Trader Vic's Grog Concentrate-Aye or Nay?

On 2013-04-02 17:29, TropicDrinkBoy wrote:
Tiare, be sure to try the Tiki Puka Puka recipe I posted earlier in this thread as well as the one supplied with the concentrate. The recipe supplied with the concentrate doesn't taste much like what is served in the restaurant. Also, be careful to use only 1/4 to 1/3 oz of concentrate for the Puka Puka. If you use 1/2 oz the allspice flavor may dominate the drink. Of course, a high quality grenadine makes for a better Tiki Puka Puka. Finally, I mix my Puka Pukas with crushed ice in an electric drink mixer (milk shake mixer) to get a good chill and melt enough water to fill my grapefruit supreme goblet.

I just made one with 1/4 oz of concentrate and a generous dash of quality grenadine and WOW, what a great drink! Don't tell them but it is even better than what I get at the restaurant. I used 1 oz of El Dorado White, 1 oz of Appleton Reserve and 1 oz of Lemon Hart 151 "new label". I've been making them the last few nights as my gardenia from my Friday Tiki Bowl still survives and I've found the sweet spot for me! This must be what the Trader had in mind!

[ Edited by: TropicDrinkBoy 2013-04-02 20:44 ]

Yep i`m planning to try them both! the grenadine i have is my own homemade hibiscus grenadine.I´m also gonna make 3 different navy grogs to compare the concentrate with the elisabeth dram and my homemade grog mix.I wish i had those nice sugar swizzle sticks for garnish but maybe i should make ice cones?

Yep, I always thought the Grog concentrate tasted like Coca Cola syrup, with allspice mixed in.

On a side note, I was telling Jon, the Emeryville bar manager, about us gushing over the grog mix on TC, and he was kind enough to give me a bottle (plus a bottle of the Mai Tai mix - woot!) I noticed a couple changes in their packaging...

New bottle is on the left, mail-order bottle on the right. Notice the absence of the "For Professional Use Only" logo on the new bottle, plus the more consumer-friendly, name change:

This suggests to me that they are planning on selling this to the public for good.

-Trad'r Bill

Damn i was hoping...but maybe one day they will sell and also ship internationally?

It def has some sort of cola notes in the flavor, it`s def not a one dimensional flavor.

Made the Bum's Ancient Mariner, subbing the concentrate for allspice, & swapping the ratios w/ the sugar syrup.

Pretty darn tasty.

I just made one with 1/4 oz of concentrate and a generous dash of quality grenadine and WOW, what a great drink! Don't tell them but it is even better than what I get at the restaurant. I used 1 oz of El Dorado White, 1 oz of Appleton Reserve and 1 oz of Lemon Hart 151 "new label". I've been making them the last few nights as my gardenia from my Friday Tiki Bowl still survives and I've found the sweet spot for me! This must be what the Trader had in mind!

[ Edited by: TropicDrinkBoy 2013-04-02 20:44 ]

I made my first Tiki Puka Puka with the grog concentrate and used the recipe you posted and i omitted the lemon juice and used 1/3 grog concentrate and a generous splash of my homemade grenadine. Maybe i took too much and the drink got quite red but then again, the grenadine didn´t overpower the drink, prolly cuz it was homemade.(hibiscus grenadine) With a commercial grenadine i would`ve taken much less.For rums i used Banks Five Islands, Appleton Extra and LH151.

It turned out a spicy and tasty drink, i cannot compare to the restaurant version since i never had it.

Gonna make Navy grogs in a while with the grog concentrate, my homemade grogmix using the recipe with reduced coke from the navy grog thread and then one with Elisabeth allspice dram. Im gonna use Martin Cates recipe for the navy grogs which seems to be the most balanced from what i`m reading.

It's funny, I was just having one for lunch (my gardenia still survives!) and took a look at Tiki Central and saw your post. You definitely found a great goblet for the drink. I'm convinced that 1/4 oz of concentrate is enough as any more can over power the other flavors. Before I learned the difference between the concentrate and the mix I actually used 1 1/2 oz of concentrate (thinking concentrate meant double strength, as in their orgeat syrup, and the '72 bartender's guide specified 3 oz of Grog Mix) in my Tiki Puka Puka and now I'm down to 1/4 oz! The 1/4 oz of concentrate was confirmed by Trader Vic's bartenders. I'm using this grenadine which is made from pomegranates and cane sugar: http://smallhandfoods.com/store/index.php/syrups/grenadine . It doesn't have any artificial food coloring. It might be available at Tales of the Cocktail as the woman who manufactures it is a high-end bartender in the bay area and she just might attend. Here is what I just imbibed:

Oh well, back to doing my weekend chores!

