The Hukilau presents The Master Mixologist Rum Barrel Challenge - Official thread

In 2010, The Hukilau introduced the Master Mixologist Cocktail Challenge, a high-octane bartending contest in which participants raced the clock to create unique tropical drinks using sponsor rums and exotic mystery ingredients. A panel of Tiki drink experts including artist Josh "Shag" Agle helped crown the first Hukilau Master Mixologist and awarded unique prizes such as custom-sculpted, hand-carved muddler.

In 2011, the most intimate Tiki gathering in the world honors its 10th anniversary and the 55th anniversary of the historic Mai-Kai restaurant with an epic contest featuring an iconic tropical drink and a panel of acclaimed rum experts. Competitors in "The Master Mixologist Rum Barrel Challenge" will take center stage at Fort Lauderdale's Bahia Cabana Beach Resort on Thursday, June 9, with the task of making a contemporary version of The Mai-Kai's beloved "Barrel O' Rum".

Judging the contest will be a who's who of modern Tiki mixology and rum aestheticism: Tiki drink revivalist and author Jeff "Beachbum" Berry ("Beachbum Berry Remixed," "Sippin' Safari"), UK Rumfest founder and global "rum ambassador" Ian Burrell, San Francisco bar owner Martin Cate (Smuggler's Cove), journalist and author Wayne Curtis ("And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails") and New Orleans rum historian Stephen Remsberg. The Rum Barrel Challenge judges (aka the Rum Rat Pack) will be also be participating in Beachbum Berry's "Rumposium" special event on Saturday, June 11, at the Mai-Kai. For more on the judges, go to http://www.thehukilau.com/2011/entertainment/

In Thursday night's contest, aspiring mixologists will create their own take on the classic Rum Barrel using pre-determined sponsor rums and mixers, plus other ingredients of their choice. They will be permitted to fine-tune their recipes in advance but will still face the pressure of making their drinks and presenting them to our panel of distinguished judges as the clock ticks down and the crowd cheers them on during The Hukilau's kickoff party poolside at the Bahia Cabana.

Following the Master Mixologist Rum Barrel Challenge, it's time for the annual "Room Crawl" with Hukilau participants hosting Tiki-themed room parties throughout the hotel. This year's theme is "A Tribute to the King" with decor and drinks inspired by Elvis Presley's diverse and fun collection of classic films - and the songs contained within them.

Do you have what it takes to put your mixology skills to the test in ultimate tropical drink showdown? For more information or to sign up for The Master Mixologist Rum Barrel Challenge (or to be a Room Crawl host), e-mail [email protected].

Check back on this thread and make sure you're on the Hukilau mailing list for further updates.

Last year's contest winner, Grady Johnson, puts the finishing touches on "Hell in a Handbasket" (Photo by Go11Media.com)

And if anyone needs inspiration, take a look back at last year's contest (and room crawl) here: http://www.thehukilau.com/roomcrawl/

Mahalo!

Jim "Hurricane" Hayward
Hukilau 2011 Master Mixologist Challenge coordinator
The 10th anniversary Hukilau
June 9-12 2011, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
http://www.thehukilau.com

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2011-04-11 10:13 ]

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2011-04-24 22:13 ]

Grady, the reigning champ, has signed on to defend his crown.

Any challengers out there who think they can knock him off his throne?

One of our 2010 runners-up, Ken Kanaka, will also return this year to do battle.

How about some new blood? Who's up for the challenge?

When is the deadline for registering?

Probably around mid-May, whenever we announce the sponsor ingredients. We'll make a big announcement at that point.

Quick quiz before this thread expands to a second page: Who can tell me what's wrong with the Mai-Kai photo in the intro post?

That's Dave Levy's seat and he doesn't drink rum.

No FRESH MINT.

I'm not there.

On 2011-04-21 18:33, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Quick quiz before this thread expands to a second page: Who can tell me what's wrong with the Mai-Kai photo in the intro post?

Where's the napkin?

btw, I think I'm going to enter against my bandmate and buddy, Ken Kanaka.

My goal is to leave him despondent enough to agree to buy me a frame for the picture of me holding up the winning elixir as I stand next to the jubilant judges who are filled with glee for having discovered such an undeniable talent.

Then I want him to write a song called "pablus crushed me like..." and post it here.

OF COURSE, I will reciprocate with the aforementioned offerings should the very next to impossible happen and I actually lose.

However, Kanaka flies to San Francisco next week to enjoy a night of bartending at the Emeryville Trader Vics as part of his prize for winning their drink contest. Maybe I should... nah... full speed ahead, hoist the mainsail and load the cannons...

...with FRESH MINT!

