Favorite drink from the Grog Log?

What are some of your favorite drinks from the Grog Log? I haven't tried any of the blended drinks yet, but for the mixed ones I am partial to the "Hawaiian Room" and "Don's Planters Punch."

I'd like to fire up the blender as well as mix some more but there are so many recipies...

Maybe we should start a poll?

-Mike

The "Grog Log" is the best. I'm looking forward to Beachbum Berry's latest "Intoxica". My favorites in the GL are the "Waikikian", the "Fogcutter", the "Oceanic Punch" and the "Suffering Bastard". When I received my copy of the "Grog Log" Shelley and I decided to try every drink in the book, we started with the "Tahitian". It has 5 shots of rum. We drank with reckless abandon. The very next night we were thumbing through the GL again, deciding what to try next. "Hey let's try the "Tahitian" we drank two of them before we realized it was the drink we had made the night before. That is one strong drink.
Al

Yeah I consider the Tahitian the ultimate tiki shot...

The Grog Log is great fun but the recipes that call for ingredients that aren't readily available (in Washington at least) is frustrating. A few weeks ago I went on a juice and liquer buying spree and still found I was missing items to make a lot of the drinks. For its simple ingredients and overall tastiness the Coconaut has been an instant hit with myself and friends (I laugh at the notion that the recipe in the book serves four). I also figured out that all the ingredients except the ice can be premixed for easy transport to a friend's blender.

The thing I love about the GL is the paper and binding. It seems very utilitarian, not precious. So, as soon as I got it, I started making notes for each drink we tried. The ones that have gotten stars so far are:
Chief Lapu Lapu
Eastern Sour
Royal Hawaiian
Rum Barrel
Rum Lift
Waikikian

It seems that the many of the drinks lean toward the tart side for us sweet-toothes, so I've made notes about cutting back on the lime or lemon juice. The Lychee Nut Daiquiri is the only one that really hasn't worked out.

In the same vein, I picked up a French cocktail cookbook from 1957 at the market this weekend. It has a very groovy cover of a drawing of a woman with a martini glass surrounded by drink garnishes. But the best thing is the author -- Henri Barman!

Cheers,
Kelly

I think the paper is a little too cheap. It disolves when it gets wet with alcohol or syrups... materials that are bound to occasionally get splashed on it...

The suffering bastard is very good :)

I agree that the drinks tend to over lime. We often completely leave out the lime in these drinks.

Also agree that it is hard to have all the ingredients in the book. I made a chart of every ingredient in the book and then went through and put a check next to them as they were called for and bought what was at the top of the list. But even then, they weren't exactly easy to come by.

In the last few months, various nectars have appeared on shelves to buy and that has helped. We'll get the Trader Vic's Passion Fruit syrup next month at Hukilau. I have a site bookmarked to buy Falernum.

It would be very handy to have the Grog Log in spreadsheet form so you check the stuff you have and it shows you which drinks you can make.

Which a good think you can do on Webtender.com. You put in a few things you have and tell it to show you all the recipes you can make with it. Very helpful when you have Banana Liquer and Whiskey want to make something.

I like the GL for the great clip art too.

Speaking of limes, of course one should squeeze fresh limes for a truly authentic drink, say a Mai-Tai. But after having a few, the old hand-eye coordination can become impaired. So my question is this: what's the next best thing to fresh lime juice. I tried Rose's but my dad (the man who took me to Trader Vic's in Seattle in the '60s) told me Rose's is only for Gimlets. Any suggestions?

I tend to use pure bottled lime juice, which is exactly what you think it is. I'm not sure how it's packaged over in the States, but over here it's found in small-ish bottles, or even smaller lime-sized plastic containers. It's nowhere near as good as fresh lime juice, but completely different to Roses, which is a lime cordial rather than a juice.

