Post #796193 by Sandbartender on Wed, Jul 10, 2019 3:16 PM

The bar is looking very nice! Glad to hear the party was a success.

On 2019-07-01 01:28, FranNL wrote:
People didn't seem to like cocktails when I used either falernum or Don's spice #2.

On 2019-07-10 14:09, Bam Bam wrote:
Both Falernum and Allspice liqueur can be pretty powerful flavors, depending on their strength, so to a crowd who likes sour and sweet drinks, yes, the spice can be pretty off-putting if you're not expecting it. My first attempt at home-made Falernum was way too spice-heavy, and the drinks I mixed it with suffered as a result. My second batch (Falernum #9) turned out much better, with less of a tendency to "bite". Now that I'm working with a bottle of Taylor's Velvet Falernum, it's even less spicy, and balances well.

Then again, I like the Donn Beach style spicy drinks.

I definitely think that the classic Donn-style tiki drinks have a bit of a learning curve to them, unless you/your crowd already is used to those spices
in their food.

When I started making tiki cocktails for my wife she was not at all a fan of the Donn style drinks, now, if there isn't something like Falernum or Pimento dram in it she says it's "too sweet and kind of flat tasting". So I guess my work here is done. :wink:

Not too long ago I had some friends over for what turned into a tasting party where I made several classics including the '34 Zombie, and they all went over VERY well- But they are reasonably adventurous eaters- she's originally from China and still cooks northern and western style (Sichuan) food for her parents- and he'll eat ANYTHING. LOL.