Well, it looks a little to me like she's serving an orange Slurpee in that rum barrel. Or MAYBE... maybe the image is reversed. Let's see... think, think... no, I don't think it's reversed. I don't know. Tell us already please. And it better be good. Not "the second rope from the left is 3 inches lower than it normally is". Don't go there.

GatorRob, you nailed it. That's definitely no authentic Barrel 'O Rum inside that barrel. Must have been staged for the photo shoot. Slurpee Barrel anyone?

And pablus, we'd love to have a little rivalry to spice up the contest. Are you definitely in?

Slots are filling up fast, if anyone else wants to sign up, let us know now.

Spent time this morning with Tiki Kiliki down at the Bahia Cabana going over logistics. We have some cool plans in the works. The contest will take place at 10 p.m. on the poolside stage following sets by The Intoxicators and Tikiyaki Orchestra with Marina the Mermaid.

Stay tuned for more.

Well, whaddya know. I finally won something! Please don't tell me I won a Slurpee Barrel.

I blame Bohemiann for the photo. It's got to be his fault. I know, I know. We have him to thank for the Mai-Kai web site being so cool now. And for all those great Hukilau photos. So I should probably cut him some slack.

Naw...

That's one expensive Slurpee.

On 2011-03-17 23:01, Hurricane Hayward wrote:...create their own take on the classic Rum Barrel using pre-determined sponsor rums and mixers...

How does one find out what the pre-determined sponsor rums are? I want to play along, but I am hesitant not knowing what I am going to be working with in advance.... kind of hard to figure out a Rum Barrel variant if you hand me two bottles of Bacardi and so go to town if you know what I mean.

The sponsor and/or required ingredients will be announced in a few weeks.

We're still looking for a few more participants. E-mail [email protected] if you're interested.

On 2011-05-02 09:31, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
We're still looking for a few more participants. E-mail [email protected] if you're interested.

I'll participate!

And if the sponsor rums turn out to be something not normally found in a Rum Barrel... well then I guess that is why it is a competition to test your bar tending skills and not just make us some Rum Barrels please.

I, too, want to know what constitutes a Rum Barrel. But then, it is the judges who decide. The reality is that traditional Rum Barrel recipes are almost the easiest and identical. 1 oz of everything! No need for any other measuring device! That almost defines the recipe for me. But, certainly, there are better and worse ones.

We now have five confirmed contestants and several alternates so we're no longer looking for participants.

In about a week, we'll be announcing the star-studded lineup of mixologists as well as all the details of the contest.

In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to post some of our favorite Rum Barrel photos, either from The Mai-Kai or elsewhere.

Here's mine: March 7, 2010, minutes after my wedding in The Mai-Kai's garden, we adjourned to The Molokai. My first drink as a married man: A Barrel O' Rum, of course.

oh i thought it was an open contest. guess i shouldn't have tried to enter

Will play for Rum Barrel!

[ Edited by: Tikigoob 2011-05-08 17:57 ]

Here are a few classic Barrel photos from Go11Media's "Mai-Kai Saturday Night" gallery of photos from last year's Hukilau ...

http://photos.go11media.com/Hukilau/Hukilau-2010

Let's see some more!

I've never seen Professor Hummingflower look so happy.

"...After a Barrel and a Skull..."

The official sponsors for The Master Mixologist Rum Barrel Challenge are Montanya Rum and Fee Brothers.

Our sponsors represent the new and the old of the booming craft cocktail movement. Montanya Rum is a 3-year-old Colorado micro-distillery that hand crafts award-winning rum in the Rocky Mountains. Fee Brothers is a four-generation-old, family-owned manufacturer of top quality cocktail mixes, bitters and flavoring syrups since 1863.

Contestants must use our official sponsor rum in their Rum Barrel (either Montanya Oro or Montanya Platino, or both).

They must also use at least one of the following Fee Brothers syrups: Vanilla syrup, grenadine, falernum, rock candy syrup.

And they must also use at least one of the following Fee Brothers bitters: Old fashioned bitters, orange bitters, lemon bitters, grapefruit bitters, whiskey barrel bitters.

The Mai-Kai's Barrel O' Rum, as revealed in Beachbum Berry's "Taboo Table," contains light and dark rums; lime, orange and grapefruit juice; passion fruit syrup; honey; Angostura bitters; and a splash of soda. The challenge is to take this classic recipe, which is also similar to prior rum barrels from Don the Beachcomber and others, and elevate it to new heights and/or take it in a new and improved direction.

Contestants will spend the next two weeks perfecting their Barrel recipes, using the sponsor ingredients and any other rums, juices, syrups, etc., up to 10 ingredients total.

They will then be making their drinks for the judges poolside at the Bahia Cabana at 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 9.

