What AreYou Drinking- Right Now?

Pearl diver punch in the new Beachbum glasses

Almost out!!!

Stiggins daiquiri from last night. Found another bottle today so I'm free to keep enjoying this stuff.

On 2016-01-06 14:38, mikehooker wrote:
Stiggins daiquiri from last night. Found another bottle today so I'm free to keep enjoying this stuff.

Man I wish I could find some of that Stiggins!!

On 2016-01-06 15:06, BeerBuddha wrote:
Man I wish I could find some of that Stiggins!!

If you can find some basic Plantation Dark you can infuse your own with a ripe pineapple and it's ultra easy. When done, it's dangerously easy to guzzle. Basically let a bottle soak in a chopped up pineapple for 48 hrs and you're done. http://inuakena.com/misc/diy-pineapple-rum/

On 2016-01-06 15:26, kkocka wrote:

On 2016-01-06 15:06, BeerBuddha wrote:
Man I wish I could find some of that Stiggins!!

If you can find some basic Plantation Dark you can infuse your own with a ripe pineapple and it's ultra easy. When done, it's dangerously easy to guzzle. Basically let a bottle soak in a chopped up pineapple for 48 hrs and you're done. http://inuakena.com/misc/diy-pineapple-rum/

Thanks for the tip. It seems all the stores in Texas who are actually able to get it have it reserved for wholesale/bars. I had to do some major sweet talking to get my second bottle today. And it'll likely be the last one I'll be able to get my hands on.

Atomic Grog 151 Swizzle (tribute v4). Oh so delicious. Quite possibly my favorite drink on the planet.

Cobras Fang.

this is from last Friday:

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S 2016, all you Tiki Muthas!

On 2016-01-06 15:06, BeerBuddha wrote:
Man I wish I could find some of that Stiggins!!

Mike & BeerBuddha - my local Total Whine says they have Stiggins in stock, see pic below. Don't know if they ship though, or if you have a store near you. I will look for it the next time I'm nearby.

I've had pretty good results making stuff at home, so I wouldn't shy away from trying the recipe from the URL posted above.

The Corner Door's Uncle's Breath!

@mikehooker - not knocking you, but that pernod bottle...well I just hope you don't make a drunken mistake and get some pernody contacts haha.

Last night I finally made Nutty Like A Fruitcake.

1.5 oz Demerara
.5 oz Spiced
1 oz Orange Juice
.5 oz Lemon Juice
.75 oz Orgeat
.5 oz Curaçao
.25 oz Allspice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

As my bar has been dangerously emptying out over the last few months (trying not to blow a ton of money on booze if possible), I ran out of my ED5 and had to throw in some Hamilton 86 and nearly emptied my Seven Tiki. I think next spiced rum I buy - for cost sake - will be Kirkland Signature as I understand it's basically Sailor Jerry's and that's good enough for me.

On 2016-01-07 11:04, kkocka wrote:
@mikehooker - not knocking you, but that pernod bottle...well I just hope you don't make a drunken mistake and get some pernody contacts haha.

Last night I finally made Nutty Like A Fruitcake.

Ha! I originally put the tape and name in big letters on the bottle for photo ops so people wouldn't wonder why the hell I'm putting contact solution in my drinks but now that you mention it, it's probably a good precautionary measure.

For what it's worth, I've found the mini contact solution bottle is a super effective way of managing the drops of pernod. It's compact and simpler than using an eye dropper with the big bottle and having to clean that every time. It'll catch on, just you wait.

What did you think of the Fruitcake? I think it's a pretty decent drink. I used Koloa as my spiced which has a very distinct and powerful flavor. I imagine using any other spiced rum will have vastly different results.

On 2016-01-07 14:13, mikehooker wrote:
For what it's worth, I've found the mini contact solution bottle is a super effective way of managing the drops of pernod. It's compact and simpler than using an eye dropper with the big bottle and having to clean that every time. It'll catch on, just you wait.

NOW you tell me, after I spent $3.50 at Walgreen's yesterday for eyedroppers!

On 2016-01-07 14:13, mikehooker wrote:
What did you think of the Fruitcake? I think it's a pretty decent drink.

Yeah I absolutely loved it. Just the right amount of "holiday" in it and a good non-lime drink. Good use for spiced rum as well. And for the record I ended up getting my eyedroppers by patiently waiting for my infant's vitamins to run out. :)

Big bamboo.

I'm on board with Mike's use of small plastic dispensing bottles for Pernod. I've been saving and re-using small 100% Stevia extract bottles for a couple years now. They work great -- very nice droplet control without having to rinse out my eye droppers after every use.

I think I've posted this pic elsewhere here in the past. Trust me that these work very well.

The Corner Door's Last Word!

Rum Pot at Trader Vic's Portland. Not on menu but pulled up the recipe for them online to try it out.

Tonight I broke in my new Smuggler's Cove barrel (Munktiki, 2009) with The Mai-Kai's Barrel O’ Rum. Mahalo to Steve "Tikiman" Seifert, visiting from Northern Cali, who hand-delivered the mug last night during his first-ever visit to The Mai-Kai ...

