Recipe: Original Drink Formulas by Hamo

I came to tiki through my longtime interest in cocktails. I’ve never been a professional bartender (although two years ago, I tried to quit my job and thought I’d occupy my unemployed time by going to bartending school. None of that ever happened. Long story; we’ll have a drink sometime and I’ll tell you it), but I’d say that creating cocktails is an amateur hobby. I’ve shared some of my recipes (or “formulas,” as Trader Vic calls them in his Rum Cookery & Drinkery book) in the “What Are You Drinking” thread, but I thought I’d put them all in a new, specific thread. I’m not quite as visually artistic as others on TC, but this is one way I think I can contribute and share some tiki inspired talent.

Today is Repeal Day, so I thought I’d start with a Club Babita.

Club Babita

3/4 oz light Virgin Islands rum
3/4 oz gold Jamaican rum
1 oz pineapple juice
2 tsp falernum
1 tsp maraschino liqueur
1 dash orange bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Pineapple is my favorite fruit, so I look for ways to use the juice in recipes. I was thinking about a classically-styled cocktail when I was working on this formula, and after playing with the falernum and maraschino amounts, settled on this version. Naming it was easy; I’d recently watched the 1949 Doris Day movie, My Dream is Yours, where she dances in a bamboo club and imagined my drink could have been the house cocktail, so I named it after the place.

You need a drink called "the Hamo Blamo"

What do you suppose should be the ingredients for that?

Remind me later to talk about my thoughts about creating a cocktail around a name as opposed to naming a cocktail after it’s been created....

The Hamo Blamo
1 oz Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum
1 oz Lost Spirits Navy Style Overproof Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 151 Overproof Rum
Juice from 1/2 lime
Garnish with the spent lime shell and keep away from open flames
:P :lol:

On 2017-12-07 13:54, MadDogMike wrote:
The Hamo Blamo
1 oz Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum
1 oz Lost Spirits Navy Style Overproof Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 151 Overproof Rum
Juice from 1/2 lime
Garnish with the spent lime shell and keep away from open flames
:P :lol:

Name that one the Hamo Ka-Blamo !

Yikes, Mike; don’t you think it could use some sweetener...?

Actually, what if we turn it into a basic punch?

1 oz Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum
1 oz Lost Spirits Navy Style Overproof Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 151 Overproof Rum
1 oz lime juice
1 oz ginger syrup (not liqueur)
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz grenadine
4 oz club soda
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Build over ice and stir. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and lime peel.

I don’t have any Lost Spirits, so someone will have to test this for me. If you dare.

UPDATE: Find the revised recipe here

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-03-30 21:27:21 ]

One week night last winter, when I decided I could only handle one Zombie to ensure I could function at work the next morning, I whipped together an “up” cocktail in order still to utilize the Don’s Mix. I named it “The Beachcomber’s Shanty,” which I’d gotten from playing around with the Tiki Bar Name Generator.

Fast forward a few months when nui ‘umi ‘umi tried my Club Babita on the rocks. I thought I’d see what it tasted like, except I got the wrong cocktail and tried The Beachcomber’s Shanty instead. After tweaking the pineapple and Don’s Mix ratios, I decided I preferred the Shanty shaken with crushed ice. Bob Ross might call that a happy little accident.

The Beachcomber’s Shanty

1-1/2 oz gold Virgin Islands rum
1-1/2 oz gold Jamaican rum
1-1/2 oz pineapple juice
1-1/2 oz Don's Mix (1 oz white grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz cinnamon syrup)
1 dash spiced bitters*

Shake with crushed ice and pour unstrained into a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.

*Spiced bitters are a 1:1 mix of Angostura bitters and pimento dram. If necessary, substitute “full strength” Angostura bitters.

[ Edited by: Hamo 2019-02-10 14:36 ]

On 2017-12-09 07:46, Hamo wrote:
Yikes, Mike; don’t you think it could use some sweetener...?

Actually, what if we turn it into a basic punch?

1 oz Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum
1 oz Lost Spirits Navy Style Overproof Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 151 Overproof Rum
1 oz lime juice
1 oz ginger syrup (not liqueur)
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz grenadine
4 oz club soda
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Build over ice and stir. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and lime peel.