Trader Woody

Skip the plastic limes. ________ (name not known) makes a bottled key lime juce that's unsweetened and easily located in most grocers. Or you can do as Vic did in ye days of olde and squeeze ahead (he claimed they had a guy whose only job was squeezing fresh juice). For a party just squeeze up a whole lotta juice. For yourself you can keep it in the fridge for...Do some testing and see how long it keeps (something of a personal preference as it's certain flavor notes that diminish first). Or make premeasured frozen juice cubes (say a 3 T cube). Double bagged and kept in a clean smelling freezer you'll be fine for...(again, personal, as long as it doesn't taste like salmon) and it's a lot better than bottled.

You should always squeeze fresh limes & lemons - makes a world of difference!

I squeeze all the limes and lemons I'll need about an hour before I expect the first guest to arrive and keep the juice in a tupperware container in the fridge.

Besides, you need those spent half shells to float on top of the drink, pour a little 151 inside and ignite for a real show!

I wouldn't do THAT after a few drinks, though!

-Mike

When I saw Hussein squeeze a fresh lime into a mai tai and then pick up a plastic bottle to add some more I said "Oh, so you use a fresh lime to give the fresh taste, and use bottled lime juice for the rest?" He looked at me horrified and hurt and said "No, no, this bottle is full of fresh lime juice we squeezed today."

In Indy we saw a vintage press typw thingy and thought this is just what we needed, but in a new version. Something about the slightly corroded metal from the 50-60s made me hesitate.

But this thing had your typical dome of a juicer, and then a handle that was set to ratchet down some serious force, and a catch pan. Looked like it would squeeze every last drop of juice from anything in no time.

So, look for a fruit press or press juicer or something like that and leave the hand squeezing for that little garnish lime in a gin and tonic.

As for keeping juice, I'd say it will keep just like the fruit itself. A week to 10 days in the fridge. We often buy a bulk of mangoes, peaches, strawberries, etc., and prep and blend. We keep it in the fridge and pour drinks for a week. I have tried mixing in the liquor ahead of time and freezing it. It makes a nice thick slush and not rock hard cubes due to the liquor not freezing, but, when you put it in the blender with ice, it's just too thick to blend well. I think it works better out of the fridge. Plus, it means you have to drink it soon, so when you find you have a lot left and a little time, invite friends over to help.

Favorites that come to mind:
Test Pilot
Suffering Bastard
Zombie
Coconaut
Boo Loo, in a pineapple of course
the Trader Vic punch recipe has been a hit at parties I've thrown

I've made most every drink in the Log except for the ones that require Pimento liquor (unable to find it) and the ones with Barenjager or Alize (didn't want to buy a bottle just for the one drink). I find that over time I have been able to aquire most of the ingredients (and some very good rums, too). If one were to get everything all at once it would have cost a fortune!

I find also that certain drinks are a bit too sour (and heartburn inducing for me!) so I have cut the lime juice in half on a few recipes. I usually make notes about flavor in my bar copy of the Log. Get a good juice squeezer like the "Juice-o-mat" that someone mentioned. It really helps when sqeezing 50 lemons and oranges for that party-size punch! Mostly I use a hand squeezer with a hinge on one end. If you fold over the lime shell after juicing it once and put it back in the juicer you can get quite a bit more out of it.

I have used the bottled "key lime juice" or the organic bottled lime juice in a pinch but here in California citrus is so plentiful and cheap why not use fresh? The bottled stuff is way too tart so if I use it I reduce it to less than half of the called for amount.

I was in the book store the other day and I noticed yet another tropical drink book. This one, called "Paradise on Ice" is by Mittie Helmich, of the Oregonian. I went straight to the Mai Tai recipe. No pineapple or grenadine! She recommends Martinique rum if you can get it. So far, so good. I glanced through it and saw some creations that looked pretty tasty. I didn't buy it but it looked promising. Still, I can't wait for "Intoxica" to hit the shelves!

I never have been to a Red Robin, and now I never plan to go. Thanks for the straight dope woofmutt!

It will be a thrilling countdown this weekend in Palm Springs, to see if "INTOXICA" (Grog Log II) will be shipped as scheduled from the printer on that very Saturday!
Hope Jeff won't have to go thru the experience I had at the Kahiki closing party, when the very first BOTs had made it to Ohio, but were held in customs. He would have to get drunk over it on local bartender's concoctions...