[ Edited by: TropicDrinkBoy 2013-04-06 19:12 ]

That Tiki Puka Puka looks nice, how long have your gardenia survived? i usually put mine in a small bowl of water but not in the fridge, maybe i should start doing that.

I just made 3 navy grogs, well 4 really...i first made one with the grog concentrate and a bit later after my dinner i made 3 smaller ones to taste test the difference between the grog concentrate, my homemade grog mix ( from WillTiki - http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=12468&forum=10&39) and then the St Elisabeth allspice dram.

I`m gonna write all this down on my blog but my conclusion is that the grog concentrate is way superior with a fuller and more complex flavor, then comes the homemade grog mix - which is quite good, but i think could benefit from making a thicker coke reduction and maybe also simmering the spices longer.

The least good for this drink i think was the allspice dram because it tasted too much allspice and also one dimensional compared to especially the grog concentrate.

Navy grog with the TV grog concentrate. I tried to make a moai shaped ice cone lol

The glass on the left side is the homemade grog mix, the one in the middle the grog concentrate and the one on the right is the allspice dram.

http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com

[ Edited by: Little fragrant Tiare 2013-04-06 18:47 ]

Oh forgot to say that the recipe i used as base for the 3 different Navy Grogs is Martin Cate`s from when he did bartend at TVs.

Juice of 1/2 lime, 0.75 oz grapefruit juice, dash simple syrup, 1 oz gold rum, 1 oz dark rum, 1/2-1/3 oz Lemon Hart 151.

And i used 1/3 grog concentrate, 0.25 oz allspice dram and 0.5 oz homemade grog mix.

I don´t have any gold rum so i used 2 oz dark rum (Appleton Extra) and then LH151.

My gardenia has survived for over eight days, several Tiki Puka Puka's and a Tiki Bowl, and it still has some life left in it! Did you know that the Tiki Puka Puka has its own Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiki-Puka-Puka/35022946311 ?

I think you used an excellent Navy Grog recipe and fine rums. I agree that the St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram is very one dimensional, except in the after taste which is long and not very agreeable with me! I'm glad you were able to get the Grog Concentrate. Yes it is an allspice syrup but it is more than that, with dimensions that make for a spicy yet very agreeable drink.

Did you know that the Tiki Puka Puka has its own Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiki-Puka-Puka/35022946311 ?

I had no idea! thanks!

http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com

[ Edited by: Little fragrant Tiare 2013-04-10 12:08 ]

Forgot to say that i wrote about this topic on my blog - Navy Grog and Tiki Puka Puka - A taste test of grog mixers - http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com/?p=17557

Are they still selling the grog concentrate?

Check http://www.shoptradervics.com to learn the answer. While you're there pick up a 1939 style skull mug, much better than the previous cartoonish skull mug.

Has anyone compared this to B.G.Reynolds Don’s Spices #2 mix?

I didnt see it on there so I wasn't sure if there was a different site, ugh

Is there any shelf like on that concentrate (if it ever comes up for sale again)

I will buy 20 if there is no shelf life :)

Ugh. I wish they'd sell it again.

ATP, I have B.G. Reynolds Don's Spices #2 (DS2) and I compared it to the Grog Concentrate (GC) last night at your suggestion. While they are similar, to me the DS2 is a thicker and sweeter syrup with a definite vanilla flavor. I don't (or maybe barely) taste vanilla in the GC. Finally, thr DS2 has a much less pronounced allspice flavor (1/2 - 1/3).

If the recipe calls for 1/4 oz. of the GC you may need to use 3/4 oz. of DS2. I paid $10 for a 12 oz. bottle of the DS2 and a 750ml (23+ oz.) bottle of the GC cost me from $7 to $12, depending on when and where I bought it. Given that one uses less GC per drink it is much cheaper than DS2, if you can find it.

Soon I'll taste test a DS2 Navy Grog vs. the GC version. I bet they will both taste pretty good!

Thanks! TropicDrinkBoy

The Sarasota Trader vics GRILL - has the concentrate/ grog mix - Or did. They may be able to help in the purchase of a few or maybe someone in the area can provide assistance.

worth a call.

351 N Cattlemen Rd Sarasota, FL 34232
(941) 378-3900

http://tvislandbarandgrill.com/

ATP, I made a Navy Grog substituting 3/4 oz. of Trader Tiki (B.G. Reynolds) Don's Spices #2 (DS#2) for the 1/4 oz. of Trader Vic's Grog Concentrate (GC) and it was fantastic! I used the following recipe:

3/4 oz. lime
3/4 oz. grape fruit juice
3/4 oz. DS#2
1/4 oz. rock candy syrup
1 oz. El Dorado 3 yr.
1 oz. Coruba
2/3 oz. Lemon Hart 151

I preferred it over the 1/4 oz. GC version. As I mentioned in a previous post the DS#2 is a thicker and sweeter syrup than the GC so maybe it was the sweetness that sold me. I'll have to try a sweeter TV grog concentrate version with maybe 1/3 oz. of GC as that might be closer to my DS#2 version. The DS#2 definitely brought some interesting flavors to the drink. Give it a try sometime and let me know what you think!