I don’t have any Lost Spirits, so someone will have to test this for me. If you dare.

Sweetener is for wussies. Doesn't the Pappa Doble have twice the rum and half the sweetener? :lol:

Actually that really good. And at 10 ounces (and 2 dashes) before ice, it's a nice sized drink.

I enjoy champagne cocktails, such as the French 75 or the Seelbach. They seem a bit more elegant than other drinks.

Perhaps you have a special occasion to toast (like New Year’s Eve), or are welcoming new neighbors, or maybe you just want a change from Mimosas at your next brunch. May I offer the Ho’olanilani?

Ho’olanilani

1 oz Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple rum
1/2 oz Don’s mix (2 tsp white grapefruit juice, 1 tsp cinnamon syrup)
1 dash Angostura bitters
Top with champagne (4-5 oz)

Shake everything except champagne with ice and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

My "house cocktail” isn’t tiki per se, but I did develop it a few years ago using the staple tiki ingredients of orgeat and pimento dram. It has a spicy, warm, comforting quality, so I named it after the popular British WWI song, “Keep the Home-Fires Burning,” which I first heard on an episode of one of my favorite sitcoms, “Are You Being Served?”

The Home-Fires

2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
1/2 oz pimento dram
2 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Here’s another formula I’ve been tweaking for a while: The Golden Forbidden Lei (the name again suggested by the Tiki Bar Name Generator).

1 1/2 oz Plantation Xaymaca
1/2 oz Plantation O.F.T.D.
3/4 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup
1/4 oz orgeat syrup
1/4 oz vanilla syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash grapefruit bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

UPDATE 2020.04.20: I backed off the pineapple from 1 oz and cut the orange in half to add lemon, split the orgeat with vanilla syrup, and added the O.F.T.D. to the drink from the start rather than floating it.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-03-23 20:38:10 ]

Let’s celebrate my 500th post with a drink.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve used random results from the Tiki Bar Name Generator for many drink names. I don’t normally develop a recipe based on a name, but when “The Queen’s Rum Barrel” came up, I wondered what that drink would be like, and looked to England and her colonies for inspiration.

The Queen’s Rum Barrel

1 oz Plantation Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple rum
1 oz gold Barbados rum
1 oz London dry gin
1 oz white grapefruit juice
1 oz lime juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz ginger syrup
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
1/2 oz vanilla syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and pour unstrained into a ceramic barrel mug. Add ice to fill.

UPDATE 2020.08.25: Reduced the grapefruit and added the vanilla to sweeten it up a bit and bring the proportions in line with usual rum barrel ratios.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-03-28 20:44:43 ]

Today is my birthday; let’s have my eponymous drink, crowdsourced right here on TC. After some tweaking of the original recipe, I’ve settled on the following formulation.

Hamo Blamo

1 oz Plantation O.F.T.D.
1 oz Lost Spirits Navy Style Overproof Rum**
1 oz Lemon Hart 151**
1 oz lime juice
1 oz grenadine
3/4 oz ginger syrup
1/4 oz Don’s Spices #2
1 dash grapefruit bitters
1 dash orange bitters
4 oz club soda

Shake everything except club soda with ice. Add soda to the mixing tin, stir gently, and strain into an ice-filled tiki mug. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and lime peel.

UPDATE 2021.09.29: I cut the Spices in half and offset it with grenadine so that the flavors of the rum could come out a bit more.

**I'm not exactly sure whether the Lost Spirits Navy rum is still available, so feel free to sub another navy rum with the same character, like Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof or Hamilton Navy Strength (both of which I haven't tried yet). I have used Smith & Cross, but didn't quite like the funk it added. Also, I usually use Hamilton 151 in place of LH 151.

UPDATE 2022.06.16: I've swapped the measures of ginger and grenadine and tried it with Pusser’s Gunpowder, which I do find to be an acceptable substitute for Lost Spirits.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-06-18 17:07:41 ]

Happy Birthday!

It's been a few months; how about another drink?

