Author: Kevin Crossman

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Pro tip: save old corks

We almost had a big problem when I couldn’t open my bottle of beloved Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin, and then broke the cork!

Thankfully, I was able to extract the remaining cork using a wine corkscrew. And then I used a cork from an old empty bottle.

The Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin is a delicious and savory rum that is different than the pot still rums from Jamaica or Barbados, but also not the same as rhums from Martinique. It is heavy, but not grassy. Super flavorful even in a Mai Tai. Seek it out.

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Lilikoi Mai Tai at Pacific Catch

For the second summer in a row we have to give credit where it is due, with another fabulous seasonal menu for summer at Pacific Catch. Last year it was tiki and this year it is “Endless Summer” but in both cases the cocktail options are pretty good.

Regular readers know that Island Mai Tais are not exactly my thing, but the Pacific Catch Lilikoi Mai Tai is fabulous. I truly loved it and ordered a second that was just as good. The cocktail features Flor de Cana Silver, Wray & Nephew Overproof, passionfruit, “house mai tai mix,” and a Lahaina dark rum float. This certainly leaned more to the sweet side rather than the tart side, but it wasn’t overpowering with fruit like most Island Mai Tais are. I liked the flavor of the dark rum float, too. This Mai Tai is very likely going to end up on my top 10 list. Seriously.

And big extra credit to the Pacific Catch team who came up with the fabulous Mai Tai glass design, inspired by the classic Trader Vic’s tapa glass design. Apparently these aren’t for sale, but I’d love to have one.

We really enjoyed our meal, and the service from Marissa at the Dublin location was outstanding. Mrs. Mai Tai thought the Strawberry Mule was just okay, but found the Carmelized Pina Colada to be quite good (I thought so too). We will return before summer is over.

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Old Appleton 12

Got to try some of this 1980s vintage Appleton 12 recently. Thanks so much to local tikiphile Kyle Graham for sharing a little pour.

You know what it tastes like? It tastes like Appleton 12.

I don’t say that to sound flippant, but to say that the taste of Appleton 12 hasn’t changed a whole lot for a long, long time. This old one tasted a little richer, and had a little bit of a longer finish. But honestly it was very close to what you get today and the last three vintages that I have in stock at home. So easy to drink but still very flavorful. It’s my favorite rum.

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Peynkiller by John Peterson

Yes, it is spelled correctly.

Do you like Peychaud’s Bitters and coconut and high proof rum? Then you will love this off-menu AngoColada riff by Forbidden Island’s John Peterson that is full of tropical flavors.

It’s really great to try something new and when it is so well done.

John posted the recipe in the Tiki Recipes Facebook Group.

Peynkiller
1.5 Peychaud’s bitters
1.0 pineapple juice
.75 lime juice
0.5 Rum Fire
0.5 Pierre Fernand Dry Curacao
0.5 Coco Lopez
.25 orgeat (homemade)
Flash blend with crushed ice and a couple agitator cubes. Open pour into your vessel of choice. Garnish with ground cinnamon + nutmeg, as well as a sprig of mint.
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Blue Mai Tai

I did a revised version of my Blue Hawai-Tai cocktail for a Mai Tai contest at a party this weekend. I thought I’d emulate the Mai Tai Festival they do every (non-COVID) year in Kona, where the winning Mai Tai never looks like a 1944. Always something new, different, or fancy. So I did a “more of a Mai Tai” version of the Blue Hawai-Tai by adding Lime juice and only using Orgeat as the sweetener. No fancy foam topping, though.

Blue Mai Tai
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Latitude 29 Orgeat
½ oz Giffard Blue Curacao
1½ oz Rum Fire Overproof Jamaican Rum
½ oz Probitas light rum
Garnish with Mint

I came in second in the contest. The winning entry was quite delicious in a more traditional format with Denizen Merchant’s Reserve and Plantation Dark. So, I can’t fault the judges at all. It was great. But, I do know a few of the judges really liked this version, so that was pretty satisfying.

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DIY Kon-Tiki Cocktail List Completion

Thanks to Chris Day for making me a Virgin’s Downfall at The Kon-Tiki the other night. This Missionary’s Downfall riff features Mezcal, which is why I always avoided it. But, as a matter of fact, it was delicious! Minty and fresh with some complex flavors that truly worked together.

Which means I’ve now sampled all the cocktails on Kon-Tiki’s third menu revision (first introduced in fall 2019), as tracked by the handmade checklist card I printed out over a year ago. I’m looking forward to the new menu that surely is coming soon.

The Kon-Tiki and their sister properties Palmetto and The Kon-Tiki Room announced yesterday that they are going to require patrons to be vaccinated (or have a negative test) starting in August. As of this week you have be vaxxed to sit at the bar, which is what I did and had a great time talking to Jeff Hall and some other barflies. And you can bet that this policy is going to make me more comfortable patronizing these places, as well as being safer for the staff.

It is going to need to start to get a lot more difficult for non-vaxxed folks to have access to nice things, or we’re going to have to do another round of shutdown and business closures.