Rodeo Drive Rammer

 

This is a fun, and a little silly, drink to salute the crazy that is part of driving in Los Angles. Really, this is a cocktail that is part deluxe, part gaudy, and all American--just like Beverly Hills itself.

Here is a  punch drink with the usual rum. falernum and orange juice: but it's not stereotypically American enough until you add peach liqueur and bourbon. In fact this drink flips the tables with bourbon being the base spirit in a punch, which I like. I happened to have a dash left of Evan Williams peach bourbon, which worked for the peach brandy that was specified in the recipe. 

Go ahead and make this one if you are in the mood for day drinking, just don't get behind the wheel.

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon (Ancient Age used)
• 1/2 oz. Jamaican rum (George Bowman used)
• 1/2 oz. curacao (triple sec used)
• 1/2 oz. peach brandy (Evan Williams peach used)
• 3 oz. orange juice
• 1 tsp. falernum or orgeat (homemade falernum used)
• pineapple slice and cherry garnishes
• club soda

 Combine all liquid ingredients except for soda in a shaker or blender. Shake or blend and pour into a Hurricane glass. Top with soda and garnish with fruit.

 

Magens Bay

 

This is a pretty cocktail named after a beautiful place. Magens Bay is a white sand beach on St. Thomas Island in the Caribbean. Besides being a fittingly rummy cocktail, it is pretty much a classic recipe with orange juice and apricot brandy. You could just about do this cocktail with any spirit and it would taste the same--which isn't a bad idea. 

The thing is that apricot brandy tends to direct the flavor in a sweet and fruity way. Fresh ingredients help make sure that the drink is balanced and interesting. A pure liqueur cocktail with apricot brandy tends to be overly sweet, and that's not the kind of thing you want to drink when you are relaxing in a beach cabana. 

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. apricot brandy
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. lime juice
• sugar syrup to taste (1/2 oz. is appropriately sweet)
• orange slice
• maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with fruit.

Rumbo

With rum, I sometimes find it hard to decide between a tropical cocktail or something stiff in a rocks glass. Happily, this cocktail falls somewhere between the two. Rich rum and tropical fruit juices split the difference. You get a strong, flavorful cocktail with the Rumbo, but you don't miss out on exotic flavor of guava juice. You also have the option to do it on the rocks or blended, so it really is a rum drink to suit any mood.

• 3 oz. Hatian or Barbados rum (Plantation 3 Stars used)
• 1 oz. Jamaican dark rum (Pusser's British Navy used)
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 2 oz. guava juice
• several dashes lime juice
• Fruit pieces as garnish (optional)

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker or blender with ice. Shake or blend and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. 

Rangoon Swoon

What a funny combination of spirits and juices that make up this cocktail tribute to Myanmar's Rangoon River. If anything makes sense, and they usually don't when it comes to cocktail names, bananas seem to go with the idea of an Asian river region. That and oranges in the triple sec: not the pineapple, not the bourbon.

I use MurLarkey banana whiskey for creme de banane. It allows you to control for sweetness and you avoid cheapening a drink with fake banana flavor. MurLarkey distills whiskey, and that pairs well with bourbon and tropical fruit juice. There's character there, not to mention real banana flavor from dried bananas soaked in the whiskey. 

The overall reception of this cocktail is very positive. The glass is large, the alcohol is potent, and the crushed ice feels like a luxury when drinking with a straw. The recipe isn't specific on garnishes, but just about any flower or fruit slice will do. 

• 1 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. creme de banane (MurLarkey banana whiskey used)
• 1 oz. triple sec
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. sugar syrup (if not using creme de banane)

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Flash blend and pour into a large wine glass using a gated strainer to catch large ice chunks.

Hanley Special

You don't find tangerine juice cocktails on every menu, and there's a reason for that. You pretty much have to juice tangerines: there's not canned substitute, and if you find it, it is probably sweetened nectar, not the natural fruit juice itself.

Tangarine tastes noticeably different from orange juice. It is tropical tasting, and in a drink like this with Falernum and so much tangarine, it can totally disguise itself as tropical ambrosia. 

With falernum being a spice driver here, the gin option is flexible. The vodka is doing the work in terms of alcohol, but you can choose the gin botanicals that suit your tastes. Here a dry gin is appropriate, but might come through as too much juniper for a tropical cocktail.  Vitae's Old Tom gin is probably as good a choice as any, with a touch of sweetness and a sugar (i.e. rum) base to give the drink a Caribbean feel.

