Shrunken Skull

This is a unique drink, from the Mai-Kai. Anyone got the recipe? Got Skull?

This is in either Grog Log or Exotica. I think it had about 4 ingredients...something like

1 oz lime juice
1 oz grenadine
2 oz - some rum -

Its good, and fairly quick to make.

Thanks, Dem; I remember the grenadine, and also the cinnamon stick garnish/straw. I remember it was very tasty. That's about all I remember.

Shrunken Skull:

Grog Log, Pg. 75

I just made a couple of "Shrunken Skulls" . . . or was it a few "Shrunken Skulls" . . . I'm not sure - I lost count.
Gonna take a nap now!

I have done some research, and the 4-ingredient skull lacks something that the Mai-Kai one has. I remember the cinnamon stick, and possibly a few drops of bitters added body to the flavor, as did a splash of grapefruit, as suggested by Bargoyle. I think we're onto something here. This research is grueling and difficult, but oh, so gratifying!

The 4 ingredient Skull was working pretty well when I had company over and we were going through them like Sherman went through Atlanta. Having only 4 ingredients helped when making them over and over. That page in my Grog Log is pretty splattered.

I will get to the Mai Kai someday, and I'll try their version.

I was at Pablus's house yesterday, got a look at his Grog Log, and looked up the Shrunken Skull. It actually calls for one oz. of Puerto Rican rum, and one of Demerara rum. Not sure how much effect that would have on the taste, but it must be some. What is the difference between Demerara rum and other rums?

[ Edited by: The Mayor Of Exotica 2007-05-14 06:19 ]

Demerara rums come from the Demerara region of Guyana, just to the north of Brazil, along the Demerara river. Popular brands of rum from the region include Lemon Hart and El Dorado. Lemon Hart, though difficult to find, is essential for a properly stocked tiki bar. Pablus didn't explain all this when you were there? :D

The Mai Kai's original master mixologist, Mariano Licudine was Don the Beachcomber trained. It is BK's belief, and I concur, that his secret ingredient is often Licor 43. Many of the Mai Kai recipes are slight changes on the originals, and often, that special taste is Licor 43. I never tried their version however. I will maybe see in June...

On 2007-05-14 06:18, The Mayor Of Exotica wrote:
I was at Pablus's house yesterday, got a look at his Grog Log, and looked up the Shrunken Skull. It actually calls for one oz. of Puerto Rican rum, and one of Demerara rum. Not sure how much effect that would have on the taste, but it must be some. What is the difference between Demerara rum and other rums?

What Gator said. To add to it, Demerara rum often has a smokey, leathery, chewy flavor. This is what endears it to me.

On 2007-05-16 13:13, DemeraraDrinker wrote:
What Gator said. To add to it, Demerara rum often has a smokey, leathery, chewy flavor. This is what endears it to me.

Please, it's Rob, between friends. "Gator" is so formal-like. (Or completely dorkish and hick-like.)

Chewy?

On 2007-05-16 10:37, Swanky wrote:
The Mai Kai's original master mixologist, Mariano Licudine was Don the Beachcomber trained. It is BK's belief, and I concur, that his secret ingredient is often Licor 43. Many of the Mai Kai recipes are slight changes on the originals, and often, that special taste is Licor 43. I never tried their version however. I will maybe see in June...

Ahh, Licor 43; so named for the fact that it is composed of 43 different ingredients. I use it in a coffee drink I learned to make in Tenerife.

Thanks, Swanky, that's probably exactly what I was looking for!

What Gator said. To add to it, Demerara rum often has a smokey, leathery, chewy flavor. This is what endears it to me.

Thanks for the info! It's great to have access to such well-informed connoisseurs. And that's a description I can taste!

Please, it's Rob, between friends. "Gator" is so formal-like. (Or completely dorkish and hick-like.)

Chewy?

Hmmm, should have said its chewy, not the flavor is chewy. Chewy as in there is a lot of body and richness there, a lot to grab ahold of.

Ahh, Licor 43; so named for the fact that it is composed of 43 different ingredients. I use it in a coffee drink I learned to make in Tenerife.

Thanks, Swanky, that's probably exactly what I was looking for!

Yeah, the Bum has a thing for this stuff, too. Its in some of his recipes, especially his original recipes. I just picked up Alize--I guess 43 is on the list now.

I tried a Skull with Key Lime Juice and Licor 43, and I think I pretty much hit it! Very flavorful, very tangy! Unfortunately, the rum was not up to the task, but with those ingredients, and some imagination, I could see how the Demerrara rum would be an integral part of the flavor.

