When Summer Sizzles, It's Time for Swizzles!

Swizzles are fast becoming a favorite drink of mine. Refreshing, with lots of crushed ice, swizzles are notable for being fairly simple mixtures of rum or other spirits, juices and sweeteners, which are then "swizzled" (stirred) until frost forms on the outside of the glass or pitcher.

Traditionally, swizzles are mixed by using a branch of the Swizzlestick tree, Quararibea turbinata, which is spun between the palms of one's hands (picture to the left). Swizzle sticks like this are generally not found in the US, so unless you or a good friend have a trip to Martinique planned in the near future, you'll have to settle for a bar spoon (which works fine, but is certainly less "authentic" feeling)

A good swizzle has a high-ish proof rum/spirit balanced by a nice citrus tang. The use of lots of cracked ice makes it refreshing and makes the drink last a long time. OK, so "a long time" may be an exaggeration, but it certainly lasts longer and delivers substantially more hydration than your typical "up" cocktail.

Swizzling gave me a good opportunity to sample some interesting rums from around the world. It seems as if each Carribbean destination has their own signature brand of swizzle and at least one excellent rum to go along with it. The Rhum Agricole of Martinique, in particular, have piqued my interest and will no doubt be the subject of further exploration in the future.

For this post I'm using Scarlet Ibis (Trinidad) for the Swedizzle, Mount Gay Sugar Cane Rum (Barbados) for the Barbados Red Rum Swizzle, Gosling's Black Seal (Bermuda) for the Bermuda Rum Swizzle, Lemon Hart (Guyana) for the Queen's Park Swizzle and Clément VSOP (Martinique) for the Martinique Swizzle.



Below are recipes for some favorite swizzled tipples including a rare drink of my own invention, the Swedizzle.

Swedizzle
1.5 oz rum (used Scarlet Ibis, Appleton V/X would be second choice)
3/4 oz Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz lemon juice
Swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass.

Chartreuse Swizzle
1¼ oz green Chartreuse
½ oz falernum (Taylor's Velvet)
1 oz pineapple juice
¾ oz lime juice
Swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass. Garnish with a spring of mint. As an option, add 1/2 oz. Bacardi or J Wray Overproof white rum to kick things up a notch (or two with the J Wray)

Barbados Red Rum Swizzle
2 ounces Barbados rum
1/2 lime
1 dash Angostura bitters
1/4 ounce simple syrup
Swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass. Recipe from Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide.

Bermuda Rum Swizzle
2 ounce dark rum (Gosling's Black Seal)
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce orange juice
1/4 ounce falernum
Swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass. Recipe from Robert Hess.

Queen's Park Swizzle
3 oz Demerara rum (Lemon Hart)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 oz rich sugar syrup (demerara or turbinado sugar)
juice of 1/2 lime
8-10 mint leaves
Muddle mint leaves in the bottom of the glass. Add remaining ingredients and swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass. Recipe from Imbibe Magazine.

Apple Swizzle
1.5 oz. Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
0.75 oz. white rum
1 oz. lime juice
1 tsp sugar
5 dashes Angostura bitters
Swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass. Recipe from CocktailDB.

Martinique Swizzle
2 oz. Martinique rum
1/2 lime
1 dash Angostura bitters
1/2 oz. simple syrup
scant tsp pastis or Herbsaint
Swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass. Recipe adapted from Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide.

Notes: My favorite of the Carribbean swizzles has to be the Queen's Park Swizzle. While it originated in Trinidad, Demerara rum is traditional as Trinidad did not really ramp up rum production until after WWII (according to cocktail guru Dale Wondrich).

All of these swizzles make a damn fine drink. I had to tweak the Martinique swizzle a bit to downplay the pastis, balance the sweetness and allow the rum flavor to be noticed. The Bermuda rum swizzle is the fruitiest of the bunch, but definitely a worthwile pursuit. The Swedizzle, Chartreuse Swizzle and Apple Swizzle are all variations on the Carribbean theme, using interesting, if non-standard ingredients, that come together well.