Earlier tonight, I perfected a tribute to The Mai-Kai's Martinique Milk Punch, which contains a crucial new ingredient that will be revealed soon.

Also, FYI, I recently discovered these bottles that work great for Pernod:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ZSX42K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

1. a shot of Matusalem Gran Reserva 15-yr-old. never noticed this before, but the finish also tastes like mamey.

2. I wanted a falernum drink, and for some reason i thought it would be cool to sub falernum for vermouth in a rye manhattan. i was a little short on rye so i rounded out the booze with some bushmill's. then added a few drops of lemon bitters to the surface of the drink. it tastes a lot like a mint julep somehow...

3. my 2d-to-last of the leftover Christmas beers... a Widmer Bros BRRR ale...

Just received a bottle of Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 for Christmas. Great stuff!

Last night in the lab with a group of sad, sober friends:

1. The Last Word, two rounds.
2. Aviation Cocktail using the Aviation web site recipe, two rounds. There are many variations of this, including one in the Savoy Cocktail Book which I will try soon. It's hard to tell what a "real" Aviation is...
3. We tasted "Only" gin which has one several gold and silver awards over the past few years.

Sobriety was alleviated to a nice degree, and the tastings went well.

I have a hard time with folks who:

1. are very prejudiced against certain ingredients and spirits before they even try it.
2. take one sip and pronounce judgment on a cocktail without a few more sips which would allow flavors to develop on the palate. Grrrrrr...

Test pilot.

On 2016-01-09 12:29, AceExplorer wrote:
Last night in the lab with a group of sad, sober friends:

1. The Last Word, two rounds.
2. Aviation Cocktail using the Aviation web site recipe, two rounds. There are many variations of this, including one in the Savoy Cocktail Book which I will try soon. It's hard to tell what a "real" Aviation is...
3. We tasted "Only" gin which has one several gold and silver awards over the past few years.

Sobriety was alleviated to a nice degree, and the tastings went well.

I have a hard time with folks who:

1. are very prejudiced against certain ingredients and spirits before they even try it.
2. take one sip and pronounce judgment on a cocktail without a few more sips which would allow flavors to develop on the palate. Grrrrrr...

sorry to hear your friends were sad, was it a wake?

re Aviations, there are lots of variations. the mistake i've made when mixing this for non-craftophiles is using a formula with too much lemon...

On 2016-01-09 22:33, thePorpoise wrote:
sorry to hear your friends were sad, was it a wake?

Nope, I guess I wasn't clear... I meant they were sober, therefore sad. My cocktail connivings livened things up quickly!

Thanks for the info on the Aviations with too much lemon. It's gonna be interesting to try other variations and see how they compare.

On 2016-01-10 19:31, AceExplorer wrote:
Thanks for the info on the Aviations with too much lemon. It's gonna be interesting to try other variations and see how they compare.

I've experimented with the Aviation almost as much as the MaiTai. here are the variations I've settled on as my preferred recipes:

(if no creme de violette): 2 oz London dry gin; 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur; 1/4 oz lemon juice. cherry garnish. optional-- 1/4 oz simple syrup. as mentioned, i think too much lemon makes this drink too sour; some folks though simply won't like the funk of the maraschino no matter what. tell them the drink name derives from its tasting like a jet fuel that only the manliest can tolerate...

(if creme de violette): 1.5 oz London dry gin; 1/2 oz each of maraschino liqueur, lemon, and creme de violette. cherry garnish. i find this perfectly balanced. tell these folks the drink name derives from its hue that combines sky blue and smoke.

in any event, tell everyone this drink is a WWI cocktail created by French barmaids for American fighter pilots in the Escadrille Lafayette ...

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2016-01-10 23:35 ]

The Below Decks Garrique!

On 2016-01-10 23:34, thePorpoise wrote:
I've experimented with the Aviation almost as much as the MaiTai. here are the variations I've settled on as my preferred recipes:

Very cool, thanks, I'll try those and let you know what I find. It is an interesting and unusual drink, the violette is supposed to give it a nice color, but mine ended up blue-gray with meticulous measuring. And you're also right -- Luxardo cherry does have a funk which causes me and others to sort of cock my head to the side in some drinks. It's definitely not what you expect. Might be fun to try cherry Heering as a sub, but then it wouldn't be a real Aviation, would it? :)

On 2016-01-11 10:13, The Below Decks wrote:
The Below Decks Garrique!

TBD, we need to give you an award for interesting backgrounds/foregrounds!

[ Edited by: AceExplorer 2016-01-11 11:23 ]

On 2016-01-11 11:23, AceExplorer wrote:

On 2016-01-11 10:13, The Below Decks wrote:
The Below Decks Garrique!

TBD, we need to give you an award for interesting backgrounds/foregrounds!

[ Edited by: AceExplorer 2016-01-11 11:23 ]

Agreed. There needs to be a Like button on these posts.

EDIT: Just noticed there is a FB Like button at the bottom of these posts. What the hell does that do?

