In search of: Black Magic!

Ok . . . I had to at least try it. . . no Coruba, but I had Mount Gay Eclipse Black (100 Proof), Appleton Estates 21 YO, and El Dorado 15 YO - 1 oz of each and kept the Kona coffee to 1 oz and followed Hurricane Hayward's recipe otherwise. All I can say is . . . "KOWABUNGA! - KEMOSABE! - JAMBO!" what a "Black Magic"! That rum combination raises this drink to supernatural heights! As one who celebrated his 21st birthday at the Kowloon in Saugus, Mass. (And still has the mug) back in '67 and who frequented as many great Tiki establishmets as possible, ( hated to see Francis Langford's Outrigger in Jensen Beach fade away . . . I was a 'Regular') . . . . until they fell by the wayside in the mid '70s. . . this version of the Mai Kai's Black Magic truly brings back memories of the mystical and secret recipes from "back in the day" . . . . I need to take a nap now.

I bet you feel more like you do now now than you did when you came in.

GH

[ Edited by: GentleHangman 2012-04-09 18:19 ]

On 2012-04-09 18:17, GentleHangman wrote:
Ok . . . I had to at least try it. . . no Coruba, but I had Mount Gay Eclipse Black (100 Proof), Appleton Estates 21 YO, and El Dorado 15 YO - 1 oz of each and kept the Kona coffee to 1 oz and followed Hurricane Hayward's recipe otherwise. All I can say is . . . "KOWABUNGA! - KEMOSABE! - JAMBO!" what a "Black Magic"! That rum combination raises this drink to supernatural heights! As one who celebrated his 21st birthday at the Kowloon in Saugus, Mass. (And still has the mug) back in '67 and who frequented as many great Tiki establishmets as possible, ( hated to see Francis Langford's Outrigger in Jensen Beach fade away . . . I was a 'Regular') . . . . until they fell by the wayside in the mid '70s. . . this version of the Mai Kai's Black Magic truly brings back memories of the mystical and secret recipes from "back in the day" . . . . I need to take a nap now.

GH

21 YEAR OLD APPLETON IN A BLACK MAGIC???!!!!

You, sir, are my new hero! :tiki:

Having recently been in Hawaii, I had some Kona coffee on hand, so made a Black Magic last night (subbing Smith & Cross for the Kohala Bay)...very delish! Never been to the Mai Kai, so I can't compare, but this one is going in the "permanent" menu at the home bar.

On 2012-04-05 08:58, Swanky wrote:
The 151 Swizzle calls for Dagger. I will have to look again to see the others. It is the one rum he calls by name in the recipes.

Taking Swanky's suggestion, we've re-tooled our 151 Swizzle tribute recipe. Check it out here:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/08/03/mai-kai-cocktail-review-robust-flavors-and-potency-are-hallmark-of-151-swizzle/

Half the fun of reconstructing these recipes is tracking down the rums. Now I have to keep an eye out for Kohala Bay. (It only took me 3 years to find Coruba here in Miami...)

Next up, the Mutiny ...

We explore the legend that this drink is actually a mashup of the Black Magic and Barrel O’ Rum. And we compare these classics and come up with a Mutiny tribute.

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/04/13/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-mutiny-is-a-worthy-foe-in-the-battle-of-the-tropical-titans/

Which do you prefer?

Just to chime in here, this has been a great thread. I tend to like the "dark" tasting complex Donn Beach style drinks, so these variations have been great to try. Melintur's Dark Magic was up first, and tasty.

Hurricane Hayward's blog has been a great resource, and I really like the observation about a little cinnamon as the go-to secret zazz factor in the Mai Kai drinks. On a couple experiments, I found that to be quite true. Starting with BK's Magic above, adding a dollop of B.G. Reynolds' extremely viscous cinnamon syrup made it really sparkle.

I couldn't find Swanky's Magic on the Grogalizer, no matter how many ingredients I turn on in "My Bar". Aside from the fact that I'm probably missing something on using the Grogalizer, I'd definitely try it if that recipe materializes on this thread someday.

-Randy

has anybody tried it using different kinds of coffee?

kona is hard to find and pretty durn expensive over here back east...

