Mr. Miami Cocktail

This made the rounds this week, including on Lemon Hart rum’s Instagram, so I thought I’d break in my new B-Rex glass with the latest cocktail creation from local raconteur Nathan Robinson.

All my years of collecting exotic rums and liqueurs has paid off since I had all of Robinson’s specified brand ingredients on hand, including a vintage red label Lemon Hart 151. And thankfully so, since this cocktail is fantastic.

Mr. Miami by Nathan Robinson
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
½ oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
½ oz Pot Still Jamaican Rum (Doctor Bird)
1 oz Overproof Demerara Rum (Lemon Hart 151)
Shake with ice or flash blend with crushed ice and pour into double rocks glass. Garnish with banana slice and cherry.

Robinson describes the origin of the name, saying it is “named after what my favorite bartender in Venice, Italy called me after I wore a 40s styled tiki shirt. I’m sure he’d be surprised at how different Miami is from San Francisco. The name still cracks me up.”

If Maraschino liqueur has put you off in the past, I can assure it is perfectly balanced here.

Glassware: “Out of this World” by B-Rex, currently available.

Relaxed Patio and Elevated Cocktails at Tiki Tock

The neighborhood surrounding the Frenchman Hotel just past the French Market in the tip of the Marginy triangle is a little rougher than the tourist areas in town, but we had a grand time relaxing in the hotel’s tropical patio called Tiki Tock. There’s a nice entrance off the street and inside there are covered tables and some seats at the bar, very pleasant and shady for us on a dry afternoon.

The “tiki” in the name refers to the cocktail menu, inspired by historical cocktails from Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s, but there aren’t any actual tikis here so it technically isn’t a tiki bar. But we really had a great visit and some quality cocktails. In addition to classics there are some house cocktails including the very good Tally Me Banana that comes in a cool banana mug. The standard Mai Tai comes with Don Q Silver and Zaya 16, so I knew it wasn’t going to be my favorite, so instead I spotted a bottle of Hamilton New York blend asked for a Mai Tai with that instead. That Hamilton expression featuring Jamaican and Demerara rums played just great in the Mai Tai that was well balanced.

There’s even a tropical wall that worked great with some “prom photos” with our friends David and Amy.

The music was very relaxing here and we saw several groups come and go during our hour plus stay. Being completely shut out from the hustle of the streets of New Orleans was quite a change of pace and indeed is quite escapist even with the modest theming and limited roof. I’d definitely recommend trying Tiki Tock the next time you’re in New Orleans.

Sazerac House Tour: Great Free Tourist Option in New Orleans

We had a great time on the complimentary tour of the Sazerac House on Canal Street in New Orleans. There are a couple cocktail tasting tour packages but we chose the free experience that does include little tastes of three cocktails based on the history of the Sazerac company and New Orleans traditions. Reservations for time slots can be made online, though I think that walk-ins are unlikely to need to wait long.

The House tour covers three floors and includes historical displays and artifacts covering Peychaud’s Bitters and some of Sazerac’s spirits including Buffalo Trace Bourbon and Sazerac Rye. Production and cocktail recipes are well covered in this facility that was acquired and completely renovated in the last ten years, so everything looks fresh and includes some modern high-tech displays. The best of these are some stations where you have a bartender on screen in front of you making one of New Orleans’ many classic cocktails, such as Ramos Gin Fizz or Sazerac.

The cocktail samples included the Sazerac cocktail, made now with Sazerac Rye rather than cognac that was used in the original cocktail. There were also rum and bourbon-based cocktail samples provided. Pretty informative and enjoyable to spend an hour or so.

There’s a small distillery on the first floor making Rye, plus a well stocked and very reasonably priced souvenir shop. You can pick up basically anything in the Sazerac portfolio, including Myers’s Rum and Jung & Wulff luxury rums Trinidad, Guyana and Barbados. I picked up a nice little bottle of Herbsaint.

Sazerac House is a fine option in the tourist corridor of New Orleans and is far from a tourist trap. Be sure to check it next time you’re in NOLA.

Dive Bar Fun at NOLA’s Aunt Tiki’s

Part tiki bar, mostly dive bar, Aunt Tiki’s is on Decatur in the artsy but slightly rough portion of the French Quarter. We approached in mid afternoon to see a leather-clad man with wild hair and beard enter the venue with a guitar slung over his back. Loud music was heard well in advance of the door. This was not the kind of place for Mrs Mai Tai but when she went shopping at the eclectic Disco Warehouse next door I popped back in to take a look.

There are actually a few tikis in here, plus other Hawaiian and tropical elements mixed in with sticker walls and neon signs. A friendly female bartender asked what I wanted and I looked over the menu and asked for a Mai Tai. While I waited a young woman entered and talked to the bartender as if she was a regular. Mr. Guitar lurked in and out while another local regular in a souped up wheelchair nursed his drink. So, this was an eclectic crowd, just as the Swifty Spouse Sign indicated.

The moment of truth arrived in the form of a coconut rum-laced blue cocktail, “here’s that Mai Tai.” Sigh. I looked at the menu later and saw the ingredient list appeared to be a standard recipe but I didn’t want to stir the pot by correcting the bartender.

Aunt Tiki’s is open 24 hrs and may be an okay place to wait out the opening of better bars in the area, or just to have a beer and shot with interesting people.

Pat O’Brien’s – Great Fun but Skip the Hurricane

After lunch we decided to see if the hype was worth it by visiting New Orleans institution Pat O’Brien’s. This place is famous for popularizing the Hurricane in the 1940s (a Ronrico Rum recipe predates it, though) and features a main bar, piano bar, and a large courtyard with bar. The place was packed and we sought refuge in the quiet piano bar room only to find we were a few minutes early for the 1 pm show start, and the room was quickly packed.

David and Amy enjoying a Hurricane

The older lady played to the crowd and opened with a Taylor Swift song but soon stated taking requests. Some of these were really fun, but others were kind of ruined by a bad arrangement and an unfamiliar pace. Later a young man joined and the two took turns, but I thought his shtick was wildly uneven and he kind of had a “I hate my job” expression. A mixed bag but fun if you’re in the mood.

Does the Hurricane live up to the hype? No, it’s actually pretty terrible no thanks to the artificial Hurricane mix, though David and Amy seemed to enjoy theirs. I had a much better time with the Mint Julep, made with fresh mint and very refreshing. Service here was pretty friendly, including the outdoor bar and wait service inside the piano bars. It’s nice to visit these historic places and see them still pulling in the crowds.