Fassionola?

Got my bottle of English's red fassionola today. There is definitely a color and consistency difference between it and my homemade batch (English is thicker and darker) but the taste is very similar. So far I've only tried the English in a Special Reserve Daiquiri and I believe it was a better cocktail than the one I made last week with my own fassionola. As a quick refresher, since it had been recommended to combine equal parts Fee Bros grenadine and Smuckers raspberry syrup to make fassionola and I couldn't find either of those locally, I made my own grenadine and raspberry syrup from scratch. While it's cheaper and more natural, I'm not sure it's worth all the effort, especially given the short shelf life. At any rate I might as well continue experimenting with the two. Jet Pilot on deck.

Outback Steakhouse shot glasses? Someone send a couple of proper shooters STAT! :lol:

Couldn't resist...the discussion is fascinating.

On 2014-10-21 11:47, Rum Balls wrote:
Outback Steakhouse shot glasses? Someone send a couple of proper shooters STAT! :lol:

Couldn't resist...the discussion is fascinating.

Ha! Figured I'd get some slack for that. My soon to be father in law runs an Outback in Jacksonville so we have a plentiful supply of shot glasses and steak knives. My only other options were Simpsons but they are frosted which would muck up my presentation. D'oh!

Some good points about the difference between the red and gold fassionola. I've been using the red in my Mai-Kai recipes that call for a boost of color and fruit flavor. I've had some confirmation that they do indeed use something similar there behind the bar in the same drinks (Cobra's Kiss, Special Reserve Daiquiri, et al.)

There are quite a few other drinks that feature a distinctive passion fruit syrup. But the color of these is not as noticeably red, so I always assumed it was a more traditional passion fruit syrup. Again, it's a unique syrup concoction of some sort, so perhaps it's a descendant or variation of gold fassionola. I'll have to pick up a bottle and compare. I've never truly been able to duplicate flavor of The Mai-Kai's passion fruit syrup.

Should the English fassionola be refrigerated after opening? Doesn't say so on the bottle and there's probably enough preservatives to keep it alive for a while but I'm thinking keep it cool just in case.

And I figure I might only have a few days left of my homemade batch before it starts spoiling so I made some Cobra's Kisses last night per Haywards tribute. Delicious drink on par with the Jet Pilot. Forgot to take a pic but it had a very nice color thanks to the fassionola.

Mike, I would not only keep it refrigerated but also consider adding a bit of clear spirits (light rum, vodka, Everclear). That will help keep it from crystallizing too quickly. I have a bottle that's lasted quite a while in that state. Any rich or concentrated syrup is going to have the same problem.

I've never seen a recipe or description of an old cocktail that calls for fassionola that specified a color. Therefore, I have to believe that originally there was only one color fassionola. And since the company refers to the gold fassionola as the one that was used in the 1940s, I'd go with that one rather than the red.

I'm sure he is busy with the opening of his new place in nola, but I emailed the Bum to see what his thoughts were on this. Curious as to what he believes Donn would have used.

On 2014-10-27 11:29, Tonga Tiki wrote:
I'm sure he is busy with the opening of his new place in nola, but I emailed the Bum to see what his thoughts were on this. Curious as to what he believes Donn would have used.

Looking forward to his reply. I've got 20 bucks in my paypal and I'm all set to buy whichever type of fassionola he recommends from jamalspelling.

I would not expect a positive response from the Bum, assuming he has time to respond. I'll bet his advice would be to not bother with fassionola. And I would agree to a point (especially when you consider its artificial ingredients). It's not mentioned in any of his books, and I get the feeling that he feels it's unnecessary. It's too obscure to include in his published recipes and expect readers to be able to find it. And it's fairly easy to use passion fruit syrup and/or grenadine in most of the classics that may have used fassionola at some point.

