Category: Rum

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Painkiller Experiment

I’m always in the mood for a good recipe shootout/taste test, and Friday night seems like a great time for Painkillers.

I like a Painkiller from time to time, and Mrs. Mai Tai enjoys them frequently along with other coconut-forward cocktails. We both love the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum at Trader Sam’s which is basically a Painkiller.

Most recipes I’ve seen call for 4 oz of Pineapple Juice, but neither of us thought it should be that much forward with the Pineapple Juice, so we didn’t attempt that one. Instead, I made three variants with different ratios of Pineapple and Orange Juice.

All Painkillers feature the following:
1½ oz Hamilton 86 Demerara Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 1804 Demerara Rum
1 oz Coconut Creme (Coco Real)

Version 1: left
3 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
Notice the froth on top

Version 2: center
1½ oz Pineapple Juice
1½ oz Orange Juice

Version 3: right
1 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Orange Juice



Verdict:
I was quite sure I wouldn’t like the first version with the most Pineapple Juice but it actually was my favorite. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai preferred the version with a higher amount of Orange Juice. So, I guess I’ll have both recipes on hand.

Ultimate Painkiller
1½ oz Hamilton 86 Demerara Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 1804 Demerara Rum
1 oz Coconut Creme (Coco Real)
3 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice

Mrs Mai Tai’s Painkiller
1½ oz Hamilton 86 Demerara Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 1804 Demerara Rum
1 oz Coconut Creme (Coco Real)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Orange Juice

Glassware by The Kon-Tiki in Oakland

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Caribbean Daiquiri

There was a debate online this week about how to label a cocktail made with Rum, Lime, and Sugar. Could it be called a “Daiquiri” even if it wasn’t made with the Cuban Rum that it was originally conceived with?

There is no question the classic Daiquiri is made with lighter rums in the style common in Cuba. But in most restaurants and bars you’d be lucky to get a Daiquiri served up rather than on the rocks or blended, so being picky about the specific country of origin for the rum seems like maybe not the most important detail. I think that there are plenty of “white” rums that are unaged or lightly aged that are fabulous in a Daiquiri.

But I also think that aged rums can also be lovely in this cocktail. This extra large one was made with Chairman’s Reserve and Appleton Estate Reserve 8 rums, both of which are a blend of column and pot still distillates and both with more age than the typical “iight” rum. It is delicious and still light enough to feel too heavy.

What do you call this? There isn’t really a label, except “Daiquiri with Chairman’s Reserve and Appleton 8”. Or maybe just call it a Caribbean Daiquiri.

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Ti Punch with Rhum JM VO

Quite good with a small slice of lime and a dash of BG Reynolds Demerara Syrup.

Rhum JM isn’t as “grassy” as some Martinique Agricoles can be, so is more to my taste. This one was pretty good, and I have enjoyed the VSOP and XO expressions as well.

The rum is a tasting from the Forbidden Island Kill Devil rum list.

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Assertive Mai Tai

Someone on Facebook described my “Ultimate Mai Tai” recipe as being “assertive.” I totally took the comment in the way it was intended, which is to say that the Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend for sure isn’t for mellow drinking. This is rum-forward, and contains a large component of high-ester Jamaican rum. Bold and rich, intended to be savored.

So, in a way, “assertive” is actually quite the compliment.



Ultimate Mai Tai by Kevin Crossman
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat (Latitude 29)
¼ oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds)
½ oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao)
½ oz Appleton 12 Rum
½ oz Smith & Cross Rum
½ oz Plantation OFTD Rum
½ oz Plantation Xaymaca Rum

For those who find this rum blend too boozy and too heavy, there are thankfully so many great options. Appleton 12 just by itself is our recommendation for a single-rum Mai Tai, which provides a more approachable yet still quite satisfying rum-forward Mai Tai.

If you have a favorite rum, try it in a Mai Tai and let us know what how it worked. We’re always looking to try new rums in a Mai Tai.

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Stroh Mai Tai

Called a rite of passage by some, Stroh Spiced Rum from Austria is a rum that everyone should try at least once. Maybe not more than once, thanks to its deeply sweet butterscotch flavor. But you need to try it.

The Mai Tai was made with 1 oz of Stroh along with an ounce of Rum-Bar Gold from Jamaica. There aren’t many rums that can overpower a funky Jamaican rum, but Stroh did it, not in a good way.

One and done.

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Mello Pomelo

Played around with some Pomelo juice and using the Hemingway Daiquiri template I tweaked a few things. Quite refreshing, give it a try.

Mello Pomelo
1 oz Pomelo Juice
¼ oz Grenadine
½ tsp Don’s Spices #2 (Pimento Dram + Vanilla Syrup)
½ oz Cointreau
¼ oz Maraschino Liqueur
2 oz Aged White Rum (Denizen 3)