test pilot crash and burn

Howdy y'all. New dude here....I just poured myself a Test Pilot with Velvet Falernum and used Bacardi (I know, I know) light and some Appleton Estate. I used my kid's Tylenol medicine dropper that reads down to less than a 1/4 tsp for the Pernod and used fresh squeezed key limes. Dear Mother Mary of God! Bitter. I have seen that some of you love the Test Pilot. What went wrong with my first flight? I dumped in 2 tsp of simple syrup and things flew better. Do I really need to hunt down Fees? I would like to skip the trial and error before I fall on the floor. Any tricks would be highly appreciated.

Welcome to Tiki Central, and welcome to the fun that is the Grog Log......

Two things are working against you: The first is the Bacardi. Nothing wrong with it, but it doesn't have any life to it. It is flat and boring and just kind of sits there in the drink.

Second, keylime is a bit sharp (not sure how to better describe it) for this drink. Try it again with regular limes and see if that helps.

Thanks for the idea, though-- The 'crash and burn variation' on the Test Pilot--a little 151 in the lime shell and add fire. fire! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!

Ahhh....that was it! I was working off of a recipe for a singapore sling that recommended key limes and assumed they would work in the test pilot. Engine failure!!! Thank you and mahalo for flying Test Pilot Airlines! My second one involved a burning lime shell. Now my kids want flaming drinks. Uh oh. I can now rest easy knowing my grandkids will inherit the bottle of Pernod. 1 teaspoon down....151 to go.

Thanks again.

On 2007-04-21 17:34, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
.... I can now rest easy knowing my grandkids will inherit the bottle of Pernod. 1 teaspoon down....151 to go.

Thanks again.

You will be surprised at the Pernod and all of the yummy things it goes into. I thought I would have the bottle until I am old and grey, but in less than a year I have gone through a bit more than half of a 750ml.

Of course I drink.

Lots.

Back to the bar!

well, I don't consider it "drinking a lot." It's more like research and development. Sometimes R&D requires several bottles of rum. The price you pay for the science of the art. Anyhow....what are your favorites for the Pernod?

TEST PILOT!!!!!

Had one on Donn Beach's birthday this past year.
Zowie. As beautifully bitter as I remember.

If you love a bitter drink it means you have a sweet soul.
Which would explain why Swanky is "goth" to the 453rd power.

:wink:

Phooey. The Test Pilot is not as bitter as many of the drinks I have tried. One "trick" for making the Test Pilot is to double the recipe. I almost always do anyway to sample with the wahine. But, if you make two or four of any recipe, A) the accuracy you need to make it really work, goes more and more in your favor, and B) the measurements are a lot easier to get right. Easier to do an ounce than a half or an ouce rather than a 1/4 ounce, etc. Especially with a drink like the T.P. that requires a tiny amount of a very strong ingredient.

So, as Chip says, use the regualr Persian limes, and double the recipe or, if you have guests, quadruple it. Or if you have Andy or Pablus over, quadruple it... Life will be better and easier that way.

On 2007-04-22 11:52, pablus wrote:
TEST PILOT!!!!!

Yeah... what he said. Can't find anything wrong with it. Move away from the Bacardi, be careful with the Pernod and life will be good.

Oyster forks anyone?

You guys rule. It IS about cocktail hour and I better burn through this Bacardi soon. Now, here it is...another question. A friend is sneaking into Cuba and I have begged for a few "souvenirs" made from fermented cane sugar. Will it work better? Or what is the preferred PR light rum? Have any of y'all tried the rum made here on the left coast (Rogue Brewery, I believe, makes some rum)? Oh, the agony of perfection. BTW, my neighbors are now trained to walk by the house around 5:30. They can hear the shaker. I need neighbors with oyster forks.

[ Edited by: jingleheimerschmidt 2007-04-22 17:29 ]

A super great rum isn't going to amke this drink way better, but a bad rum, will make it worse. Any non-Bacardi white will improve it.

On 2007-04-22 09:15, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
.... It's more like research and development. Sometimes R&D requires several bottles of rum. The price you pay for the science of the art......

Ahhhh, the first step to becoming a Lush.

I don't mean an alcoholic, because they go to meetings.

Now!

Back the the bar! I mean LAB!

To the Lab! The lab for research....

wheres my monkey?

and what did he do with my limes?

Pernod is liberally bashed as the "blehhhch! x-factor" ingredient in cocktails because of its strong licorice flavor. It is definitely an acquired taste, but is absolutely great for cooking! It's almost mandatory in Oysters Rockefeller and is really great with mussels too. If you like shellfish, I'll bet that bottle will be gone in no time!

On 2007-04-22 18:57, Swanky wrote:
Any non-Bacardi white will improve it.

Careful with that word 'any' Tim!

I'm thinking of Castillo, and not liking that thought...

On 2007-04-23 11:03, tikibars wrote:

On 2007-04-22 18:57, Swanky wrote:
Any non-Bacardi white will improve it.

Careful with that word 'any' Tim!

I'm thinking of Castillo, and not liking that thought...

Castillo...oh the college days.

Appleton White, Matusalem White, or Havana Club White. They're all good. Club is from Cuba so harder to get.

Pernod has grown on me. Try it (or the native Herbsaint) in a Sazerac Cocktail. Not quite Tiki, but lucious. Also, other Pernod drinks:

Death In The Afternoon
Red Witch

I'm enjoying a nice Pernod on the rocks out on my deck in the warm sunshine. I have a hard time understanding how it's gotten such a bad rap. Of course, I like that really salty Finnish licorice too, so maybe that explains my fondness for it.

There's a nice article over at The Spirit World on Pernod cocktails.

I agree, the Pernod is nice, on the rocks, with a bit o' water and sugar cube. I tend to like all of the anise/licorice liquors. The salty Finnish licorice however tastes like ammonia. Once the bank account recovers from the demerara impact of last week, I will experiment with the sazerac cocktail. So many good ideas and advice here. Almost time for cocktail hour. Thanks you all.

On 2007-04-29 11:15, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
Thanks you all.

For what? Encouraging you to wipe out your bank account? Some friends we are...

But yup, a home bar is like a boat. You buy one and start pouring all your money into it.

Pretty funny, GatorRob! Friends,indeed! Interesting that you mention the fact that a bar is like a boat...This summer's tentative plan involves cutting up an old wooden dinghy (currently a black widow farm) for incorporation into the outdoor bar / BBQ pit. I will add a small table in between the seating planks and , voila!, ambiance via redneck ingenuity.

look at all the old familiar tiki nerds on this old thread!

heh.

now seriously-- i made a test pilot tonight-- anybody else notice how it tastes like an alacoholic Sarsi??

masarap!

Bring in the defibrillator! We can make this thread live again! Soooo...what's Sarsi?

It's the "Faygo of Taiwan"!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarsi_(drink)