However, you can't deny that it was indeed one of Donn Beach's many secret ingredients, though it's rare to find in print. Beyond references in old Hurricane recipes, I've only seen it mentioned in "Hawaii - Tropical Rum Drinks & Cuisine by Don the Beachcomber." It's included in five drinks in that book, which inspired me to track it down at The Mai-Kai, where Donn's old recipes are still followed religiously. That led me to include it in five current drinks and two retired drinks in my tribute recipes.

Which leads us back to the question of which of the Jonathan English products is preferred. I've long used the "Red" Tropical Gold product, which I've recommended in all of the aforementioned drinks. But I just picked up a bottle of the other Tropical Gold fassionola. The only major difference on the bottle is the word "red" is not included. It looks (and tastes) very similar. It's indeed not as red, though in the bottle it's hard to tell the difference.

I'm in the midst of some head-to-head comparisons. So stay tuned for the results.

I finally broke down and ordered some; a bottle of Red and a bottle of Gold are both on the way!

Here we go ...

What's interesting (or concerning, depending on your point of view) about these two products is that they contain the exact same ingredients: Corn sweetener, water, orange juice concentrate, citric acid, xanthan gum, natural and artificial flavor, etc. The difference is obviously those unnamed flavors, and whatever also affects the color.

Comparing the two straight-up: The Red Tropical Gold syrup is fruiter, with more of a cherry taste. It's also distinctly more red in color. The plain Tropical Gold syrup has more sweet and tart nuances, along with more up-front passion fruit-like flavors (probably artificial, but you never know).

The true test is using them in a cocktail. As part of this research, I identified all the drinks in the Don the Beachcomber book by Phoebe Beach that call for fassionola:
Pi Yi (1/2 ounce)
Beachcomber's Rum Barrel (1/4 ounce)
Cherry Blossom Punch (1/4 ounce)
Cobra's Fang (1/4 ounce)
Q.B. Cooler (1/4 ounce)
http://www.hawaiibeachcomber.com/id4.html

Plus all the Atomic Grog tribute recipes that I've surmised contain The Mai-Kai's version of fassionola:

Current tribute recipes:
Cobra's Kiss (1/2 ounce)
Jet Pilot (1/4 ounce)
Tahitian Breeze (1/4 ounce)
Special Reserve Daiquiri (1/2 teaspoon)
Mai Tai (1/4 teaspoon)
Retired tribute recipes:
Impatient Virgin (1/2 teaspoon)
Suffering Bastard (1/4 teaspoon)

Since it appears in both lists, I decided to go with the Cobra's Kiss (Cobra's Fang) for this test ...

The drink containing the red fassionola (left) is decidedly more red, which fits the M.O. of The Mai-Kai's version. The color is perfect, but the drink could have used just a tad more sweetness. But it's certainly possible that The Mai-Kai's version of the syrup has just a slightly sweeter flavor profile. The regular Tropical Gold yields a drink that's less red and also a little too sweet.

If you look at the list of drinks above, most seem to benefit more from Red Tropical Gold, particularly from the added color. In The Mai-Kai tribute recipes especially, that boost of red color is needed to make them match up with the look of the originals. And there's a whole different list of drinks (Rum Barrel, Mara Amu, etc.) that feature a more pure and potent passion fruit syrup than the non-red fassionola.

That's not to say that either of these could find many more uses beyond the drinks listed above. I've yet to try them elsewhere, but I'm sure the plain Tropical Gold would work fine in a Hurricane. However, with so many better (and fresher) syrups at my disposal, I'll likely only use them for these niche purposes.

Okole maulua!

The corn sweetener is a deal breaker for me.

I've put in an order for the red stuff per your conclusions.I'm not much a fan of bottled anything-I-could-make-myself, but before I start trying to concoct a fassionola knock-off I'm going to have to try the original, just to be sure I know where I stand. The corn sweetener doesn't scare me enough to pass up any of the wonderful looking drinks on that list.