But don't just take my word for it, get to swizzling!

Green Chartreuse

I finally hit a critical mass of interesting looking mixed drink recipes using green Chartreuse and had to get myself a bottle. My first experience with green Chartreuse was many years back; after reading a rave review of the spirit in Wine Enthusiast by the spirits editor F. Paul Pacult, I bought a bottle for my brother as a Christmas gift. I tried it at least a couple of times and was fascinated by its complex herbal flavors.

Chartreuse is made by Carthusian monks, who apparently got the recipe for the stuff back in 1605 at the Chartreuse Monastery located in the Chartreuse Mountains. Chartreuse comes in many forms. Yellow, which is lower in alcohol and sweeter, the aforementioned green, which clocks in at 110 proof, VEP (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé) versions of both yellow and green which are aged extensively in oak casks and are very expensive, and finally the Elixir Végétal, supposedly the original form of the spirit which comes in a handsome lathe turned wooden case, is 142 proof, and is not available in the U.S. (and is thus very interesting to me).

Green Chartreuse is excellent on its own, ice cold. It is high in alcohol, but has a light sweetness and an overwhelmingly complex herbal flavor. It is made with 130 herbal extracts. Think of an herb and you'll probably find it evoked in this liqueur.

A number of cocktail recipes can be found which make use of green Chartreuse. Just search CocktailDB and you'll find over 50 recipes. I picked a few from CocktailDB and other sites which seemed especially interesting.

Of note is the Chartreuse Swizzle which is excellent and makes use of Falernum and swizzling - some recent favorites of mine. This recipe came from Marco Dionysos (of Harry Denton's Starlite Room in San Francisco) and won a Bay Area Chartreuse drink recipe contest in 2003. A recipe I found on the internet calls for a garnish of mint and nutmeg. The mint is key, but I am eschewing the nutmeg as I have a strong association with it in rich creamy winter concoctions such as the egg nog and brandy Alexander - which makes it out of place in this drink for me. As for the Falernum, I used Taylor's Velvet as the Fee's would be too sweet in this with the pineapple juice. Also this drink is great with 1/2 to 1 oz. of white rum added if you find it too sweet.

The Swamp Water is also delicious and can be found on the menu at Los Angeles's preeminent Tropical Bar, the Tiki Ti.

The Last Word cocktail is an old-timer, dating from at least before the 1930's, but not widely known. The original recipe calls for equal parts of the ingredients, but as usual I find the Maraschino overpowering and reduced it a bit, while upping the gin a hair.

The St. Germain and the Green Ghost looked the most interesting among the CocktaiDB recipes. The St. Germain is a bit odd, but I like that it's not too sweet, nicely tart and has a nice rich egg white foam. It appears I'm becoming a big egg-white-in-cocktails fan. The Green Ghost is likewise very dry with the Chartreuse more in the background of the gin.

The Last Word
1 oz. green Chartreuse
1.25 oz. gin
0.5 oz. Maraschino liqueur
1 oz. lime juice
Shake ingredients with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.

Swamp Water
1.5 oz. green Chartreuse
5 oz. pineapple juice
lime wedge
Combine in a highball glass with cracked ice. Squeeze lime wedge and stir.

Chartreuse Swizzle
1¼ oz green Chartreuse
½ oz falernum (Taylor's Velvet)
1 oz pineapple juice
¾ oz lime juice
Swizzle with crushed ice (stir until frost forms) in a tall glass. Garnish with a spring of mint.

St. Germain
1 oz. lemon juice
0.5 oz. grapefruit juice
1 egg white
1.5 oz. green Chartreuse
Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker and dry shake (i.e. without ice for 10 seconds). Add ice cubes and shake like the dickens for about a minute. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Green Ghost
2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. green Chartreuse
1/2 oz. lime juice
Shake ingredients with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.

Final notes - Green Chartreuse is a complex and tasty herbal liquor. It is excellent on its own - in fact many believe it to be a waste to use it in mixed drinks at all. I do like Chartreuse on its own, well chilled, but also find it can make an excellent cocktail when paired with the right ingredients. Among the cocktails listed above, my faves are the "long drinks", the Chartreuse Swizzle and the Swamp Water, in that order. They're on the sweet side, but the flavors combinations are amazing. All are definitely worth a try.

