Trader Vic’s Mai Tai at Lake Tahoe

We had a great lunch on the lake at Gar Woods Grill and Pier. The lakeside dining includes indoor and patio dining. We loved the Lobster Deviled Eggs and I loved my Crab Sandwich.

Gar Woods is notable in that they serve a Trader Vic’s Mai Tai, officially licensed and everything. Comes complete in a Trader Vic’s glass and is made as per the “Trader Vic’s Mai Tai” in the restaurants with the Mai Tai Concentrate and the Trader Vic’s Royal Amber Rum. Mrs Mai Tai had the Lemon Drop.

It was outstanding. The lakeshore views. The fine food and great cocktails. Really great.

Part two: 1944 Mai Tai at Lake Tahoe

Tiki in Oakland / Not My Presidente

I had short but fun visit saying hello to some of the Oakhana regulars at The Kon-Tiki last night. It was so cool, Neil even brought a little record player to play some vintage LPs. So nice to see some of the regulars, plus an active Wednesday night crowd at The Kon-Tiki. I also finally got to try one of 2020’s seminal cocktails, Best Fronds (tropical Negroni) and to check out the newly expanded outdoor patio.

There are now ten big outdoor booths, plus a few 2-top tables for “in person” dining and cocktailing at Kon-Tiki. Check the number on your table, include that with your online order, and then they bring out your drinks and food. Hopefully some roofing to come soon for rainy season.

It’s a pretty good setup and the drinks came out fast. I enjoyed the Best Fronds, with Pineapple Rum, Sweet Vermouth, Campari, and Mole Bitters. I’m not still not a Campari lover but I did like this. Definitely a nice change of pace from the usual tropical cocktail merriment. Good job Chris Day and nice to see Kon-Tiki crew.

Not My Presidente

This cocktail was part of this past weekend’s @bartenders4change celebration. Lots of great content going into the @thekontikioakland Instagram feed, plus some topical interviews. @samson_miller did a great job with the content and interviews, and I learned a lot. And credit to The Kon-Tiki for providing the platform.

This cocktail was still on the menu last night, and getting ready for the debate I’d be lying if the name of this cocktail didn’t strike a chord.

Not My Presidente: American Gin, Overproof Rum, Manzanilla Sherry, Hibiscus Grenadine, and Pufferfish Bitters. Definitely in the classic cocktail style, and boy was this plenty boozy. Just enough to forget my troubles for a few hours. And tasted fine after a day in my fridge.

The Kon-Tiki has a nice setup for online order, to-go orders, delivery, and now an opportunity for in-place outdoor consumption. I shall return.

1947 Zombie

I’m sure some of you reading this might be thinking, “1947 Zombie? Your year is incorrect.” Well, friends, it is correct and it is delicious.

Behold the Zombie recipe from Victor Bergeron’s 1947 Bartender’s Guide. Trader Vic didn’t have Don the Beachcomber’s secret recipe but his Zombie is no slouch. It is boozy but very easy to drink.

Zombie (Trader Vic’s)
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
½ oz Grenadine
1 oz Orange Curacao (Cointreau)
1 oz Jamaican Rum (Plantation Xaymaca)
2 oz Puerto Rican Rum (Bacardi 4)
½ oz 151 Proof Demerara Rum (Hamilton 151)
1 dash Pernod
Stir in mixing glass with large ice cube, then pour over shaved ice in a tall glass.

A few months ago I posed a question in a Facebook group to ask what were the seminal ingredients for a Zombie (in the same way that Orgeat is the seminal ingredient for a Mai Tai). I honestly did not get any sort of consensus answer, except for a mix of rums and maybe Cinnamon syrup. We also know that Grenadine is a key differentiator between the 1934 Zombie and a Jet Pilot.

All of which means that Trader Vic’s Zombie is probably not quite as spice-forward as those who love the 1934 Zombie are expecting. But it isn’t a terrible “guess” by Vic at what made the Don the Beachcomber Zombie world famous. The grenadine is there, along with Pernod/Herbsiant that often used in Don the Beachcomber cocktails. And, the rums are pretty much exactly as what Donn used in his various Zombie recipes.

Is it as good as a 1934 Zombie? Certainly not. But I’ll tell you that it is miles better than most Zombies I’ve had at good craft-oriented tiki bars.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. Happy Hulaween.

The glass is from last year’s kickstarter from Will Penny.

 

Lagoon of Mystery Rum Blend Mai Tai

I’m testing out the Orgeat from Liquid Alchemist, and while today I’m not quite ready to render a verdict, I did have fun watching the latest YouTube episode from Lagoon of Mystery. The latest episode covers Orgeat, including a home recipe demo. And finishes with a Mai Tai. Note that these are my lime/orgeat ratios, whereas the recipe from the video was ¼ less for both.

Mai Tai (Lagoon of Mystery Rum Blend)
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat (Liquid Alchemist)
½ oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao)
¼ oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds)
1 oz Appleton Signature Rum
½ oz Clement VSOP Rhum
½ oz Rum Fire White Overproof Rum

This is a flavorful Mai Tai with the notes of the Clement and Rum Fire registering quite well, but not overpowering the cocktail. Well done!

Mount Gay Pot Still Rum

This isn’t a new release but I finally decided it was the right time to go pull the trigger on this limited 2019 release from the Master Blender Collection. This aged pot still rum is delightful and is a great comparison to all the other Jamaican Pot Still rums in my collection. This too has the same heavy flavor (even at 48% ABV) but it is … different. There’s a plum note that is a noticeable departure from the banana notes most typical of the Jamaicans.

And in a Mai Tai? The same pot still characteristics do punch through the cocktail. I definitely would not confuse this Mai Tai with one made with Jamaican or Martinique or Demerara rums.

Painkillers for Two

I had fresh pineapple juice and fresh orange juice, so no better time to make a Painkiller. This is the kind of drink that Mrs. Mai Tai tends to prefer so I made it a little larger with a little more OJ and rum and then split this into two glasses. I like this cocktail with a lower Pineapple ratio so I’m going to keep this ratio going forward.

Painkiller (serves two)
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Valencia Orange Juice
1½ oz Coconut Creme (Liquid Alchemist)
3 oz Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof Rum
Shake with crushed ice and pour into a tall glass. Garnish with ground Nutmeg and Cinnamon.

It has been too long since I’ve had a Painkiller. This one was really great with that fresh juice and the flavorful and high-proof Pusser’s rum.

Bloody Wallbanger

The 1970s-era cocktail the Harvey Wallbanger is sort of a guilty pleasure of mine, but only when quality fresh orange juice is used. While not a complex cocktail, it is still pretty refreshing. Normally I recommend Valencia Oranges to be used in cocktails anytime OJ is called for but I had a Blood Orange and gave this riff a try.

Bloody Wallbanger
3 oz Blood Orange Juice
¾ oz Galliano
1½ oz Light Rum (Denizen)
Shake with crushed ice and pour into a tall glass

Blood Orange Juice is more tart than Valencia, but this cocktail didn’t suffer. In fact, it might be even a little bit more balanced. The Galliano is somewhat further back in this variant, but adds a little bit of additional flavor.