My Fruity Drink Experimentations

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[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 12:57 ]

First of all, if you use a mix, it's not the real thing
go here & get the app or book "Beachbum Berry Remixed" : http://www.beachbumberry.com/publications.html
then learn the original Trader Vics Mai Tai recipe, now that is a Mai Tai!
then share your opinion with us.

I think this post is a practical joke?

On 2015-09-02 03:06, happy buddha wrote:
I think this post is a practical joke?

Pretty sure it isn't...

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:26 ]

Go easy on bkrownd because I think that what he's doing is no different from the many many many restaurants which make their own versions of a Mai Tai, except they do so for reasons of being unique and to keep their costs down and profit up.

Unlike the restaurants, however, bkrownd has the guidance of Tiki Central members and our book and recipe recommendations and will quite likely come to make a real authentic Mai Tai at some point in the future. And along the way he'll have a helluva lot of fun in his home bar and make a few things which he can call and enjoy truly as his own.

bkrownd, let us know when you make the Trader Vic's Mai Tai and what your thoughts are. And keep asking questions, that's a great way to learn here.

Hey, BG Reynolds is coming out with mixes....

That's cool, mixes offer time savings and convenience in addition to helping build bar confidence and experience for newcomers to the craft. So you can initially use single-purpose mixes, and as you spread your wings and gain experience and develop preferences, move to more varied and multiple-use specialty ingredients.

How come I didn't discover all this fun stuff many years earlier, like when I was in junior high or senior high school?

Not to get technical, but according to chemists, alcohol IS a solution!

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:26 ]

A Trader Vic's Mai Tai is no more elaborate or difficult to make
than the recipe you first posted, but what it is not, is an Island style Mai Tai
which is more fruit juice based than the original cocktail, a tart & boozy old school slice of heaven.

Ok, so you live in Hilo. I have had many "Mai Tais" in Hilo. Is there a particular one you are trying to replicate?

We are pretty serious about our drinks here and we will go the extra mile for proper ingredients. When you mentioned that you were making a Mai Tai and listed these ingredients, we all cringed because none of these are the actual ingredients in a Mai Tai. In Hawaii, Mai Tais are usually made with fruit juice. Pineapple and Orange are common "Island Style" Mai Tai ingredients. We usually stay away from the spiced rums as well, I personally prefer to spice my own or make homemade falernum to spice a drink up.

If you are looking for a cheap easy way to make a tasty drink or an Island Style Mai Tai, I can try to help you out a bit. I would get rid of the sqeezy lime and just juice your own. This will taste 100 times better and it will not be much cost difference. You will want to get 2 different rums for the drink. I would stay away from Bacardi, but you could get a gold like Cruzan and a dark like Whalers both for really cheap, maybe the price for both would equal your one bottle of Kraken.

Try something like this:

2 oz gold rum
1/2 oz lime juice (fresh)
1 oz pineapple (Dole is the best in my opinion for over the counter juice, if you don't want to juice your own)
1/2 oz Orgeat (you can sub anything with almonds, Amaretto or almond syrup but it will be worth it to add something almond)
1/2 oz Orange Curacao (you could sub this for OJ, but the Curacao is usually pretty cheap)
Shake everything with ice and strain it over ice and float about 1/2 oz of Dark Rum on the top. It doesn't seem like you care about the look, but I would usually garnish it with a pineapple triangle and fresh mint. If you have a party or something this might be fun to do, but the mint does actually add something to the drink.

If you do this recipe, I bet it will taste better than most Mai Tais in Hilo. This should get you on the right path and you shouldn't have to buy too many things. I would not waste your money on the Mai Tai mix, spend it on one of these other ingredients. I promise that it will be worth it.

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:26 ]

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:27 ]

Orgeat is surprisingly easy to make. It takes a few hours, but most of that time is just stirring every half hour or so. Here is a recipe from Imbibe - http://imbibemagazine.com/homemade-orgeat-recipe/

Step 1
Place 1 LB of raw diced almonds in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Cover with 3 1/2 cups of tap water and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain, discarding the water.

