Category: Recipe

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Batched Mint Julep

Our friends have a yearly Christmas party with a different theme each year. This year the theme was Kentucky Derby, so I volunteered to make a batched version of a Mint Julep.

The typical Mint Julep recipe is nearly all Bourbon, so this one has a bit more sugar and water. Nonetheless it was quite boozy, as we are all feeling today. The small cups filled with ice were an attempt to limit the intake, but some of us succeeded better than others.

The mint syrup was made to a higher volume but you can see the ratio below. The syrup worked really well and meant nobody had to muddle these cocktails by hand and for a mixed crowd a tempered balance of Bourbon was better for most.

In terms of the Bourbon, I used a half-filled bottle of Buffalo Trace plus a nice 1.75ml bottle of Old Crow. And then I used about a half bottle of First Call Rye to add a bit of spice.

Batched Mint Julep
2 parts Bourbon
1 part Mint Syrup
½ part Water including large ice cubes to chill
Serve in a small glass with crushed ice and a mint sprig

Mint Syrup
1 cup water, heated
Add 1 cup granulated sugar, then stir to dissolve
Remove from heat and steep 1 cup mint leaves for 3-4 hrs
Chill in refrigerator

Large Ice Cubes added for dilution and to chill
Use as much Mint as you want
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Recipe: Rum Flip

This all time classic cocktail evolved over the centuries and this particular recipe is based on the one from Smuggler’s Cove. Rather just using an egg white in the cocktail, we’re using the entire egg. The result is creamy, though not as much as something like an Egg Nog that includes dairy.

The result is pretty good. I went with the traditional style and medium body of a Barbados rum, though something more flavorful would probably pair better with the rich taste of the egg.

Rum Flip
2 oz Old Brigand Barbados Rum
½ oz Demerara Syrup
1 medium egg
Dry shake for 10 secs, then add 1 cup ice and shake. Double strain and top with nutmeg.

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Liquid Alchemist Grenadine in a Port Light Cocktail

I’ve liked most of the Liquid Alchemist syrups I’ve tried, so I picked up this Grenadine that’s new to me. It’s a really fantastic syrup, rich and tart. The ingredients include Pomegranate juice and also Pomegranate molasses, along with Orange Blossom Water. Unlike some thin commercial syrups, you can see that the color is very dark reddish purple that works great when mixed in cocktails.

Having tasting this Liquid Alchemist Grenadine just by itself, I thought it’d work well in a Port Light cocktail using a heavy pour. Indeed it works great alongside Passion Fruit Syrup and Bourbon and really made for a nice rich drink.

Port Light
1 oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Passion Fruit Syrup (Small Hand)
½ oz Liquid Alchemist Grenadine (heavy pour)
1½ oz Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon
Shake with Crushed Ice

Modified version of the Kahiki Port Light, via Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log.

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Yes Cocktail Co. Orgeat

We picked this up at a craft faire in SF last month. Yes Cocktail Co. has a number of syrups and also has sugar cubes with infused bitters. We won’t be doing a full review of the latter except to say that as sugar cubes they don’t dissolve easily all, rendering them unsuitable for “saving a step” by including the bitters.

More successful is Yes’s Orgeat. This craft syrup tastes great just by itself and is pretty good in a Mai Tai. I made a Mai Tai based on the recipe on the label, using Appleton 8 as the blended aged rum. This recipe only uses ¾ oz lime juice and omits any additional sugar syrups. It made a good Mai Tai, albeit more milky in consistency than some orgeats, though I think I’d have preferred a heavier pour of orgeat and a full ounce of lime juice. Comparable in taste and consistency to Liber & Co.

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Dark Rum Shootout: Goslings vs. Bacardi vs. Trader Vic’s

I had been planning to do this comparison already but was inspired by the Goslings float on the pretty reasonable Mai Tai I had at 19Ten in Santa Rosa last week. Dark Rums of this type are typically column still rums with little to no age, but darkened with caramel coloring. All are under $20 a bottle and issued at 40% ABV.

Todays lineup:

  • Goslings Black Seal – the most ubiquitous dark rum apart from Myers’s and thanks to Gosling’s trademark, the called rum in a Dark n’ Stormy.
  • Bacardi Black – previously known as Bacardi Select.
  • Trader Vic’s Dark – private label brand used at the Trader Vic’s restaurants and available in some retail locations.

These three rums are fairly similar, and distinct from dark rums from Jamaica or Guyana given their lighter character. Though Goslings does have a very pleasant burnt caramel flavor that reminds me of Demerara rums from Guyana like Lemon Hart 1804. This was the standout among the bunch and the taste from a glass was similar to the 19Ten Mai Tai.

Bacardi Black has a sweeter taste that isn’t nearly as flavorful, though it is not unpleasant, and is about the same hue as Goslings. It’s used in the wonderful Mai Tai at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, which is why I bought it in the first place, but compared to Goslings it doesn’t seem offer much.

Meanwhile, Trader Vic’s is by far the darkest of the bunch and when you can find it at retail a few bucks cheaper too. Unfortunately, the taste has an artificial candy flavor that I did not find pleasant in the glass. So, Goslings is the easy pick here.

I’m not sure that any rums of this category are totally necessary, given that Myers’s or Coruba are not big funk bombs typical of Jamaica and could serve adequately for dark floats or in recipes calling for rum of this style.

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Ultimate-ish Zombie

I was really happy with the recipe for the Ultimate Mai Tai, using my Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend. And I was super happy with the Ultimate Navy Grog which used that rum in combo. But I’ve never been able to come up with a Zombie recipe that I liked using that rum. But after some experimentation and tinkering I’m pretty happy with how this came out.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t as good as a 1934. All hail Donn Beach for developing it and to Jeff Berry for rediscovering and decoding the recipe decades later. So, it is only ultimate-ish. But if you’re looking for a little twist on the Zombie I’d suggest giving this a try.

Thanks to Ed Hamilton and the aforementioned Jeff Berry for developing a Zombie rum to give this the necessary flavor profile and kick.

Ultimate-ish Zombie
1 oz Ruby Grapefruit Juice (strained)
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Passionfruit Syrup
¼ oz Molasses Syrup
½ oz Velvet Falernum
⅛ oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 oz Hamilton Beachbum Berry Zombie Blend
1 oz Ultimate Mai Tai Blend
4 drop Pernod
4 dash Angostura Bitters
Shake with crushed ice
Garnish with mint

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The World’s Worst Mai Tai

I found this recipe in the 1980 book from Michael Walker called simply The Cocktail Book. The entry says “There are several different versions of the Mai Tai, but this seems to be the most popular with bartenders and patrons alike.” Walker also says “this drink will taste deliciously innocuous, but beware! It has a habit of creeping up on you.”

Photo by Derek / Make & Drink

(World’s Worst) Mai Tai by Michael Walker
½ measure Dark Rum
1 measure Light Rum
½ measure Tequila
½ measure Triple Sec
1 measure Apricot Brandy
1 measure Orange Juice
1 dash Orgeat
1 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dashes Grenadine
Blend with ice until smooth. Decorate with slices of orange, lime, lemon, pineapple, and a maraschino cherry.

With all those ingredients and the elaborate garnish, I’m not sure which bartender would prefer to make this compared to a traditional five ingredient Mai Tai.

We shared this monstrosity with Derek from Make & Drink and he invited me over to the bar to try it! You can watch to the video to see our reactions but suffice to say while this might be an okay generic tropical drink it by no means should be called a Mai Tai. Not with tequila and apricot brandy.