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2016-01-11 11:39 ]

S.O.S.

Stiggins daiquiris.

Puka Punch, where have you been all my life? Delicious with Cana Brava and LH151 plus homemade falernum and passion fruit syrup.

The Below Decks Kalikimaka!

(And thanks for the compliments.)

Fogg Cutter. Dee-lish.

dark rum! havent tried that in a fogcutter. interessant

Papa Dobles here. Hemingway Daiquiris. whatever you wanna call em. lots of rum, good bit of grapefruit, some lime, some maraschine liqueur. i made one with a mix of haitian and martinician rums and added angostura bitters. the other had no bitters and was purely dominican rum. both skrong, 3 oz rum each.

and there's chips!

An A-Frame Up in Smoke!

On 2016-01-13 22:16, thePorpoise wrote:
dark rum! havent tried that in a fogcutter. interessant

Porp, I followed the 1970 New Orleans Bali Hai recipe from the Total Tiki app which calls for dark Jamaican, light Puerto Rican, brandy and gin. Strong and flavorful. I'll be putting this into regular rotation.

Steve Crane Jet Pilot.

Revisiting this one with different rums and homemade falernum cuz I didn't care for it the first time I tried it. Still not loving it. Maybe a couple less drops of Pernod or adding a little honey mix or sugar syrup will take the harsh edge off.

A-Frame's Missionary's Return!

On 2016-01-14 20:32, mikehooker wrote:
Revisiting this one with different rums and homemade falernum cuz I didn't care for it the first time I tried it. Still not loving it. Maybe a couple less drops of Pernod or adding a little honey mix or sugar syrup will take the harsh edge off.

What about the drink don't you like? I can't recall if Steve Crane is "the" one who has the recipe in Sippin' Safari but that drink is fantastic.

On 2016-01-15 10:37, kkocka wrote:

On 2016-01-14 20:32, mikehooker wrote:
Revisiting this one with different rums and homemade falernum cuz I didn't care for it the first time I tried it. Still not loving it. Maybe a couple less drops of Pernod or adding a little honey mix or sugar syrup will take the harsh edge off.

What about the drink don't you like? I can't recall if Steve Crane is "the" one who has the recipe in Sippin' Safari but that drink is fantastic.

Yeah, it's the one in Sippin Safari everyone seems to love but I just don't find it to have a good balance. I love all the ingredients but the proportions just don't work for me. This has nothing on what the Mai Kai serves up or the Atomic Grog's tribute which actually has more booze and ingredients that come together perfectly. Would be curious to know the exact ingredients you use and if you make any adjustments cuz as the recipe reads, it's not worth wasting my LH151 on again.

On 2016-01-15 11:08, mikehooker wrote:
Yeah, it's the one in Sippin Safari everyone seems to love but I just don't find it to have a good balance. I love all the ingredients but the proportions just don't work for me. This has nothing on what the Mai Kai serves up or the Atomic Grog's tribute which actually has more booze and ingredients that come together perfectly. Would be curious to know the exact ingredients you use and if you make any adjustments cuz as the recipe reads, it's not worth wasting my LH151 on again.

So I make mine without making adjustments from Sippin' Safari. What I tend to use are as such:

Jet Pilot (Steve Crane, pg 130 Sippin' Safari)
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz store brand white grapefruit juice (I don't juice fresh oranges or grapefruit)
.5 oz homemade cinnamon syrup (preferably B.G. Reynolds', and the last couple years it's been Monin)
.5 oz John D Taylor Velvet Falernum (preferably B.G. Reynolds')
1 oz Coruba Dark
.75 oz Bacardi 8
.75 oz Lemon Hart 151
Dash Angostura
6 drops Pernod
8 oz crushed ice

Prepared in a top-down blender w/more crushed ice if needed. That's it! I will say that Hayward's Mai Kai Jet Pilot tributes are high on my list to try because I love this drink so much, but this is the drink that I know and the way it was introduced to me by Kelly at Trader Sam's.

I liked the Steve Crane Jet Pilot very much until I tried the Mai Kai Jet Pilot - the Mai Kai's is just much more sophisticated & the Steve Crane feels 'clunky' in comparison.

I firmed up on the order for my tiki room supplies today so I had a few & started watching Walking Dead season 5:

First up Improved Vermouth Cocktail, followed by Negroni Sbagliato, Ti Punch, Rittenhouse 100 neat...

If any TCers have rhum agricole blanc & rye whiskey on hand try it (one first then the other) - it's a weird combo!

Just finished a great round at Tonga Hut in NoHo:
-Mojave Punch
-Bermuda Dunes
-Rhumboogie
-Latin Liver

Follow me on Instagram
http://www.instagram.com/keithkocka

[ Edited by: kkocka 2016-01-15 20:34 ]

a pint of Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. it has a complex hoppiness, just enough bitterness, and a creamy finish. an excellent beer. but the main reason this is my go-to beer, is because the 7-11 down the street sells cold 16-ounce cans of it for just $2 each...