In search of: Black Magic!

Does anyone have a good (mai-kai-like?) Black Magic recipe that they'd be willing to share with me? I've been searching for a while, and I only have found the black-russin-like black magic. Not the delicious one like at the Mai Kai.

Thanks in advance!

GAP

You know who you need to talk to... He made it for us once before...

I have asked if I can share his recipes through the Grogalizer and he has remained strangely silent on the matter...

Yeah, I PM'd him last week and have heard nothing. I also noticed he hasn't posted here in a while... (6 days). hmmm.

Hey by the way! Thanks for the Grogalizer - its the first time I've seen that! Very handy indeed!

[ Edited by: tikigap 2007-01-11 13:47 ]

Keep in mind that some things take a lot of time, effort and (often) money to acquire. Some people are willing to give those treasures away while others prefer to hold it close to the vest for their own personal reasons. Maybe it's best not to begrudge their decision either way.

And just remember that when we get to heaven, we'll all find out what's in a Black Magic! :) But is there a well stocked tiki bar in heaven? Hmmmm...

Heaven is a well-stocked tiki bar! I'm hopeing to go to the Mai Kai when I pass on.

On 2007-01-12 11:03, PiPhiRho wrote:
Heaven is a well-stocked tiki bar! I'm hopeing to go to the Mai Kai when I pass on.

Mai Kai Circa 1966, yes.

On 2007-01-12 11:03, PiPhiRho wrote:
I'm hopeing to go to the Mai Kai when I pass on.

If you wait that long, you'll miss happy hour. :(

Did anyone ever figure this one out? It's my favorite at the Mai Kai.

Black Magic I don't have.

However, you might like to try my "Dark Magic," currently on the menu at Thatch, here in Portland:

Dark Magic

1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz coffee syrup
1/4 oz passion fruit syrup
1/4 oz vanilla syrup
2 oz Coruba
dash bitters
eight drops Herbsaint (pernod if you must)

Shake with 6oz crushed ice and pour into Hurricane glass or Snifter, garnish w/ mint and lime wheel(s).

(you can also pulse in 5-6 one second burst in a blender with 6oz ice)

Hi Craig,

Can you recommend a coffee syrup or a link to a recipe? The Dark Magic sounds delish!

Thank you!

Chris

I have found no good coffee syrups on the market.
Here's my coffee syrup recipe (I make about 1/2 gallon at a time):

Brew a half-pot of good medium-roast, high body coffee using a full pot's worth of fresh ground beans.
4 cups strong coffee
8 cups sugar
Add the sugar to the hot coffee in a saucepot. Bring to a boil and let bubble for 15 seconds, remove from heat and stir.

TL;DR version: 2 sugar : 1 strong coffee

p.s. if you make the coffee the day before, all the better. The top notes that disappear when coffee goes sitting aren't wanted in this syrup, just those lovely dark, rich 'bottom' bass notes.

p.p.s this is also a great use for that coffee you make in the morning and you have to toss when you get home from work :wink:

Craig 'Melintur' Hermann
Colonel Tiki's Drinks
TIKI KON 2010: Atomic Tiki : July 30 - Aug 1 : Portland, OR

[ Edited by: Melintur 2010-05-11 14:00 ]

Thank you!!!

Chris

Melintur is required to bring Dark Magic premixed in quart sized Mason jars to all of our parties, ideally there should be one I can hide for future use! This is a huge favorite around these parts!

addendum:

High Falutin' version: Replace 2oz Coruba with (1oz Smith & Cross, 1oz El Dorado 8,12, or 15 year) -- Delish!

cmh

Well alrighty then! I just happen to have those ingredients and no Coruba!

Thanks!

Chris

Thanks...I'm going to give this a try when I get home. I have all the ingredients but the Herbsaint which I'll pick up after work. I have Pernod.

I'm not going to blend the coffee liquor into the mix however. I recall tasting the coffee liq. on the bottom, so I'll pour it in afterwards, or use a straw or something to shoot it down to the bottom.

