Ray's Mistake

The "mistake" in Ray's Mistake may have been the gin.

This past weekend I stopped by my local Wal-Mart liquor store looking for small bottles of Campari. (Duh, they don't carry a lot of variety.) But -- and this completely caught me by surprise -- they are the only place in my entire region where I've seen Barton's gin for sale, and I've even looked at various web sites. I had pretty much concluded that Barton's was going to be a local special-order item, or that it would be a mail-order item.

I observed that Barton's must be really really really good gin because it currently has bottom shelf placement at Wal-Mart and is priced at $13.xx for a whole 1.75 liter plastic bottle. It's labeled "extra dry London gin" and, when tasted neat, it really doesn't taste very good at all compared to the higher end London drys. If there was a shelf lower than the bottom shelf at Wal-Mart, I'm thinking that's where it might rightly belong. So it seems to be a low-cost well spirit, one that the distributors foist upon businesses with promises of higher profit margins.

I bought one jug of Barton's and will be testing various Mistake recipes in this thread. I'll publish some comments later when I get around to it. I have a list of 6 other cocktails I'm testing right now, so the lab bench is pretty full.

I've looked at this thread now and then enjoying all the reverse engineering. I have never had the pleasure of having a real Ray's Mistake. Has there ever been a consensus that one recipe in particular was close to the real thing? Since I won't be at the Tiki Ti anytime soon I would like to at least have an idea of what I'm missing.

Tonga, check the last 20 or so posts and I think you'll see that this thread doesn't seem to have arrived at a final consensus, and I'm not sure that's ever going to happen, but what's posted is considered acceptably close. But there are easily a couple of nights of material here in the last 20 posts for you to test at home. I tried a couple of the recipes, but I'm not finished, and I won't really comment on the recipes until I go back and re-test and come up with something decent to say.

Since I just recently acquired some of that "very fine high-end" Barton's rum, it's back to the bench in the lab to start all over again. Thank gawd testing and trying this stuff is fun to do.

A "real" Ray's Mistake is on my bucket list the next time I'm out in LA. That along with dragging my 82-year-old mom into another real tiki bar. What a hoot - she rolls with it and is a great sport and enjoys the drinks. I found that out when I took her to Frankie's Tiki Room and also The Hukilau three or four years ago. I wish she could live forever...

iirc there was a decidedly different version posted way back when by Registered Astronaut that was a very tasty cocktail.

I'm tempted to stop by the Ti again today since I'm out early from work, just to try more Mistakes, but I think it'll be off to Tonga Hut instead.

So, Keith, how many "mistakes" does it take before it's really not a "mistake" anymore? Heh...

Tried Icky's latest Mistake recipe last night and followed it to the letter. A bit sweeter than I anticipated, though pleasant. Not sure I'd make it again - my favorite is still the Tropical Itch. Maybe one day I'll make it to the Tiki Ti for a real one.

Anyone else pick up the latest issue of Imbibe and get super excited followed by crushing disappointment? It's the LA Issue and there's a short write up on classic LA cocktails featuring, among others, a little drink known as the Ray's Mistake. When I saw the words "Head to imbibemagazine.com for the recipes" I almost lost my shit! Unfortunately, they appear to have recipes for everything BUT Ray's Mistake! I'm a little choked that they would feature it without divulging the recipe, but, oh well... Thought it was too good to be true, anyway. Still a good issue. There's a page on the Zombie and a few nods to Beachbum and the Tonga Hut as well as a nice little page on the Tiki Ti at the back!

I found this recipe on Orgeatworks.com
Might be fun to try. Sounds pretty close.

King's Ransom - A modern riff on the Tiki Ti's Ray's Mistake

¾ oz. Planation Barbados 5 yr rum
¾ oz. Beefeater Gin
1 oz. Myers's Dark Rum
¾ oz. lime juice
¾ oz. orange juice
½ oz. T'Orgeat
1/2 oz. Licor 43
½ oz. passion fruit nectar
2 dashes Bittermens Elemakule bitters
Shake with 3 cubes and strain over crushed ice in a tall glass
Garnish with a lime peel
Origin: Garret Richards

Since maple syrup has been discussed a lot in this thread I thought I perhaps could ask you guys if the brands I have found where I live (in Sweden) are OK to use? I can´t tell if they are Grade A or B? How do you? The brands I have seen in the shelves are: Maple Joe and Camp.
Thanks!

