The straw question - Tiki Drinks and Food

B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Sun, Mar 15, 2009 3:19 PM On 2009-03-15 07:33, uncle trav wrote: Was the Mai Tai always served with a short sipping straw or no straw? I myself use no straw as I enjoy the fragrance of the ingredients and the mint melding together. But one may still get this effect with a short sipping straw. Indeed! I confess to be in love with the flavor of fresh mint so much that my Mai Tais end up being almost Mai-jitos: Not only do I garnish with a tree branch-sized mint sprig, but I drop in 2-3 mint leaves and muddle them at the bottom of the glass. The sipping straw then goes to the bottom as well, and the mint leaves work like taste-filters, intensifying the mint flavor. The devolution of the tropical cocktail began in the mid- 70s, here is one reason, as stated by Stephen Crane in 1978 (The Luau was already sold, but not yet closed by then): "We've seen a tremendous increase in the popularity of wines in the past five years. We will sell more wine in one day than we sold in 15 days -maybe even a month- 10 years ago." Stephen suggests that some of the growth in the popularity of white wines can be attributed to the kids, who "two to five years ago were very heavy into pot....which is not so chic today as it was then. So, those kids who haven't graduated to heavier stuff like sniffing coke have dropped drugs for white wine." Ol' Stephen's talking from his Hollywood/Beverly Hills experience here! The cocktails were too "hard" for these hippies turned Yuppies, too, the only cocktail they drank were WINE SPRITZERS ! :roll:

On 2009-03-15 07:33, uncle trav wrote:
Was the Mai Tai always served with a short sipping straw or no straw? I myself use no straw as I enjoy the fragrance of the ingredients and the mint melding together. But one may still get this effect with a short sipping straw.

Indeed! I confess to be in love with the flavor of fresh mint so much that my Mai Tais end up being almost Mai-jitos: Not only do I garnish with a tree branch-sized mint sprig, but I drop in 2-3 mint leaves and muddle them at the bottom of the glass. The sipping straw then goes to the bottom as well, and the mint leaves work like taste-filters, intensifying the mint flavor.

The devolution of the tropical cocktail began in the mid- 70s, here is one reason, as stated by Stephen Crane in 1978 (The Luau was already sold, but not yet closed by then):

"We've seen a tremendous increase in the popularity of wines in the past five years. We will sell more wine in one day than we sold in 15 days -maybe even a month- 10 years ago."
Stephen suggests that some of the growth in the popularity of white wines can be attributed to the kids, who "two to five years ago were very heavy into pot....which is not so chic today as it was then. So, those kids who haven't graduated to heavier stuff like sniffing coke have dropped drugs for white wine."

Ol' Stephen's talking from his Hollywood/Beverly Hills experience here! The cocktails were too "hard" for these hippies turned Yuppies, too, the only cocktail they drank were WINE SPRITZERS ! :roll:

Post #440164 by bigbrotiki on Sun, Mar 15, 2009 3:19 PM