Batched Mint Julep

Our friends have a yearly Christmas party with a different theme each year. This year the theme was Kentucky Derby, so I volunteered to make a batched version of a Mint Julep.

The typical Mint Julep recipe is nearly all Bourbon, so this one has a bit more sugar and water. Nonetheless it was quite boozy, as we are all feeling today. The small cups filled with ice were an attempt to limit the intake, but some of us succeeded better than others.

The mint syrup was made to a higher volume but you can see the ratio below. The syrup worked really well and meant nobody had to muddle these cocktails by hand and for a mixed crowd a tempered balance of Bourbon was better for most.

In terms of the Bourbon, I used a half-filled bottle of Buffalo Trace plus a nice 1.75ml bottle of Old Crow. And then I used about a half bottle of First Call Rye to add a bit of spice.

Batched Mint Julep
2 parts Bourbon
1 part Mint Syrup
½ part Water including large ice cubes to chill
Serve in a small glass with crushed ice and a mint sprig

Mint Syrup
1 cup water, heated
Add 1 cup granulated sugar, then stir to dissolve
Remove from heat and steep 1 cup mint leaves for 3-4 hrs
Chill in refrigerator

Trader Vic’s Hot Buttered Rum

It isn’t a Mai Tai at all, but some fine Hot Buttered Rum from Trader Vic’s. This commercial product compares favorably to the handcrafted Hot Buttered Rum kits you see for sale at craft cocktails bars during the holiday season.


Vic’s mix is jarred with sugar, butter, and spices mostly, and is $9 at BevMo where I picked it up. I like to use a little extra mix just to make it a bit more rich. Pairs well with heavier rums such as those from Jamaica or Guyana, but use your favorite. Might be a good use of a spiced rum if you have some.

Recipe: Rum Flip

This all time classic cocktail evolved over the centuries and this particular recipe is based on the one from Smuggler’s Cove. Rather just using an egg white in the cocktail, we’re using the entire egg. The result is creamy, though not as much as something like an Egg Nog that includes dairy.

The result is pretty good. I went with the traditional style and medium body of a Barbados rum, though something more flavorful would probably pair better with the rich taste of the egg.

Rum Flip
2 oz Old Brigand Barbados Rum
½ oz Demerara Syrup
1 medium egg
Dry shake for 10 secs, then add 1 cup ice and shake. Double strain and top with nutmeg.

Forbidden Island Mug Swap 2023

One of my favorite holiday traditions is the mug swap at Alameda’s Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge. You bring a mug that’s boxed or bagged and then when your name is called you take one from the pile. You trade in a mug maybe you don’t love and you might end up with something better, it’s just that simple. No stealing in this swap.

The event was organized and hosted by Chad Martens. This year there were three categories of mugs based on resale value, which worked well so that you don’t trade something super rare for a garbage mug.



As it turns out, Mrs Mai Tai actually picked the mug I brought 😂. I showed her the mug before we left but I forgot to show her the bag! But, we ended up trading for something else with one of the other event attendees after the picking of bags was over. It was a Christmas miracle.

FI was super packed, needless to say. So thanks to Sara Rivas for keeping up with the bar orders and making some fab cocktails, and the entire staff working well together. Fun times.

Hampden Estate Single Jamaican Rum 8 Marks Collection

Distilleries often have different production methods to produce disparate types of spirit expressions. Each recipe and production method that produces a different final distillate is called a mark and distilleries often have several of these. Hampden Estate in Jamaica produces eight distinct marks – most of which go back decades.

The 8 Marks Collection produced in conjunction with La Maison & Velier USA lets consumers be able to directly compare Hampden’s eight marks side by side by side. The large box contains 200ml bottles of each mark, plus a handy reference sheet for the distillery and for each mark. Noteworthy are all the precise details about wash components, fermentation time and type, chemical compounds, and more. Each is presented at 60% ABV, so needless to say flavor won’t be lacking, and with all of these being unaged you can taste them without the variability that aging in barrels can provide.

I obtained mine at a tasting event where we received the kits and were led through the details. Most of Hamdpden’s expressions are high on the ester scale, up to DOK at 1600gr/hLPA and the highest the Jamaican government allows. But all of these are funk bombs to a greater or lesser degree. Even after going through seven of these I really did feel that DOK was a different beast.

The variability of these expressions is noticeable and interesting. HLCF (the basis for Rum Fire) is probably the most complex and rich, despite being in the middle of the ester scale. More esters does not necessarily mean better, that’s for sure. In my tasting, I liked rare C<>H mark the best.

The 8 Marks collection is available in some retail locations already, with more to come soon. Price varies from around $150 and up. This isn’t a super limited release, but Hampden says this won’t be an annual release – though a version of this tasting kit with the marks aged for one year is coming in 2024.

For a more in-depth look at this collection, I encourage you watch this video from our friend Arminder.

Happy Birthday Trader Vic

Everyone’s favorite Mai Tai inventor was born on this day in 1902. Victor Jules Bergeron had a difficult childhood, losing a leg to tuberculosis when just six year old. Early adulthood was no better until he scrapped some money together to open a small restaurant and bar at named Hinky Dinks at 65th and San Pablo avenue in Oakland in 1934.

A visit Don the Beachcomber’s convinced Bergeron to adjust the theme of his venue. The Bamboo Room at “Trader Vic at Hinky Dinks” opened as initially as an exclusive ladies’ lounge. Later, it became a co-ed destination and eventually the Trapper Lodge theme of Hinky Dinks gave way entirely to a Polynesian theme. The venue eventually got a shorter name, simply Trader Vic’s in 1938.

This photo shows Bergeron in the midst of that transition, sporting a Pith Helmet that never became his trademark and was soon forgotten. One guesses that Bergeron thought a hat would add character to his persona, as it did for Donn Beach. One also guesses that Bergeron got fed up wearing such head-ware and might have even thrown it into the trash accompanied by colorful profanity.

Bergeron’s fame soon spread as a restaurateur and cocktail developer, a celebrity chef of sorts. That fame as the Gordon Ramsay of his day was one reason he was asked to develop a cocktail menu for the Matson hotel properties in Waikiki where the Mai Tai became a viral sensation starting in 1953.

Bergeron died in 1984 at the age of 81, but today let’s remember the young man who was about to shake up the restaurant and cocktail world. Raise a glass of rum or brandy, or maybe a famous Trader Vic’s cocktail such as the Fogcutter, Eastern Sour, or a Mai Tai. Cheers and happy birthday to Trader Vic Bergeron.

Photo courtesy Trader Vic’s