Well, I think people tend to forget that we are all scattered around the world here, and that what may be plentiful in one place can be a rarity in others. In mixology, often the 'next best thing' has to suffice, so it's very useful for people to give alternatives to key ingredients. I'd rather try an approximation of a cocktail than no cocktail at all.

We all know that for a true you need everything mentioned in the recipe down to the brand names, but that just may not be possible due to your geography, as Woofmutt has previously mentioned. In California/Florida, you'd be a fool not to use fresh citrus fruit, but where I live we have apple trees.....

Trader Woody

True there are several hard to find ingredients. I had a friend who went to Barbados a few years ago and he brought back two bottles of Falernum, which I hoard like treasure. The company that makes Falernum syrup in the US: does anyone know if it contains alcohol? Because real Falernum is about 7 or 8%.

The fresh juice does make a big difference. I have this juicer from Williams-Sonoma that was about $125 (Acme [believe it or not] is the brand name.) and it has something like a 300 hp Chevy V8 in it. Juices like a terror.

One of the things about limes here in California is that they frequently suck when they're out of season. We get two good batches- December and June, from Florida and Mexico, and in between they can be very dry.

I like most of the grog log drinks, except ones with Pernod, as that flavor does me wrong. I like the Hurricane recipe actually- easy to remember and perfect balance.

I've been making this great daquiri at home- the recipe came from the now gone Windows on the World restaurant. I can't remember exactly right now, but I'm pretty sure its:

2 oz white rum
1 to 1.5 oz fresh lime
.5 oz simple syrup
.5 oz Sprite
1 egg white

shake vigorously with ice and strain into martini glass. Wonderfully simple, with a great fizz quality from the egg.

-martin

Here is one of my fav drinks from Grog Log,the Sidewinder`s Fang.

SIDEWINGER`S FANG: Dark jamaican rum, Demerara rum, Fresh Lime Juice,Passionfruit syrup,Club Soda..

[ Edited by: Little fragrant Tiare 2008-06-08 09:36 ]

[ Edited by: Little fragrant Tiare 2008-06-08 12:26 ]

I just had one of these the other night at Forbidden Island. They served it in a goblet instead of a pilsner glass, but it was excellent.

I've liked every recipe I've made from the Grog Log, but so far my favorites are Painkiller, Mai Tai and Suffering Bastard. I just wish the Grog Log was printed on waterproof paper. The spiral binding is great, though.

I'm up to 66 drinks from Grog Log, almost everything except the hot drinks, party punches and non-alcoholic. Of the three Beachbum books it was the easiest to find all the ingredients for.

I'd highly recommend: Gone the Beachcomber, Headhunter, Pieces of Eight, Planter's Punch, Tahitian, Astro Aku Aku, Chief Lapu Lapu, Hurricane, Missionary's Downfall, Rum Runner, Sidewinder's Fang, Spindrift and Port Light.

Also worth your time are: Don's Daiquiri, Kapu Kai, Palace Court, Red Tide, Blackbeard's Ghost, Captain's Grog, Mai Tai, Navy Grog, Oceanic Punch, Planet of the Apes, Q.B. Cooler, Shrunken Skull, Tortuga, Trader Vic Grog, Boo Loo, Coronado Luau Special, Fog Cutter, Hawaii Kai Treasure, Painkiller, Polynesian Paralysis, Tasman Sea, Royal Hawaiian and Trade Wind Cocktail.

I'm starting to get a hankering for one of these now. Time to go fire up the shaker.

I like the Navy Grog and the Suffering Bastard. The wahine prefers the Pieces of Eight. We both like Don's Daiquiri. The Ciro's Special and the Red Tide are also pretty tasty, come to think of it.

Well after ten years of the Grog Log and varous recipes? (except for the ones calling for pimento liquor, tried making a dram, try being the operative word)
So my favorite was and still is the Mai Tai. The $100.00 Mai Tai can't be beat.