After tasting all five drinks, the judges will tally their votes and the winner will be crowned. There will be a grand prize that will include a Mai-Kai gift certificate.

Cocktails will be judged on:

• Originality
• Creativity
• Adherence to the theme
• Use of required ingredients
• Taste (includes balance and use of rums)
• Presentation

Our all-star lineup of mixologists will be announced later tonight.

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2011-05-15 17:11 ]

Drum roll please ....

Taking on the challenge to "build a better Barrel" are the following mixologists:

• Grady Johnson is an amateur competitive surfer and percussionist/vocalist in the ska band Big Big Monkeymen. He's the defending Hukilau Master Mixologist champion and mixes his magic in the forbidden jungles of Mount Pleasant, S.C.

• Ken Kanaka is a member of the band The Crazed Mugs and editor of the Tiki Talk website. He's a veteran of last year's contest and claims to have experienced phantom tastes of The Mai-Kai's Rum Barrel for a year after he first tried it.

• Blair Frodelius is a professional full-time musician, USBG Spirits Professional, BarSmarts graduate, member of the Museum of the American Cocktail and Society for Creative Anachronism, and editor of the Good Spirits News blog.

• Pablus is the founder and leader of the ukulele-based band The Crazed Mugs. He piloted the first falernum taste test at the 2004 Hukilau and claims to have tasted both the venerable and vile potions of many of earth's saloons, bars and speakeasys.

• George Jenkins can often be found behind his home bar, The Storm Shelter. He runs the Brevard Tiki Facebook group and, with his wife, co-hosts the annual Brevard pre-Hukilau party. He's a BarSmarts Live graduate and a member of the USBG.

For the latest press release, check our http://www.thehukilau.com/2011/mixologist/

It seems like I am the only non-musician in the group. I wonder if this is an advantage or a disadvantage?

South Florida artist Tom Fowner has graciously agreed to provide
another hand-carved muddler as this year's grand prize. Here's his handiwork from last year:

We ran into Tom at Friday's Hukilau Countdown Party at The Mai-Kai as he was seeking inspiration for this year's creation:

So, do spectators get to partake in drinking the winning recipe? Can't wait

Unfortunately, the contestants will be making just enough for the judges (they'll only have 7 minutes each). But the Room Crawl starts immediately after the contest and I'm sure there will be plenty of drinks for the masses.

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2011-05-24 15:42 ]

This contest is chewing through my enzymes like a sperm whale through krill.

Ugghhhh.

I seem to be getting further away instead of closer.

One of my ingredients has to be 8 dew drops from a night blooming cereus.

That's pretty easy to get, right?

Oh, and a quarter ounce of sea water filtered through snow leopard skin.

Tell me about it. My ingredient list includes the tears of a virgin, clippings from Beachbum Berry's beard and a blooming corpse flower garnish.

I prefer the Bum's Beard Tincture since it dilutes a bit easier than the clippings.

And that's on the liquor store shelf right next to the Montanya rum?

As an aside, TornadoTiki found herself in Colorado yesterday during her storm-chasing adventures and she failed to find any Montanya rum in the two liquor stores she tried in Greeley!

Let's hope The Hukilau provides Montanya with a springboard to nationwide dominance. I suppose craft rums are like craft beers. They're always going to be a little hard to find.

We interrupt this thread with an important announcement:

We have a new competitor joining the Master Mixologist Cocktail Challenge: Joe Desmond (aka Leisure Master) will replace Ken Kanaka, who won't be able to make it to The Hukilau this year.

The obligatory bio:

Joe is head barman at New York's Famous Rhum Rhum Room, which exists only in his imagination (and among a growing circle of friends). He and his wife, Nicole, are veterans of six Hukilaus and are hopeful their many Mai-Kai "research" trips serve them well.

Aloha and welcome aboard Joe!

Our master mixologists have created some bad-ass Barrels for next week's contest. Get ready for:

The Powderkeg
Jack Sparrow's Rum Barrel
The Rhum Rhum Barrel
Admiral Vernon's Flagship
The Rain Barrel

Don't miss the excitement Thursday night at the Bahia Cabana on the main stage, immediately following performances by The Intoxicators and The Tikiyaki Orchestra.

The Rain Barrel sounds like a winner to me!

We stand corrected:

The Rhum Rhum Barrel will actually be called the Moon Barrel.

Check back after the contest for all the recipes!

The Hukilau crowns a Rum Barrel Master Mixologist

The Hukilau kicked off with a bang as five tropical drink mixologists created their own take on the classic Rum Barrel, squaring off live on stage at the Bahia Cabana Beach Resort.