Mahalo!

In addition to the Dark Magic, also try Jeff Berry's Kiliki Kooler, his tribute to the Mai-Kai's Black Magic and named after Tiki Kiliki. He first served it at the 2007 (if I recall right) Hukilau. Recipe is in his Remixed book.

Another option to coffee syrup is to make a coffee liqueur, which will also last a lot longer on the shelf.

Craig, you've changed your recipe considerably since I first saw it. My notes have Licor 43 for the vanilla, no pineapple juice, etc. I'll have to try your newer one.

On 2010-05-11 13:28, Melintur wrote:
Black Magic I don't have.

However, you might like to try my "Dark Magic," currently on the menu at Thatch, here in Portland:

Dark Magic

1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz coffee syrup
1/4 oz passion fruit syrup
1/4 oz vanilla syrup
2 oz Coruba
dash bitters
eight drops Herbsaint (pernod if you must)

Shake with 6oz crushed ice and pour into Hurricane glass or Snifter, garnish w/ mint and lime wheel(s).

(you can also pulse in 5-6 one second burst in a blender with 6oz ice)

BK's version:
3 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Hiram Walker Coffee Brandy
1/3 oz Lemon Juice
1 1/2 oz Myer's
1 oz Cuatrenta Y Tres
Lemon Zest garnish

GatorRob -- thanks, I'm going to check it out the recipe.
Swanky, I'm gonna try you're version as well.

I made the drink last night, I changed a few things, added more pineapple juice, used Vanilla Schnapps and tried it with Kraken spiced rum and Coruba. I was a bit heavy handed on with the Herbsaint, I've got to get a dropper...

Oh...I forgot I got that new Ninja Blender for Xmas -- it chopped up the ice like snow....

So I put the TV Kona Coffee Liq. on the bottom, added the snow ice and then poured the other ingredients in.

Snow ice is not ideal. It will melt rapidly, over-diluting your drink. You will be much better off with crushed ice, which are larger in size.

Also, of all the Black Magics I've had at the Mai-Kai, I don't believe I've ever seen one layered with the coffee liqueur on the bottom. You might like it that way though, but it seems to me your straw is going to hit nothing but coffee liqueur for the first few sips, that is if it will actually layer like that.

Gator, I tried mixing it a couple of ways:

Preference Order:

1. Coffee Liq. bottom, packed in the "snow ice" poured shaken ingredients slowly over --it worked.
2. Blended all together--it worked as well.
3. Coffee Liq. on bottom, slightly chopped ice, poured shaken ingredients over--work as well, but the coffee liq. did get mixed in a bit.
4. Coffee Liq. on bottom, cubed ice, poured shaken ingredients over -- didn't work so well as the coffee got really blended into the mixture, so it was equivalent to #2.

I like the "hit" of coffee you get from the staw. I made a couple of adjustments in quality of the ingredients. I made more last night...my boyfriend and I woke up in the middle of the night with dehydration cramps--next time we hydrate.

Mahalo!

On 2010-05-14 13:00, CheekyGirl wrote:
...my boyfriend and I woke up in the middle of the night with dehydration cramps--next time we hydrate.

Yeah, know what you mean..., I hate it when that happens! Need to make some concentrated electrolyte syrup, to add to drinks, on busy nights.

Gator,

Yeah, I was initially influenced by MaiKai's DM and by Jeff's Drink he made for TK at 2006 Hukilau.

In the past four years however, I've tinkered with it here and there more towards my own mixing aesthetic.

Specifically I've been really into the Lime/Pineapple/Coffee flavor combination.

I agree...I really like the subtle pop that the anise flavor adds...yummy!

Fresh from the Mai-Kai, I made "BK's Black Magic" Saturday night. I thought the notes were right, but some played too loud. The Mai-Kai drink is pretty subtle. So I re-jiggered his recipe and handed my version around the room to all people who had just had a Mai-Kai version a week ago. All agreed that I had it right.

