Key Limes - Tiki Drinks and Food

STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Tiki Socialite Carson, California Joined: Aug 20, 2002 Posts: 2807	STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Posted posted on Thu, Nov 11, 2004 10:35 PM On 2004-10-21 12:09, Hakalugi wrote: !!! Unga Bunga that is expensive! Yikes. The last time I bought limes (which was yesterday) they were five for a dollar. That was here in Redondo Beach at a Wholefoods supermarket. These aren't Key Limes, just the "regular" kind. Sabu says he gets an even better deal. He buys 'em by the pound from a small local market. I don't recall the price he quoted. Maybe Sabu can chime in. Well, tonight I went again to the local Mexican supermarket. We have many in this neighborhood of Carson. This one is called Payless Foods, and it is on Avalon Blvd, near Sepulveda. They had juicy, Mexican Limes - 5 lbs for a dollar, and Key Limes - 2 lbs for a dollar. (Thank God for the Mexican markets!) I bought both and spent the evening doing taste tests. I made the classic Trader Vic's Mai Tai from the Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide. I made two Mai Tais side by side. Both with equal amounts (3/4 oz) of lime juice. This came out to one (1) large Mexican Lime, and three (3) key limes. I left one half a lime husk in the Mexican Lime Mai Tai, and two half-lime husks in the Key Lime Mai Tai. Then I drank, cleansing my palate with chicken pot-pie between each drink. The Mexican Lime Mai Tai, which I am most familiar with, lets a lot of the flavor of the rums come through. Maybe even too much at times. It's a tricky balance. It's a mild lime. Usually I squeeze the whole lime into the Mai Tai. But since I measured 3/4 oz of juice this time, I didn't use all the juice in the lime. If I had, I would have liked it better. The Key Lime Mai Tai was definitely more bitter. More bitter than sour. but wow! what a fragrance. Unfortunately, you couldn't really taste the rums. For my wife, this is a good thing, but to me, the lime masked the rum a little too much. For the third drink, I dropped the number of Key Limes to two (2) or approx. 1/2 oz. That was better! For the fourth drink, I upped the quality of the rums, but kept the two Key Limes. I also upped the Orgeat to 1/2 oz instead of 1/4 oz. (I like it that way, personally). With 2 Key Limes, the rum shines through fantastically, yet the heady fragrance of the Key Limes is very apparant. This is a slightly more bitter drink, definitely. But given a choice, I would prefer it over the Mexican Lime Mai Tai. It's an even more complex drink, in my opinion. I really like the aroma of the Key Limes. The Mexican Limes were seedless, unlike the Key Limes. I didn't worry about straining out the seeds - just let them sink to the bottom of the glass and made a point not to drink them (not too hard). I would continue the taste test, but I am now blind-stinking drunk and barely able to type. Any sacrifice to increase the knowledge of TC, though, is worth it. (I have to work tomorrow, don't I.) Sabu. [ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2004-11-12 01:06 ]

On 2004-10-21 12:09, Hakalugi wrote:
!!!
Unga Bunga that is expensive! Yikes. The last time I bought limes (which was yesterday) they were five for a dollar. That was here in Redondo Beach at a Wholefoods supermarket. These aren't Key Limes, just the "regular" kind.

Sabu says he gets an even better deal. He buys 'em by the pound from a small local market. I don't recall the price he quoted.

Maybe Sabu can chime in.

Well, tonight I went again to the local Mexican supermarket. We have many in this neighborhood of Carson. This one is called Payless Foods, and it is on Avalon Blvd, near Sepulveda.

They had juicy, Mexican Limes - 5 lbs for a dollar, and Key Limes - 2 lbs for a dollar. (Thank God for the Mexican markets!) I bought both and spent the evening doing taste tests.

I made the classic Trader Vic's Mai Tai from the Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide. I made two Mai Tais side by side. Both with equal amounts (3/4 oz) of lime juice. This came out to one (1) large Mexican Lime, and three (3) key limes. I left one half a lime husk in the Mexican Lime Mai Tai, and two half-lime husks in the Key Lime Mai Tai. Then I drank, cleansing my palate with chicken pot-pie between each drink.

The Mexican Lime Mai Tai, which I am most familiar with, lets a lot of the flavor of the rums come through. Maybe even too much at times. It's a tricky balance. It's a mild lime. Usually I squeeze the whole lime into the Mai Tai. But since I measured 3/4 oz of juice this time, I didn't use all the juice in the lime. If I had, I would have liked it better.

The Key Lime Mai Tai was definitely more bitter. More bitter than sour. but wow! what a fragrance. Unfortunately, you couldn't really taste the rums. For my wife, this is a good thing, but to me, the lime masked the rum a little too much.

For the third drink, I dropped the number of Key Limes to two (2) or approx. 1/2 oz. That was better! For the fourth drink, I upped the quality of the rums, but kept the two Key Limes. I also upped the Orgeat to 1/2 oz instead of 1/4 oz. (I like it that way, personally). With 2 Key Limes, the rum shines through fantastically, yet the heady fragrance of the Key Limes is very apparant. This is a slightly more bitter drink, definitely. But given a choice, I would prefer it over the Mexican Lime Mai Tai. It's an even more complex drink, in my opinion. I really like the aroma of the Key Limes.

The Mexican Limes were seedless, unlike the Key Limes. I didn't worry about straining out the seeds - just let them sink to the bottom of the glass and made a point not to drink them (not too hard).

I would continue the taste test, but I am now blind-stinking drunk and barely able to type. Any sacrifice to increase the knowledge of TC, though, is worth it. (I have to work tomorrow, don't I.)

Sabu.

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2004-11-12 01:06 ]

Post #125132 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Thu, Nov 11, 2004 10:35 PM