I got my response from Bum. I know that this thread seems to deal mainly with fassionola's part in replicating Mai Kai cocktails and not necessarily Donn's actual recipes. But I was curious to what his opinion was anyway. BTW I want to thank Hurricane Hayward for his tireless quest of providing the most accurate Mai Kai recipes possible. I have enjoyed his Mai Kai tribute cocktail recipes for years and they are a staple at my parties. Anyway, here is the Bum's opinion on fassionola:

Aloha Tonga Tiki!

I tried the original (gold) Fassionola in the early 1990s, when I found a bottle in a Burbank liquor store. It was awful: artificial tasting, vaguely passion fruit-orange. Using actual passion fruit is MUCH better. I have to think that the Don recipes that call for it in Phoebe's book date from the 1980s, when every restaurant chain started switching over to artificial mixers. In the 1940s Don would not have been using that stuff, IMHO.

The gold was the standard, but red would have been used for Hurricanes and the like. It had a cherry taste. Green was only used as food coloring for drinks that called for "green syrup," like the Cleopatra. It was kind of minty."

Hope that helps,

Bum

[ Edited by: Tonga Tiki 2014-10-31 13:35 ]

Hayward: Thanks for sharing your comparisons. It's good to know the red isn't the "wrong" English flavor for the few drinks that call for fassionola as I imagine this bottle will take some time to work through and I wouldn't want to feel obligated to also buy the Gold.

I've tried your Cobra's Kiss and Jet Pilot recipes with it and they are wonderful. If you can, please revisit your Special Reserve Daiquiri tribute and let me know your thoughts. I tried it with both my homemade and the English red and it's not quite how I remember it at the Mai Kai. Wondering if the recipe could use some tweaks or maybe my memory of it is just off.

Palmtreepat: If you decide after trying the English red that you want to make homemade fassionola based on the Smuckers and grenadine recipe, I suggest you do the method I illustrated above. The Smuckers raspberry syrup and Fee Bros grenadine both have HFCS and artificial ingredients. They'll produce a more concentrated flavor than the fresh raspberry and pom juice approach but if your goal is to eliminate bottled syrups you might as well make it as fresh as can be. Unless of course your plan is to recreate the color, flavor and consistency by other means than just using those ingredients, then I'd be very interested to know what you come up with.

Mikehooker: My plan for a fassionola knock-off was to follow the 3rd substitute recipe posted on the atomic grog (1/4 cup each raspberry syrup and grenadine, plus 1/2 tsp orange extract) by making and mixing raspberry coulis, hibiscus grenadine (for that extra-red color), and an orange peel tincture made from everclear (which will hopefully also extend the shelf life). I've always assumed that bottled raspberry syrups and sauces were raspberry coulis under a different name, but it occurred to me today that I've never actually tasted the bottled stuff and that a mixture based on my usual coulis recipe could be way off target in terms of sweetness/thickness. About how sweet/thick should the raspberry component be?

PalmtreePat, I'm interested to know how your syrup-making experiments are going. Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to this thread, but I've had time to gather up some news on my research ...

At Mike's suggestion, I decided to revisit the Special Reserve Daiquiri and make sure it's accurate. While I was at it, I thought I'd compare the Jonathan English red syrup head-to-head against the combination of Fee Brothers grenadine and Smucker's Red Raspberry Syrup.

In the interest of time, I had to forgo the ice shell...

The drink containing fassionola (left) is noticeably more red, and also has a slightly more intense fruit flavor. Tasting the syrups both straight-up and in the cocktails, I would consider them very similar. But the Jonathan English product, as artificial as it is, still works best if you're looking to duplicate the taste of these drinks exactly. The substitute is perfectly fine, just not quite as strong.

I also made an interesting discovery at my local Total Wine store. They sell a 100% organic raspberry simple syrup made by Royal Rose that appears thick and dark and could be a fine substitute for the Smucker's (which lists high fructose corn syrup as its top ingredient). I mixed up a fassionola substitute using the raspberry simple syrup and Fee's grenadine and the results were just as good, if not better, than the batch with Smucker's ...