Well, the Professah and I have been continuing the research, and surveys show the cinnamon sticks are the key. We have downed several tasty skulls, and the effect a whole cinnamon stick has on the flavor brings it to a new level.

Does anyone have any recommendations about the brand of Grenadine?

I would recommend Stirrings Authentic Grenadine.

http://www.stirrings.com/ingredientsgrenadine.php

About $5-$6 a bottle. Not as sweet as Rose's and not as neon red/fake tasting.

On 2007-05-21 06:22, The Mayor Of Exotica wrote:
I tried a Skull with Key Lime Juice and Licor 43, and I think I pretty much hit it! Very flavorful, very tangy! Unfortunately, the rum was not up to the task, but with those ingredients, and some imagination, I could see how the Demerrara rum would be an integral part of the flavor.

If you don't mind....what is your recipe for the skull? Or more precisely, how much Licor 43 did you use?
Thanks!

You know, it was not more than an ounce of 43. I may have used less. Can't remember for sure.

I have made it since without the 43, and as long as there's a cinnamon stick in it, you can't go wrong. I haven't even used Demerrara Rum yet either; I can just imagine that will only bring it up to par.

Where did the Licor 43 & cinnamon stick come from? My Grog Log recipe for the Shrunken Skull has neither. Is this another example of an establishment's "version" of an established drink?

On 2007-06-07 02:35, GentleHangman wrote:
Where did the Licor 43 & cinnamon stick come from? My Grog Log recipe for the Shrunken Skull has neither. Is this another example of an establishment's "version" of an established drink?

Swanky suggested the Licor 43. The Mai Kai serves its Skulls with cinnamon sticks. Thus, the cinnamon stick is a crucial part of the drink. The problem is finding cinnamon sticks long enough to stick out of the top of the Shrunken Skull mug. Here in Boston we bought a half dozen sticks from the spices aisle at the supermarket, but their sticks are about 1.5" too short to reach the top of the mug, let alone 'stick' above the mug's rim as they do at the Mai Kai.

This raises the question:

What are your favorite brands/suppliers of cinnamon sticks?

Ok. I checked back to the beginning of this thread - I guess the discussion is about the Mai-Kai's version of the Shrunken Skull rather than the original. My mistake.
I guess the Bum is going to bring up Licor 43 in his new book 'cause I can't find any mention of it in the Grog Log or Intoxica - then again, maybe I'm just having a "Senior Moment".:D

On 2007-06-06 12:25, The Mayor Of Exotica wrote:
You know, it was not more than an ounce of 43. I may have used less. Can't remember for sure.

I have made it since without the 43, and as long as there's a cinnamon stick in it, you can't go wrong. I haven't even used Demerara Rum yet either; I can just imagine that will only bring it up to par.

Well, I finally found a bottle of 43 hiding at the liquor store and put it to use. I don't know how I ignored the Skull for so long. It has quickly become the neighborhood favorite. I totally agree about the cinnamon stick's presence. Poor little guy just gets drowned.

However, I believe the 43 makes it a totally different drink...for the better I reckon First Skull, no Licor 43, second Skull 1 oz, third skull 3/4 oz, fourth skull 1/2 oz, fifth Skull 1/2 oz with Meyers.

For me, a heavy 1/2 oz of Licor 43 works. Not too sweet, not overpowering. Mmmmm. Oh, I was using Demerara, homemade grenadine, and the reg. ol' Persian limes. FWIW, the Licor 43 seems to mute the subtleties of the Demerara and you can probably sneak in "easier to find" rums upon the uninitiated. I just wish that there was a Mai Kai around here to get a real taste so I didn't have the guilt of bastardizing a drink recipe. Oh well. Back to the laboratory.

Tomorrow I will report to the laboratory for work--The Mai Kai! I'll report findings as they come in.

On 2007-06-07 08:04, professahhummingflowah wrote:

This raises the question:

What are your favorite brands/suppliers of cinnamon sticks?

I started looking online awhile back for l-o-n-g (12" – 16") cinnamon sticks and found several sources, but stalled when I ran into this one:

Ceylon Cinnamon vs. Cassia

I'd often wondered why sometimes cinnamon sticks were thin-barked and had a deep robust flavor while other times they were very hard, thick-barked and not that flavorful.

After visiting the Ceylon-Cinnamon site I began to understand some things about so-called "true" cinnamon (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) and all the rest, which is cassia (Cinnamomum Cassia). Ceylon-Cinnamon.com, obviously, wants everyone to buy their stuff, so they are a bit condescending toward cassia.

