Trader Vic's Black Sand Beach

This last Sunday in the San Jose Mercury News, they published the recipe for Trader Vic's Black Sand Beach:

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/12/cocktail-recipe-trader-vics-black-sand-beach/

My wife had ordered this drink when we went to Trader Vic's in July, and we absolutely loved it; so we were very excited to see that the recipe was now available. Does anyone have any idea what kind of rums they use for this drink? The recipe calls for coconut rum (blech!) and 151 rum. I tried making it last night and used Brinley Gold Shipwreck Coconut rum, which I'd heard is miles better than Malibu. It was good, but I still had the feeling of meh... it's still a drink made with coconut rum. It didn't taste nearly as good as I remembered from TV's. Do they use an off-the-shelf coconut rum, or do you suppose they infuse their own? I was thinking I could possibly try using a regular rum and then adding some Coco Lopez cream of coconut, but I'm afraid that would turn the drink gray instead of black. (It was a pretty amazing looking drink with the activated charcoal, which I got from the vitamin section of CVS.)

Also, any ideas on the brand of 151? I used Hamilton 151, which I figured was a safe bet.

Any leads (or speculation) would be much appreciated.

And for your convenience, here's the recipe:

Trader Vic’s Black Sand Beach

Squeeze of lime
Dash activated charcoal
3/4 ounce rock candy syrup (or simple syrup)
1 1/2 ounce pineapple juice
2 ounce coconut rum
1/2 ounce 151 rum

Mix the syrup with the activated charcoal, starting with just a quarter of a tablet (you can add more if you want the cocktail to be darker, though be careful because activated charcoal can interact with medications).

Once charcoal is thoroughly dissolved, mix all ingredients together in a shaker, add ice, shake, and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a flower, pineapple slice, or lime wheel.

While I'm not a fan of coconut rum, the one I've found with the most natural flavor is Koloa, from Hawaii.

Hi, I don't have any idea what rums they're using at Trader Vic's, but just a tip - try Koloa coconut rum if you can find it. It's the best coconut rum I've found and as good enough to sip straight. If you can't find it locally, I think Hi Times usually has it, so you could have it shipped (although picking some up in person on Kauai is also a nice option! :))

Whoops, you beat me to it, Scaramouch!

Trader Vic's does bottle its own brand of coconut rum

http://tradervicsrum.com/products

but I'd advise you to go with the Koloa as well, or another quality coconut-infused rum. Besides their Kona coffee and mac nut liqueurs, most of their commercial products are less than stellar. I think the Hamilton is a great choice for the 151, but if you wanted to shake things up at the cost of a few % abv, using Plantation OFTD could be a tasty experiment.

Thanks everyone! I've seen Koloa at Total Wine, so I'm in luck. I'll be sure to give that a try.

Try this Coconut Rum as well. Brinley's. http://www.brinleygoldshipwreck.com/coconut

It's not full 80proof, but it taste really good. All natural flavoring.

On 2017-09-17 18:58, mmaurice wrote:
Try this Coconut Rum as well. Brinley's. http://www.brinleygoldshipwreck.com/coconut

It's not full 80proof, but it taste really good. All natural flavoring.

Try reading his post properly.

Update: Koloa Coconut Rum = Success!!!

Finally got back to testing this drink again, and Koloa really made it soar! It was okay with the Brinley's, but it still had a bit of a weird aftertaste. (And Koloa is the first coconut rum I've ever encountered that actually smells like fresh coconut and not suntan lotion!) So, I still don't know what they're using at Trader Vic's, but if you're making this cocktail at home, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of Koloa. In the Bay Area it's available at Total Wine.

Thanks to Scaramouch and bamalamalu for the suggestion!