Pimento Liqueur - Tiki Drinks and Food

B bewarethe151 Member Los Angeles, CA Joined: Feb 26, 2008 Posts: 93	B bewarethe151 Posted posted on Wed, Apr 23, 2008 9:22 AM Koolau, please don't feel this is a battle of wits or otherwise, just some fun, freindly, discussion. You really stated my point. We don't know what was used. I have 2 different commercial offerings of Pimento Liqueur from the 1940's. These were available to Donn and Trader and might have been used in their drinks. But, I place emphasis on "might have been used". First, they are 60 proof and came to me with seals intact, but about 1/3 evaporation. Each is from a now defunct rum company. I've tasted them and each is very different than the other. Both have a lot of different spices, in addition to allspice, cinnamon, for sure. One has a peppery, almost cayenne zip to it and it is really sweet, heavily sugared. Both, seem to lean on nutmeg. Sure, I know their flavors probably changed since the 40's, oxidation, cork-tainting, etc., but the difference in the two is remarkable. When Jeff went down to Louisiana to create the "real" Zombie Punch, they had the benefit of exact recipes and vintage spirits. Today, if someone wants to recreate an exact cocktail with Pimento Liqueur in the recipe, they can use my bottles, but they will need to make 2, since these 2 taste nothing like each other. It's the same with the Berry Hill and the St. Elizabeth. Which is real? I don't know. But, they both make a great drink, with 2 different results. My point is that addition of allspice to the drink is the key component required by the Founding Fathers. Its tongue-numbing character, its hot spicy zest, and its unexpected-ness in a cocktail are what make it what it is. So many of my friends are jolted when they have their first drink with Allspice Dram. They all say the same thing, "What is that taste I'm getting...?". I agree with you that Camano's has the sugar and the lime which will alter a non-lime drink. Most of the Pimento dram cocktails are non- Tiki and use orange juice. But, take a look at Jeff Berry's recipe for Donn's "Montego Bay" from "Intoxica", it is a lime drink and the Pimento Dram is optional! From "Grog Log" the "Andient Mariner" has lime and simple syrup, too. There are countless threads in this forum about making these drinks better by adjustment. My question is have you thrown together a batch of the Camano (Sky Juice) recipe and have you tasted that it fits the bill as a pretty good Allspice ingredient. BTW, I see that you are from Hawaii and will see the parallels with Okolehao. When I lived there, the homemade versions were all different, but ti was the tie that binds. The last offering by a California based distiler wasn't even close. Even 60's and 70's commercial versions we not what Donn and Trader had behind their bars. If this new one (rumored for a decade, now) ever gets off the ground and into our Tiki mugs, will it be the real thing?

Koolau, please don't feel this is a battle of wits or otherwise, just some fun, freindly, discussion. You really stated my point. We don't know what was used. I have 2 different commercial offerings of Pimento Liqueur from the 1940's. These were available to Donn and Trader and might have been used in their drinks. But, I place emphasis on "might have been used". First, they are 60 proof and came to me with seals intact, but about 1/3 evaporation. Each is from a now defunct rum company. I've tasted them and each is very different than the other. Both have a lot of different spices, in addition to allspice, cinnamon, for sure. One has a peppery, almost cayenne zip to it and it is really sweet, heavily sugared. Both, seem to lean on nutmeg. Sure, I know their flavors probably changed since the 40's, oxidation, cork-tainting, etc., but the difference in the two is remarkable. When Jeff went down to Louisiana to create the "real" Zombie Punch, they had the benefit of exact recipes and vintage spirits. Today, if someone wants to recreate an exact cocktail with Pimento Liqueur in the recipe, they can use my bottles, but they will need to make 2, since these 2 taste nothing like each other. It's the same with the Berry Hill and the St. Elizabeth. Which is real? I don't know. But, they both make a great drink, with 2 different results. My point is that addition of allspice to the drink is the key component required by the Founding Fathers. Its tongue-numbing character, its hot spicy zest, and its unexpected-ness in a cocktail are what make it what it is. So many of my friends are jolted when they have their first drink with Allspice Dram. They all say the same thing, "What is that taste I'm getting...?". I agree with you that Camano's has the sugar and the lime which will alter a non-lime drink. Most of the Pimento dram cocktails are non- Tiki and use orange juice. But, take a look at Jeff Berry's recipe for Donn's "Montego Bay" from "Intoxica", it is a lime drink and the Pimento Dram is optional! From "Grog Log" the "Andient Mariner" has lime and simple syrup, too. There are countless threads in this forum about making these drinks better by adjustment. My question is have you thrown together a batch of the Camano (Sky Juice) recipe and have you tasted that it fits the bill as a pretty good Allspice ingredient. BTW, I see that you are from Hawaii and will see the parallels with Okolehao. When I lived there, the homemade versions were all different, but ti was the tie that binds. The last offering by a California based distiler wasn't even close. Even 60's and 70's commercial versions we not what Donn and Trader had behind their bars. If this new one (rumored for a decade, now) ever gets off the ground and into our Tiki mugs, will it be the real thing?

Post #375607 by bewarethe151 on Wed, Apr 23, 2008 9:22 AM