• 2 oz. vodka (Smirnoff 57 used)
• 1 oz. gin (Vitae old Tom used)
• 2/3 cup tangerine juice
• falernum to taste 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. 

Mother's Whistler

Who's whistling at Mom? I can't make sense of this drink, other than someone thought it was the expected outcome when their mother started drinking. This is an all-out pineapple and vodka drink with the help of the dry fruitiness of kirsch. 

I don't have any pineapple sticks, as is recommended in the recipe, because I only have canned pineapple juice. But a little garnish goes a long way in signaling tropical flavor in this vacation-in-a-glass.

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka (Smirnoff 57 used)
  
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat syrup
• dash kirsch
• pineapple stick

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake briefly and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with pineapple stick or whatever tropical flair you have around. 

Vina Del Mar Cooler

I love a summer cooler. You need to hydrate while drinking your booze when the temperatures go up. What better way to relax on the porch than to enjoy a fruity and strong cocktail that cools you off.

This particular cooler feels very Caribbean with ginger beer from Jamaica, orange juice and lime zest and a piratical rum like Blackbeard's Point. I followed the recipe exactly in my use of kirsch, but I feel that the cherry brandy is lost with all of the other bright flavors. One might experiment with Cherry Heering or cherry flavored brandy, or even maraschino liqueur and see if you get better results. My feeling is that if the proportion of kirschwasser in a recipe is below a half ounce, you are probably not going to notice it and a spirit with stronger cherry flavor is going to be better.

Also a note on the ginger beer. Some ginger beers like Fever Tree are really spicy. I'm looking for a sweeter ginger beer because this recipe contains no added sugar and kirsch is actually very dry. Fever Tree ginger ale is exactly what I'm looking for. A homemade ginger beer that is lower carbonation and spice will also work.

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Blackbeard's Point used)
• 1/4 oz. kirsch (Kammer kirsch used)
• 4 oz. orange juice
• ginger beer (a sweet one like Jamaica's finest or a spicier ginger ale recommended)
• lime twist

Combine juice and spirits in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a double Old Fashioned glass. Top with ginger beer, stir and twist lime zest over the glass and drop it in.

Windward Passage

On first look, this cocktail seems a little like a variation on the Tradewinds that includes Slivovitz. It really is its own thing, however; especially when you consider it being served up with pineapple juice, kirsch, and creme de cassis.  The Windward Passage, nevertheless, is a well balanced tropical drink that deserves more attention.

First, it's balance: there's not a lot of sugar here, and grapefruit juice takes it in a tart direction. Yet you can count on the small proportion of creme de cassis and the outsized gob of pineapple juice to soften the acidity and alcohol presence. That again is helped by the kirsch, which really makes it easier to taste the alcohol through the large juice components.

Then, there's the look--foamy pink without using an egg white or grenadine. You can get away with using that pale canned grapefruit juice here if you like and it will still look nice. (I almost always use fresh squeezed so I can garnish with a slice of grapefruit.)

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Vitae platinum used)
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 tsp. kirsch (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1 tsp. creme de cassis (G.E, Massenez used)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Tortola Gold

What a discovery! I really enjoyed the interplay of tropical flavors, enhanced by rum and spread out and fortified by vodka. This long frozen drink really fits into the category of boat drinks, blended tropical drinks that get you smashed in the sun. The funny thing is that La Grande Passion used to be considered the easy solution to getting passion fruit flavor into your boat drink, something so commonplace at one time that it was served up to tourists. Now you can hardly find it and I have to make it myself to be able to pull off this one time mass marketed cocktail!

• 1 oz. vodka (Smirnoff #57 used)
• 1 oz. gold rum (Vitae barrel aged rum used)
• 1/2 oz. la Grande Passion (homemade used)
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. oz. lemon juice
• mint sprigs

Combine liquid ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Garnish with mint sprigs. 

Mandingo Gringo

This drink is bananas! It is also a nod to Jamaica distilling and, in my rendition, a recipe very local to Virginia. Here the aged Vite rum and MurLarkey banana whiskey make for a tropical escape. And why not? Virginia is an old colony state that engaged in the rum trade and whiskey rebellion. You can find palm trees here and hot, tropical weather. We even put pineapples ornaments on gates and door frames as a sign of welcome.