Interesting! The B.G. Reynolds mix is all natural sugar based & I was wondering
if it would have a better taste overall, unlike the HFCS in the Vics mix.

The flavors of the two syrups are similar in that they both contain allspice but other than that are quite different. Personally I can't attribute the differences between the two grogs to the HFCS vs. cane sugar.

It's good that B.G. Reynolds is more available than the Trader Vic franchise GC but I know of only one retailer in the San Francisco bay area (Cask) that carries the product line. For most it will be a mail order purchase. I also love their Orgeat syrup.

I've been experimenting a bit more with the Navy Grog using the Grog Concentrate. My favorite recipe so far is a slightly modified version of the recipe supplied with the concentrate, inspired by my Don's Spices #2 version. It is sweeter and has a little more of the Grog Concentrate than the official version. It is as follows:

1 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. grape fruit juice
1/3 oz. Grog Concentrate
3/4 oz. Rock Candy Syrup
1 oz. light rum (El Dorado 3 year)
1 oz. dark rum (Coruba)
2/3 - 3/4 oz. Lemon Hart 151

To me the official version is dominated by the grape fruit juice flavor. Any other Grog Concentrate owners care to share their favorite recipes?

Try this . . . you'll be in heaven . . .

juice of half lime
1 oz pineapple gomme syrup
.5 oz TV Navy Grog Concentrate
.5 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz El Dorado 3 yr White Demerara
1 oz El Dorado 5 yr Amber Demerara
1 oz LH151
2 dashes angostura bitters

very near the Smuggler's Rum Barrel . . .

Will do Blue Kahuna! As of yesterday I had all those ingredients, including the Small Hand Foods Pineapple Gomme Syrup but I finished the El Dorado three year yesterday. I'll have to substitute Denizen which is an aged white that has a similar flavor.

Let me know what you think . . .

Blue Kahuna, your grog concentrate variant is a fantastic drink and is a great addition to the top flight Tiki drinks on my home bar's "big boy" menu! It goes right up there with the 1934 Zombie, Tiki Puka Puka, Trader Vic Navy Grog (original and sweet), Donn's Spices #2 Grog, Puka Punch, you get the picture. I think it is better than the Smuggler's Cove Rum Barrel but I'm going to order one next time I'm there just to be sure.

The way I made it, along with the Donn's Spices #2 variation I posted earlier in this thread, was a bit too sweet so I'll dial them back a bit the next time I make them. Thanks for sharing! I had that Pineapple Gomme Syrup sitting here for a long time but now I'm going to get another bottle the next time I visit Cask.

By the way BK, what should I call your drink on my menu? How about "The Kahuna"?

Wow! Thanks for the props! I had a couple of those the other night they were so good, the next day I ordered two large bottles of pineapple gomme from SHF . . . now I'm waiting for it to get here!

So last night I had to figure something else out, so I made a Zombie variant, which was good, a little more on the sweet side, but still tasty (although I think I like the "rum barrel" better, more testing required :wink: )

juice of one lime
juice of one lemon
1/2 oz TV Navy Grog concentrate
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 oz Rasberry gomme syrup
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz El Dorado 3 yr white
1 oz El Dorado 5 yr amber
1 oz LH151
couple shakes of angostura bitters

the sourness of all the fruit cuts through the sweetness of the rasberry . . . just seems to me that TV Navy Grog concentrate just sort of brings everything together in these drinks . . . I have exactly 1 oz of TV Navy Grog concentrate left of my first bottle . . . thank goodness I have two bottles left (but need to stock up if it goes up for sale again, good stuff!)

Cheers! And thanks again for the kind words!

[ Edited by: The Blue Kahuna 2013-06-07 04:38 ]

By the way, a Zombie variant that I enjoy is to make the Donn the Beachcomber 1934 but substitute around 1/2 oz. Domain de Canton Ginger Liquor for the Donn's Mix (2 parts grapefruit juice to 1 part cinnamon syrup). It results in a more complex and less sweet flavor.

I'm going to try your Zombie variant next . . . in the meantime, it is now 97 degrees out and I am zeroing in on an afternoon sipper . . .

juice of 2 lemons (smallish)
1 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz raspberry gomme syrup
.5 oz TV Navy Grog concentrate
.5 oz simple syrup
1 oz El Dorado 3yr Silver
1 oz El Dorado 5yr Amber
1 oz LH151
couple shakes of Angostura

. . . seems pretty okay!