Pimento Dram

Pimento Dram - a Jamaican allspice-flavored liqueur is getting a lot of attention these days for its delicious spice flavors and versatility in cocktails. Interesting articles can be found in SF Gate's "Hot Dram..." and in Imbibe magazine's "Gone but not Forgotten" article, both by Paul Clarke.

Allspice, a dried unripe berry from the Pimenta dioica plant is very complex in flavor and combines the taste profiles of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.

Previously Wray and Nephew produced a rum-based Pimento Dram in Jamaica - now labeled "Berry Hill" and made with neutral grain spirits instead and sold online through Reggae Treats. Some cool vintage and contemporary images from CocktailDB can be seen here.

Haus Alpenz recently launched an "Allspice Dram" (I think the marketers eschewed the term "Pimento") made from a young pot still Jamaican rum and Jamaican allspice, and produced by an Austrian distiller.

A number of home-made Pimento Dram recipes abound on the web. I have a batch of Chuck Taggert's Pimento Dram #3 (scroll down to Feb 17) aging in the house right now (tasting notes will be provided in the future).

As far as Pimento Dram-related cocktails go, below are a few of what I've found to be some excellent representations of the versatility of this liqueur. The Navy Grog and the Nui Nui are Tiki-style mixed drinks with lots of ingredients and specific rums and are served with lots of cracked ice. The Lion's Tail and Jasper's Jamaican are more traditional style cocktails, served straight-up in a cocktail glass

Navy Grog
1/2 oz. Lime juice
1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
3/4 oz. honey mix (1:1 honey and water - used Trader Joe's Mesquite honey)
1/4 oz. Pimento Dram (used St. Elizabeth)
dash Grand Marnier (1/4 tsp)
1 oz. gold Jamaican rum (Appleton V/X)
1 oz. dark Jamaican rum (Coruba)
1 oz. Demerara rum (Lemon Hart)
Shake well with cracked ice and pour, unstrained, into a double old fashioned glass.

The Navy Grog is akin to a spicy version of the Mai Tai, but with more rum as well as some of the other obvious differences (no Orgeat, etc). The Grand Marnier is totally optional and not really traditional, but I've started making them with it and like the results. Also, I've tried simple syrup and the honey mix provides a better cocktail, with richer flavor and smoother flavor integration. Some reference Navy Grog links here, here, here, and here.

Nui Nui
4oz Cruzan Estate dark rum (used 3.5 oz. Bacardi Gold, 0.5 oz. Coruba)
1/4oz pimento liqueur
1/4oz vanilla syrup
1/2oz cinnamon syrup
1oz lime juice
1oz orange juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake well with crushed ice and pour into a fun cup (used a highball glass)

This recipe was taken from Kaiser Penguin's blog. It's classic Tiki and requires the use of vanilla syrup and cinnamon syrup. I used homemade versions of both. This is a larger drink with a lot of rum. Lots of complex flavors coming together on this to great effect.

Lion's Tail
2 oz. Bourbon (Maker's Mark or Knob Creek)
1/2 oz. pimento liqueur (used St. Elizabeth)
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon 1:1 sugar syrup (turbinado sugar)
1 dash Angostura bitters
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.

Recipe from CocktailDB

Jasper's Jamaican
1.5 oz. gold Jamaican rum (used Appleton V/X)
1/2 oz. pimento liqueur (used St. Elizabeth)
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon 1:1 sugar syrup (turbinado sugar)
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.

Recipe adapted from Dr. Bamboo.

Final Notes - I am really enjoying the flavors of the St. Elizabeth allspice liqueur - the only version that I have tried to-date - and look forward to some further cocktail experimentation. I'm also anxious to try my homemade version after its requisite month or so of aging. Although I don't really drink this liqueur on its own, I do find myself sneaking sniffs of the bottle whenever I pass by the cabinet, taking in the intoxicating aromas of rum, sugar and allspice.