• 1 1/2 oz. Jamaica dark rum (Appleton would be perfect, but having none, I used Vitae barrel aged rum)
• 1/2 oz. creme de banane (MurLarkey banana whiskey used)
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice

 Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Collins glass. 

Kilauea Kup

It felt good to break out the tiki mugs again last weekend. I especially enjoy trying new rums like Vitae Barrel-Aged. This rum is really flavorful and oaky, owing to its aging in cabernet franc and ex-bourbon barrels.

The cocktail itself is simpler than many tikis, taking several shortcuts like Rose's lime cordial and coconut rum where those are no longer necessary. It also calls for creme de banane where I get away with the drier and more real-tasting MurLarkey banana whiskey. I can't imagine how sweet this drink would be with all of that pineapple juice if I didn't substitute out the sugary syrups and cordials. Still, there's something fun about having a sweet tiki cocktail once in a while. It really shows that you have very few cares, not the least being what's in your drink.

I've updated the recipe with my changes (improvements?) in parentheses.

• 1 1/2 oz. gold rum (Vitae barrel-aged used)
• 1/2 oz. creme de banane (3/4 oz. MurLarkey banana whiskey used)
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 tsp. coconut rum (1 tsp. cream of coconut used)
• orange slice and cherry for garnishes

Combine all ingredients except garnishes in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake and pour into an chilled Collins glass (or a fun tiki mug as shown). Garnish away with fruit on hand.

Pino Frio

This long frozen drink really screams Caribbean vacation. It is easy to make with a blender and only a little more of a hassle if you are just using crushed ice and crushed pineapple.

I'm using Vitae's Platinum rum again because it is so flavorful, you can drink it by itself. This cocktail really depends on an interesting rum because it doesn't have much else except pineapple going on. And that is to its credit. It is easy to overdo a tropical drink to the point that it ceases to be refreshing in hot weather--which is kinda the point of tropical drinks. Here falernum serves as the sweetener, so you don't get a sugar rush in the summer sun.

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Vitae Platinum used)
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 2 pineapple slices cubed
• dash falernum (homemade falernum used) 
• mint sprig garnish

Combine pineapple and liquid ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Garnish with the mint sprig. 

Norwegian Paralysis (Smuggler's Cove)

This is such a fun use of aquavit, the savory herb-infused spirit of the Scandinavian countries. The bottle pictured is Swedish Osterlenkryddors akvavit herb kit, but I refilled it with my own aquavit recipe. The rest is remarkably simple--you make a fruit punch. Aquavit is savory, with coriander, caraway seeds, fennel seeds and other herbs. (I added birch and angelica seeds in mine.) It goes great with citrus and pineapple.

• 1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 12 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/4 demerara syrup
• 1/2 oz. orgeat
• 1 1/2 oz. aquavit (D.I.Y. used)
• lemon wedge and umbrella garnish

Combine all ingredients except garnishes in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass full of fresh ice. Garnish with a tiny umbrella stuck into lemon wedge.

Limbo Cocktail

Calypso music, dancers trying to bend beneath the limbo stick and tropical drinks on the beach all scream Caribbean vacation. This light rum cocktail has banana flavors to make it tropical. It has banana rum from Cruzan instead of banana liqueur, which can sometimes taste like banana candy. I like that this is an all rum cocktail, with Vitae platinum rum to give the drink a heady scent of rum with real flavor.

• 2 oz. light rum (Vitae platinum used)
• 1/2 oz. banana liqueur (Cruzan banana used)
• 1 oz. orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Strawberry Colada

This cocktail is a fruity improvement on the Pina Colada. And it really is an improvement except that it adds a good amount of fruit. The recipe calls for gold rum and I used Cruzan 151 proof, which is dangerous but also great to keep the alcohol presence high. However I did not use a full three ounces since I don't have a death wish. Instead I did split the serving by doing it half 151 and half white rum.

• 3 oz. gold rum (Cruzan 151-proof rum used)
• 1 oz. coconut cream
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 6 strawberries
• pineapple spear

Core the strawberries and set one aside for a garnish. Combine all ingredients except pineapple spear in a blender with cracked ice. Blend until slushy and pour into a chilled hurricane glass. Garnish with the strawberry and pineapple spear.