I need to get out to the bar and double check what I wrote down. I am 99% sure I recall it. It is posted on The Grogalizer as "Swanky's Magic". Open the comments for the recipe.

I used Trader Tiki's cinnamon infused syrup. It is very strong.

Swanky,

I did a side-by-side comparison of "BK's Black Magic" and "Swanky's Magic" (Grogalizer rating and comments coming soon). Then I went down to the Mai-Kai for the real deal. The verdict? I have to give you guys props for a valiant effort but I'm afraid you're both missing some key elements. The first giveaway is the color: The inviting reddish hue of the original is nowhere to be found in the brownish drinks I made following your recipes.

To my tastebuds, BK comes the closest but I think it's way too heavy on the Cuatrenta Y Tres. I'd cut back on that. In both drinks, the use of the coffee brandy seems to be on the mark but I'm almost certain you're both missing another juice or rum or both. And it's highly likely the Mai-Kai is using an impossible-to-duplicate syrup or spice.

However, let me again compliment you both on the effort and I'm definitely keeping these recipes on file for those nights when I'm hankering for a Black Magic (or Mutiny or Hukilau) and I need the closest approximation.

On 2010-07-19 16:36, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
...And it's highly likely the Mai-Kai is using an impossible-to-duplicate syrup or spice.

Nope, not that impossible-to-duplicate. Its Don's #7.

Wish I had the Mai-Kai version in hand to dwell on and compare. We had a week to wait and try to match our memories instead.

So, for those hours and hours away from the Mai-Kai...

I am not sure about the Coffee Brandy myself. There is a syrupy sort of finish on to it that bothers me. One night I will experiment more...

Chip/Andy, you might be right but have the exact ingredients of Don's #7 been officialy documented?

Hey guys, I wouldn't worry too much about trying to replicate the Black Magic exactly. Leave a little magic for when you are actually IN the Mai-Kai! My personal preference is to find or concoct those flavors that invoke those Mai-Kai experiences. But of course, all my attempts fail unless I'm actually sitting in a dark Tiki bar. Thankfully, I do have one under roof, but again... if you visit Paris, you aren't likely to be able to recreate it at home, but hey, maybe a good baguette would bring back just enough of it til your next visit...

On 2010-07-23 11:00, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Chip/Andy, you might be right but have the exact ingredients of Don's #7 been officialy documented?

Exact? Or official? I don't think we'll ever have 'exact' and I don't know what the qualifications would be to call it official.

The primary flavors of Don's #7 are grapefruit and cinnamon. You can make your own, or Trader Tiki has made it even easier... http://www.tradertiki.com/store/dons-mix/ and his stuff is fantastic.

Bought a gallon of black magic to go on Thursday night and just enjoyed some on our tropical patio. We're going to taste test some versions while we still have some left.

I am near 100% sure there is cinnamon infused syrup in it. In fact, I am pretty sure there is a drop at least in about every drink at the Mai-Kai. This was Marianno's secret ingredient. How do I know this? Thanks to a friend who is near allergic to cinnamon! One sip and he knows instantly if cinnamon is in anything...

And it does make a great drink. Try it some time. Just put the slightest amount in there. Even when it is nearly inperceptible, it makes a drink pop.

Exact? Or official? I don't think we'll ever have 'exact' and I don't know what the qualifications would be to call it official.

The primary flavors of Don's #7 are grapefruit and cinnamon. You can make your own, or Trader Tiki has made it even easier... http://www.tradertiki.com/store/dons-mix/ and his stuff is fantastic.

Oh yes, I'm intimately familiar with the old grapefruit/cinnamon mix (first documented by Beachbum Berry in "Sippin' Safari," I believe). It seems to be more commonly referred to as simply "Don's Mix" so the reference to "#7" threw me for a loop. The Bum's research points toward a 2:1 ratio of grapefruit to cinnamon and this seems to work great in many classic recipes. Trader Tiki's product is a fine re-creation as well.

