Tiki Central / Tiki Drinks and Food / Updates to The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide on The Atomic Grog
Post #729965 by Hurricane Hayward on Mon, Oct 20, 2014 12:37 AM
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Hurricane Hayward
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Mon, Oct 20, 2014 12:37 AM
The inevitable has happened: I'm sorry to report that Lemon Hart 151 rum is being phased out from Mai-Kai cocktail recipes just 2 1/2 years after its triumphant return. While there's some speculation that U.S. distribution may resume by the middle of next year, The Mai-Kai unfortunately did not have a deep enough stockpile to hold out for that long. They had stocked up after the announcement in May of the distribution interruption, but GM Kern Mattei tells me that they have been going through a case every month. Check out this thread for the back-story and ongoing news on the status of the revered rum brand: This will affect The Mai-Kai's cocktail recipes on two levels. First, there are the many drinks that for the past 2 1/2 years have been featuring an 80-proof Lemon Hart rum that was blended in-house from the 151 rum. I've been making a similar blend at home, and the results are very close to the old 80-proof Lemon Hart that's even harder to find than the 151. Mattei says that when the current supply of 80-proof Lemon Hart runs out, which should happen soon, they will be switching to another Demerara rum, El Dorado's Original Dark. While not as highly touted as some of El Dorado's aged rums, the dark rum was nevertheless favored by The Mai-Kai in its cocktails. I'm told that most of the cask aged rums were considered too sweet. Indeed, the Original Dark lacks the added sugar of some of its aged counterparts, and its pungency will most likely be a better fit in cocktails that already have enough sweetness. I went ahead and tried El Dorado Original Dark in several of the drinks that have been featuring 80-proof Lemon Hart: The S.O.S. (pictured below) and Oh So Deadly. The result? No need to send out a distress signal over this S.O.S. There seemed to be very little difference in taste, and the Oh So Deadly also suffered no loss in quality. Since both are Demerara rums used in small quantities to supplement many other flavors, I'm confident that this switch will be very little cause for alarm. I plan to sample all the other cocktails that previously contained Lemon Hart 80, both at home and at the bar (in the interest of quality assurance, of course). If anyone else wants to conduct taste tests and weigh in, please post your comments below. I'll be updating all the reviews as time permits. Besides the S.O.S. and Oh So Deadly, the drinks in question are: Special Planters Punch, Sidewinder’s Fang, Yeoman’s Grog, K.O. Cooler, and Bora Bora. The bigger question is the status of the handful of cocktails that depend on the fiery flavor of the 151 rum: the Zombie, 151 Swizzle, Jet Pilot, and Shrunken Skull. As you probably guessed from the photo above, the new rum in those drinks is Goslings Black Seal 151, which is very dark and flavorful like Lemon Hart but produced in Bermuda instead of Guyana. I'm sure we'll all be examining these drinks closely. Three years ago, and for many years before, they were just as special without Demerara rum entirely. I expect that they'll continue the same level of excellence. And while admittedly nothing can replace Lemon Hart 151, I have confidence in The Mai-Kai in choosing the correct rums for its cocktails. So feel free to let me know what you think of the changes, and look for more updates here and on the blog. FYI, here's a link back to my coverage of Lemon Hart's return, with links to all the recipes: Okole maluna! |
