The back bar at Trader Vic’s doesn’t seem very big, but they have a lot of great rum choices. This Jamaica rum was pretty nice, a little extra funky compared to the standard Vic’s Mai Tai.
Appleton Estate Legend 17 Details
Appleton unveiled details of their forthcoming Appleton Estate 17 Year Old Legend Jamaica Rum release this week. The rum was developed by Appleton’s master blender Joy Spence using four rare distillates to replicate the formula for Wray & Nephew 17, the original rum that Trader Vic used in the Mai Tai. Issued at 49% ABV and aged in ex-Bourbon oak barrels, Legend replicates the original by being 100% pot still distillate.
Spence was quoted in a Forbes article about the release, saying “When I made the Mai Tai with this rum. I tell you, I was in heaven. I sat in my garden and I said this is most amazing Mai Tai ever.”
Due to the rarity of the distillate, only 1500 bottles will be available globally, never to be produced again. Legend will be available at select “premium retailers” starting in June 2023, in the United States, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, Japan, and Hong Kong. List price is $500 per bottle.
Their hyped May 17 announcement date coincided with the selling of a few bottles via Blockchain broker BlockBar, where the early adopters are guaranteed an NFT and a bottle. Or, they are now in a position to flip the rum to the highest bidder, with some bottles now well over $1000.
The Mad Scramble Starts in June
You’d think that with a $500 list price that maybe it would keep away some buyers. Heck, even Appleton’s $300-$400 Hearts releases are still found out there here or there. But given the hype it seems that Legend will be very difficult to obtain. We know a few famous venues and collectors who won’t be getting Legend even after they asked.
Personally, I’ll be traveling in the British Isles for the last two weeks in June. So, there’s nary a chance I’ll be able to jump on my favorite retailer’s customer email and snap this release up like I did with the Appleton Hearts release. The whole NFT thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
Maybe someone will take pity and offer me a tot or two.
Applebee’s $6 Mucho Mai Tai
We’re going to take a trip you might not be expecting, so buckle in.
Not nearly as infamous as the $1 Mai Tai that Applebee’s ran as a special in 2019, the $6 Mucho Mai Tai nonetheless can be a compelling offering for suburban drinkers. So, Mrs. Mai Tai and found ourselves sampling cocktails and eating pretzel bites on a Wednesday evening.
The Mucho Mai Tai is part of a new “$6 Sips on the Beach” menu that Applebee’s says are “made with premium spirits and served in a signature Mucho glass.” In this case the “premium spirts” are Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and Tito’s Vodka. So, not really premium.
The Mucho Mai Tai cocktail features Captain Morgan Rum with pineapple, orange, and lime juices and finished with lemon-lime soda and a gummy pineapple. This was about as mediocre as you might expect from this particular Mai Tai snob, even at the $6 price point. I think the gummy sank to the bottom and I never did bother fishing it out. But at least I felt the booze.
There’s a happy ending to this story, thanks to Mrs. Mai Tai who ordered a Shark Bowl.
The Shark Bowl is a blue slushy drink with Captain Morgan, “tropical fruit flavors”, and a gummy shark garnish. I didn’t have high hopes for this, but I’m pleased to report it was actually pretty good for what it is. Not too sweet, and cool, pleasant, and refreshing. We even took one to go for our son and it traveled well.
Thus ends our report from the suburbs.
Tropical Standard: Cocktail Techniques & Reinvented Recipes
2023’s most interesting cocktail book comes from Garret Richard (Sunken Harbor Club) and Ben Schaffer (The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual). “Tropical drinks” are sometimes looked down upon by cocktail snobs and even tiki purists as being “lesser”, but the book describes how these juice-heavy cocktails can be elevated using modern techniques.
While each cocktail gets a photo, this is not a coffee table book full of pretty pictures. Instead, this will appeal to those looking to understand the methods of making great cocktails and also to learn how longstanding recipes can be improved. There are reimagined recipes for the Blue Hawaii, Ray’s Mistake, and many others.