Get more info on Royal Rose at http://www.royalrosesyrups.com (they also have a bunch of other interesting flavors)
If you're leery of the corn sweeteners, this could be a fine alternative. It could probably be combined with a rich, homemade grenadine (along with perhaps some orange extract) to make an all-natural fassionola. It will just be tricky to get the same intensity you get with the bottled red fassionola.

I also tinkered with the Special Reserve Daiquiri recipe after finding it a tad too sweet. There's not much room to improvise since the drink is so simple, but I got better results by swapping the amounts of lime and honey. Mike, try it with 3/4 ounce of lime juice and 1/2 ounce of rich honey mix and let me know what you think. I'll probably update the recipe on the blog soon.

A few other quick tips: If you're not using the ice shell, you'll need to duplicate the chilling effect, along with the dilution caused by the ice. This also quells the sweetness. I would just add some crushed or cubed ice to the glass. Also, I'm fairly certain that this drink is pulse blended with crushed ice, not shaken, which also changes its consistency slightly. Since I posted this and other tribute recipes, I learned that all The Mai-Kai's cocktails are either pulse blended in a top-down mixer like Donn Beach used to do, or blended until smooth in a traditional blender (Derby Daiquiri, Floridita Daiquiri, etc.). Nothing is shaken. I would just strain the pulse-blended Special Reserve Daiquiri into a glass with an ice shell, or a chilled coupe with a few cubes.

Okole maluna!

The official blog of The Hukilau

Featuring The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-11-18 01:42 ]

Thanks for the update! I will try the amended SRD recipe soon. When I made mine with the homemade fassionola last month I only did a half-assed attempt at an ice mold, lining crushed ice around the edge of a martini glass and freezing it for a bit. I didn't make it to sno cone consistency or work the mold upward like you demonstrate on your blog. I did flash blend the drink in a top down mixer though and strained it into the glass but maybe the rate of dilution was off which is why I didn't get the intended result I was hoping for:

Or perhaps the homemade fassionola just didn't have enough kick. I don't recall it being too sweet as you mentioned. Next time I'll attempt a proper mold and use the English red along with the changes you stated and see how it goes. Looking forward to it!

Tonight I tried the regular Tropical Gold fassionola, the version with the passion fruit overtones, in The Mai-Kai's Mara-Amu and compared it head-to-head against the same drink containing a rich homemade passion fruit syrup. While is wasn't horrible, I would not recommend it in place of traditional passion fruit syrup. As I suspected, the taste would lend itself more toward a vintage Hurricane, and not much else.

I continue to recommend using only the Red Tropical Gold (or a viable substitute) in cocktails such as the Cobra's Kiss that need that extra boost of color and rich fruity flavor.

Was out of town when Texas got hit with some crazy storms a couple weeks ago. My neighborhood even got hit by a small tornado... in Austin... yeah, what the fuck? I'm not sure how long I was without power but my fassionola now looks like this:

I tossed all my dairy and juices from the fridge but do you think this is still safe to consume? It's full of additives so I don't know that it's spoiled but the consistency is totally wrong so thinking I should probably pitch it. I should ask the same for the Fees falernum being that it has lime juice in it.

Looks like the rest of the cocktail world is finally coming around to fassionola. Very interesting article:
http://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/9/3/9253267/fassionola-tiki-syrup

Mike: I'm surprised your bottle went bad considering the info in this story. They seem to have been bottled some time ago with a long shelf life. But I suppose after opening and refrigerating, that changes the chemistry. But it's good to know that if there's ever a nuclear war, I can keep an unopened bottle of fassionola in my underground shelter for a few decades until we're ready to resurface. :>|

Seems like lots of activity on this front in Texas. I'd like to hear from folks who tried the drinks at Lei Low and Rapscallion.

Update: The eBay seller of the Jonathan English brand products, who seemed rather perturbed by the article, says that it's "produced several times per year," which makes a lot more sense. He also says the Jonathan English brand "is alive and well" and that company "is on the cutting edge of cocktail mixers offering a full line of true quality classic bar mixes, and supplying demand for dispenser syrups made with cane sugar & natural ingredients."