The Last Word is a tasty drink (right, nui ‘umi ‘umi?) that's gained popularity with professional bartenders over the past few years. Variations on the same are also quite popular. Here's one from me, which I just whipped together over the past couple of days.

Blood and Swash

1 oz spiced rum
2/3 oz (4 tsp) fassionola
2/3 oz (4 tsp) maraschino liqueur
2/3 oz (4 tsp) lime juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

I swapped fassionola (in this case, BG Reynolds' new stuff) for the Chartreuse, and to make up for some of that lost dimension, I also used spiced rum. The ratio is based on the Dublin Minstrel, a Last Word riff by Simon Difford, and the name is taken from the autobiography of Rex Harrison's character in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir but also recalls another cocktail made of equal parts, the Blood and Sand.

2022 Update: I've made this with "hasty fassionola" (1/2 oz grenadine and 1 tsp passion fruit syrup) and it's very enjoyable.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-04-30 12:07:07 ]

Glad this thread got bumped with that new recipe, I want to go home and have a Home Fires now that I've read through this. I'll have to send it along to my former co-workers at a PBS member station too, Are You Being Served is one of those shows that people would call about every single day.

I hope you enjoy The Home-Fires. Not a bad way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

As for Are You Being Served?, I was first exposed to it as a kid by my paternal grandparents, who only had antenna TV. Saturday nights were Lawrence Welk and AYBS?, and I remember my grandma laughing the whole way through. When I got old enough to get all the double entendres it sure made me see her in a new light....

Today is the anniversary of the release of Thor Heyerdahl's documentary, Kon-Tiki, so here's a revised recipe of a drink I'd shared in the past, name courtesy of the random genius of the Tiki Bar Name Generator.

Heyerdahl's Anchor

1 oz spiced rum
1 oz gold Jamaican rum
3/4 oz white grapefruit juice
3/4 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz honey syrup
1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
1/4 oz passion fruit syrup
1 dash orange bitters
1 dash pastis

Shake with crushed ice and pour unstrained into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish as desired.

UPDATE 2021.01.02: I changed the simple to passion fruit, a minor change that makes a nice difference, since I like the flavor of equal parts cinnamon and passion.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-03-28 21:31:34 ]

Here's a Daiquiri variation I've posted previously; however, since then, I've changed the type of bitters.

The Golden Atoll

2 oz gold Barbados rum
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz ginger syrup
1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
1 dash grapefruit bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.

Here's another drink, a "beyond tiki" formula that nevertheless has a TC tie-in. Its origins are in the thought experiment, "If I had a tiki bar in Denver, to what other iconic Colorado establishments could I pay tribute in the form of a drink?"

Casa Bonita Swizzle

1 1/2 oz tequila blanco
1 oz lime juice
1 oz white grapefruit juice
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup
1/2 oz honey syrup
1/2 oz falernum
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters

Swizzle with crushed ice (or shake with ice and strain over crushed ice) in a tall glass. Garnish with several sprigs of mint.

Tequila was a given, since Casa Bonita serves Mexican food. Then I looked to the popular Paloma as the jumping off point and added honey as a nod to the restaurant's free sopapillas. The bitters happen to lend a pink hue reminisant of the Casa's facade, the garnish evokes the trees around the diving cliff and lagoon.

UPDATE 2021.07.19: I reworked the juices from 1 1/2 oz grapefruit and 1/2 lime, which I think balances things a bit better, and brings the grapefruit and cinnamon to the Don's Mix ratio, making the drink slightly easier to make.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-04-04 21:50:55 ]

This warms my heart. Kudos. I'll have to try it.

I've been collecting and trying recipes from other threads, and a couple months ago, I made "The Ho." It's a fine drink, but--and no offense to closettiki or guests--in my opinion, it has way too much juice.

Here's my own formula, somewhat an attempt to improve on the drink.

Captain Lush’s Grog

1 oz gold Jamaican rum
1 oz Demerara rum
1/2 oz overproof Jamaican rum
1 oz lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz white grapefruit juice
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup
1/2 oz passion fruit syrup
1/4 oz orgeat syrup
1/4 oz grenadine
1 dash Angostura bitters
1/2 oz 151-proof Demerara rum (float)

Blend with crushed ice and pour unstrained into a Marty Lush double old-fashioned glass. Float 151-proof rum, and garnish with a lime shell, flaming sugar cube, and inverted paper umbrella.