Chamborlada

The idea behind this drink is a Pina Colada with Chambord raspberry liqueur added for color and flavor. I don't have Chambord because I make my own with fresh raspberries, rum and sugar. But this drink is indicative of a time when tropical-themed hotels and bars were trying to differentiate the most popular cocktail in the American South--The Pina Colada!

Another note: I'm not sure what actual Chambord does, but my natural raspberry liqueur just sinks to the bottom of the glass. Look at the photo. I didn't start by putting the liqueur on the bottom as the instructions said. I put it in half way and again on top. What I got was a raspberry bomb at the bottom, which was really tasty.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1 oz. dark rum
• 2 oz. cream of coconut 
• 3 oz pineapple juice
• 2 oz. Chambord (homemade raspberry liqueur used)

Combine all ingredients except Chambord in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth on low speed. Add a little of the Chambord to the bottom of a cocktail glass or balloon wine glass. Pour the blended cocktail on top. Top with the remaining Chambord.

Jungle James

This is a simple cocktail that was designed for vodka drinkers who are leery at using fresh ingredients--dive bar drinkers, I think. That is because dive bars don't usually have fresh ingredients. They have vodka and a bunch of cremes like creme de bananes.

I've classed this drink up a bit with quality vodka and banana whiskey from MurLarkey distillery. This is made with an infusion of real dried bananas and it tastes like a rich aged rum. So kinda nice, really.

I also dig the name. It's like: "The name's James. Jungle James."

• 2 oz. vodka 
• 2 oz. banana liqueur (MurLarkey banana whiskey and 1/2 tsp. sugar used)
• 2 oz. milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. 

Banana Daiquiri

If by Banana Daiquiri, you mean a banana smoothie with a bit of lime and rum, than this is the drink you asked for. First, I don't hold that all Daiquiris must be frozen. Second, If it is a Daiquiri it should be tart. What the hell is this creamy banana thing?

Laying all that aside, this is a pretty good drink. It is truly 90s vintage or related to resort beach drinks of the 80s where the word Daiquiri meant frozen tropical drink, not a tart juicy rum sipper. You can make this cocktail in a balloon wine glass if you like. I wanted it in a Hurricane glass because it belongs on a cruise ship.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. half-and-half
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 sliced banana
• lime slice

Combine all ingredients except lime slice in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a balloon wine glass. Garnish with lime slice. 

Kingston Cocktail

Most Jamaican-themed cocktails make use of the richly flavored local rum as well as Jamaica's cash crop, coffee. There's plenty of instances where no rum is used at all, and just coffee liqueur or coffee are used. This happens in hot and cold drinks alike.

I wish I had Appleton Estate rum for this cocktail, but Pusser's Rum is probably the closest match for Jamaica's funky and flavorful well aged rums. Wooden stills and long again make Pusser's Guyana rum very similar to the older Jamaican rums. The amount of coffee liqueur, and I used my homemade coffee liqueur with cold brew coffee, rum and vanilla and coco flavors, is pretty minimal, so this turns out to be a cocktail that really features and plays well with a tasty rum.

• 2 oz. dark rum (Jamaican rum recommended, Pusser's Rum used)
• 3/4 oz. coffee liqueur (homemade coffee liqueur used)
• 2 tsp. lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Cantaloupe Cup

This is the only alcoholic cantaloupe cocktail in the 90s vintage NY Bartender's guide. It's a solid drink. In a pinch, blending is just about the only way to get cantaloupe into a cocktail in a meaningful way, not just as a garnish. There's lots of water in it, and the flavor is light. I felt that an interesting rum like Buzzard Point would be helpful to accentuate the melon flavor.

Buzzard Point is a colonial style rum. It has a fresh sugar cane flavor similar to cachaca, but its yeast creates a toasted marshmallow flavor that comes through in this cocktail, which is just what you want with a cantaloupe boat drink.

I like the look of melon slices standing on end. The directions are vague, and this is probably the most practical and attractive use of "melon slice" garnish.

• 2 oz. white rum (District Distilling Co. Buzzard Point used)
• 1/3 cup ripe cantaloupe
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• cantaloupe slice(s)

Combine 1/3 cup of cantaloupe and liquid ingredients with ice in a blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the cantaloupe slices.