Post #724356 by Hurricane Hayward on Thu, Jul 31, 2014 1:08 AM

While visiting The Mai-Kai on National Daiquiri Day (July 19) and enjoying Floridita and Special Reserve daiquiris, I chatted with manager Kern Mattei about old-school daiquiris and "Potions of the Caribbean." This inspired me to update all six daiquiri reviews with new menu photos and whatever else I could dig up.

Three got basic updates, including the menu photos:
Special Reserve Daiquiri (above): http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/02/mai-kai-cocktail-review-this-daiquiri-is-special-in-more-ways-than-one/
Banana Daiquiri: http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/09/28/mai-kai-cocktail-review-no-monkeying-around-this-is-one-fine-banana-daiquiri/
Strawberry Daiquiri: http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/11/08/mai-kai-cocktail-review-this-daiquiri-is-the-real-deal-thank-you-berry-much/
And from the ranks for the retired cocktails, the Cuban Daiquiri got a few tweaks: http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2013/06/02/lost-cocktails-of-the-mai-kai-short-lived-daiquiri-disappared-when-cuba-fell/

Mariano Licudine in Puerto Rico in 1959. (From Potions of the Caribbean, courtesy of The Mai-Kai)

In updating the review of the signature Derby Daiquiri, I pondered what may have inspired Mariano Licudine to create the orange-flavored classic. Was it Florida's state fruit, or his history with Don the Beachcomber, or perhaps his frequent trips to the Caribbean on behalf of major hotel chains? Did he stop by El Floridita in Havana to taste some of Constantino Ribalaigua Vert's classics?
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/06/30/the-derby-daiquiri-the-mai-kais-100000-drink/

Finally, the Floridita Daiquiri review allowed me to delve even deeper into Beachbum Berry's great stories in "Potions" on Constante's remarkable career at El Florida, which included 80 million limes squeezed by hand and more than 10 million daiquiris poured. Of course, you can't talk about El Florida without discussing the 800-pound gorilla in the bar. Hemingway left his mark, undoubtedly, but as the Bum points out, he was not the best judge of a well-balanced cocktail. In the end, The Mai-Kai’s Floridita Daiquiri is much more faithful to Constante’s original than Hemingway’s "boozy Frankenstein’s monster."
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/02/24/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-story-of-the-floridita-daiquiri-rivals-any-novel/

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-07-31 01:10 ]