As far as the drink recipes go, both the Navy Grog and Nui Nui Tiki-style drinks above are enjoyable, and definitely offer different experiences worth trying. Of the two straight-up cocktails, I was expecting to like the bourbon-based Lion's Tail more (tried both Makers and Knob Creek), but ultimately felt that the rum in the Jasper's Jamaican, really blended better with the other flavors in the drink and was a slightly more enjoyable beverage.

Demerara Dry Float

A week after stocking up on various rums from Beverage Warehouse in Marina Del Rey (or is it Culver City), I settled on trying a recipe comparison for a Demerara Dry float. Demerara (Guyana) rums are noted for their dark smoky burnt sugar aromas. I have previously had bottles of Lemon Hart 80 proof rum, but this was a first time for buying the 151 proof version (the impetus was to make a Jet Pilot).

In Kaiser Penguin "recipe comparison" fashion, I've selected two famous recipes to make, compare, rank and tweak.

For passion fruit syrup, I'm using the Trader Vic's brand (pre-artificial ingredients version - a collector's item now). For maraschino liqueur, I'm using Luxardo. Juices are fresh squeezed. Demerara rum is Lemon Hart (both proofs). For Trader Vic recipe, 1 dash = 1/4 oz. (which is per Vic Bergeron's "measures") 10 cubes of ice were used and drinks were shaken for 20 seconds before being double strained into a double old fashioned glass.

Recipe#1: Beachbum Berry - Created by Don the Beachcomber
1 ounce Demerara rum
1/4 ounce 151 Demerara rum
2 1/2 ounces Fresh Lime Juice
1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 ounces passion fruit syrup
1/4 ounce sugar syrup
1/4 ounce Maraschino
Shake everything except the 151 rum with ice, strain into double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice, and carefully float the 151. Do not stir.

Recipe #2 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 oz. passion fruit nectar
1 dash sugar syrup
1 dash lemon juice
1 dash maraschino liqueur
1 oz. Demerara rum (86 proof)
1/4 oz. Demerara rum (151 proof)
Shake all ingredients except 151-proof rum well with ice cubes. Strain into a footed iced-tea or 10-ounce glass. Float the 151-proof Demerara.

Tasting notes:

Recipe #1: This is definitely the larger of the two drinks with 5.75+ oz. and wow, is it citrusy! This is a Guyanese margarita. I'm finding that the constituents are really getting lost amongst the heavy use of lime juice here. Very tangy and refreshing, but just a bit too one-dimensional.

Recipe #2: About 3 oz. total in this drink. I like the balance of this one - I feel that the ingredients are playing well together, but I'm getting a little too much of the maraschino (which I'm not a huge fan of on its own - at least yet). Overall, I feel that this is a better drink, but next time I will cut the maraschino to 1/8 oz (less than a teaspoon).

Final Notes: Trader Vic's recipe is definitely closer to what I would want out of this drink, although I think it does warrant some minor tweaking. It should be noted that the alcohol is more conspicuous in the Trader Vic's version as there is far less juice and syrup, but this was not an issue for me. The only issue is that being such a small drink, it goes down quickly. This drink does a nice job of demonstrating the mixability of the Lemon Hart Demerara rums and really showcases the rich, caramelly Demerara character. Subsequent to the tasting above, I've tried upping the passion fruit syrup, lowering the maraschino, and have generally settled (for now, at least) on my final recommendation being Trader Vic's recipe, but modified with half the maraschino and a slightly thicker float.

Demerara Dry Float (Adjusted Recipe)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 oz. passion fruit nectar (Trader Vic's old formula or homemade)
1/4 oz. 1:1 sugar syrup
1/4 oz. lemon juice
(<)1/6 oz. (scant tsp) maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
1 oz. Demerara rum (80 proof)
1/3 oz. Demerara rum (151 proof)
Shake all ingredients except 151-proof rum well with ice cubes. Strain into a double old fashioned glass (double strain for an ice-free surface). Float the 151-proof Demerara.