This pretty much ends the mystery of the Jonathan English brand, but still no clue as to whether this syrup is indeed the same formula as the one Donn Beach and others used back in the day. All I know is it's pretty close to what The Mai-Kai has been using in recent times. I ran the article by Kern Mattei, but he hasn't given me any juicy info yet.

On 2015-09-05 12:22, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
But I suppose after opening and refrigerating, that changes the chemistry. But it's good to know that if there's ever a nuclear war, I can keep an unopened bottle of fassionola in my underground shelter for a few decades until we're ready to resurface. :>|

Ha! Well it's good the seller chimed in and clarified that this is not old stock from the 90s he's unleashing on the unsuspecting masses. But yeah, after the texture completely changed in my bottle it started forming black stuff, presumably mold. It's still in my fridge for some reason and has about a 1" thick layer of black gunk settled on top. I should probably toss that...

This is what became of my Jon English after the four day power outage:

Pretty nasty.

Gonna make it at home from now on. The homemade raspberry syrup and grenadine version I made before just didn't cut through like the artificial stuff so I'll have to get store bought raspberry syrup or find a new recipe.

On 2015-09-07 15:29, mikehooker wrote:
This is what became of my Jon English after the four day power outage:

Pretty nasty.

Gonna make it at home from now on. The homemade raspberry syrup and grenadine version I made before just didn't cut through like the artificial stuff so I'll have to get store bought raspberry syrup or find a new recipe.

Hey Mike, Keep us posted on your results please.
Mahalo

Looks like Jonathan English has a new site in the works ...
http://www.jonathanenglish.net/

I just found this stuff. I don't know if it's any good or anything about it.

http://store.cocktailandsons.com/Fassionola-p/00005.htm

Storm

On 2016-04-29 11:30, stormrider wrote:
I just found this stuff. I don't know if it's any good or anything about it.

http://store.cocktailandsons.com/Fassionola-p/00005.htm

Storm

I picked up a bottle of that in Miami two weeks ago. The tiny sample I had was tasty (and sweet), but I'm not sure it's what Fassionala is supposed to be. Everything I'm reading says a lot about passion fruit, whereas this bottle says "hibiscus flowers" and "strawberries." I haven't done anything with it yet, but I might play with it this weekend.

On 2016-04-29 11:30, stormrider wrote:
I just found this stuff. I don't know if it's any good or anything about it.

http://store.cocktailandsons.com/Fassionola-p/00005.htm

Storm

Seems real pricey for the size of that bottle and doesn't look to be a thick syrup like the English stuff. It seems everyone has their own interpretation of what fassionola should be. At Lei Low in Houston their homemade fassionola is super heavy on passion fruit which tastes great on it's own and in their original creations but probably won't work in applications that specifically call for fassionola. I'm assuming that's the case with this stuff.

On 2016-04-29 14:41, mikehooker wrote:

On 2016-04-29 11:30, stormrider wrote:
I just found this stuff. I don't know if it's any good or anything about it.

http://store.cocktailandsons.com/Fassionola-p/00005.htm

Storm

Seems real pricey for the size of that bottle and doesn't look to be a thick syrup like the English stuff. It seems everyone has their own interpretation of what fassionola should be. At Lei Low in Houston their homemade fassionola is super heavy on passion fruit which tastes great on it's own and in their original creations but probably won't work in applications that specifically call for fassionola. I'm assuming that's the case with this stuff.

Here's a story from Tales of the Cocktail on the new Cocktail & Sons fassionola, which seems to be very well-crafted from fresh ingredients. They're aiming to be authentic to the history of New Orleans, which is admirable. But, as pointed out, we're not sure what interpretation this is.
https://talesofthecocktail.com/products/welcome-back-fassionola-hurricanes-long-lost-ingredient

I too picked up a bottle at Miami Rum Festival, so I'll be putting it to the test. But considering its price and seasonal availability, I wouldn't consider it a reliable solution. A friend of mine is working on a homemade version. I'm hoping to taste it soon and see if it's viable.

