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TGIF: Ankle Breaker
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Not that we’re doing much celebrating while we’re in “shelter in place” mode here in the Bay Area. At least we still have our jobs which cannot be said of many of our friends in the restaurant, bar, and service industry. Scary times.
Anyway here is an “Irish Mai Tai” which isn’t really that except for the one drop of green food coloring. It is otherwise a standard 1944 Mai Tai though made with clear liquids. I thought about an Irish Whiskey float but this is enough booze for today already. It’s delicious.
Irish Mai Tai
- 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 oz Probitas Rum
- 1 oz St. Benevolence Rum Clairin
- ½ oz Cointreau
- ½ oz Latitude 29 Orgeat
- ¼ oz BG Reynolds Demerara Syrup
- 1 drop green food coloring
Glassware is from the National Mai Tai event at Smuggler’s Cove last year.
The cocktail has been placed with some of my green mugs and glassware.
Orange Liqueur Taste Test
Orange Curacao is an orange-based liqueur essentially similar to Triple Sec. It is based on the dried peel of the Lahara citrus fruit, otherwise known as the Curacao Orange, from the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. The liqueur is typically sweet, often through the use of added sugar. The spirit base is often combined with Brandy or Cognac.
It’s also an essential component in a Mai Tai.
The photo is from a tasting I did with fellow tikiphile Alex Fritch at his fab home tiki bar. We came to a few conclusions. The Ferrand is my personal favorite, but I have to admit the Drillaud wasn’t much different and is half the price. I also like Cointreau, and I like a higher ABV in an orange liqueur.
Here’s our recommended list:
- Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao Orange Liqueur (40% ABV)
- Cointreau Triple Sec Orange Liqueur (40% ABV)
- Clement Créole Shrubb Liqueur D’Orange (40% ABV)
- Drillaud Orange Liqueur (35% ABV)
- Senor Curacao Orange Curcao (31% ABV)
May not be for everyone:
- Hamilton Petite Canne Shrubb Orange Liqueur (35% ABV)
Tasting Notes:
Some people told us they like the Hamilton, but in our testing the grassy Rhum Agricole flavor is much harder to work with.
The Clement Shrubb is also based on Rhum Agricole but the grassy flavor is much more muted and works great in a Mai Tai.
Drillaud is considerably less expensive and still makes a fine Mai Tai. So, this is the one to get if you’re looking to save a little money.
Harvey Wallbanger
New Site Feature: Orange Curacao
We’ve added a new page to the site to provide info about one of the cornerstone ingredients in a Mai Tai: Orange Curacao. We discuss what this is and also provide some brand recommendations.
The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai: Orange Curacao
Recipe: Blue Hawai-Tai
It’s like the Blue Hawaii and the Mai Tai had a baby. This is an original riff and I hope you like it.
Blue Hawai-Tai by Kevin Crossman
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz White Overproof Jamaican Rum
½ oz Aged White Rum
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Blue Curacao
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake and dump into a small snifter glass. Garnish with Mint and tropical fruit.
Recommended spirits:
- Any white Jamaican Overproof rum will do fine, including the widely available Wray & Nephew Overproof. For best results use a 100% pot-still rum such as Rum-Bar Overproof or Rum Fire.
- For the white rum we recommend something with at least some pot-still component, such as Probitas, Denizen White, Hamilton White Stache, Myers’s White, or Plantation 3 Star. If you prefer something even lighter, then a rum with at least a little age such as Cruzan is recommended.
- We recommend Giffard Blue Curacao.
Colors in the photo are not retouched.