Falernum etc.

Falernum seems to be today's "it" ingredient among Tikiphiles. A lot of debates are being waged about the quality of commercially available Falernums and how to properly use them. Looking through a number of my favorite cocktail blogs, it would seem that anybody worth their salt as a mixologist is making their own Falernum (and not necessarily just one version, either).

Ok, so what is this stuff?, you ask. Predominantly flavored with lime juice/zest, clove, ginger and almond, Falernum is used in a broad number of Tropical drinks and provides a citrus tang along with sweetness and spices. It is available as both a liqueur as well as a syrup. There is a prevailing wisdom that the liqueur version is better in simpler cocktails in which the Falernum features prominently; and that the syrup, is better for Tiki drinks, where it plays more of a supporting role, accenting the flavor of the rums and other ingredients.

Today, for the first time, I bought a bottle of each of the two most widely available versions: Fee Brother's Falernum syrup (non-alcoholic) as well as the John D. Talyor's Velvet Falernum (11% vol.). I sampled each and made a couple of the more famous of the Falernum-based cocktails.

As for the flavors of the basic products, both have similar impressions upon first nosing - primarily clove with some lime and other spices in the background. On the palate, the Taylor's is smoother and better balanced. The Fee Brothers' is significantly more tangy and citrusy and also very sweet, with a slightly processed character. I like the tanginess of the Fees', but overall there is more going on with the Taylor's.

First up in cocktails is the Corn n' Oil, a simple drink made only from rum, Falernum and a dash or two of Angostura bitters. Some will add a lime squeeze. Forget the recipe on the back of the Taylor's bottle - that is way too self-serving an amount of Falernum. Better is one of the links on the Wikipedia site (the drinkdogma site - and don't fail to follow all the embedded links). Cruzan Black Strap rum with its strong molasses flavors is getting rave reviews by many and is where I have decided to start this journey.

Corn n' Oil
2 oz. Cruzan Black Strap or Lemon Hart 80 proof Demerara rum
1/2-1 oz. Taylor's Velvet Falernum
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Pour into a cocktail shaker half filled with cracked ice. Shake and pour, unstrained, into a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Ok, I have absolutely no idea why this is called corn n' oil. Clearly there is no corn in it, nor oil and I don't really think that it tastes of either. But what I will tell you is this. Corn n' Oil = pretty damn good. With the Cruzan Black Strap rum, there is a STRONG molasses flavor to this. The falernum is in the background, even with 1 oz., but definitely provides some sweetness and an extra flavor dimension to the drink. A very interesting tipple - one worth exploring in the future, maybe with a lighter rum.

- So just after typing this, I've decided to move on to another one made with Lemon Hart Demerara 80 proof, a great mixing rum. It's definitely showing more falernum character (again using 1 oz. of Taylor's) along with the classic Lemon Hart burnt demerara sugar flavors, and now even the Angostura bitters are showing through. Clearly different beasts, both versions are eminently enjoyable, but I'd say the Lemon Hart version creates the better overall drink with each of the ingredients playing a noticable supporting role, resulting in a better overall balance. The back of the bottle recommends Doorly's rum - a Barbados brand possibly worth trying in the future.

Next up is the Jet Pilot. The inspiration for making this cocktail came from the Kaiser Penguin blog, where he lists this as one of his favorite Tiki drinks (How could he neglect the Mai Tai? - well, I left my comment...). Yes, it involves a dizzying array of ingredients, including a few which he painfully makes himself, including the Falernum (KP loves Thomas Kelleresque recipes - see his pearl diver's punch cocktail - yikes). I forewent the home-made Falernum, but I did make the cinnamon syrup per his recipe using cinnamon from Penzey's and plain white cane sugar. The Jet Pilot recipe on KP is the same as on Wikipedia and originally comes from Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's Sippin' Safari Tiki tome.