On 2015-05-15 08:09, Jeje wrote:
Maple Joe and Camp.

I found this re: Camp - http://www.citadelle-camp.coop/maple-syrup/Retail-Market/presentation/products/CAMP/28/Pure-Maple-Syrup.aspx It seems that there are varities you can buy, so I would simply click and check whether you're buying Grade A or Grade B.

I think typically if your syrup is Grade A then it will be marked on the label somewhere.

I could be off, but I seem to remember Ray's Mistake being reddish, and I don't see any of the ingredients in the recent posts accounting for this? Is it possible there is Fassionola or grenadine? I also remember it being like a sweet-tart (the lime/passion combo), with a hint of vanilla - so Liquor 43 as in some of the other posts may be right. I thought there was some thick ingredient poured in, and this might be a fassionola-type syrup? Fassionola was a fruit punch-tasting syrup (the modern version I bought doesn't really have much flavor, just sweet and very red). At one point I fiddled with making a sweet-tart tasting syrup out of 50% lemonade powder and 50% fruit punch powder (I know cheap, but I had them in the cabinet). Just a little of this syrup in the drink actually gave it that sweet-tart quality, almost like an alcoholic pixie stick and on the sweeter side. My drink was lime, this cheap syrup (which could be made with "real" ingredients instead), dark rum, light rum, gin, passion fruit syrup, vanilla extract (since Liquor 43 would make it too sweet)... It was the closest thing I can remember to a Ray's mistake in my mind, though the ingredients may be way off. But honestly, I think anyone's guess is a good as mine, as it's all just guesswork anyway...

All right guys, here's my take, after finally drinking one of these and trying to analyze it carefully.

Things that are definitely in the drink: Vanilla, soda, gin, white rum, dark rum, lime. Probably passion fruit syrup. Probably orgeat but not much, or a weaker variety.

Things I personally don't think are in the drink: coconut anything. And not too sure about the maple syrup. If there is pineapple or orange juice it is very, very little.

It is a light drink, exceptionally smooth, but does have some alcohol, I'd say about 2 oz or more based on how I felt after the first one. But the alcohol is incredibly well masked. I would describe the drink as light and sweet, not really very tart at all.

What I would like to do is make one with the recipe people here have decided on and sneak it into the bar to take alternating sips with a real one. But unfortunately I live about 40 minutes away on a good traffic day, so by the time I got into the bar significant dilution would occur. So my recommendation is that someone who lives close by do this. Mix one up and put it into one of those metal water bottles. There was a guy at the bar yesterday with a big bottle of tea, and Jim was handing out chips and salsa so it's not the case that they'll throw you out for bringing outside food or drinks in the place. Just be discrete. :)

their website says it is made with "our own Super Secret Flavor, Botanic Liqueurs, Passion Fruit and Floated with Dark Corub Rum."

What a fun thread to read through! But Porpoise, in all honesty, Ray's Mistake was not the best drink I had at Tiki Ti last night. That was the Rum Barrel. Ray's Mistake was uniquely easy to quaff and the mystery is ongoing, and fascinating. But maybe I'm spoiled. After squeezing all of my own juices and following so many recipes to the letter, I'm not sure that what I had last night would even make my top 10 Tiki drinks. The bar was full and Mike was busy and maybe what he gave me was a version with lower quality alcohol? And it wasn't a BAD drink, it was a GOOD drink, but maybe only an 8 for me compared to a lot of 9s and 10s out of Grog Log, Intoxica, Hayward's Mai Tai tribute recipes, etc.

A couple of points from earlier in the thread. The drink isn't really particularly red. The orangish tint could come from OJ or from an orange liqueur like Licor 43 as people are suggesting. The color of the syrups at Tiki Ti don't necessarily explain what's in them. My Sumatra Kula (below) was green, and the green came from some kind of green passion fruit syrup which is obviously food coloring. Someone at the bar asked me if it was a "healthy drink" and I said "this is LA so it must be kale."