[ Edited by: The Blue Kahuna 2013-06-08 12:14 ]

[ Edited by: The Blue Kahuna 2013-06-08 12:20 ]

[ Edited by: The Blue Kahuna 2013-06-08 12:21 ]

On 2013-06-03 17:27, The Blue Kahuna wrote:
Try this . . . you'll be in heaven . . .

juice of half lime
1 oz pineapple gomme syrup
.5 oz TV Navy Grog Concentrate
.5 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz El Dorado 3 yr White Demerara
1 oz El Dorado 5 yr Amber Demerara
1 oz LH151
2 dashes angostura bitters

very near the Smuggler's Rum Barrel . . .

So this is what we now call the Kahuna! i`m gonna try this and put it out on my blog, will give credit to The Blue Kahuna! this recipe looks good!

Agreed. I'm almost tempted to order a bottle of piña gomme to give this recipe a try. Sounds outstanding.

I am honored, thank you! :D

I noticed two ingredients mentioned in the above posts, one was pineapple gomme syrup and the other was raspberry gomme syrup. Can you please tell me if this is store bought or if it is homemade?

From Small Hand Foods, here is their link http://smallhandfoods.com/

Good stuff!

Thank you.

Here is my blog post about the Kahuna - http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com/?p=17740

The drink is good i think and it`s like it was made for my Kala mug.:)

Credit to Blue Kahuna for inventing it!

Zowie, that's a beautiful mug - it would make any concoction taste out-of-this-world!

Mahalo!

I just ordered "one-of-everything- from Small Hand Foods. Can't wait to try their "Gum Syrups"!

On 2013-06-14 17:08, GentleHangman wrote:
I just ordered "one-of-everything- from Small Hand Foods. Can't wait to try their "Gum Syrups"!

Try the Pina Colada recipe off her site, it is fantastic - I up it 1 oz of rum for myself but I have converted many people over to pina colada's and Small Hands with that one drink :)

http://smallhandfoods.com/recipes

Hope you enjoy all those syrups :)

On 2013-05-16 05:20, sneakyjack wrote:
The Sarasota Trader vics GRILL - has the concentrate/ grog mix - Or did. They may be able to help in the purchase of a few or maybe someone in the area can provide assistance.

worth a call.

351 N Cattlemen Rd Sarasota, FL 34232
(941) 378-3900

http://tvislandbarandgrill.com/

are they still selling the grog concentrate and will they ship it?

[ Edited by: Dapuma1 2013-06-17 21:03 ]

I forgot all about the Navy Grog concentrate I had bought a while back so I made some drinks tonight, they came out real good.
Since I have both lime and white grapefruit trees in the back yard I used fresh ingredients.

I mixed
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz fresh white grapefruit juice
3/4 oz Navy grog concentrate
I oz Smith and Cross
1 oz Lamb's Navy dark rum, a friend brought for me from Canada
1/2 Lemon Heart 151, old one
1/2 lemon Heart Demerara rum, I still have some
I would omit the 1/4 oz sugar syrup if you like your drinks on the sour side.

late to the party, its gone

On 2013-06-17 21:02, Dapuma1 wrote:

On 2013-06-14 17:08, GentleHangman wrote:
I just ordered "one-of-everything- from Small Hand Foods. Can't wait to try their "Gum Syrups"!

Try the Pina Colada recipe off her site, it is fantastic - I up it 1 oz of rum for myself but I have converted many people over to pina colada's and Small Hands with that one drink :)

http://smallhandfoods.com/recipes

Hope you enjoy all those syrups :)

whats a good white rum??

Trader vics sarasota doesnt exist...I'm sending this from the parking lot and it's for sale...yes the parking lot too

i narrowly avoided a MaiTai made with lemon juice there once...

Trader Vic's online store currently has the Grog Concentrate available. Get it while you can, if you are interested in this syrup. I personally love the stuff, and it's great in the Seaside Grog, Tututupo Tiki, Tiki Puka Puka, and, of course, the modern TV Navy Grog.

Ugh. I placed an order for other things a few days ago, and then got an email about the concentrate this morning! If only I'd waited a bit, Now shipping on a new order is as much as the price of one bottle of the concentrate. But I may still pull the trigger.

Also, it looks like the recipe provided in today's email is different than the one TV has previously included with the concentrate, posted earlier in this thread:

TRADER VIC'S NAVY GROG

1 oz. Light Rum
1 oz. Gold Rum
1 oz. Dark Rum
1/2 oz. TRADER VIC'S GROG CONCENTRATE
1/4 oz. TRADER VIC'S ROCK CANDY SYRUP
3/4 oz. Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/4 oz. Lime Juice

Shake with crushed ice and pour into Mai Tai Glass. Decorate with rock candy stick & spent lime shell!