So back to the subject at hand, could this be part of the Black Magic recipe? My gut feeling is yes .... and no. It's certainly possible, and probably likely, that Mariano took many of Don's mixes and tweaked them to make them his own.

I do like GatorRob's point of view, though. It's much less frustrating to just sit back and enjoy the Mai-Kai drinks in the one and only place you really can and leave the recipes a mystery. I'm sure they will remain so anyway.

But I also understand that folks who live hundreds or thousands of miles away tend to get a bit stir crazy and need their fix. A faux Mai-Kai drink is better than none at all.

Hi Everyone,
I haven't had a Black Magic for about a year now, but I remember it tasting a lot like the Barrel of Rum with a pronounced coffee flavor and no honey. I have no recollection of the Black Magic containing pineapple juice, Pernod, or cinnamon syrup. Am I this far off? To my mind the two dominant flavors in the Black Magic are passion fruit and coffee. Any thoughts?

P.S. I am also wondering if Mai-Kai uses chilled coffee in any of their drinks or if instead they typically deploy coffee liquor, syrup, or brandy instead? I've tried adding chilled (good quality) coffee to the Barrel of Rum recipe and the results are quite nice.

On 2010-07-27 17:19, BH wrote:
I've tried adding chilled (good quality) coffee to the Barrel of Rum recipe and the results are quite nice.

BH, you might be onto something there. Legend has it that the Black Magic is a cross-pollination of the Barrel of Rum and The Mutiny, which has a heavier coffee taste than the Black Magic. This also plays into my theory that there are at least two, perhaps three or more rums in the Black Magic.

Pondering the Mai-Kai's big three coffee drinks (The Hukilau is the third), I've always wondered if they contain chilled coffee, brandy, liquor, syrup or some combination of the above that we'll never be able to figure out.

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2010-07-27 21:51 ]

OK, I was finally able to get my hands on some Coruba and I didn't waste any time making a Dark Magic. Wow, kudos to Melintur. It's not quite up there in coffee drink heaven with the Bum's Krakatoa but it's close.

However, bells and whistles starting going off. I think this comes the closest to approximating the Black Magic or Mutiny. There's something very familiar about all those flavors, especially the Corbua/Pernod combo. I've heard the Mai-Kai uses Coruba so this makes sense.

There's at least one other major piece of the puzzle missing, however. More investigation and sampling at the Mai-Kai may be necessary.

FYI, I stand corrected on the legend referred to above. Rumor has it that The Mutiny is an amalgamation of the Black Magic and Barrel of Rum, not the other way around.

After much research ...

From TheAtomicGrog.com:
Mai-Kai cocktail review: The Black Magic emerges from the darkness as a true classic
Prior to the opening of The Mai-Kai in 1956, there were perhaps other icy cocktails that employed dark rum and coffee as key ingredients. But none perfected it quite like the Black Magic.

Click below for a discussion of the special rum that makes the Black Magic unique, plus a recipe that comes as close as any we've tasted yet ...

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/04/04/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-black-magic-emerges-from-the-shadows-as-a-true-classic/

Okole maluna!

The official blog of The Hukilau

Featuring The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2012-04-05 11:49 ]

On 2012-04-04 14:11, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
(Almost) all the secrets have been revealed:

From TheAtomicGrog.com:
Mai-Kai cocktail review: The Black Magic emerges from the darkness as a true classic
Prior to the opening of The Mai-Kai in 1956, there were perhaps other icy cocktails that employed dark rum and coffee as key ingredients. But none perfected it quite like the Black Magic.

Click below for a discussion of the special rum that makes the Black Magic unique, plus a rare ancestor recipe that comes as close as any we've tasted yet ...

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/04/04/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-black-magic-emerges-from-the-shadows-as-a-true-classic/

Okole maluna!

