Giltron's Mixings
the mixing of exotic cocktails
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It’s that time of year again folks. Yes,it’s also Labor Day weekend,but this is much more important. August 30th is Mai Tai Day! The day we celebrate the creation of Tiki’s greatest concoction.
For the correct 1944 Mai Tai,see below. Follow the proper recipe and use good rum and you will taste ambrosia. This year I’m going to celebrate with a tasty Mai Tai riff from a famous Tiki bar. I think you’ll like it.
Mix #322 Three Dots and a Dash Mai Tai
2oz cachaça
1/2oz Yellow Chartreuse
1oz lime juice
1/2oz orgeat
1/4oz Demerara syrupShake with ice and pour into Mai Tai glass.
While Three Dots and a Dash has a 1944 on their menu(with an overproof float),they also have this interesting riff featuring cachaça instead of dark rum and Yellow Chartreuse in place of curacao. The result is a funky,herbal Mai Tai. Quite a nice twist on the classic,I can recommend it for anyone looking to try something different. And since I picked up a bottle of Leblon cachaça for this,I think I’ll even add this mix to my roster.
So have fun this weekend and make yourself some tasty cocktails. And let’s watch the Muppets get down again,cuz I can’t get enough Electric Mayhem! Booyakasha!
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I’ve moved the posts from my tumblr blog here so you can see them without having to create a login. I hope you enjoy them! And so you don’t have to scroll all the way to the beginning,here’s my first mixing,the original 1944 Trader Vic’s Mai Tai. Enjoy!
Mix #1 Mai Tai ’44
2oz dark rum*
1oz lime juice
1/2 oz orange curacao
1/2 oz orgeat
1/4 oz simple syrupShake all ingredients with ice and serve unstrained in a double rocks glass.
*Some recipes use one ounce each of dark and gold rum.
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You’re gonna need a bigger mug…
Happy birthday to Bruce the Shark,who turns 50 today! It was on this date in 1975 that Jaws premiered in theaters and would go on to become an instant classic and the first film to make $100M. And in his honor,your Uncle Giltron has created a rum barrel riff that I think you’ll love. Enjoy!
Mix #306 Bruce’s Rum Barrel
1oz Plantation OFTD
1oz Smith & Cross
1oz Plantation 3 star
1oz grapefruit juice
1oz pineapple juice
1oz orange juice
3/4oz lime juice
1/2oz agave syrup
1/2oz cinnamon syrupShake with ice and pour into mug.
This is citrus-y with a touch of sweet and a bit of cinnamon burn on the end. And that over proof and Navy rum combo will hit you like a Great White hitting a seal. A couple of these and you will need someone to show you the way to go home.
So hau’oli lā hānau bruddah,five decades on and we’re still cheering for you. Here’s to another fifty of scaring the crap outta folks. Hipa Hipa i ke ola!
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More mug fun.
Mix number three hundred was from Kelly Merrell of Trader Sam’s. Well,I didn’t have the mug that drink came from,but I do have several other Tikiland Trading mugs,and they’ve also got drink card recipes from Kelly. So I decided to give a few more of his mixes a try. Enjoy!
Mix #302 Bilge & Stave
1oz Clement VSOP agricole rhum
1oz El Dorado 8yr Demerara rum*
3/4oz lime juice
3/4oz grapefruit juice
3/4oz passionfruit syrup
1/4oz simple syrup
3 drops orange flower water
soda waterShake everything except soda and pour into mug. Top with 1-2oz soda water(to taste).
*I used Lemon Hart
From my Sunken Rum Barrel drink card,this was tart and citrus-y with funk on the end. Not really my thing,but if you like tart give it a try.
Mix #303 Sea Gazing
1oz aged rum*
3/4oz 151 Demerara rum*
1oz pineapple juice
3/4oz Keel Mix**
1/2oz simple syrup
1tsp allspice dram
2 dashes Angostura bittersShake or blend with ice and pour into mug(I shook it).
*I used Appleton Estate 12yr and Lemon Hart.
**Keel Mix = 3 parts lime juice/1 part ginger syrup
From my Dive!Dive!Dive! drink card comes a flavorful drink with spice and a ginger burn on the end. The 151 gives it plenty of kick. This would also do well as a Christmas drink.