It needed another juice or two for a little more dimension. Lime was a natural choice, and when I decided to include grapefruit, I went with Don's Mix to also add cinnamon (I really like the flavor of equal amounts of cinnamon and passion fruit.) The addition of some overproof Jamaican (in my case, Rum Fire) brings a tabacco-like funk to the background. Combined with the 151 float, it makes for a nice, strong drink, so I decided this variation should be named after Marty Lush. Enjoy it while listening to The Tikiyaki Orchestra or The Quiet Village Podcast.

EDIT 2020.02.11: I've revised the recipe slightly since first posting it, in that I've changed the dark Jamaican to Demerara. I think it balances flavors better (not to mention adds a nice symmetry to the rums.)

[ Edited by: Hamo 2020-02-11 19:14 ]

Happy Repeal Day! I started this thread two years ago today, so it's a good milestone to post another formula.

I've been slowly accumulating different types of bitters. After discovering Craig's/Colonel Tiki's/Melintur's recipe for a adult Disneyland Mint Julep, I had a bottle of mint bitters that I didn't know what else to do with.

Rouchouze Lost at Sea

1-1/2 oz light rum
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz peach liqueur
1/4 oz honey syrup
1 dash mint bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

This is a variation on/simplification of a Missionary's Downfall--a drink I love, but I am super lazy and so blending mint and pineapple chunks is a lot of work--and named after a 19th century missionary bishop who's ship disappeared in the South Atlantic after having left Hawaii.

I obviously need to obtain sum grapefruit juice to make a few of these
:)

Cheers Bruddah

H10! I'm glad you're enjoying some of these drinks. Not sure how available fresh white grapefruit is out in Vegas; in a pinch, I got some bottled Ocean Spray from Walmart.com.

Im going to the town for one day and I will buy grapefruit so I can try your recipes here.
Just 1 questions: does de syrups are 1:1 or 2:1?

Good question. My simple syrup is 1:1; only rarely do I make rich (2:1) syrup, and I'd definitely specify it in formulas if that's what I'd used. I usually make my ginger and cinnamon syrups based on the recipes in Beachbum Berry Remixed, which are 1:1. I use Martin Cate's grenadine recipe, found in his Smuggler's Cove book, which is 1:1. I use BG Reynolds passionfruit syrup, but I'm not sure of its sweetness ratio. As for orgeat, I go with BG Reynolds when I can get it, but I also make Kaiser Penguin's Perfect Orgeat, which is 2:1. I've yet to try making my own falernum, allspice dram, or fassionola, and tend to use John D. Taylor, St. Elizabeth, and BG Reynolds, respectively.

Here's my drink to commemorate Tiki Central's 20th Anniversary, a Corn n' Oil variation that I originally posted over on this thread.

Vanuatu Sands

Cinnamon stick
1/4 oz 151-proof Demerara rum
2 oz Plantation XO 20th Anniversary rum
1/2 oz falernum
1/4 oz nutmeg syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
1 piece lemon peel

Briefly soak the cinnamon stick in the 151-proof rum. Remove the cinnamon stick to a fire-safe surface, ignite it, and invert a chilled old-fashioned glass over it to smother the flame and capture the smoke.

Stir both rums, falernum, nutmeg syrup, bitters, and lemon peel with ice. Strain over ice into the prepared old-fashioned glass.

I've revised some of these recipes in the past years, and have come up with some new ones, so stay tuned for some updates soon.

Looking forward to the updates !!...and some new creations !!

Great to see you back, Hamo! Can only imagine the knowledge we've all gained over the last two years and can't wait to see what everyone is able to contribute.

Thank you both. Mike, since above you'd expressed interest in the Casa Bonita Swizzle, I've started with that updated formula.

Here's something appropriate to celebrate Tiki Central's triumphant return. Over in the anniversary drink thread, I'd hinted at another entry I was working on, inspired by a specific ingredient and a great episode from the forum's early days.