Once again you've hit the ball out of the park Hurricane! I would enjoy reading about how you came across that original Mariano Licudine 1944 recipe. Also, I think that a thread discussing Kohala Bay Dark Rum is in order. Who actually makes this rum, what's the ABV, and who is the importer? And what other DTB recipes might it work in??

A quick search on Google turns up the Wray & Nephew (the makers of Appleton & Coruba) made Dagger Rum:

So is Kohala Bay a W&N product?

[ Edited by: CincyTikiCraig 2012-04-04 21:29 ]

Craig, that recipe has been making the rounds for a year or so. It showed up on another thread last year: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=40279&forum=10
It's rumored to be similar to a pre-Mai-Kai Black Magic, but we can't confirm that. A few other experts helped nail down the rums and I fine-tuned it.

I'm looking at some of the other recipes that call for dark Jamaican rum. I'm sure there are at least a half dozen or more at The Mai-Kai that use Kohala Bay. Look for a surprising update of a previous review this Friday.

Great research on Dagger. I'm sure you're on the right track. Kohala Bay is distilled and blended in Kingston at 87.6 proof. Details on the importer are sketchy at this point, but I'm hoping to nail down some more info.

Mahalo!

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2012-04-05 11:54 ]

The 151 Swizzle calls for Dagger. I will have to look again to see the others. It is the one rum he calls by name in the recipes.

I made the recipe that Hurricane posted, using his recommended sub for Dagger/Kohala Bay. The problem that I had is a lack of coffee flavor. I used freshly ground Kona coffee, and made it double strength in a french press and then let it cool. The coffee tasted weak on it's own, and even weaker in the drink. I had to add an ounce of Illy Espresso Liqueur in order to make the drink taste close to what I remember at the Mai Kai. Once I added the liqueur it tasted really great, not as intense as I remember it being at the Mai Kai, but very good. My problem is obviously making the Kona coffee too weak. Any suggestions?

Craig, not sure what to suggest. I have haven't had that problem using a standard coffee maker. In fact, sometimes I find the coffee too strong if I double the strength.

Not sure if this makes a difference, but I do let it sit in the fridge for a good 12 hours before using. It seems to get stronger the longer it chills.

Any coffee geeks out there with any ideas?

I too have made Hurricane's posted recipe for the Black Magic.
Coruba was a bit difficult to obtain but I managed to pick up two bottles at an ABC liquor store. Smith & cross is totally unknown in my area so I used Appleton 12 & El Dorodo 12 along with the Coruba with exceptional results.
I don't quite understand the inclusion of Don's Mix . . . there's already 3/4 oz of white grapefruit juice in the drink, why not simply add about 1/4 oz of the cinnamon syrup? But- I added the Don's Mix anyway because I had some I'd made up for my Zombies.
Regarding the coffee; I brewed up some double-strength Kona coffee the day before and kept it in the fridge.
In my first drink I found 1 1/2 oz of the coffee produced a coffee flavor that overpowered everything else . . . but I drank it anyway because it was still a good drink! I think this is the portion of the recipe that will be subjected to experimentation to find the right brew strength/ amount to use that pleases the individual and balances best with whatever rum combinations are used.
The second time around I cut the coffee back to 1 oz and that seemed to smooth things out the way I like it and heightened the complexity of all the flavors.
I have tried many of the other variations of this drink and In my opinion this is, by far the best I've experienced.
Exceptional job Hurricane and thanks for sharing it with us all!

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

GH

[ Edited by: gentlehangman 2012-04-08 08:09 ]

sometimes in cocktails calling for fresh coffee i've used kahlua instead to nice effect...

for the mouth feel that everyone is talking about (bear in mind i have never had the original just read the descriptions) if anyone has ever had Vietnamese iced coffee (french roast fresh brewed coffee and condensed milk over ice) could there be condensed milk in the drink to give it a silky mouth feel and smoothness