Mix #304 Road to Salamaua
2oz agricole rhum*
1tsp Green Chartreuse
1/4oz lemon juice
1/2oz cinnamon syrup
1/2oz honey syrup
1/4oz simple syrup
1/8tsp(10 drops) absinthe
2 dashes Angostura bittersShake or blend with ice and pour into mug(I shook it).
*I used Clement VSOP.
From my Lost Lagoon drink card,a very complex drink of honey,cinnamon(sweet,no burn),and herbal flavors and some funk on the end. Very nice.
Mix #305 On The Reef
1.5oz London dry gin*
1/2oz agricole rhum*
3/4oz lime juice
3/4oz pineapple juice
3/4oz orange juice
3/4oz passionfruit syrup
1/2oz orgeat
1/4oz honey syrup
1/8tsp absintheBlend with 10oz ice and pour into mug.
*I used Citadelle and Clement VSOP.
Two of my friends have the Lost’s Petrified Puffer mug this drink comes from. It’s very sweet,almost tourist-y,with funk on the end.
So if you’re looking for cool mugs,hop over to Tikiland Trading. They’ve also got other cool Tiki stuff as well. And tell ‘em Giltron sent you,maybe I’ll get a free mug or something.
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Easy breezy.
Lately I’ve been dabbling in water enhancers. For years I’ve been drinking Mio because it has no calories or sugar or anything,it just flavors my water. A friend is diabetic,so he has to be careful what he drinks,and as a result he’s pretty limited in what Tiki cocktails he can have. So when I saw some of the tropical flavorings out there,I decided to see what I could do with them.
A friend turned me on to Hamilton’s Breezeway Blend,a funky white rum that actually works as a good sub for gold rum in a multi-rum Mai Tai. Then I found Market Pantry’s(Target’s house brand) Coconut Lime and decided I could work with this. The result,the Breezin’ Daiquiri:
Mix #301 the Breezin’ Daiquiri
2oz Hamilton Breezeway Blend rum
4oz dihydrogen monoxide*
2 squirts Market Pantry Coconut LimeShake with ice and pour into double rocks glass.
*Any brand will work.
A nice light drink,the coconut flavor comes forward with some citrus on the end and the rum’s funk comes through. A nice daiquiri with a bit of funk. This would be great for BBQ’s since it’s really easy to make,and the only thing in the drink is the rum,no extra sugar,carbs,or calories,so this qualifies as a ‘skinny drink’. This would also be a great cocktail for camping since it requires a minimum of ingredients,and a flask of rum and a little bottle of enhancer doesn’t take up much room.
So give this a try. And check out the other tropical flavorings out there. With a little creativity,you can have some exotic skinny cocktails. Enjoy!
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Tricentennial.
Welcome to my tricentennial celebration,or to be more accurate,my tried-and-succeeded celebration. Three hundred mixings! When I started this blog,I set out to do a hundred mixings,and now I’ve tripled it. So without further ado,here’s number three-oh-oh.
My three-hundredth mix comes from the Lead Bartender at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland,Kelly Merrell. I picked it because what else could I use for #300 than the ‘Drink of Drinks’? And with his pedigree it had to be good. He created this drink for TikiLand Trading’s limited edition Mug of Mugs,a mug that features many other classic Tiki mugs on it:
(wish my pics were this cool)
I missed out on this one,but a friend let me take a pic of the drink card so I could at least try the drink. And here we are:
Mix #300 Drink of Drinks
1.5oz Plantation OFTD
1/2oz Green Chartreuse
1tsp Benedictine
1/2oz lime juice
1/2oz simple syrup
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
8oz crushed iceCombine all ingredients and shake* or blend for ten seconds. Pour into mug and top with more ice and grated nutmeg.
*I shook this.
Very herbal. And very strong. You have to like Chartreuse to like this(which I did),this is not for tourists. With two ounces of high-octane liquor this is an at-home Tiki bar drink. Sub in some Navy rum if you want to have a couple,or regular heavy-bodied funky rum if you want a complex drink but still want to be functional.
Well there you are folks,tree-hunnert on the roster. Don’t worry,there are plenty more mixings for me to post,I won’t run out any time soon. So keep tuning in to my blog for more great recipes,see you at #400!
Giltron's Mixings 