This cocktail popped up in Beachbum Berry’s Total Tiki app and it was perfect to try since lime was the only juice I had on hand. This dates to the post World War 2 era and was served at the Tourist Bar in Port-au-Prince, Haiti – so naturally it uses Haitian spirits. Supposedly named after Haitian revolutionary General Alexandre Pétion who chose the title “President for Life” rather than “Emperor for Life.” What a true patriot.
Petion ¾ oz Lime juice ½ oz Sugar syrup ¾ oz Bénédictine ¾ oz Clairin from Haiti (alt: Cachaça) ¾ oz Barbancourt 8 Year Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
I loved this with Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin, but for the rest of my family I knew it would be a bit too much and subbed Cachaça as the Bum suggests. Quite a nice light style cocktail.
After all the rum lists I’ve completed over the years I have to applaud my wife Julie for giving the rum list thing a shot with the Level I of the Rum Asylum list at Dr. Funk. This curated list of twenty mainstream rums covers a variety of styles and countries of origin and is a fantastic introduction to rum. Even better for folks like Julie who aren’t used to drinking spirits neat, Dr. Funk allows participants try to the rums in Daiquiri format. Pusser’s was the last rum and Julie said the Xaymaca Daiquiri was her favorite.
After completing the list, Justin walked her through the materials for Level II, she took a little rum pledge, received her completion pin, and then got to ring the bell. A soon-to-be bride sitting nearby was so inspired by the ceremony that she jumped up and threw a flower lei over Julie’s head. Ringing the bell *and* getting lei’d, it was quite a night.
Dr. Funk is hosting a Rum Asylum meetup on June 22, which Julie will be attending. I’m not sure how far she’ll get on the level II, but completing the first level is still a great accomplishment. Congrats.
The purpose of our trip to SoCal was largely to attend the inaugural Rum Curious Summit in Long Beach, the brainchild of self-proclaimed Rum Champion Bryan Inman along with partners Ari Ralston and Shane Conrad. The event was held in the event space at Altar Society Brewing in downtown and was a massive success with over 500 attendees and dozens of rum producers and brands.
A main floor included rum tastings with over 100 expressions of rum, plus many tables offered the rum in a cocktail format. We were particularly impressed by the Pearl Diver from House of Bamboo’s Shelley Bowers in partnership with Tanduay rum who also filled up a goodie bag for VIP ticket holders.
Among the noteworthy rums, Holmes Cay is an independent bottler and always has interesting and rare expressions, Privateer had some rums that were new to me, and new independent bottler Mainland Rum showed off their range of cask strength releases from a wide array of American distillers.
Upstairs from the main floor there were several seminars available to attendees, including an interesting and thought provoking session about tiki by Doc Parks and a fab introduction to rum from Bryan Inman who demonstrated the diversity of rum with five tasting samples and some facts about production.
As a brand new event there were a few growing pains, including a check in system that was over-engineered. But by and large there were very few issues that weren’t directly related to the popularity of the event – a good problem – and we’d be remiss without acknowledging the exemplary work of the staff and volunteers to help guests make the most of their experience. It sounds like there are plans to expand Rum Curious Summits to other cities and if so it will be something to watch closely. Cheers.
Been playing with some different Jamaican rums in a Kingston Negroni. The original version from New York bartender Joaquín Simó called or Smith & Cross, but I’ve been trying some other higher proof expressions including Hampden’s Overproof and a cask strength Worthy Park bottle, both to great effect.
Being an equal parts cocktail it is easy to make a larger version, which is what I did here. I didn’t have an orange peel to express but the result was still fab.
Kingston Negroni 1 part Campari 1 part Sweet Vermouth 1 part Jamaican rum Stir with ice. Strain over large cube.
I’m finding that for me that going a little light on the Campari and a little heavier on the rum is the sweet spot for my flavor profile.
We had a very nice visit to Boo Loo Lounge, a small tiki bar located in the sleepy bedroom community of Orinda. Visiting on Friday evening was no problem since the BART station is a four minute walk away and we avoided rush hour traffic.
There have been some management changes at Boo Loo, but I’m pleased to report that the team remains committed to high quality cocktails and great hospitality. The venue’s small size next to the Orinda Theater means that there are ebbs and flows as guests come and go, but the team worked well to take drink orders and deliver them to the tables. We were treated to a great music mix from DJ Shy Hulud that was a blend of exotic, psychedelic, and Latin tunes.
The cocktail menu at Boo Loo hasn’t changed, which means that their Saturn, Ruby Daiquiri, and Lady of Singapore are still great. Bartender Kriss knew me from The Kon-Tiki and suggested a Mai Tai made with a rare Nha Terra Grog rum from Portugal, and this had a really interesting flavor with white wine flavor notes.
Even better was Boo Loo’s standard Mai Tai that’s made with a blend of rums and just a bit of a grassy lean from the Rhum Agricole. It’s a really good Mai Tai, highly recommended, and Boo Loo continues to have a very nice rum selection if you’re looking for something new to try.
Killed two birds by making a Tequila-based Mai Tai that Trader Vic named the Pinky Gonzales and serving it in a Death Star mug.
Pinky Gonzales 1 oz Lime Juice ½ oz Cointreau ⅔ oz oz Orgeat 2 oz Tequila Shake with crushed ice. No prison labor was involved.
This turned out quite light, thanks to Jimador tequila and the Cointreau that is lighter in body than Grand Marnier or Orange Curacao. Quite delicious and very, very close to a Margarita.
I was pleased to be a guest on the latest episode of The Tiki Talk Show, available on YouTube and on podcast platforms. We had a great discussion with Ellie and Ryley who have recently launched their podcast with a focus on newer tiki bars and what’s happening now rather than a focus on the past.
I think this is a great angle and with their discussions with bar owners such as Jason Alexander from Devil’s Reef this should turn out to be an interesting series and to document what’s happening in the industry. There is also a focus on an artist each episode as well, so I’m looking forward to seeing who will pop up on future shows.
In our session we talked about Mai Tai stuff and my own journey, but also industry trends of within the tiki bar genre. We also discussed rating criteria, cocktail ingredients and ratios, and a comparison of historical tiki bars with modern ones. Check it out on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.