During Hanford's January 2020 interview on the Inside the Desert Oasis Room podcast, he mentioned the story of an old online contest by Shasta to rank the popularity of its soda flavors and how TC members stuffed the ballot box to crown Tiki Punch "World's Greatest Flavor!" The following threads documented the whole thing at the time:

Tiki Punch is back in 1st place!
https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic_id=33

Shasta Tiki Punch
https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic_id=1545

Inspired by that, I set out to make a drink to pay tribute to one of the many ways TC has influenced not only tiki culture but also the wider world.

Zazz Punch

3/4 oz Plantation Xaymaca
3/4 oz Plantation O.F.T.D.
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Don’s Mix
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash orange bitters
3 oz Shasta Tiki Punch

Shake everything except Shasta with ice. Add Shasta to the mixing tin, stir gently, and strain into a Collins or Zombie glass over crushed ice. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

The formula is based on a drink by Melintur that uses 7UP to create a cocktail reminiscent of Disneyland's nonalcoholic Mint Julep. I decided to blend Xaymaca and O.F.T.D. for funk and oomph, and the Don's Mix (and the drink's name) allude to another Shasta flavor, Zazz Grapefruit (and to Tiki Central's word of choice for excitement, coolness, and nonsense).

PS: I've also subbed Smith & Cross for the Xaymaca, and BG Reynolds falernum, with fine results.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-03-19 21:36:22 ]

Back in 2017 I posted my first rum barrel recipe over here. I've revised that recipe since then--I decided to change some of the syrups and bitters, and because I called it "High Seas", increase the overproof rum.

High Seas Rum Barrel

1 oz light Virgin Islands rum
1 oz gold Jamaican rum
1 oz dark Jamaican rum
1 oz 151-proof Demerara rum
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lime juice
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz passion fruit syrup
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup
1/2 oz grenadine
1 dash grapefruit bitters
1 dash pastis

Shake with ice and pour unstrained into a ceramic barrel mug or double old-fashioned glass. Add ice to fill.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-03-30 21:44:24 ]

The Arms of Kali

2 oz spiced rum
1/2 oz amber 151-proof rum
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz falernum
1/2 oz passion fruit syrup
1/2 oz grenadine
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Shake with crushed ice and pour unstrained into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

This is a drink I've been working on for some time--I first mentioned it here in 2016. The name comes from a work meeting I was in where someone said, "...look for the waving arms of Kayleigh..." (in that regard, probably one of the most productive meetings I've every experienced); I changed "Kayleigh" to the Hindu goddess of destruction (hence the high-proof rum), which also recalls a favorite episode of the old time radio show, Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

However, I was having lots of trouble getting it right and kept reworking the formula until I realized that it was close to the Wicked Wahine from the late, lamented Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge. When I re-proportioned the ingredients, everything finally clicked.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-04-18 20:40:26 ]

I was inspired by the Brown Derby cocktail to create a tropical variation that to me has interesting coconut overtones. I named it after the Trader's prosthetic (in part because I thought it was funny since it includes his competitor's key special ingredient).

Vic’s Wooden Leg

2 oz bourbon
3/4 oz Don’s Mix
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz honey syrup
1/4 oz passion fruit syrup
1 dash orange bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Looks good. I wasn't aware that Trader Vic lost a leg to TB at age 6 but often told people it was a shark attack

I believe there's even a story about how Vic would stab his leg with a knife to shock people. Maybe that's in autobiography, but--and please don't tell anybody--I haven't read it yet....

As mentioned over here, last year I found on YouTube and watched the 1990s TV series, Thunder in Paradise, which I liked more than I expected.

A few episodes in, I decided I needed to create a tribute drink to enjoy while viewing the show. This is inspired by the classic Paradise cocktail, with O.F.T.D. as the "thunder". It looks to me like it could be served at the Scuttlebutt beach bar, though I'd like to think it would be one of the better drinks.

