Substituting Trader Vic's Batter for Donn's Coffee Grog Batter

I hate to start a new topic, but as readers of Safari have no doubt learned, a few of the drinks require that the drinker make Donn's Coffee Batter. Here's my question, has anyone learned whether using Trader Vic's readily available coffee batter works as a substitute? Donn's batter (pg 15) requires you to make a cinnamon infuse sugar syrup, a vanilla syrup and have pimento on hand. The Peal Diver recipe in the book requires only 1/2 ounce of this batter. So far I've made my batter for the drink by using 1/4 ounce of butter, 1/4 ounce of honey, an 1/8 teaspoon of sugar syrup with a sprinkle of cinnamon and no pimento liqueur. I heat the batter in the microwave and stir. It's quick and my Pearl Diver taste really great. ( I make no adjustments to the remainder of the recipe) However, if the TV batter is even close, it would allow me to make my drink so much faster as well as allowing me to move forward with the Coffee Grog recipe listed on page 15. I suspect making some of the drinks in Safari will be more in reach if TV's batter is a go. Is Trader Vic's Coffee Grog Batter a good product and does it fit in with the Beachcomber's idea of what a coffee grog batter should be?

By the way, the Pearl Diver really is a great drink. I think I hear my microwave and blender calling me back for a second round.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2007-07-23 11:38 ]

[ Edited by: telescopes 2007-07-23 13:25 ]

Okay, I realized I forgot to add the essence of vanilla in my instant batter, so I want back and amended the batter as follows:

1 ounce of butter
1 ounce of honey
1 teaspoon of simple syrup
1 dash of vanilla
1 sprinkle or 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon
1 crushed clove of allspice

I heated, stirred, put in a sealed container and shook like hell. The final product was absolutely delicious. I should be able to get 4 pearl divers out of this "instant mix". The essences of everything listed in the Donn the Beachcomber Coffee Grog Batter seem to be there. Now, I need to get to Jenson's and buy some Trader Vic's Coffee Grog Batter and compare the two taste.

Again, my rationale for having a ready made mix at hand is that the recipe Berry give requires five main sub mixes: Honey, butter, cinnamon-infused syrup, vanilla syrup, and pimento liqueur. That's a lot of work for a drink before you even begin the work of making the drink.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2007-07-23 20:08 ]

Considering the fortune that I've spent keeping my bar stocked, any ideas or solutions that will help me keep cost down are more than appreciated.

Beachbum Berry responded to my request about using the above substitutions for making the coffee grog batter. He wrote:

"As long as you can taste all the "notes" of cinnamon, allspice and vanilla, I don't see any reason why you couldn't sub your mix. (The simple syrup and vanilla extract should do the trick for the vanilla syrup; if you're not tasting the cinnamon and allspice, just add more...) "

Guess what? From what it seems to be doing the trick because these Pearl Diver's are rocking!

Thanks so much Beachbum

Doc

I didn't even know TV made a coffee grog batter. I'll have to get myself some of that. If you are brave enough to try it in a pearl diver, let us know how it turns out.

You can find it on the TV website listed as follows:
Quote:
Cold Weather Drinks

HOT BUTTERED RUM Batter 10 OZ

Baby, it's cold outside! - But not when you're sipping a soul-warming cold-weather beverage made with Trader Vic's classic Hot Buttered Rum Batter. For a traditional taste, try it with Rum; for hearth-warming alternatives, with Bourbon or Brandy. Made with fresh creamery butter, and the earth's best brown cane-sugar and spices.
End Quote
Right now I am making my own using a modified Bum recipe. I'll get some TV Hot Buttered Rum batter this week-end and compare it.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2007-07-26 17:33 ]

On 2007-07-26 17:32, telescopes wrote:

HOT BUTTERED RUM Batter 10 OZ

Oh. Didn't realize you could use that for coffee grog. Didn't see it on the package-- I actually bought some a few months ago.
The only coffee grog recipes I've ever found were the old style ones that call for a bit of orange rind and all sorts of other odd little things.
Thanks for the tip! I'll have to give the rum batter a try! That and start reading packages a little more thoroughly. :)