Step 2
In a food processor or blender, lightly pulse the almonds until they are coarsely ground. (You can also do this with a rolling pin—to reduce mess, put the almonds in a plastic bag first or a pestle & mortar)

Step 3
Return the ground almonds to the bowl, cover with 3 1/2 cups of distilled water and soak for 4 to 5 hours, stirring the mixture well every hour or so. Strain liquid into a 1-liter glass jar through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, pressing to extract as much as possible. Discard the almonds. (cheesecloth is not nesessary, a strainer will do)

Step 4
Add 1/2 cup of cane sugar to the liquid, close the lid tightly and shake the jar vigorously, repeating several times over 15 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 5
Add 1 oz. of white rum and 1/4 tsp. orange blossom water and stir thoroughly. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 to 3 cups of syrup.

I added some notes to it. I like this recipe because you don't need to peel the almonds and it is very basic and straight forward. Really tastes better than any store bought as well.

ATP is right, you could also easily make the original recipe. Mess around with some of the flavor combonations and when you get something you like, remember the recipe.

bkrownd - don't let anyone discourage you, you're right on track by experimenting the way YOU want to do it. You're absolutely right, you shouldn't call your project an authentic Mai Tai, but you can call it "inspired by" and you should be fine. Anyone who tells you otherwise is, to quote Trader Vic, a dirty stinker. You can grow into the fancier stuff later just like the rest of us here did at one time.

On the subject of rums, however, I would discourage use of spiced rums in favor of using good base rum and then adding the spices and flavorings in carefully measured proportions. Some flavorings like cinnamon syrup are very easy to make. Falernum is also easy to make, but has more steps and is more time consuming. Falernum may require a Microplane grater for zesting the limes, and you can "grow" into doing this later. (Don't fear it - it's fun to make, and actually difficult to mess up if you follow instructions carefully.) Again, on the rums mentioned earlier, Kraken is a very heavy flavor and I rarely use it, but I do have a bottle in my bar because it mixes well with coke for my few non-cocktailian friends.

Cheers and HAVE FUN!

On 2015-09-02 13:33, lunavideogames wrote:
Orgeat is surprisingly easy to make. It takes a few hours, but most of that time is just stirring every half hour or so. Here is a recipe from Imbibe - http://imbibemagazine.com/homemade-orgeat-recipe/

Luna, store-bought orgeat is easy to get here if you don't mind Finest Call, but I'm going to have to make home-made soon. Looks pretty simple from what you posted above. Thank you, sir!

Yeah i like this recipe, I tweak it a bit but for the most part just use this one. No skinning almonds or frying them, it is really easy and makes great quality orgeat. Dice them, throw them in water for a half hour. Discard the water and further mince the almonds. Put them back in water and stir them every half hour for a few hours. strain and add sugar.

Right away you will see how cloudy and milky the water gets. Since Small Hands Foods is like $15, this is a better option. A pound of almonds is like $7.99 at the most, and this yeilds over twice as much as the Small Hands Foods. I don't think I'll ever buy it again.

Aloha "bkrownd" from Kona side of the Island! Kona Wine Market by Home Depot & Costco carries BG Reynolds Orgeat, which was a welcome surprise when I stumbled across it.

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:27 ]

bkrownd, follow Ace Explorer's advice. We all had to start somewhere, and I defy anyone to say they, at some point, haven't used a bottled product (falernum, orgeat, don's mix, etc)in a cocktail. Sometimes it's just not worth it to make a batch of homemade pearl diver mix for yourself. Experiment, come up with your own flavors, and most of all, have fun! My brother-in-law comes over to my home bar and plays "mad doctor at the tiki laboratory" often, based on his enjoyment of watching me make them for him. Sometimes they're palatable, sometimes, they go down the drain lol.

The piece of advice I'll leave you with is to switch to fresh juices, instead of the "little green squeezy bottle" of lime, lemon, etc. It really does make a difference.

Let us know what you come up with!

The more difficult part is making orgeat (lacking a source of pre-made)

Here is an even simpler Orgeat recipe (with a couple interesting variations included)
http://liquor.com/articles/how-to-make-orgeat-syrup/#gs.619e84cad00c48928f8db714e6c986cd

And here is a source of many pre-made options:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=orgeat

I use a lot of orgeat, but really don't want to make my own either, and prefer the reliable consistency of a few pre-made brands. But finding decent mixers (or even decent rum for that matter) in North Carolina is next to impossible, so I often order it online. Fortunately, I've found a good retail source just south of the border in South Carolina, so I make the 30-minute drive when I'm in urgent need and out of stock.

