Post #728660 by Destro100 on Mon, Sep 29, 2014 7:03 PM

Fruity and familiar...

Drink 70: Spindrift

Ingredients I used:

Fresh lemon Juice
Fresh orange juice
Passionfruit syrup (1-1 Goya frozen pulp - sugar)
Simple syrup (1-1 sugar-water)
Vanilla extract
Kohala Bay Dark Jamaican rum
El Dorado 8 demerera rum
Flor de Cana 4 - white rum

I’m desperately trying to find something original and new to say, but much like this drink, it’s all been said before. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad drink. It’s a fine drink; very pleasurable and very Tiki. At the same time, if you’ve had a Lapu Lapu or a Sidewinder’s Fang, you basically know what you are in for.

The large amount of lemon and orange juices firmly place this in the citrus punch family of drinks, while the addition of passionfruit further places this drink in that special sifter-large format of tropical tiki style libations. The simple syrup seemed redundant and the vanilla extract was unnoticeable.

The combination of rums was tasty, effective, and very present, yet slightly indistinctive and muddled. Don’t use your “best" stuff - but always use “good” stuff. The alcohol has a nice bite at the end, and it may fool you into thinking it’s not as strong as it actually is. I also noticed that the drink maintained a great level of strength over time regardless of dilution. I never felt the drink weakening - good news for booze-hounds.

The drink is large; very large. With almost 12 ounces of liquid (almost 5 ounces of rum) this drink can easily be shared. Overall this is a very solid drink, but once you’ve had a few dozen fantastic passionfruit drinks, the Spindrift doesn’t find a way to differentiate itself. This is a good drink for guests who you wish to impress with the complexity and deliciousness of a well-made tiki drink. On the other hand, this drink is a lot of effort, and I might as well go with a Chief Lapu Lapu which seems to hit this archetype dead-on.

Side note - The tropical flavors here scream to be paired with asian-style BBQ. Pork specifically. Magical combination.

Second side-note - TRIVIA QUESTION - Anyone know why I paired it with the King?

My personal rating: ***1/2 (3.5) out of ***** (5)

SCORECARD:

4.5 ALMOST PERFECT - 3 drinks so far
Chief Lapu Lapu / Kikuya Lapu / Mai Tai (Trader Vic)

4 - EXCELLENT - 12 drinks and counting
Colonel Beach's Plantation Punch /Aurora Bora Borealis / Outrigger / Bourbon Special / Beachcomber's Gold (Hollywood and Palm Springs) / Hell in the Pacific / Krakatoa / La Florida / Tortuga / Mai Tai Swizzle / 151 Swizzle / Port Light

3.5 - VERY GOOD - 21 drinks and counting
Beachcomber's Punch / Coronado Luau Special / Hawaii Kai Treasure / Coconaut / Castaway (slightly modified) / Don's Special Daiquiri / Banana Daiquiri / Captain's Grog / Viking Fog Cutter / Navy Grog / Hurricane / Lani-Honi / Mariposa Fizz / Mai Tai (Stuft Shirt) / Never Say Die / Pago Pago / Painkiller / Q.B. Cooler / Shark's Tooth / Sidewinder's Fang / Spindrift

3 - GOOD - 20 drinks and counting
Eastern Sour / Astro Aku Aku / Kapu Kai / Western Sour / Beachcomber's Gold (Waikiki) / Red Tide / Samoan Fog Cutter / Gold Cup / Headhunter / Fogg Cutter / Noa Noa / Aku Aku Lapu / Mai Tai (Royal Hawaiian) / Missionary's Downfall / Strip and go Naked / Polynesian Paralysis / Happy Buddha / Shrunken Skull / Scorpion Bowl/ Singapore Sling

2.5 - ABOVE AVERAGE - 4 drinks and counting
Jasper's Jamaican / Derby Daiquiri / Carioca Hawaiian Cocktail / Hawaiian Room

2 - AVERAGE - 8 drinks and counting
Beachcomber's Gold (Chicago) / Lychee Nut Daiquiri / Fog Cutter / Von Tiki / Planet of the Apes / Rum Runner / Pieces of Eight / Polynesian Spell

1.5 - BELOW AVERAGE - 2 drinks and hopefully not too many more
Boo Loo / Royal Daiquiri