Kō Hana Lilikoi Daiquiri

I previously reviewed the Kō Hana bottled Mai Tai and found it to be quite forward with Kō Hana’s delicious Hawaiian Agricole Rum. The bottled Lilikoi Daiquiri is a little less bold and a tad less sweet, but it still a high quality bottled cocktail.

At 22% ABV, this bottled Daiquiri is plenty boozy. It tastes good on it’s own, shaken with ice or served over ice, though it was better when I added a little Demerara Syrup just to sweeten it up a bit.

I previously made a similar Daiquiri using Kō Hana Kea rum and Small Hand Food’s excellent Passion Fruit Syrup. A fresh cocktail with bright lime and Kō Hana’s rum is superb.

Great Daiquiri at Miller’s Pub

Mrs Mai Tai and I spent the morning at the @fieldmuseum and at the @artinstitutechi (to see the Obama portraits), and landed at Miller’s Pub for lunch.

The menu included a Daiquiri with Parce Colombian rum, so I ordered one to numb the pain in my feet. Hoping for a good cocktail.

One thing I like in the Daiquiris I make at home is having little bits of ice in the drink. I know double straining is common, and I understand the reasons why, but I like it with those little chips. That’s the way it was served at Miller’s. It was a very good cocktail.

Friday Daiquiri

I don’t mind the little bits of ice in mine, in fact I prefer it. So I shake with crushed ice and single strain.

This one was pretty damn good and made with Hamilton White Stache, a multi island rum blend the Hamilton Ministry of Rum brand.

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.

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)

Hemingway Daiquiri (Revisited)

Revisitation week continues with a cocktail I pretty much hated the first time I tried it. Knowing that I thought that the Maraschino Liqueur was too heavy and the drink too tart I made some tweaks.

Hemingway Daiquiri
¾ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Grapefruit Juice
“Light” ½ oz Maraschino Liqueur
¼ oz Simple Syrup
2 oz Light Rum (Denizen White)

I really enjoyed this. I’m more used to the taste of the Maraschino these days but I do think it being dialed back is better for me.