Thunder in Paradise

1 oz Plantation O.F.T.D. rum
1/2 oz London dry gin
3/4 oz Don’s Mix
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz apricot liqueur
1/2 oz grenadine
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with an orange wheel and cocktail umbrella.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-06-15 22:39:13 ]

Aloha Hamo! Some nice looking recipes in this thread. I'll have to try some of them. I'm always looking for new recipes to try, and most of yours feature accessible ingredients, which I appreciate.

Thanks. I do try to use fairly "common" ingredients so that others (and, for that matter, I) can make these pretty easily. I'd been interested in any feedback you have if you are able to try some recipes.

This is not tiki, more like a variation on the Japanese Cocktail, and I don't remember exactly how it came about, but I was thinking about traditional treats like oranges, chocolate, and nuts found in Christmas stockings, hence the name.

Christmas Stocking

2 oz brandy
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz white creme de cocao
1/4 oz orgeat syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Huell’s Mule

1 oz gold rum (Cuban, if possible)
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 oz lime juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
3 oz ginger beer

Build over ice in a Collins glass, and stir to combine. Garnish with an orange slice.

Huell Howser is not tiki, even if he did visit Oceanic Arts. But I did discover Huell through tiki, thanks to things like digitiki's Quiet Village Podcast and PolynesianPop's Desert Oasis Room Podcast. So here's a tribute drink.

It's a Mule variation inspired by Huell's Mule Cam at 3:23 in this episode about Yosemite's Firefall. The gold rum is an obvious allusion to California's Gold, but if you can use gold Cuban rum, all the better to commemorate Huell's visit to Havana; the vodka recalls his trips to Russia, and the Cointreau and garnish bring in that classic California fruit, the orange.

Aloha Hamo! I wanted to let you know that over the past months I did try five of your cocktails that looked the most appealing to me. All are going into my giant file of recipes worth keeping. As you can see, I'm a fan of Rum Barrels :>)

Anything rated 3 or above is a keeper. I rarely rate anything 4.5 or 5, so these are all very good to good ...

The top two ...

4.0 High Seas Rum Barrel - A great twist on the classic Barrel with lots of big, bold flavors. Rummy, sour and sweet with a bit of spice. Very well crafted. Passion, cinnamon, anise and other undefined flavors are the perfect foil for the punch of the rums. I used Cruzan light, Appleton Signature, Hamilton Black and Hamilton 151.

3.5 The Queen's Rum Barrel - A delicious Barrel variation with lots of sweet and exotic flavors. Less sour and boozy but no less potent. The orgeat and gin give it a nice Trader Vic's twist. Well done!

Right behind, also earning a 3.5 are The Golden Atoll and Vic's Wooden Leg.

Finally, a very solid 3.0 for Hamo Blamo.

Sorry, I didn't take notes on the last three. Good job all around!

[ Edited by Hurricane Hayward on 2023-06-25 18:19:13 ]

Thanks, Jim; I'm very honored that you've enjoyed what you've tried.

Just had a Golden Atoll the other night. It's a pretty simple daiquiri variation, but the substitution of ginger and cinnamon syrups for simple really spices up things. And when I made the Queen's Rum Barrel a couple of weeks ago, it seemed to have a Ray's Mistake quality to it that I'd not experienced before (although it's been years since I've had a Mistake, so my memory could just be playing tricks on me). Your observation about the unintentional Vic's gin-orgeat nod makes a connection to Queen Elizabeth that I hadn't considered when concocting it, since the San Francisco Trader Vic's was purportedly the first commercial restaurant she ever visited.

And now I think I need to make myself a High Seas, since it's been a while, and it sounds like it's pretty good....

It's been nearly a year since I last shared a recipe? Whoa. Time for a drink.

Spike’s Special Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz Hamilton Breezeway Blend rum
1/2 oz Hamilton 86 Demerara rum
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Don’s Mix
1/2 oz nutmeg syrup
1/4 oz honey syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Picked up a bottle of Hamilton Breezeway Blend last week. It makes a very nice daiquiri, but I started thinking about what else I could do with it and pulled inspiration from Don’s Special Daiquiri and a little bit by the Hemingway. The underutilized nutmeg syrup is subtle, but works nicely with the cinnamon in the Don's Mix and the honey.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2024-05-23 22:38:52 ]