A comparison of different falernums. - Tiki Drinks and Food

S Swanky Tiki Socialite Hapa Haole Hideaway, Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 03, 2002 Posts: 5398	S Swanky Posted posted on Fri, Oct 9, 2015 9:07 AM The sheer quantities involved at commercial bars like DtB, Mai-Kai and even Latitude 29 mean they at a minimum will outsource a lot of their ingredients. You and I can make a pint of falernum and use it over a month. The Mai-Kai is going to go through gallons a night. You think it's a pain, or I mean fun, to zest 8-9 limes for your batch, imagine scaling that up to make enough to last a busy bar for a week... Absolutely they had a bottled falernum. We all know Donn used the Astra Company to make his flavorings, and then he re-packed them when they got to DtB by adding syrup or juice to make the final ingredients. I have not had BG's falernum. I would buy his products if the shipping wasn't so high. I'll not argue that his isn't better than Velvet, etc. But let's say this. I have a bunch of the Mai-Kai's recipes. Mariano was very fond of falernum. I make his recipe at home with Velvet and go to the Mai-Kai and try theirs and the difference isn't their great shining crisp falernum coming through. If there is any benchmark left on this planet it is the Mai-Kai. I know they do not use "falernum" per se, they have a similar product they source. But side by side if you use Velvet in your version, you can get at the Mai-Kai version and if anything, the rums or citrus is going to be the difference. I certainly love my home made falernum. I'd make it into a summer drink with white rum and it's nice. But put it into a Mai-Kai drink recipe and what you have is a mess. But this is also a way in which our home bars can exceed the masters. I could make my own and find the right balance and perhaps my version would beat out the Mai-Kai. But, to be fair, my version already beats the Mai-Kai's. No bar making thousands of drinks a night is going to beat me making them a few at a time with the best ingredients I can get and everything done ultra-fresh, etc. Your local bar very likely makes their own syrups, but I'd wager their falernum has shortcuts. It is very time consuming. I have a big shortcut myself, my wife zests the limes! Super easy! The Mrs Swanky 5000 zests the limes with no effort! I make all my own syrups. Cinnamon, ginger, simple, honey. I make a great falernum. But I don't bother any more and I don't mix with it.

The sheer quantities involved at commercial bars like DtB, Mai-Kai and even Latitude 29 mean they at a minimum will outsource a lot of their ingredients. You and I can make a pint of falernum and use it over a month. The Mai-Kai is going to go through gallons a night. You think it's a pain, or I mean fun, to zest 8-9 limes for your batch, imagine scaling that up to make enough to last a busy bar for a week...

Absolutely they had a bottled falernum. We all know Donn used the Astra Company to make his flavorings, and then he re-packed them when they got to DtB by adding syrup or juice to make the final ingredients.

I have not had BG's falernum. I would buy his products if the shipping wasn't so high. I'll not argue that his isn't better than Velvet, etc. But let's say this. I have a bunch of the Mai-Kai's recipes. Mariano was very fond of falernum. I make his recipe at home with Velvet and go to the Mai-Kai and try theirs and the difference isn't their great shining crisp falernum coming through. If there is any benchmark left on this planet it is the Mai-Kai. I know they do not use "falernum" per se, they have a similar product they source. But side by side if you use Velvet in your version, you can get at the Mai-Kai version and if anything, the rums or citrus is going to be the difference.

I certainly love my home made falernum. I'd make it into a summer drink with white rum and it's nice. But put it into a Mai-Kai drink recipe and what you have is a mess.

But this is also a way in which our home bars can exceed the masters. I could make my own and find the right balance and perhaps my version would beat out the Mai-Kai. But, to be fair, my version already beats the Mai-Kai's. No bar making thousands of drinks a night is going to beat me making them a few at a time with the best ingredients I can get and everything done ultra-fresh, etc.

Your local bar very likely makes their own syrups, but I'd wager their falernum has shortcuts. It is very time consuming. I have a big shortcut myself, my wife zests the limes! Super easy! The Mrs Swanky 5000 zests the limes with no effort!

I make all my own syrups. Cinnamon, ginger, simple, honey. I make a great falernum. But I don't bother any more and I don't mix with it.

Post #752311 by Swanky on Fri, Oct 9, 2015 9:07 AM