Tiki Central / Tiki Drinks and Food / Updates to The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide on The Atomic Grog
Post #746328 by Hurricane Hayward on Sun, Jul 5, 2015 11:37 PM
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Hurricane Hayward
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Sun, Jul 5, 2015 11:37 PM
When Lemon Hart returned to The Mai-Kai n April 2012, one of the cocktails that benefited most from the rich and smoky Demerara rum was the K.O. Cooler. A descendant of Don the Beachcomber's influential Q.B. Cooler, the drink had long been one of the lesser known on a menu full of classics, even after Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's research showed the Q.B. Cooler's possible status as the cocktail that inspired Trader Vic's original Mai Tai. I had always intended to attempt a tribute recipe, but this one was not easy. Berry had published two Q.B. Cooler recipes - a 1941 version in Grog Log and a 1937 version in Remixed and Sippin’ Safari - but they were both very complex and quite different. The K.O. Cooler didn't really taste like either one of them. All I knew is it contained Lemon Hart and grapefruit juice. My assumption, based on both the taste and the published recipes, was that the 80-proof Lemon Hart was featured, not the more potent 151 rum. And so it sat on the to-do list for several years as I periodically revisited the drink and pondered the puzzling ingredients.
Fast forward to January 2015, and the much-discussed introduction of Ed Hamilton's new 86 and 151 proof rums from Guyana, replacing the once again unavailable Lemon Hart (see previous posts). You can also review the entire saga here: I wanted to make sure my list of drinks that contained both Hamilton rums was accurate, so I ran it by manager Kern Mattei, who was happy to confirm all of the drinks .... except one. My assumption about the K.O. Cooler was wrong. Not only does it contain the 86 proof Hamilton rum, but it also features the big and bold 151, the only drink on the menu to feature both. My initial excitement to try the drink was followed by a newfound goal of perfecting a tribute recipe.
I went to work by studying both Q.B. Cooler recipes and doing a lot of trial and error, adding and removing various ingredients. After several months, I hit upon the new tribute recipe you'll find now on The Atomic Grog: In addition to the Hamilton rums, I included a Spanish-style gold rum. It just didn't taste rich enough using a lighter rum, and a darker rum competed too much with the Demerara rums. The inclusion of orange juice, lime juice, and bitters was simple since those appeared in both recipes uncovered by Berry. At first, I included passion fruit syrup, but I later realized this was not accurate. I later confirmed this by doing a final taste test with the master himself during The Hukilau in June ...
I settled on sweet and spicy elements that are staples of Mai-Kai cocktails: Falernum and honey (from the 1937 recipe) and Pernod (from the 1941 recipe). Adjusted in just the right proportions, I think I came up with a fairly close approximation of the elusive K.O. Cooler. I hope you enjoy. Okole maluna!
P.S. Other new updates include the Zombie (featuring a new photo and info on the addition of Hamilton rums) and Pina Colada. The Week in Tiki * Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide [ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2015-07-06 11:16 ] |