Using predetermined sponsor rums and mixers, plus other ingredients of their choice, they each had seven minutes to make one fully-garnished drink plus samples for the judges. Hosted by author and tropical drink historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, the contest was a combination of cocktail seminar and Tiki party, with colorful drinks made in rapid-fire precision by the contestants and passed around the judging table.

Many rum barrel samples later, the judges tally their votes

Judging the contest were some of the top rum authorities in the world: UK Rumfest organizer Ian Burrell, San Francisco bar owner Martin Cate, journalist and author Wayne Curtis and New Orleans rum historian Stephen Remsberg. The Rum Barrel Challenge judges (aka the Rum Rat Pack) will also be participating in Beachbum Berry's "Rumposium" special event on Saturday, June 11, at The Mai-Kai.

The Rum Barrel Challenge was sponsored by Montanya Rum and Fee Brothers, and both products were incorporated into all the drinks. Judges rated each drink on its originality, creativity, adherence to the theme, use of the required ingredients, taste (including balance and use of rums), and presentation.

After 90 minutes of mixing and a lot of repartee, the judges reached a verdict. The winner of the Master Mixologist Cocktail Challenge is ...

Joe Desmond of New York's Famous Rhum Rhum Room (Joe and wife Nicole's acclaimed home bar) with his creation, The Moon Barrel. His grand prize was a custom-sculpted, hand-carved muddler by South Florida Tiki carver Tom Fowner. He also received a Mai-Kai gift certificate.

Joe Desmond (with wife Nicole) accepts the grand prize, a custom sculpted mudder

Joe edged out the defending Master Mixologist champion, Grady Johnson, who came in second with his Admiral Vernon's Flagship. The other runners-up were Blair Frodelius, Pablus, and George Jenkins.

Check out our blog for more photos plus all the drink receipes:

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/06/10/the-hukilau-crowns-a-rum-barrel-master-mixologist/

Thanks for posting the results Jim, for those of us not there. Guess I'm off to mix up Joe's (congrats on the win Joe) Moon Barrel. That is, as soon as I figure out what the hell Peach Lambic beer is...

Awesome! Congrats Joe and Nicole!

Suzanne

Congratulations Joe and Nicole, a crowning achievement after so many years dedicated to the science of rums and their cocktails. And not a small feat with a limited palette of sponsor rums, I bet. What a rewarding acknowledgment by such a distinguished panel of rumologists!

On 2011-05-24 18:18, pablus wrote:
One of my ingredients has to be...... a quarter ounce of sea water filtered through snow leopard skin.

Damn, can't help you. My sea water is filtered through leopard seal skin.

Sorry! :)

Way to go Joe!!!!

One of our distinguished judges, Wayne Curtis, has posted a great blog on the event:

http://slowcocktails.squarespace.com/dispatches/2011/6/10/hukilau-report-moon-barrel-takes-tiki-drink-competition.html?printerFriendly=true

On 2011-06-10 18:09, GatorRob wrote:
Thanks for posting the results Jim, for those of us not there. Guess I'm off to mix up Joe's (congrats on the win Joe) Moon Barrel. That is, as soon as I figure out what the hell Peach Lambic beer is...

As stated in the rules, all the competitors' ingredients had to be widely available, or at least available online.

Joe's key ingredient can be found here:

http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=194

I now realize that the phrase "widely available" now includes:

1. On the moon

2. In the past at a small grocery store in Savannah between the years 1908 and 1966

3. Inside the eye socket of a Yemeni Caliph

Well, maybe not that difficult.

A couple of suggestions for next year.

Since it was based on the Mai Kai Rum Barrel -
I think the judges should have all had a taste of a Mai Kai Rum Barrel first.
Then tasted the riffs.
Ian said he had never been to the Mai Kai until after the contest was over.
I know the judges know their Rum Barrels and all - but still - just a taste maybe.

I think 7 minutes is pretty quick - maybe try 9 or 10 - since that's how long most everyone took anyway.
Just makes for a sloppy experience. Bar wise I mean.

Loads of fun though and very interesting to taste most everyone's version of Rum Barrel.
VERY wide dispersion of flavors and that is what it was about, I'm certain.

Thanks, Jim! You were patient and even keeled and I appreciate it.
Next year - the Mugs will send in the big guns with Ken Kanaka.

leisure master - I'm coming for you. Let all of New York tremble.

PS: We could only use 10 ingredients - but the best version on the Jack Sparrow Barrel also uses a half oz of Creme de Cacao and only a half oz of Creme de Cassis rather than the 3/4 ox. It goes to eleven.

[ Edited by: pablus 2011-06-13 16:14 ]

And the nuances of your drink have to be able to stand up to 90-degree heat, 70% humidity and 20 mph winds!!!