Author: Kevin Crossman

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Grapefruit Comparison

I was gifted some White Grapefruit from someone locally who has a neighbor with a tree, so I did some comparison testing with a Rudy Red.

Old Friend
¾ oz Grapefruit Juice
½ oz Campari
¼ oz Elderflower Liqueur
1½ oz Beefeater Gin
Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
The original spec calls for St. Germain but I only have the Giffard Elderflower.

I made two of these, and found that I preferred the sweeter Red Grapefruit in the cocktail. I don’t know that I would have refused the tarter one with White Grapefruit, but the difference between the two was certainly obvious and noticeable given the relative percentage of juice in this recipe. And you know I like things a little sweeter. Overall, this was a pretty tasty cocktail either way.

Navy Grog and Zombie testing this weekend.

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Sweet and Tender Hooligan

Congratulations to Adrián Castañeda for completing the Expedition rum list at The Kon-Tiki.

As is the tradition, there was a special cocktail menu made in Adrián’s honor. Three Morrissey-themed offerings were available, and the music was a selection of Smiths/Morrissey covers. Quite well done. The two cocktails were a fine Grog, as well as an excellent Derby Daiquiri riff featuring Agricole.

Adrián seems to be a man about town, I keep bumping into him at events across the Bay Area and even at a vintage store in Sacramento! He definitely put us all to shame with his dapper outfit and completely crushed the gong.

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Smuggler’s Cove Mai Tai with Rum Subs

I was in the city yesterday near the Cove so popped in to see if they could top the amazing Mai Tai I had at Trader Sam’s made with Appleton Reserve and Hamilton Pot Still Blonde.

As you can see from the photo, what was pulled was the Pot Still Gold, not the Blonde. In this respect, I can’t blame the barback who retrieved the bottle because I’ve done the same thing before at home and in stores since all the Hamilton rums have the same label and in this case the Gold doesn’t look “gold” at all. It’s exactly the same color as the Blonde (if anything, the Blonde is shade darker).

Of course the Smuggler’s Cove Mai Tai was excellent, but I would say there’s something about that Hamilton Pot Still Blonde that really amplifies the Mai Tai. I hadn’t really considered that rum for a Mai Tai blend but it has a little extra oomph in the cocktail. The Gold is no slouch but seems to be missing something. The Blonde has some additional aging and no coloring.

Sunday night at the Smuggler’s Cove was quite relaxing and was easy to strike up a conversation with bartender Steven Liles who entertained us with some stories.

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imPASTA Straws

I moved past plastic straws at home quite a while ago and have felt that Hay Straws were better than paper or glass or metal. I’d tried pasta straws at Trader Vic’s and found them okay, though fatter than I prefer and definitely the kind that can break apart if left in the drink for too long.

Enter imPASTA straws (“imposter” – get it?), who provided the box for review. This retails for $9 for a box of 45 7½” straws. Quite solid. They’re definitely not easily breakable like the hay straws. And the radius for these straws is noticeable smaller than those big fat ones at I’d used previously.

The true test would be how long these last in the cocktail, so I made up a tall Margarita and outfitted it with plenty of crushed ice.

  • An hour later it was working perfectly, still able to easily stir the cocktail.

  • Two hours later it was still very solid.

  • Three and a half hours later the straw could still clang on the glass.

  • After five and a half hours there was a noticeable bend, but was still solid enough to drink through. And who’s nursing a cocktail for over five hours?!?

Gotta say, I was very impressed with imPASTA straws.

I would prefer these be closer to 8″, to work better in tall Collins/Zombie glasses. And you know I’d like to see a short 5½” version for Mai Tais and other Double Rocks cocktails. But for an initial product offering, imPASTA is on the right track.

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Centenario Rum Shootout

I’m almost done with the Forbidden Island Kill Devil Club 2.0 rum list. Tonight I am sampling four expressions from Centenario in Costa Rica. Forbidden Island is offer rums to go in addition to cocktails and food, so this is really convenient to try all these rums at the same time without having to worry about how to drive home.

These column-still rums with the solera aging method aren’t my favorite, but these appear to have less sugar than some rums in this style. Of these, I thought the 12 had a nice bite with a mild and pleasant flavor, and that the 30 was the overall winner with a more complex and buttery flavor. Overall, though, I do prefer true long-aging and also more pot still distillate in my rum.

Barring any unforeseen pandemic outbreaks, I’ll complete my 2.0 rum list on Tuesday, March 22 which is Ohana night at Forbidden Island. Come on down and let’s drink some rum!

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Sling of Davy Jones at Dr. Funk

I was pleased to try this Singapore Sling riff at Dr. Funk, which I found to be a wonderful blend of complex flavors. It is made with “wild roses, velvety honey, bright citrus, Cocchi Rosa aromatized sweet vermouth, Becherovka herbal bitters & gin.”

Ken Wongdejanan really crushed it on this one. The cocktail program at Dr. Funk continues to impress and seems to be extraordinarily strong across all cocktail styles.