The Sumatra Kula is not a drink I've ever ordered at Tiki Ti. And I have never seen a recipe that made it look jungle green like that. Perhaps Green Fassionola?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fassionola-TROPICAL-GOLD-FRUIT-MIXER-GREEN-Rum-TIKI-BAR-Volcano-Zombie-Flair-/170889508343

I think you're right about the fassionola. I half expected the green stuff to make the drink a bit sour, tart, tangy or something. But it didn't seem to have that much effect on the flavor.

Which may increase the odds that there is some other kind of fassionola (maybe gold) in Ray's Mistake?

Why is everyone putting gin in Ray's Mistake when the menu places it in rum drinks and not mixed liquor drinks? And I tasted no gin in it last night.

On 2015-09-06 10:03, corkyjon wrote:
Why is everyone putting gin in Ray's Mistake when the menu places it in rum drinks and not mixed liquor drinks? And I tasted no gin in it last night.

I try to watch Mike carefully when he's putting one together, and I can definitely confirm that there's gin (Barton's) going into it, along with gold rum (also Barton's) in addition to that hefty float of Coruba.

On 2015-09-06 10:03, corkyjon wrote:
Why is everyone putting gin in Ray's Mistake when the menu places it in rum drinks and not mixed liquor drinks? And I tasted no gin in it last night.

As with the above, I can also confirm. When Tiki Koro and I last hit up Tiki Ti, we both noticed there were some drinks advertised with multiple spirits but for whatever reason were listed under rum specifically. Maybe it's inconsistency, maybe it's because the drink is particularly rum-forward or rum-heavy?

On 2015-09-06 13:22, kkocka wrote:

On 2015-09-06 10:03, corkyjon wrote:
Why is everyone putting gin in Ray's Mistake when the menu places it in rum drinks and not mixed liquor drinks? And I tasted no gin in it last night.

As with the above, I can also confirm. When Tiki Koro and I last hit up Tiki Ti, we both noticed there were some drinks advertised with multiple spirits but for whatever reason were listed under rum specifically. Maybe it's inconsistency, maybe it's because the drink is particularly rum-forward or rum-heavy?

That's probably it. Regardless of what our tribute recipes may say, there's no constraint on the coruba float other than the space left in the glass after it's been blended. They just up end that bottle and keep pouring until they run out of space, so it ends up having a really strong dark rum note in it.

I had a very surprising experience with Barton's last night. A family member came over, I offered him a drink, and he wanted gin, lime, and soda on ice. I asked what kind of gin, and showed him a decent selection of 7 or 8 good high-end gins. He declined the high end stuff and wanted the cheapest I had - "id doesn't matter." I went to the very back of the gins and pulled out my Barton's. I was very honest and told him it was the lowest-end gin I had, strictly bottom-shelf at Wal-Mart's liquor store and only like $12 or $13 for a 1.75l jug. He still told me that's perfect. So I actually served Barton's that evening to a real human being. And he enjoyed it.

On 2015-09-08 10:17, AceExplorer wrote:

I had a very surprising experience with Barton's last night. A family member came over, I offered him a drink, and he wanted gin, lime, and soda on ice. I asked what kind of gin, and showed him a decent selection of 7 or 8 good high-end gins. He declined the high end stuff and wanted the cheapest I had - "id doesn't matter." I went to the very back of the gins and pulled out my Barton's. I was very honest and told him it was the lowest-end gin I had, strictly bottom-shelf at Wal-Mart's liquor store and only like $12 or $13 for a 1.75l jug. He still told me that's perfect. So I actually served Barton's that evening to a real human being. And he enjoyed it.

I've never actually seen a Barton product outside the walls of the Tiki Ti. Even Hi Times doesn't seem to carry it. They must be buying it direct.

Finding Barton's here in Austin was like finding hens teeth. Tried Icky's Mistake and look forward to having many more til I get back to the Tiki Ti to better contribute anything I may feel of any consequence.

Love this thread...

Did this guy actually figure it out?

https://blog.union.io/thoughts/2016/05/01/making-rays-mistake/

Crazy! Guess I'll have to try that tonight, although I don't believe it...

On 2016-05-06 14:28, lunavideogames wrote:
Crazy! Guess I'll have to try that tonight, although I don't believe it...

