Tiki Central / Tiki Drinks and Food / Updates to The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide on The Atomic Grog
Post #745247 by Hurricane Hayward on Sat, Jun 20, 2015 12:05 AM
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Hurricane Hayward
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Sat, Jun 20, 2015 12:05 AM
The hurricane that we call The Hukilau blew through town last week, and some of us are still assessing the damage. I fell behind updating this thread, but as usual there's lots of news to report: Just in time for The Hukilau hordes, I finally updated the Lemon Hart and Hamilton rum saga, complete with a full list of the current cocktails and great detail on the recent history of Demerara/Guyana rums at The Mai-Kai ...
Many of the recipes still need to be updated, but for now simply use Hamilton (151 and 86 proof) instead of Lemon Hart in all the existing recipes if you're looking to duplicate the current drinks. If you're one of those folks with a rum cellar full of Lemon Hart, feel free to continue using the classic Demerara rum. Note: I'll be posting here soon when recipes are updated, starting with a brand new tribute recipe for a drink that took a long time to crack. NOTES FROM THE HUKILAU ... As usual, The Hukilau brought VIPs from around the world to The Mai-Kai, but this year was extra special with the one-of-a-kind event held Thursday, June 11, in the 17th floor revolving Pier Top Ballroom at Pier 66. The Tiki Tower Takeover featured four of the country's most acclaimed tropical drink experts and barmen: Jeff "Beachbum" Berry (author and owner of Latitude 29, New Orleans), Martin Cate (owner of Smuggler's Cove, San Francisco), Paul McGee (creator of Lost Lake, formerly with Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago), and Brian Miller (host of Tiki Mondays With Miller, New York City). For a full photo recap of this event, go here: When I arrived at The Mai-Kai on Wednesday for the Pre-Party, I found the entire Tiki Tower Takeover crew staging an apparent Molokai lounge takeover: It was also cool to run into The Cooking Channel’s Jim Stacy, whose "Offbeat Eats with Jim Stacy" show featured The Mai-Kai last year. Turns out Jim is a huge Tiki and Mai-Kai fan, and he was a constant presence at events throughout the weekend. I snapped this shot of him in The Molokai with King Kukulele: Also on tap Wednesday (and all weekend) at The Mai-Kai was a cocktail created specially for The Hukilau by general manager Kern Mattei: I'll be sharing the recipe as next week's Cocktail of the Week in The Week in Tiki on The Atomic Grog. It's a simple yet flavor-packed combination of the distinctive Rhum Barbancourt with lime, grapefruit, cinnamon and coffee. On Thursday, the Tiki Tower Takeover lived up to all expectations. If you want to get a little bit of the flavor of the event, check out this video: The opportunity to enjoy signature, full-sized, fully-garnished cocktails personally made by these acclaimed barmen all at one event was a unique opportunity. And it didn't hurt that three of the four had just been nomiated for Spirited Awards by Tales of the Cocktail: Smuggler’s Cove (Best American Cocktail Bar) and both Latitude 29 and Lost Lake (Best New American Cocktail Bar). Just don't ask me to pick a favorite. They were all outstanding in their own way. The rummy (4 rums!) Formidable Dragon from Martin Cate, the mysterious and exotic T.O.T.C. Swizzle from Beachbum Berry, the complex yet perfectly balanced Lost Lake from Paul McGee, and the creative yet accessible Pandanarama Daiquiri from Brian Miller. By the the end of the two-hour happy hour, Jimi Gonzalez of the Straw Hat Barmen and I were all smiles: I wish I had followed the crew over to The Mai-Kai afterward, because I missed perhaps the best Tiki or Mai-Kai photo in recent memory. Joined by Adam Kolesar of Orgeat Works (right), the group convened in The Molokai bar to stage a classic that was captured by a passing Pablus ... The Tiki Last Supper Still to come: Saturday's Main Event and Sunday's Finale: A Mai-Kai marathon The Week in Tiki * Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide [ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2015-06-20 00:11 ] |
