Recipe: Trader Vic's White Witch

Hi all,

Been experimenting with a T.V. drink called the White Witch. (Page 189 of the Revised Bartender's Guide from '72).
Kinda an odd mix that I'm trying to get my head (and taste buds) wrapped around.

1/2 of one lime squeezed over a sling glass (12 oz) that's filled with ice
ADD
1/2 oz white creme de cacao (I only had the darker version, but assume flavor is the same)
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 oz white jamaican rum

Fill with Club soda.

Stir. Add sugar crusted mint sprig. Serve

Anyone else experiment with this one? I like the slightly odd flavor -- a sort of slight chocolate/orange flavor mixed with the lightness of the club soda.

Thoughts?

~glen

Ok, so I've now tried making this drink twice -- once last night and once tonight (just finished tonight's version).

I used a smaller frosted chimney glass this time, maybe 8 to 10 oz in size (to cut down on the amount of club soda). The flavors definitely worked better. Also, I have to say that this drink (like most TV drinks) is designed to taste good at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. The last few sips of this drink were excellent, as were the middle sips. The front end is tougher, because you have to get past the creme de cacao / cointreau combo.

Not bad though. I try to give TV drinks a few go rounds before deciding if it's good or not. I figure if he was selling them, they must have made someone happy.

glen

Indeed a very interesting recipe.

It always seems that some of the best drinks take a while to get used to, am I wrong?

Orange and chocolate are a classic combo.You could try subbing different versions of each to suit your taste?

Also try adjusting lime juice. Tried this with Godiva choc liquor and it worked well too. Tough to balance though.

Tough to balance is right! I've been working on a drink similar for this for a little while now. The lime was supressing a lot of the flavors, but if you cut the lime too much, then it's too sweet, and the Godiva liqueur can lend a "chemically" taste to it that's just too overpowering but strangely not chocolatey at all. In fact, my last batch tasted like ass, so it's back to the drawing board.

Try Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau, and see what happens.

Like Haole says....

But then again, Vic might be rolling in his grave if we screw with his master recipe's.
Oops, sorry, too late!

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the tips. Now with the weekend here, I've got a bit more time to experiment! First on the list is to see if I can find actual white creme de cacao. Then I'll try a few of the suggestions here.

Wish me luck, and I'll be in touch.

glen

On 2007-08-01 09:22, Haole'akamai wrote:
Orange and chocolate are a classic combo.You could try subbing different versions of each to suit your taste?

Good point. I will....

And Unga Bunga's suggestion of Grand Marnier might be a good place to start!

~glen

Delicious Recipe!! And a very cool name too.

So far I'm not thrilled with this recipe.. it tastes (at least in my initial attempt) like one of those chocolate oranges you smack on the table to break into slices, but soaked in seltzer.

I'll play with quantities and glass sizes.. but I wasn't particularly impressed.