Category: Recipe

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Blood Orange Eastern Sour

For a while now I’ve been extolling the virtues of Valencia Orange Juice in cocktails. So much sweeter and flavorful than standard bottled orange juice or even fresh squeezed from Navel Oranges. Blood Oranges seem to be in season, so I thought I’d make my favorite OJ-forward cocktail and see how it compares.

Blood Orange Eastern Sour
¾ oz Lemon Juice
2½ oz Blood Orange Juice
¼ oz Orgeat
¼ oz Sugar Syrup
2 oz Bourbon (Wild Turkey 101)

I really liked this version. Obviously the first thing you see is how deep the red color of the Blood Orange juice is. The flavor is a little bit more tangy than the Valencia but still works well with the rest of the ingredients. I might up the Orgeat by another ¼ oz if I make this again. If you can find Blood Oranges, give this a try.

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Blood Orange Mai Tai

Apparently blood oranges are in season, so I played around with them. First up is this Mai Tai made with white spirits and topped with some blood orange juice. Seems perfect for Halloween.

2 oz Probitas White Rum
¾ oz Cointreau
½ oz Orgeat
1 oz Lemon juice
Float ½ oz Blood Orange Juice

Very tasty.

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Margaritas at La Fiesta in Mountain View

With Trad’r Sam open again in San Francisco, we traveled up to check out their offerings. I was assured they’d be open on Saturday between 2:00-3:00 but at 3:30 there was nobody there and no sign of activity. Mrs. Mai Tai was not happy. I get that this is a family-run business and that Saturday night is the priority, not Saturday afternoon. Well, tikiphiles, I tried.

So, we headed down the Peninsula to our favorite Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta in Mountain View. This place is a few blocks off downtown but is totally worth seeking out. They’ve converted half their parking lot into outdoor seating and the tables are spaced out really well. We love the Grandma’s Special sauce that is added to various menu items. It is unbelievably good.

For our Margaritas, Julie had the Margarita Rosalina (the Grandma in “Grandma’s Special”) with reposado tequila, cranberry juice, lime, triple sec, and sweet and sour. I had the Veracruz with silver tequila, blue curaçao, triple sec, lime, and sweet and sour. Both were excellent.

We we got home I made a couple more blue margaritas.

Ultimate Blue Margarita
¾ oz Lime Juice
¾ oz Blue Curacao
¼ oz Blood Orange Cordial
1½ oz el Jimador Blanco Tequila
Shake with ice and serve over cubed ice.

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Pumpkin Spice Mai Tai

Another neighborhood delivery

This was the choice of the recipient, who definitely needs a stiff drink. I’m not a pumpkin spice hater.

Pumpkin Spice Mai Tai
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat 
½ oz Orange Curacao 
¼ oz Demerara Syrup 
1 oz Captain Morgan Jack’o’Blast Pumpkin Spiced Rum
1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum

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Derby Daiquiri

I keep trying to make this one. It seems so simple and maybe uninteresting, but when I tried it at the Mai-Kai last year I was blown away. So I keep trying. And the fact that this is blended, when I’ve been fighting like Ahab to get my blender to make good slushy blended drinks, well let’s just say that the result was better but still not perfect.

This time the blend was better but still too many big chunks considering I was sipping rather than using a straw.

Derby Daiquiri
½ oz Lime juice
1 oz Orange juice
½ oz Sugar syrup
1½ oz Light Rum (I used Plantation 3 Star)
Blend with ice

I used fresh Valencia Oranges and it certainly made a difference compared to when I’ve used bottled OJ. But neither is as good as the Orange Juice they use at the Mai-Kai in Florida, so I guess all those ads about Florida oranges are true.

The Atomic Grog has great resources for everything Mai-Kai and their page for this cocktail is no exception. Check it out.

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New Site Feature: Q. B. Cooler

Let’s talk about the Q. B. Cooler. It’s the drink that inspired the Mai Tai. Or so the story goes.

Donn Beach claimed that Trader Vic used the Q. B. Cooler as a template or precursor to the Mai Tai, something noted in Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s book Sippin’ Safari.

We have a new feature at ultimatemaitai.com about the Q.B. Cooler, including the origin story, recipe, and whether or not the cocktail is the Mai Tai’s daddy. Includes some historical details and new quotes from The Bum himself. Check it out.

Q. B. Cooler by Don the Beachcomber
½ oz Lime juice
1 oz Orange juice
1 oz Club soda
½ oz Honey mix
¼ oz Falernum
½ tsp Ginger syrup
½ oz Demerara rum
1 oz Jamaican rum
1 oz Puerto Rican rum
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Blend with 4 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds; top up with more crushed ice and garnish with mint.

View the Page: Q. B. Cooler at UltimateMaiTai.com

Q. B. Cooler
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Santiago Cocktail-2

Found this in the 1947 Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide. It is a light and refreshing cocktail that is influenced by Trader Vic’s travels to Cuba in 1937.

Santiago Cocktail-2
½ oz Lime Juice
¾ oz Cointreau
1 tsp Sugar
1¾ oz Rum

I made this with Havana Club 7 aged Cuban rum and it’s a very good cocktail. But it is missing something… something that could add a little more sweetness and complexity. Hmm… thoughts?