I'm actually interested in the fassionola for a straight up Hurricane. I've already impressed my friends with Beachbum's passionfruit version but they didn't think it actually resembled (in color primarily) a normal Hurricane.

I ordered an ebay bottle of red, I'm curious to compare how it tastes in comparison to the powdered Hurricane mix (O'Briens) that you can find in every liquor store from here to eternity.

The first bottle I ordered I didn't get (my fault, long story).

I ordered another bottle this week for my girlfriend's birthday party - I made a huge batch of Hurricane with Mount Gay Eclipse (1.75L), Lemon Juice (29oz), and the English's Fassionola (29oz).

It was really really good. I was pretty impressed. The party goers liked it too, one commented that it was like Hawaiian Punch was pretty close but it wasn't as sweet (I know some people use Hawaiian Punch, I haven't tried that yet, wanted to see what Fassionola was like first)

Overall, it was a good change from all the passionfruit heavy drinks that I'm usually batching up for parties.

Moved from another thread:

On 2016-12-05 13:17, coralreef wrote:
So what does Fassionola taste like.

I tried Jonathan Englishes Red Fassionola Tropical Gold Fruit Mix it taste like strawberries and may be orange to me. Mostly strawberries.

I made two batches of my own fassionola:

Smuckers Red Raspberry 1/4 cup,1/4 cup grenadine (made from POM) and 1/2 tsp orange extract. Taste like orange sherbet to me.

Smuckers Red Raspberry 1/4 cup,1/4 Monin Cherry syrup and 1/2 tsp orange extract. Taste is closer to Jonathan Englishes Red Fassionola , but tastes of maybe cherry and a little orange. Tastes better than the one made with grenadine.

Tried the version with grenadine in a Cobras Fang, really was lacking.

So what should Fassionola taste like?

I use the Jonathan English's Red... a little goes a long way. I recommend adding a little vodka to stabilize any syrups that may take awhile to finish.

I bought a bottle of Fassinola Red back in September and sadly all I have made with it is Hurricane Hayward's Cobra's Fang. What else can I make with this stuff? I've added vodka to it to prolong the shelf life but its already a few months old and I don't want it to go to waste. Any recipe suggestions?

Love your user name - I was watching that movie last night!

You should just take a run through these:

On 2018-01-05 10:37, Chester Copperpot wrote:
I bought a bottle of Fassinola Red...What else can I make with this stuff?

Keep going through Hayward's tributes and seek out the other drinks using Fassionola. I bought the same bottle for the same reasons, but after having used it I don't find a real need to buy or even make it again. I'd just as soon use an amount of grenadine in its place. There should be a few recipes in Beachbum Berry Remixed but you'll have to dig through those recipes deeply.

On 2018-01-05 10:37, Chester Copperpot wrote:
I bought a bottle of Fassinola Red back in September and sadly all I have made with it is Hurricane Hayward's Cobra's Fang. What else can I make with this stuff? I've added vodka to it to prolong the shelf life but its already a few months old and I don't want it to go to waste. Any recipe suggestions?

Strong Storm in the Gulf
1 Passion Syrup
1/2 Fassionola
1/4 Grenadine
1 Lime
1 Orange
1.5 Dark Rum
1.5 Light Rum

Thank you for the recipe mmaurice! I'll give this one a run through this weekend :)

Doug’s most recent Tiki Month post at Pegu Blog is about fassionola. I didn’t realize Jon English still exists and is still making it. Looks like I might need to order a bottle soon....

http://www.killingtime.com/Pegu/2018/02/27/so-whats-up-with-fassionola/

I've gotta agree with the article, that Jonathan English page is possibly the most useless website since Zombo.com. "Information-free website" is dead on. No wonder hardly anyone even knows they still exist!

And agreed, gotta try some now that I know where to get it.

