Post #785974 by Tonga Tiki on Fri, Apr 13, 2018 7:42 AM

I have been using the Red Tropical Gold Fruit Mix for years. I buy it on ebay and always have an unopened bottle in the house. Once opened... I put an ounce of vodka in to stabilize and keep it in the fridge. When Hurricane Irma came through I lost my power for 6 days and it survived. With so many ways to come up with a substitute I don't think its critical to use English's, but I find it convenient.

I think the big reason I like fassionola is the red color. Even great drinks sometimes have that orangeish brownish look and fassionola makes it more appealing to me.

My go-to drink is a slightly modified version of one of Hurricane's Jet Pilot tributes. On a hot Saturday in the pool it makes you feel like you've put on rose tinted sunglasses. I use fassionola in my recipe, but I pull back on the honey mix and finish up the half ounce with fassionola.

My variation of Hurricane's Jet Pilot tribute

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce falernum (Fee Brothers)
Fill half ounce jigger to 2/3 full with honey mix and the other 1/3 with fassionola. This part is never that precise. Both are sweet and it gets the red color in.
1/8 teaspoon of Pernod (sometime a little more is interesting)
A couple of shakes of Angostura Bitters (regular)

3/4 ounce of Don Q Silver Rum (BTW - my favorite silver rum - Makes great Mojitos)
3/4 ounce of Cruzan Gold Rum
3/4 ounce Appleton VX Rum
3/4 ounce Lemon Hart 151 - I think this is the critical rum. There is always a big debate about which is better: old yellow label, red label or new version. Doesn't matter...Lemon Hart provides a unique smooth, smokey flavor you cant get anywhere else and with a 151 punch. Yes - Hamiliton's is the only substitute I would use. It does make it less smooth and more in your face. But that isn't a bad thing either. I am certain I don't have to explain to this group that using Bacardi 151 would be blasphemy. However Bacardi 151 is useful in getting love bugs off your bumper.

I use a Hamilton spin mixer for 5 seconds with a 1/2 cup of crushed ice. Fill an old fashioned glass (I use my Hukilau glasses) and top off with more crushed ice.

I'm lucky to have access to all versions of Lemon Hart. When the old yellow label and red label stopped being produced, I bought everything I could get my hands on. But to enable me to stretch those out till I die I have purchased a couple of cases of the new stuff for parties etc...

Enjoy!

[ Edited by: Tonga Tiki 2018-04-13 09:50 ]