Honi Honi

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

    Trader Vic’s also has alternate Mai Tais at their locations which use juices such as passion fruit,mango,and guava. Here’s their Guava Tai from one of the e-mails they’ve sent me:

    Mix #3 TV’s Guava Tai

    1oz gold rum
    1oz light rum
    3/4oz Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Concentrate(not mix)
    1oz guava juice
    1/2oz lime juice.

    I’ve even created my own two variations. The first was a happy accident. I decided to make a high octane Mai Tai by using Hamilton’s Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Blend,a nice ‘little 118 proof’ rum. Zombies usually take 4oz of rum,so I used 2oz in my Mai Tai. After feeling the effects of this,I decided to actually read the label on the bottle,and found out that only 2oz was intended to be used to make their version of the Zombie. Oops. Oh well,I can work with this. I swapped the orange curacao for blue,and it gave the drink a cool ‘zombie’ coloring. Since this upgunned Mai Tai can sink you,I named it the Davy Jones Mai Tai.

    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

    The second was intended to make a funky Mai Tai. I love Demerara rum,and used this as the base with other ingredients intended to bring the funk. I submitted this to BG Reynolds’ website and was told they would post it. In the meantime,here it is for your enjoyment.

    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

    Enjoy!

  • Mix #1

    Mix #1 the Mai Tai ‘44

    In 1944,Trader Vic invented the Mai Tai to showcase a 17-year-old rum imported by J. Wray & Nephew. Upon tasting the wonderful elixir,one of his friends from Tahiti said,“maita’i roa ae!”,which loosely translates to “out of this world,the best!”,and the Mai Tai was born. The Mai Tai is,in my not-so-humble opinion,the greatest of all tiki drinks. A proper Mai Tai should balance the sweet and sour so that you don’t taste any one specific ingredient. There have been many versions of the Mai Tai over the years,some delicious,some a tragic waste of rum. The correct recipe,as shown in my Trader Vic’s glass above,is as follows:

    Mai Tai ’44

    2oz dark rum*
    1oz lime juice
    ½ oz orange curacao
    ½ oz orgeat
    ¼ oz simple syrup

    Shake all ingredients with ice and serve unstrained in a double rocks glass.

    *Some recipes use one ounce each of dark and gold rum.

    My current preferred recipe is:

    2oz English Harbor
    1oz cold pressed lime juice
    ½ oz Pierre Ferrand dry curacao
    ½ oz Small Hand Foods orgeat
    ¼ oz Stirrings simple syrup

    Previously I’ve enjoyed using Appleton Estate’s Signature,8,and 12yr and Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva. I prefer ‘funkier’ rums in my Mai Tais.

    Mai Tais should never contain orange juice,or be blended. Triple sec is not a proper substitute for curacao. There are many recipes that play with the proportions of the ingredients,but trust me,the original recipe works the best. If you want to add some zip to your Mai Tai,you can do a float of 151 Demerara rum on top. At the original Trader Vic’s in San Fran this was called the “Old Way” because an older man who was a regular liked his like this.

  • Aloha!

    Aloha!

    Aloha everyone! I am Giltron,Grand Poobah of the DC chapter of the Order of the Golden Fez. I’m retired military,currently a bicycle mechanic(specializing in Bromptons) living in Washington DC. I’ve always been into exotica and surf rock,but the fun that was 2020 got me seriously into all things tiki. Now I’m running out of places to display my mugs,and I hang out every Thursday at the House of Foong Lin in Bethesda,MD wearing ugly shirts and a silly hat.

    My friends are doing centuries of tiki bars,but lacking the funds and time,I’ve decided to do a century+ of tiki drink mixings. I’m currently at 97 recipes and have even been published in Exotica Moderne #17. I’ve finally gotten around to creating a blog to document my mixing and act as a resource for folks to find delicious recipes. So put on some Tikiyaki Orchestra, don your fez,and have a Mai Tai. Aloha!