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:27 ]

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[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:28 ]

Good to hear that you have citrus trees. Kaffir limes and Persian limes are different, the latter being most commonly used for cocktails. I recommend doing a side-by-side comparison of the two, or reading online what the differences in flavor are. I wouldn't discourage using Kaffir, but I would just note that you may want to run out and get a Persian lime if space in your yard permits. My Persian lime tree is about 4 years old now, and it is producing about 3 CASES of limes this season. I'm flooded in limes and loving it, because I squeeze and freeze juice from some of the surplus limes.

Falernum from the store is a great start. However once you make home-made falernum, you'll be very pleasantly surprised how superior it is. If you bought Taylor's Velvet Falernum, I found that it is very weak. I've been making falernum, so I don't currently own any store-bought falernum.

The sugar question is a very good one. It is used to help preserve the syrup. My understanding is that a high concentration of sugar in the syrup results in cellular osmosis which dehydrates and kills any organisms which would otherwise come to ruin your syrup. I add 1 to 2 oz Everclear to my syrups, as a backup, and have found that dilution isn't a problem because fresh homemade are generally much more full-flavored than store-bought products.

I hope you're having fun learning and experimenting with your cocktails.

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:28 ]

Good to hear about the Kafir lime tree - I learned about the aromatic leaves and how they are used in food preparation when I was doing my initial research before I decided which type of lime tree to buy.

With regard to the insects, I just recently bought a blue bottle of a Bayer product which you mix and pour into the soil. The tree absorbs it into the leaves, and it repels the pests which are problematic in my climate -- leaf curl spiders. Not sure how it impacts the fruit, I'll read the label before I apply it. It's fruit season, so I'm not messing with that right now. But definitely before winter and again in the spring.

With regard to alcohol as a preservative - I use a MAXIMUM of 2oz Everclear (Pure Grain Alcohol, or "PGA") for every 16 ounces. I use half that amount in very sweet syrups. I agree on your approach towards highly sweetened flavorless syrups, and that's the reason I started making my own a long time ago. They go a long way, have a stronger and better flavor, and are also way cheaper than store-bought.

I also completely understand being too busy to engage in "elaborate cooking." If you get deeper into cocktails, you may eventually succumb to making your own syrups. That's just the way it goes when you get a real hankering for quality in your home bar.

Fee's or Trader Vic's enjoy a good reputation, I think you're fine with those. Some like the Taylor Velvet Falernum, but I think that would be mostly in cases where they haven't tried home-made.

Keep us posted on how you do, and thanks for the feedback. There are many others who will read these posts and learn from us.

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:28 ]

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[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:29 ]

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[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:29 ]

On 2015-09-13 16:40, bkrownd wrote:
I used the microplane to put lime zest into the mix today - BIG IMPROVEMENT!

Sipping-wise I like the Barbancourt 8yo better than the Appleton 12yo.

I've been using a spot of triple sec, because I'm hoping to eventually find some find creole shrubb before I spend $$$ on something like Cointreau.

Waking up (at 2PM) with some coffee our friends grow and roast up the road in Hamakua.

The Microplane gets the zest and leaves almost all of the bitter pith behind. Great score for your bar! I consider it essential to making my falernum at home. You can use it with fresh limes, lemons, oranges to add a subtle hint of citrus flavor to rice, fish, and other delicate or light dishes.

I recently started using more Barbancourt 8 after it was featured in a 1-week-only cocktail special at the Mai-Kai during the Hukilau. It is a good rum, I'm on my third bottle.

Creole Shrubb = very good stuff too.

Coffee grown from your friends up the road? That's awesome -- you'll have to try some of the tropical drinks (or tribute drinks) from the Mai-Kai which use coffee as one of the mysterious ingredients.

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:29 ]

On 2015-09-13 18:28, bkrownd wrote:
Is that using roasted beans, or using the fruit/juice of the coffee cherry?

Do you prefer to microplane the lime before or after squeezing?