Richard’s acclaimed Mai Tai recipe is included, without any need for significant reimagining. The authors state “It does not suffer from any defect in its conception”, yet acknowledges that today’s Mai Tai can’t exactly replicate one from 1944. The recipe is fairly complex, using two orange liqueurs, three rums, and a few drops of Salt Solution to heighten the flavors. The spent lime shell goes inside the cocktail, not on top. Check the book for the recipe but suffice to say that the Mai Tai is quite fantastic.
“New versions of this pivotal cocktail are constantly advanced and debated by bartenders world-wide. It is nigh on impossible to improve on a drink as iconic as the Mai Tai, but with its collection of small adjustments, rediscovered techniques, and precise flavor pairings, the Mai Tai you are about to make will banish all others from your heart.”
Other preparation techniques include ice and dilution, acid adjusting citrus, and even sugar adjusting. These are presented in an open way, not in one that talks down to the reader – which this lazy home bartender appreciates. There are many opportunities to reconsider long-held personal tendencies and to consider new approaches.
Tropical Standard is available today at fine booksellers everywhere.
Old Brigand Black Label Superior Barbados Rum
Produced at the Foursquare distillery, Old Brigand is a “Spirits Direct” exclusive to Total Wine & More stores in the U.S. and retails for under $20. The blended aged rum includes pot and column still distillate and is released at 43% ABV.
The pirate on the label would seem to indicate to rum snobs that this isn’t the rum they’re looking for, but on the latest Rumcast podcast, this expression was the highest rated in a blind test of a number of Foursquare produced rums. So, I had try to this rum and for the price it isn’t a big risk. Indeed the flavorful rum reminds me of much more expensive Barbados rums, with good vanilla and coconut notes from the aging. Quite nice to sip.
This was less awesome in a Mai Tai, where the taste of the rum was not as forward as I’m used to. Then again, I’m usually using heavier Jamaica rums with a higher ABV so the more delicate Barbados rum is certainly not as bold.
Revisiting Solvang’s High Roller Tiki Lounge
This was our first true visit to High Roller Tiki Lounge at its present location in Danish-themed Solvang. We visited the original location years ago and tried to come in 2021 but Friday evening traffic meant we missed closing time by five minutes. We arrived at around 4:00 pm on Thursday, so we had plenty of time before they closed at 6:00.
The venue doesn’t have a full liquor license, and on my last visit all the “cocktails” were made with wine. This time some were offered with a rice-based liqueur that’s blended with rum and other spirits and issued at a lower ABV. But the High Roller team uses double the amount so these drinks are plenty boozy. I ordered the Mai Tai with “rum” and really enjoyed it. It leans sweet, which was all right by me, and I think is a good option for tiki newbies in wine-focused Solvang.
Even better was the Mermaid Bowl that Mrs. Mai Tai and I shared. This drink is a hoot, complete with a mermaid you can take home, tropical fruity flavors, and tons of bursting boba inside. And, like I said earlier, plenty boozy.
The lounge space was quite relaxing, with a nice mix of traditional tiki elements and vintage touches throughout. We talked to Michael Cobb a bit and he showed us the expanded seating space across the little courtyard that they use on the weekends when they’re busy and when they have live music. This nicely appointed space has a traditional table and booth layout but the blacked-out windows means that traditional tiki bar fans will feel right at home. Even better, High Roller stays open later on the weekend.
Relaxing Ventura Lunch at VenTiki
After we left L.A. and ventured up the coast we decided to stop in Ventura for lunch. It’s been a while since we visited VenTiki Lounge and Lanai and found it to be in good shape with lots of shade on the patio and inviting us for a relaxing time on a nice spring day.
I went upscale for the refreshing $35 Mai Tai, a good price considering it uses a couple of premium Martinique Rhums and you get to keep the nice VenTiki mug as a souvenir. I also tried and liked the sweet and tangy Vicious Hibiscus that includes Spiced Rum, Elderflower, and Hibiscus Syrup. This was better than The Fuzz that Mrs. Mai Tai ordered and includes Tequila and Hibiscus Syrup.
Our service was great and it was truly relaxing listing to mellow music with lunch. The server saw our interest and even gave us some matchbooks and a couple extra swizzles. The VenTiki team is doing a lot of things right given the small-ish size of the venue and we did enjoy the warning to mug thieves in the restroom.
