Post #406663 by Hurricane Hayward on Mon, Sep 8, 2008 12:42 PM

OK, I suppose it's ready for public unveiling. Thanks to otikiniko and everyone else who helped me on my taste-testing sojourn (hey, somebody's gotta do it), I now crack open my little black book and present ..

Hurricane Hayward's Mai-Kai Top 40

(A few introductory notes: This is very much a work in progress and will most likely continue to evolve slightly. However, its basically pretty stable and, of course, based on my own personal tastes. I've tried all but one (banana daiquiri) on the official mild, medium and strong menus and am slowly working my way through the after-dinner drinks. I've yet to sample the Grandfather barrel - I have a feeling it will probably be near the top of this list some day. See the footnotes for a few other drinks not on the menu. And aside from perhaps the bottom three or four, they're all highly recommended and sure to please imbibers with different tastes. If you think I've made a grave mistake, please let me know and I'll gladly give the drink in question another shot.)

Without further adieu ...

1 - Zombie (strong)
2 - Shark Bite (medium)
3 - 151 Swizzle (strong)
4 - Special Planters Punch (strong)
5 - Barrel O' Rum (strong)
6 - Sidewinder's Fang (strong)
7 - Yeoman's Grog (strong)
8- Rum Julep (medium)
9 - Jet Pilot (strong)
10 - Hidden Pearl (medium)
11 - Pina Colada (medium)
12 - Cobra Kiss (medium)
13 - Shrunken Skull (strong)
14 - The Hukilau (strong)
15 - Samoan Grog (mild)
16 - Mai-Tai (strong)
17 - Mutiny (strong)
18 - Pina Passion (medium)
19 - Zula (strong)
20 - Bora Bora (strong)
21 - Special Reserve Daiquiri (medium)
22 - Black Magic (strong)
23 - Mara-Amu (medium)
24 - S.O.S. (mild)
25 - Chocolate Snowflake, Mai-Bai Blizzard (tie) (after dinner)
26 - Moonkist Coconut (medium)
27 - Oh So Deadly (mild)
28 - Tahitian Breeze (medium)
29 - Deep-Sea Diver (medium)
30 - K.O. Cooler (strong)
31 - Malayan Mist (mild)
32 - Mai-Kai Special (mild)
33 - Mai-Kai Swizzle (mild)
34 - Floridita Daiquiri (mild)
35 - Derby Daiquiri (mild)
36 - Gardenia Lei (after dinner)
37 - Planters Punch (medium)
38 - Strawberry Daiquiri (mild)
39 - Martinique Milk Punch (mild)
40 - Tahitian Coffee (after dinner)

Footnotes:

• The top 3 are remarkable, and the top 10 are all worthy of the tiki drink hall of fame. But please, consume with caution, they're all very potent.
• Pina Colada No. 11? The best I've ever tasted. Excellent drink to recommend to a newbie who might be a little intimidated by a Shrunken Skull.
• I'm not tremendously impressed by the Mutiny or Black Magic. So shoot me. Very sold drinks, I admit, but I guess it's just a personal taste thing. I prefer The Hukilau among the three coffee drinks. I'm also not a huge daiquiri fan though the Special Reserve is quite special.

Non-menu drinks:

• If anyone has any suggestions beyond the Grandfather Barrel, please let me know. I'd like to add those as well.
• A few drinks from Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari need to be mentioned. I'm not sure any of these can actually be ordered at the Mai-Kai anymore (does anybody know?) but from my home-mixing experience I would grade them thusly:

• Big Bamboo: The precursor to the Mara-Amu (once offered only to Okole Maluna Club members who worked their way through every drink on the menu). One of my all-time favorites would rank at or near the top of the list, especially if made at the Mai-Kai by Mariano Licudine with vintage ingredients. At least let me dream.
• Last Rites: A very solid, classic cocktail (also direct from Mariano's notebook). I'd probably rank this right below the Cobra Kiss or Shruken Skull on my list.
• Demerara Cocktail: I'm a big fan of Demerara rum but this one doesn't do much for me. A bit too strong and not terribly drinkable. It would need to be in the mid-30s on my list but again, this is just one man's opinion.

I'd encourage everyone to support the Mai-Kai and do your own evaluating. If you need an excuse to join other taste-testers, check out our monthly social:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28926&forum=4