On 2012-04-27 19:31, thePorpoise wrote:
has anybody tried it using different kinds of coffee?

kona is hard to find and pretty durn expensive over here back east...

You might try a Kona blend. I bought one at Kroger (Ralphs) last weekend that was on sale for $5.99 per 1 pound package. It makes a pretty tasty drink, especially when used at double strength as many recipes call for.

A new blog post goes into more detail about Kohala Bay ...
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/#dagger

I have had great luck in mitigating the acidity of 'regular' coffee to better mimic the acid-less notes of Kona by either of these 2 methods.

1. [more work] Cold-press the Coffee.

2. [less work] Use 'stale' coffee. I find that the 'left-over' morning coffee carafe of my Cuisinart drip machine works very well for these recipes when I transfer to the fridge when I come home in the evening. Let it sit for a few hours to mitigate the acid.

Neither will produce the magic of low-acidity Kona, but you can get quite close, especially with cold-pressed.

cmh

On 2012-04-27 20:49, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

On 2012-04-27 19:31, thePorpoise wrote:
has anybody tried it using different kinds of coffee?

kona is hard to find and pretty durn expensive over here back east...

You might try a Kona blend. I bought one at Kroger (Ralphs) last weekend that was on sale for $5.99 per 1 pound package. It makes a pretty tasty drink, especially when used at double strength as many recipes call for.

Revisiting this drink...

First, I changed "Swanky's Magic" to "The Headshrinker" in the Grogalizer. My goal was not to dissect and create the Black Magic. My goal was to make a cocktail that has the essence of the Black Magic. I don't want side-by-side comparisons. My recipe is a lot more approachable I think.

Second, #7 IS NOT Don's Mix. The ingredient in the Zombie Punch is #4, which the Bum found was Grapefruit and Cinnamon. #7 is not the same as #4. And it does not work in the drink. I have the original recipe and if you use Don's Mix, the drink is not good.

Third, I could not approximate this drink without making extra strong real Kona coffee.

I am happy with the version I have come up with now, using Jim's recipe as a guide and tweaking. I really need to sample it again at the Mai-Kai to be sure. All think we are within a couple of degrees of it now.

All-in-all, Jim's recipe is close to what I made, but I just removed the Don's Mix and retinkered the sweet ingredients.

Hey, Jim, order me one, strain the ice out and mail it in a zip lock bag...

Mai-Kai Memories Series Custom ceramic mugs!

[ Edited by: Swanky 2012-09-28 12:19 ]

Tim, here's one from last night. Forgive the shameless plug for Hulaween. Unfortunately, the transporter wasn't working.

I have a theory about the mix that may be used. Needs further investigation but it makes perfect sense.

To be continued ...

It took a while, but after thorough testing in the lab I've come to the conclusion that Don's Spices #2 (allspice dram and vanilla syrup) is included in the Black Magic. The full report is now included on the blog:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/04/04/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-black-magic-emerges-from-the-shadows-as-a-true-classic/#tribute

Okole maluna!

Great work, as always Hurricane! I can't wait to try the updated recipe.

I have tried Hurricane's latest version of the Mai Kai's infamous Black Magic utilizing 1tsp of Don's Spices #2 ( I made two yesterday), and all I can say is . . . if this version were any closer to the original, I'd be at the Mai Kai drinking it!

Thanks, Hurricane!

I was trying to hold off til the weekend on trying the new-improved recipe, but all these posts are just too much temptation.

This may be my favorite cocktail of all time. If it's gotten even better, I may have to fill up an IV bag & just start wheeling it around w/ me...

Some great exposure for the Black Magic in Punch ...
http://punchdrink.com/articles/recreating-mai-kai-tiki-bar-bizarre-black-magic-coffee-cocktail-recipe/

We also just posted a brand new tribute recipe with several important updates. Okole maluna!

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/04/04/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-black-magic-emerges-from-the-shadows-as-a-true-classic/

Wow, no cinnamon syrup and Columbian coffee! Plus the mysterious Mariano’s Mix #7. Can't wait to try this HH.