Agreed! BTW, what's up with Coruba all of a sudden? It seems to be out of stock everywhere.

Loki - Hi Times usually has it in stock for pretty cheap! Cheap shipping too.

So after rereading this I noticed a couple mistakes :wink:

Has to be a joke

[ Edited by: lunavideogames 2016-05-07 11:04 ]

On 2016-05-06 22:50, lunavideogames wrote:
Has to be a joke

Yeah the dude is full of shit. I was actually hoping none of us would link to it - Hurricane Hayward did and Jeff Berry suggested he not spread this guy's bullshit so I believe Hayward took it down. I mean it's not far from what we've already toyed with here, but his know-it-all attitude deserves a kick to the nuts. I mean he carries himself as though it's 100% certain and that stupid us never thought of trying honey mix. He just oversells every single step and really gave shit credit to the rest of us who have even thought of recreating it.

I found this on Facebook.

Tiki Ti
18 mins ·
Happy Easter To Y'all!!!!
Tiki Ti is proud to announce the fruition of a plan that has been in motion for a while. Yes, that's right Boys and Girls We are working with a local micro bottler to bottle and sell Ray's mistakes in bottle form for take home purposes!!!! When we get back from Spring Break, you will be able to take Ray's Mistakes home to enjoy !!! You will need to pour them over ice, as they would be a little syrupy straight out of the bottle. Please come get a few when we open, give us your opinion!!! We will be able to ship them in the next month or so!!!! Soon, we plan to Bottle the Zombie, Bayanihan, and Fogcutter !!!!!
Thank You For Your Support !!!!!

On 2018-04-01 09:45, hiltiki wrote:
Tiki Ti
18 mins ·
Happy Easter To Y'all!!!!
Tiki Ti is proud to announce the fruition of a plan that has been in motion for a while. Yes, that's right Boys and Girls We are working with a local micro bottler to bottle and sell Ray's mistakes in bottle form for take home purposes!!!! When we get back from Spring Break, you will be able to take Ray's Mistakes home to enjoy !!! You will need to pour them over ice, as they would be a little syrupy straight out of the bottle. Please come get a few when we open, give us your opinion!!! We will be able to ship them in the next month or so!!!! Soon, we plan to Bottle the Zombie, Bayanihan, and Fogcutter !!!!!
Thank You For Your Support !!!!!

Interesting, I assume this is just the mixer, you add your own alcohol(?).

On 2018-04-01 09:45, hiltiki wrote:

I found this on Facebook.

Tiki Ti
18 mins ·
Happy Easter To Y'all!!!!
Tiki Ti is proud to announce the fruition of a plan that has been in motion for a while. Yes, that's right Boys and Girls We are working with a local micro bottler to bottle and sell Ray's mistakes in bottle form for take home purposes!!!! When we get back from Spring Break, you will be able to take Ray's Mistakes home to enjoy !!! You will need to pour them over ice, as they would be a little syrupy straight out of the bottle. Please come get a few when we open, give us your opinion!!! We will be able to ship them in the next month or so!!!! Soon, we plan to Bottle the Zombie, Bayanihan, and Fogcutter !!!!!
Thank You For Your Support !!!!!

I was very briefly excited before I remembered what day it is. Now I'm sad. Better start drinking!

On 2018-04-01 09:45, hiltiki wrote:

I found this on Facebook.

Tiki Ti
18 mins ·
Happy Easter To Y'all!!!!
Tiki Ti is proud to announce the fruition of a plan that has been in motion for a while. Yes, that's right Boys and Girls We are working with a local micro bottler to bottle and sell Ray's mistakes in bottle form for take home purposes!!!! When we get back from Spring Break, you will be able to take Ray's Mistakes home to enjoy !!! You will need to pour them over ice, as they would be a little syrupy straight out of the bottle. Please come get a few when we open, give us your opinion!!! We will be able to ship them in the next month or so!!!! Soon, we plan to Bottle the Zombie, Bayanihan, and Fogcutter !!!!!
Thank You For Your Support !!!!!

Mahalo Hilda, Happy Easter and Have a great April Fools Day!

The ingredients listed on the bottle: Rum and fruit juice!