But for use in Tiki drinks, cassia seems to be the best bet. If you want the best quality of flavor and nutrition of the cinnamon (a must if you're cooking anything with a high concentration of cinnamon in it) you'll want Ceylon cinnamon. Both Ceylon and Cassia contain a toxin called coumarin. Cassia contains fairly high levels of couramin whereas Ceylon does not. If you just sprinkle cinnamon on things, then it doesn't matter which type you use (except for flavor considerations), but if you use lots of it in your recipes, Ceylon is definitely the way to go. I think most of the "cinnamon" we find in stores, whether in stick form or ground, is really cassia.

Ceylon cinnamon is very delicate and it's quills (sticks) break very easily, so they don't make very good Tiki swizzle sticks. Plus, I don't know where you can get Ceylon in quills longer than 5".

I have yet to buy anything from these places. Just did the research.

The Spice Barn sells 16" cassia, but I think the place that I'd try first would be The Spice House.

The Spice House has:

Whole Stick Indonesian Cassia Cinnamon 12"
Whole Soft Stick and Ground Ceylon "True" Cinnamon
Vietnamese Cassia "Saigon" Cinnamon
Korintje Cassia Cinnamon
China Tung Hing Cassia Cinnamon and
Cassia Buds

Locally we are able to get Badia brand cinnamon sticks in the "Ethnic" section of the stupidmarket. They are 5" long and their diameter varies. If I need them to be slightly longer to protrude over the top of the mug I just jam a toothpick in the bottom of the cinnamon stick for the desired effect.

I plan on making a few this week-end using Appleton Special in place of the gold Puerto Rican , Whatever Demerara rum I can find, Licor 43, home-made grenadine & key lime juice and a cinnamon stick. Looking forward to comparing it with the Grog Log original

I had a skull tonight at the Mai Kai and I didn't catch any Licor 43 in there.
Of course, I had a few other things as well so.... there you go.

Ok, so I'm going to have to postpone my tasting of a Shrunken Skull with Licor 43 and a Cinnamon stick until my shipment of Demerara Rum arrives. Not a single Liquor Store In my area (I tried six . . . count 'em! Six!) with no luck. In fact, when I inquired about Demerara Rum, I could literally see their eyes glaze over . . . they had no clue what I was talking about! Oh well, I ordered two bottles of El Dorado 12 year old on the net - should be here in time for next weekend.

I bet you feel more like you do now now than you did when you came in.

GH

[ Edited by: GentleHangman 2007-06-17 02:30 ]

The report from the field is that the Mai Kai puts a special 151 in the Skulls. We got a tour of the back bar, where all the serious mixing happens, and it is a veritable museum of rum back there! There are rums from the 40's on in there, lots of very special stuff like pre-Castro Bacardi, Partagas, old Lemon Hart, all kinds of stuff. We got on that tour, which included the entire kitchen, including the Mongolian oven, and the service bar, due to the fortuitous coincidence of our being there at the same time as Beach Bum Berry and Ron Licudine. Ron is the son of Mariano Licudine, the first #1 bartender of the Mai Kai, who was there for many many years. Ron had not been in the back part of the restaurant for a good many years, and it brought back lots and lots of memories. All in all, in combination with Beach Bum Berry's seminar, a most amazing experience.

It was good to have a test run at the Mai Kai.

Perhaps a little more research is in order.

[ Edited by: pablus 2007-06-18 04:10 ]

Can't wait to get back to the home laboratory and examine the data, extrapolate, analyze, reverse engineer, and all that. Lots of work still to do! But a lot was learned from Kern at the Mai Kai, and Ron Licudine, and of course, Beach Bum Berry.

On 2007-06-17 20:02, The Mayor Of Exotica wrote:
The report from the field is that the Mai Kai puts a special 151 in the Skulls. We got a tour of the back bar, where all the serious mixing happens, and it is a veritable museum of rum back there! There are rums from the 40's on in there, lots of very special stuff like pre-Castro Bacardi, Partagas, old Lemon Hart, all kinds of stuff. We got on that tour, which included the entire kitchen, including the Mongolian oven, and the service bar, due to the fortuitous coincidence of our being there at the same time as Beach Bum Berry and Ron Licudine. Ron is the son of Mariano Licudine, the first #1 bartender of the Mai Kai, who was there for many many years. Ron had not been in the back part of the restaurant for a good many years, and it brought back lots and lots of memories. All in all, in combination with Beach Bum Berry's seminar, a most amazing experience.

Okay, now I have to say that I am entirely jealous! Wow. What an experience to be granted a tour of the secret back bar! How exciting.

--Suzanne

OK, let's see if I've got this straight: The Mai Kai's "Skull" (or do they actually call it a "Shrunken Skull?) consists of Gold Rum, Demerara Rum, Licor 43, grenadine, lime juice, a cinnamon stick AND 151 Rum? Or does the 151 replace one of the other rums?

