You'll find new recommendations for fresh orange and grapefruit juices, plus a new blend for lime juice that comes even closer to duplicating the Mai-Kai's distinctive flavor. These updates were the result of our experience mixing the Big Bamboo for Swanky's book release party last week. Mahalo to everyone who attended and sampled the drinks!
So without further ado, here's the latest info on fresh juices at The Mai-Kai ...
SEPTEMBER 2016 UPDATE
First up, the latest update from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the state's citrus crop, including some bits of good news. The final forecast for the 2015-2016 growing season, released in July, showed an increase of 1.5 million boxes from an October 2015 forecast, but down nearly 16 percent from the prior season’s near five-decade-low of 96.8 million boxes. "Production is nearly 70 percent lower than it was 20 years ago, and the long-term future of Florida citrus depends on a breakthrough in the search for a long-term solution to greening," Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said in a statement. Growers have been allowed to temporarily use three antibiotics that remain under review for a "special use exemption" by the EPA but have shown signs of controlling greening. Florida Department of Citrus Executive Director Shannon Shepp also promised programs in the fall and winter to boost the state's signature crops. See the full story here:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/floridas-orange-crop-drops-16-percent/nrxqq/
Meanwhile, I finally secured a bottle of Kennesaw's 100% fresh-squeezed orange juice, which we've confirmed is the juice used by The Mai-Kai. All I can say is wow! It blows away my previous go-to OJ, Indian River Select, and is probably even better than anything I could squeeze myself. It's very pulpy, totally unprocessed and tastes like the best oranges in the crop were just squeezed into the bottle this morning.
I proceeded to make an S.O.S. using Kennesaw OJ and a revamped lime blend (see below), resulting in the best S.O.S. I've had outside of The Mai-Kai. The freshness of the juice blended perfectly with the lime and honey, creating a savory backbone for the rums and falernum. Of course, Kennesaw is not easy to come by. It's available at Restaurant Depot in South Florida, along with citrus shops at select groves. I haven't tasted it yet, but Kennesaw's seasonal pink grapefruit juice was also available. I'm hoping the white juice comes back into season soon.
Another option, as suggested by Quince_at_Dannys, are the unpasteurized orange and grapefruit juices at Trader Joe's. He says to look for the plastic jugs in the refrigerator section. "The OJ is always good and fresh-squeezed tasting, and the grapefruit is usually great. It's pink grapefruit juice, and it seems to change seasonally depending on the fruit that goes in it. I've had batches that are a lighter pink color, and pulpier, that work very well in certain Mai Kai drinks (see Yeoman's Grog)." At some point we'll have to compare the Kennesaw juices head-to-head vs. the Trader Joe's juices in a taste test.
Also be on the lookout for Natalie’s Orchid Island (non-pasteurized, 100% fresh-squeezed Florida juice), which has won much acclaim from online tasters:
http://www.orchidislandjuice.com/serious-eats/
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/01/taste-test-best-orange-juice-with-pulp-natalies-whole-foods-simply.html
In fact, I've seen info online that seems to indicate that Natalie's provides the juice used by Trader Joe's (both OJ and grapefruit). Wrote one commenter: "Please note Trader Joe's & Wegman's are private labeled, look for Natalie's products under their label. Be assured this is the same juice, only with a different label." Beware that Natalie's also makes a pasteurized orange juice that's very good (probably the best available at stores such as Publix), but not quite as fresh and pulpy as fresh-squeezed and non-pasteurized.
THE FINAL WORD ON OJ AND GRAPEFRUIT: My recommendation is 100% fresh Florida citrus, either by squeezing the fruit yourself or finding the rare brands that produce 100% pure, fresh-squeezed, non-pasteurized juices containing pulp. These include Kennesaw (used at The Mai-Kai), and Natalie's / Trader Joe's. The key when sourcing bottles is to look for non-pasteurized from Florida.
Speaking of taste tests, I had the privilege on Sept. 16 of mixing up a special cocktail for guests of Tim "Swanky" Glazner at the release party for "Mai-Kai: History and Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant," the amazing new book that everyone should buy ... http://www.maikaihistory.com
Hurricane Hayward admires his handiwork after mixing up the Big Bamboo for the party in Swanky's hotel room.
The cocktail was the Big Bamboo, which I chose for several reasons. It was a rare confirmed Mariano Licudine recipe (from Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari), and it fit the theme of the "lost cocktails" of The Mai-Kai perfectly. It was also relatively easy to make quickly in large batches, so I could serve the thirsty hordes at Swanky's hotel and also partake in the festivities. That's me and Max Vrahimis, who helped me source ingredients and was essential in helping out in the kitchen ...
But mixing up the Big Bamboo also turned out to be a great test of The Mai-Kai's juices. I wanted to duplicate The Mai-Kai's flavor profile as closely as possible, so I secured several half gallons of Kennsaw OJ, as detailed above. I had planned to make my own lime-juice blend that I detailed back in April, but for the hell of it I asked Kern Mattei if he could donate a half gallon of The Mai-Kai's distinctive lime juice. Kern also donated a bunch of The Mai-Kai's new swizzle sticks, and director of sales and marketing Pia Dahlquist also helped secure a donation of Appleton Reserve rum.
Check out our updated Big Bamboo review, with enhanced history and mixing notes:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/06/02/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-big-bamboo-features-big-flavors-unique-history/
Perhaps under the influence of too many Big Bamboos, I led a special late-night lime juice tasting. Several of us compared three different juices: The Mai-Kai's blend; my attempt to duplicate The Mai-Kai's blend (as detailed above: equal parts fresh-squeezed Persian limes and bottled key lime juice); plus some 100% Persian lime juice. As you can imagine, we weren't in the best state of mind to conduct a 100% scientific tasting since it was now nearing midnight and happy hour had started at The Mai-Kai at 4 p.m.
Luckily, I do have some sketchy notes, which praise The Mai-Kai's "very sour and rich" blend as the best of the three. My blend was close, but definitely No. 2 in the judging. The Persian juice tasted sour and fresh, but not as rich as the others and placed third.
A few days later, I put the juices to the test again, this time a bit more clear-headed in the comfort of The Atomic Grog (photo above). I compared The Mai-Kai's blend to my standard 1:1 mix of fresh Persian and bottled key lime juices, plus a more intense 1:2 mix (see photo above). I did a solo tasting, with these results:
The Mai-Kai blend remains No. 1 with its very rich and sour flavor, almost like straight key lime juice but not as tart. I suspect it's a premium brand of key lime juice, not the cheap supermarket brand that I use. Probably from a local grove or juice supplier. I'm savoring my remaining supply, but I know it won't last long.
My 1:1 blend just didn't compare. It was both tart and acidic, resulting in the most aggressive of the three but not as smooth and mixable. I plan to ditch this mix in favor of my new recommendation ...
NEW RECOMMENDED LIME JUICE: 2 parts premium key lime juice and 1 part fresh-squeezed Persian lime juice. This new, stronger blend comes close to The Mai-Kai's flavor, especially if you can find a quality key lime juice. It's less bitter than the previously suggested 1:1 blend and almost as tart as The Mai-Kai blend.
