Category: Rum

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New Cocktails at The Kon-Tiki in Oakland

Sampled some new (to me) cocktails at The Kon-Tiki.

First was the Montego Bay, with funky Jamaican rum, absinthe, allspice, grapefruit, and lime. This was billed as having a bite and I would agree. A little too spicy for me, though Mrs. Mai Tai loved it. Not pictured.

Next, the Lost Cartographer, featuring Irish Whisky, Banana, Cinnamon, and Bitters. I liked this a lot, though it isn’t really a traditional exotic/tropical cocktail. The banana was subtle but paired well with the cinnamon. Pictured with the orange slice in the Kon-Tiki glass.

Lastly, the Coco Gadget, with Guyana and Agricole rums, coconut, curaçao, cold brew coffee, and bitters. Mrs. Mai Tai thought this would be up her alley, but she thought it was too rum-forward and said she couldn’t taste the coconut and coffee. Meanwhile, I tend to avoid coffee drinks but actually really liked this. Seemed very coconut and coffee forward to me, so obviously your mileage may vary. A nice addition to the Kon-Tiki menu.

It is great to see some new menu items at Kon-Tiki. We love our classic tiki cocktails but I do like to expand my horizons.

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The Hurricane

Invented in New Orleans at Pat O’Briens bar, the actual recipe is a closely held secret. But everyone who has had one knows that it is fruity and that it has tons of rum. If you’ve had one from one of the cheap bars on Bourbon Street, you’re totally missing out. Those taste like garbage but when you make it at home with fresh ingredients it is delightful.

Some recipes call for Fassionola syrup, a sweetener with an equally mysterious recipe. The standard recipe used by many comes to us from Jeff “Beachbum” Berry who published this recipe in The Grog Log in 1998. The proportions make it easy to batch, which I did for a neighborhood block party (remember those) celebrating Mardis Gras a couple years ago.

Hurricane
2 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
4 oz Dark Jamaican Rum

Shake with crushed ice and fill in a Hurricane glass. Depending on the sweetness of your Passion Fruit Syrup, you might consider adding a little extra sugar syrup.

This cocktail is not particularly rum-forward, so you don’t need to go high-end for the Jamaican rum. Coruba, Myers’s, or Blackwell are all affordable and will do just fine.

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Bacardi Tasting in Crescent City

We traveled to Crescent City and landed inadvertently into a Bacardi weekend. At the grocery store Mrs Mai Tai suggested getting some rum in case there was no booze at the hotel. This Bacardi 4 was a good choice amongst the shelves at Safeway. The additional age means that this light rum has a little bit more mellow flavor compared to Bacardi Superior. I can see using this in cocktails.

When we got to the hotel we did find their bar was open, so I got a shot of Bacardi Black and Bacardi 151 to sample. The Black actually was kind of okay, like a lighter version of Goslings.

The 151 isn’t made anymore, and that’s probably for the best. I didn’t care for it at all. Very harsh.

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My Favorite Rum for National Rum Day

For the post today I thought I’d highlight my favorite rum: Appleton 12.

Back ten years ago, before I got deeply into rum, Appleton was my go-to answer for a rum to be gifted. Later, as I started to explore rum I saw that Appleton 12 was specifically called for in Mai Tai recipes from Beachbum Berry and Martin Cate. I obtained this expression myself and never looked back.

I’ve tried hundreds of rum since, and enjoyed most of them. Yet Appleton 12 remains my favorite for its rich, smooth taste, wide availability, and attainable price point. It is delightful when sampled neat. But not so expensive that you feel like you’re wasting money when you put it into a Mai Tai. It is my go-to “one rum” Mai Tai rum when ordering at a bar, and it remains an important part of my four-rum Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend.

Pictures are the last several vintages of this rum. The new Rare Casks edition continues the tradition wonderfully but I did make it a point to buy two bottles of the precious Rare Blend for safe keeping.

Happy National Rum Day, rum family.

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East India Negroni

I tried this earlier in the week with Campari as is called for, but felt it was too bitter. So I took another run with Aperol which for sure is a lot sweeter. In the end it was maybe a little too sweet. Hence the modified version below with a split aperitif.

East India Negroni
2 oz Rum (Denizen White)
1 oz Sherry (Harvey’s Bristol Creme)
½ oz Aperol
¼ oz Campari
Shake with ice and strain. Garnish with orange peel.

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The Octopus

An old Waikiki Trader Vic’s recipe, courtesy Jeff “Beachbum” Berry  in the Total Tiki app and his Intoxica book.

The recipe calls for Passion Fruit juice or nectar but I used passion fruit syrup. It wasn’t as good as when I had this in the past with the nectar. Live and learn.

The Octopus
1½ oz Orange Juice
1½ oz Passion Fruit Nectar
1½ oz 151 Rum (I used Hamilton)
1½ oz Club Soda
1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir in the glass

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Jamaican Independence Day

Jamaica won independance on August 6, 1962, so what better way for me to celebrate than with a Planter’s Punch with three of Jamaica’s finest rums? The Planter’s Punch is a historical cocktail but largely ignored in the native country these days (where overproof rum with Ting soda is far more popular). But, it is one of my favorites. Especially this recipe that Jeff “Beachbum” Berry shared in the Beachbum Berry Remixed book and in the Total Tiki app for iOS/iPadOS.

Rather than just the single rum called in the original recipe, Coruba, I split the base and added some higher end Jamaican rums.

Stephen Remsberg Planter’s Punch
¾ oz Lime Juice
1 oz Sugar Syrup
1 oz Coruba Dark rum
1 oz Appleton 12 Rare Casks rum
1 oz Hampden Estate Pure Single Jamaican rum
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Serve in a tall glass. Refreshing!

Glassware by The Reef Palm Springs