On 2002-06-17 10:17, woofmutt wrote:
Skip the plastic limes. ________ (name not known) makes a bottled key lime juce that's unsweetened and easily located in most grocers. Or you can do as Vic did in ye days of olde and squeeze ahead (he claimed they had a guy whose only job was squeezing fresh juice). For a party just squeeze up a whole lotta juice. For yourself you can keep it in the fridge for...Do some testing and see how long it keeps (something of a personal preference as it's certain flavor notes that diminish first). Or make premeasured frozen juice cubes (say a 3 T cube). Double bagged and kept in a clean smelling freezer you'll be fine for...(again, personal, as long as it doesn't taste like salmon) and it's a lot better than bottled.

We planted 4 fruit trees in our backyard a few years ago (lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit) to provide us with an organic, inexpensive, convenient and endless supply.

Favorites besides our default drink the Mai Tai Pieces of Eight is really refreshing and since I love Pina Colada the Aurora Bora Borealis is fun! Trader Vic Grog Rocks! and my other fav classic is the Hurricane but these is just this weeks pics...

Test Pilot:

Shrunken Skull:

Mango Cooler:

Eastern Sour:

Thanks for sharing these great pictures, everything looks delicious.

Glad you're enjoying looking at them. I know I'm enjoying drinking them!

Ancient Mariner

Chief Lapu Lapu

I have to say, that Eastern Sour is one hell of a cool presentation you got there!!! A tip of the Mai Tai to you Mr. Bali Hai

On 2008-12-08 14:05, Digitiki wrote:
I have to say, that Eastern Sour is one hell of a cool presentation you got there!!! A tip of the Mai Tai to you Mr. Bali Hai

Mahalo! I was going for a kind of a pagoda look with the garnish. It's a damn fine drink too.

Astro Aku Aku (pg 17):

Hell in the Pacific

It's close. I'm a big fan of the Noa Noa and Waikikian, but my heart still belongs to the Mai Tai!

On 2009-03-28 16:38, Skinny Dog wrote:
Hell in the Pacific

This photo is mine, by the way. I have no idea how I wound up getting logged in as Skinny Dog. Must be bad Mana lurking in the Tiki Central UI.

Nui Nui!

On 2009-04-02 12:32, Chip and Andy wrote:
Nui Nui!

More bad Mana. That's from Sippin' Safari, not the Grog Log!

Great pictures Mr. Bali Hai!!

One for the road before we head off to the Hukilau!

Trader Vic's Fog Cutter

On 2008-12-04 04:37, MrBaliHai wrote:
Glad you're enjoying looking at them. I know I'm enjoying drinking them!

These are BEAUTIFUL drinks, but one question:

On the ancient Mariner, how did you get it to shine like that?
I mean, what kind of light is behind it?
Mahalo!

-Rosered

On 2009-06-09 17:14, RoseRed wrote:
These are BEAUTIFUL drinks, but one question:

On the ancient Mariner, how did you get it to shine like that?
I mean, what kind of light is behind it?

I used an orange christmas-tree bulb.

I have made this 3 nights in a row, it is yummy.

Astro Aku Aku

1 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. papaya nectar
1/2 oz. apricot nectar
3/4 oz. sugar syrup. ( I used 1/2 oz.)
Dash Angostura bitters
1 oz. 151 Demerara rum. ( I used Dark Myers)
1 1/2 oz. gold Puerto Rican rum. ( I used Mount Gay Rum)

Blend everything with 1/2 cup crushed ice. Pour into 16 oz. Easter Island mug ( I used mai tai glass, I put mint in the drink while I blend it.) filled with ice cubes. or large snifter filled with ice cubes.

On 2009-07-28 20:36, hiltiki wrote:
I have made this 3 nights in a row, it is yummy.

Astro Aku Aku

One of my faves. I learned not to drink two of them back-to-back, unless I wanted to spend the rest of the night passed out on the couch...:wink:

This is also one of my faves, but subbing "Dark Myers" for LH 151 and Mount Gay for gold Puerto Rican's gotta noticeably change the taste.