I made a couple Cobra's Fang last night with the following Fassionola:

1/4 cup Smuckers Red Raspberry (bought directly from Smuckers)
1/4 cup Grenadine (homemade via Smugglers Cove recipe)
1/2 tsp Orange Extract

That is a mighty fine tasting cocktail.

Rick in Texas

I have been using the Red Tropical Gold Fruit Mix for years. I buy it on ebay and always have an unopened bottle in the house. Once opened... I put an ounce of vodka in to stabilize and keep it in the fridge. When Hurricane Irma came through I lost my power for 6 days and it survived. With so many ways to come up with a substitute I don't think its critical to use English's, but I find it convenient.

I think the big reason I like fassionola is the red color. Even great drinks sometimes have that orangeish brownish look and fassionola makes it more appealing to me.

My go-to drink is a slightly modified version of one of Hurricane's Jet Pilot tributes. On a hot Saturday in the pool it makes you feel like you've put on rose tinted sunglasses. I use fassionola in my recipe, but I pull back on the honey mix and finish up the half ounce with fassionola.

My variation of Hurricane's Jet Pilot tribute

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce falernum (Fee Brothers)
Fill half ounce jigger to 2/3 full with honey mix and the other 1/3 with fassionola. This part is never that precise. Both are sweet and it gets the red color in.
1/8 teaspoon of Pernod (sometime a little more is interesting)
A couple of shakes of Angostura Bitters (regular)

3/4 ounce of Don Q Silver Rum (BTW - my favorite silver rum - Makes great Mojitos)
3/4 ounce of Cruzan Gold Rum
3/4 ounce Appleton VX Rum
3/4 ounce Lemon Hart 151 - I think this is the critical rum. There is always a big debate about which is better: old yellow label, red label or new version. Doesn't matter...Lemon Hart provides a unique smooth, smokey flavor you cant get anywhere else and with a 151 punch. Yes - Hamiliton's is the only substitute I would use. It does make it less smooth and more in your face. But that isn't a bad thing either. I am certain I don't have to explain to this group that using Bacardi 151 would be blasphemy. However Bacardi 151 is useful in getting love bugs off your bumper.

I use a Hamilton spin mixer for 5 seconds with a 1/2 cup of crushed ice. Fill an old fashioned glass (I use my Hukilau glasses) and top off with more crushed ice.

I'm lucky to have access to all versions of Lemon Hart. When the old yellow label and red label stopped being produced, I bought everything I could get my hands on. But to enable me to stretch those out till I die I have purchased a couple of cases of the new stuff for parties etc...

Enjoy!

[ Edited by: Tonga Tiki 2018-04-13 09:50 ]

I finally got myself a bottle of the official stuff and I gotta say, it's nothing like my homemade mix OR the passionfruit syrup that apparently gets used as a substitute alot. I can only describe it as "brighter" than my grenadine/raspberry/orange extract mix and the berry flavors are the predominant note. And even though I know it's probably getting to work on a nice plump stomach tumor even as I type........I still really like it.

I've heard whisperings that BG Reynolds might be including a Fassionola in a new group of syrups that they will be doing a kickstarter to fund in the near future.

Anyone can confirm?

On 2018-04-16 10:36, CosmoReverb wrote:
I've heard whisperings that BG Reynolds might be including a Fassionola in a new group of syrups that they will be doing a kickstarter to fund in the near future.

Anyone can confirm?

Yup, Red Fassionola is indeed on of his new syrups being brought to market in Kickstarter, along with Gardenia Mix, Honey Mix, Devil's Reef Pineapple Molasses, and Hazelnut Orgeat. You can see them all in their store on their website - they're currently marked as Sold Out, but noted in the descriptions as 'Coming Soon! Check our news for Kickstarter info!', with the exception of the Hazelnut Orgeat, which is just 'Coming Soon' - not sure if that'll be a KS syrup or not. :)

For those who were curious, Blair's Kickstarter is now live - some great rewards in there!

http://kck.st/2JNlGdY