I don't think they put any 43 in there after all. It's just two rums, grenadine, lime, and the cinnamon stick.

Well then....no Licor 43?!! What other rum would have such a spicy overtone? and a 151 at that? Anyhow, the addition of 43 makes a tasty drink. A new drink name perhaps?

Using Appleton Special in place of the Puerto Rican Gold along with El Dorado 12-year-old demerara,cutting back the grenadine to only .5 oz and adding .5 oz of Licor 43 fresh lime AND the cinnamon stick .. . still a pretty (almost overly) sweet drink. And the cinnamon stick? Adds absolutely nothing in the way of flavor to the drink as far as I could tell! I Made it with and without - no difference.
I'm going to try it next omitting the grenadine all together and going with just the Licor 43 and the rest of it. But then again . . . it won't be a Shrunken Skull then, would it?

Mr. Hangman:
What type of grenadine are you using? I made my own so it isn't just red sugar syrup. Licor 43 is pretty darn sweet. Try using a wispy tablespoon full. I found that most of my measurement devices are off and I often resort to Tbsp/tsp. Since we are venturing of course now from the original recipe, do what tastes good. Oh...the cinnamon. If it's real cinnamon, you won't really taste it. If it's cassia, you should (there's a thread in here somewhere). Too much Licor 43 will cover the cinn. stick, too. I usually get the flavor towards the end of the drink as it has had time to soak (and I've had time to soak). Hope this helps.

For grenadine, I use Monin's and the cinnamon is Baida's "Cinnamon Sticks" and are about 5" long. And you're correct . . . you only get a 'hint' of the cinnamon at the very end of the drink.
I'm going to try your suggestion and use a scant TBS of the 43 and I think I may do the same with the grenadine . . that just may be the right balance.

I finally found some Bacardi Select, which is reputed to have a similar smokey, chewey flavor to Lemon Hart. Having made some with Gosling's Black, at a party at Mr. Ho's over the 4th, this is definately superior. As referenced in the Lemon Hart Crisis thread, the aforementioned rum is difficult to come by, and I have even found this one, the Bacardi Superior, to be elusive. Worth the wait though!

Here's my version put together last night and it was good:
1oz Demerara Rum
1oz Golden Rum
1/2oz Goslings 151 Rum
1/4oz Grenadine
1/4oz Velvet Falernum
1/4oz Liqor 43
1oz Fresh Lime Juice

Try it, you'll like.

I think I'll call it the Shrunken man

My wife and I were at the Mai Kai over the Thanksgiving holiday. We ordered quite a few shrunken skulls. The waitress poured an additional clear shot into each one tableside. I am assuming it is some type of overproof rum.

After much research, we have put our heads together rendered our opinion on the Shrunken Skull as part of our Mai-Kai Cocktail guide.

We discovered several key elements:

• Cinnamon syrup. The Mai-Kai's version definitely features a healthy dose.
• A very strong pomegranate grenadine is a must. This is the dominant flavor and needs to shine through.
• The rums appear to be a nice premium gold and a 151 floater. We suspect The Mai-Kai uses Bacardi, believe it or not, but that's open to debate.

Click below for our recipe. Our blog report also includes a detailed history of the custom mug used by The Mai-Kai. Check it out here:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/08/10/mai-kai-cocktail-review-drink-like-a-native-with-the-shrunken-skull/

Follow our progress as we take on one classic drink per week through next June and post photos, history and recipes.
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/mai-kai-cocktail-guide/

Can't wait to try this Shrunken Skull at home. You guys are doing the Lord's work, keep it up!

Lots of new info on the Shrunken Skull since I first posted the review and tribute recipe. Click here for the latest updates ...
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/08/10/mai-kai-cocktail-review-drink-like-a-native-with-the-shrunken-skull/

Made the Grog Log/Remixed version of the Shrunken Skull the other night and didn't care too much for it. Used homemade grenadine that was equal parts Pom juice and sugar with a couple drops of orange blossom water added and Hamilton Demerara and Flor de Cana gold for my rums. The grenadine and lime seemed to have completely overpowered the rums which didn't come through at all. So then tried the Atomic Grog version which only adds 1/2 oz cinnamon syrup (homemade per Berry's recommendation) and LH151 in place of the 86 proof Hamilton. Boy what a difference. After a few pulse blends I stirred in the shot of 151 with a cinnamon stick and every sip unleashed more and more flavor. This is definitely one I will be playing with some more in the future, maybe replacing the Flor de Cana with something a little more interesting.