Those recipes use coffee made from roasted and ground beans. The recipes specify normal or "strong" coffee. None use the raw or roasted cherry, or the outer husk, or the "slime."

The whole goal of microplaning limes is to obtain the oil in the rind. Squeezing releases some of the oils, and you can microplane the squeezed limes, but I suspect you won't get as much of the oils as you will before squeezing. I think this is because the green zest acts as a sort of "carrier" and transports more of the oil with less loss during the process. So zesting after squeezing would very likely be less efficient. Also, unsqueezed limes are easier to plane because they are rounder and more firm. Squeezed limes have lost much of their integrity for microplaning purposes. I have no scientific data to back this up; I'm just commenting from experience and my personal observations.

Good questions!

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:30 ]

There's a good and consistent supply of Barbancourt 8 year. The Lemon Hart, however, is quite elusive and you may have found a nugget there. Which Lemon Hart is available in that store? You may consider making that a high priority acquisition. Good job!

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:30 ]

No worries at all about the Lemon Hart, I understand. There are many other good things to drink which don't require high-proof rums. Sounds like you're having a lot of fun experimenting and finding things which you like.

I started making my first "tincture" this weekend, and it will take two weeks for the stuff to sit and for flavors and oils to be decently transferred into the liquid. I'm playing with a number of new things which lie outside of the tiki drink world. This will allow me to expand my home bar repertoire to some non-tiki but still very tasty and unique cocktails for my guests.

On 2015-09-14 05:51, bkrownd wrote:
It's Lemon Hart 151 - my palate gets knocked out by alcohol, so I have not intended to buy the overproof stuff

Bkrownd, in opposition to AceExplorer, I say 'pick up that Lemon Hart quick!' - in case you don't know, Lemon Hart 151 is a hard rum to obtain &, although you may not need it immediately for your Mai Tai experimentations, you will find a use for it later if you try out more tiki drinks - buy it & stash it away for rainy day, a tikiphile will always take it off your hand if you don't need it.

On 2015-09-14 07:29, AceExplorer wrote:
I'm playing with a number of new things which lie outside of the tiki drink world. This will allow me to expand my home bar repertoire to some non-tiki but still very tasty and unique cocktails for my guests.

Really? Do tell :wink:

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:35 ]

On 2015-09-04 15:11, bkrownd wrote:

On 2015-09-02 13:33, lunavideogames wrote:
Step 4
Add 1/2 cup of cane sugar to the liquid, close the lid tightly and shake the jar vigorously, repeating several times over 15 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.

Does the sugar help stabilize the flavor? Is it really necessary?

It is an almond syrup, so the sugar is necessary. You could sub out Agave I am sure if you wanted to.

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:30 ]

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[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:31 ]

This thread gives the Meyer lemons a very high rating:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=13344&forum=10

I have seen several other web pages and blogs which declare the Meyer lemon ideal for making lemonade and limoncello. I wonder if your tree is not actually a Meyer lemon? Or if it needs to be fertilized? Somehow you will need to see if its possible to reduce the acidity and increase the sweetness.

I don't have a lemon tree yet, so I'm really interested in what to plant next spring.

I would suggest talking to some lemon-knowledgeable people about your lemons, and also consider planting a new tree before this bad one gets much bigger. You may have a "lemon" there in that tree!

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:36 ]

On 2015-09-22 13:32, bkrownd wrote:
I'm not sure what a meyer lemon is supposed to taste like, but I'm doubting this one represents the intended flavor. There's something really odd and unpleasant about the taste of these fruits.

From Wikipedia:

The Meyer lemon fruit is yellow and rounder than a true lemon. The skin is fragrant and thin, coloured a deep yellow with a slight orange tint when ripe. Meyer lemon fruits have a sweeter, less acidic flavor than the more common Lisbon or Eureka supermarket lemon varieties. The pulp is a dark yellow and contains up to 10 seeds per fruit.

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:31 ]

Since orange curacao is used in so many Island Style cocktails there
I am surprised you can't find it?

On 2015-10-05 19:50, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Since orange curacao is used in so many Island Style cocktails there
I am surprised you can't find it?

He didn't say he couldn't find orange curacao, he said he couldn't find Decent orange curacao...

xxx

[ Edited by: bkrownd 2015-10-21 13:31 ]