Jet Pilot
1/2 oz lime juice (used fresh squeezed)
1/2 oz grapefruit juice (used fresh squeezed)
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup (I made KP recipe, link above)
1/2 oz falernum (Taylor's Velvet or Fee Brothers)
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 oz dark Jamaican rum (I used Coruba)
3/4 oz gold Puerto Rican rum (I used Bacardi)
3/4 oz 151-Proof Lemon Hart Demerara Rum (I used LH 151)
6 drops Pernod (I used Herbsaint)
4 oz crushed ice
Put everything into a blender, adding crushed ice last, and blend at high speed for five seconds. Pour into an old-fashioned glass and add cracked ice to your preference.

Wow - now this is a tropical drink that I can't believe I've been missing all these years. A bevy of flavors going on in this - quite a different brew than my typical tropical drink with the cinnamon syrup and falernum, but awesome balance of sweet and tart with some nice spices going on. I love grapefruit, and it fits in to this drink nicely.

I made two versions, one with the Taylor's falernum and one with the Fee Brothers' falernum. My first impression was that both of these made a fine drink. The drink with Fees' was slightly brighter with more tangy citrus notes (like the individual product) . Julie preferred the Fees' favoring its citrusy, fruity profile over the slightly more bitter Taylor's. I felt that the drink with Taylor's Velvet Falernum was more even-keel with better overall balance and complexity. Edge to Taylor's Velvet Falernum for me.

Final Notes - Falernum is an interesting and different mixer. Anyone with an interest in tiki cocktailology(?) owes it to themselves to try this and make a few cocktails with it. This was my first time having both the Corn n' Oil and the Jet Pilot. The Jet Pilot epitomizes all that is great about tropical drinks - depth of flavors and complexity, along with refreshing and fruity qualities. It deserves its place among the top tier of tropical drinks. The Corn n' Oil is really a showcase of rum and falernum. While I don't necessarily think that this will become my favorite drink, it is an interesting beverage which certainly merits an occasional visit.

Passion Fruit Nectar

Passion fruit nectar figures prominently in many tropical drinks created by the inimitable Trader Vic. In his Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide, Revised, he states:

If you have occasion to buy some passion fruit nectar (we distribute it), you can pretty well be assured that any drink made with it will be good...

Trader Vic does indeed sell a product called Passion Fruit Syrup, which up until about a year ago was a reasonably quality product made with real fruit juice. Ingredients are HFCS, water, passion fruit concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors, xanthan gum, red #40 (11% fruit juice).

Unfortunately, the Trader Vic brand has decided to replace this product with a new recipe made from artificial ingredients. I have not tried this newer version based on some of the comments here in the Tiki Central forums. I tried a bottle of Finest Call passion fruit syrup, but this turned out to be a sub-par, if not, just-plain-bad call.

Instead, as with grenadine, I was left to devise my own recipe for passion fruit nectar.

The starting point for this effort is a bottle of Looza brand passion fruit Nectar. It is readily available at many specialty stores such as Whole Foods. It is a Belgian brand and contains only water, concentrated passion fruit juice and sugar (25% juice). Many of the recipes for passion fruit syrup that I ran across on the forum required some amount of cooking. As with the grenadine, I tried to avoid any heating, lest it strip the acidity and give the resulting syrup a more "cooked" flabby flavor. Using the "cold process" involves simply shaking the mixture until the sugar is dissolved.

Comparing sugar levels, the Trader Vic's contains 21g/oz. Looza contains 4g/oz. Cutting the Looza with 50% water (12.5% juice) results in 2g/oz. Therefore each oz. of Looza syrup requires an extra 18g or so of sugar or 1.5 tablespoons of cane sugar.

The resulting product is clean and fruity with a definite passion fruit flavor that is more focused than the Trader Vic's version, but not overpowering. It is notably less viscous, owing to the lack of xanthan gum, but I have not found this to have a negative impact on any tropical drinks made with it.

Passion Fruit Nectar
2c Looza Passion Fruit Nectar (approx. 1/2 bottle)
2c Bottled or otherwise neutral pure Water
3c White granulated sugar
2 drops red dye (totally optional, only if you're going for the original look)

Combine ingredients in a glass bottle or pour-top plastic juice bottle (closable top recommended) and shake vigorously until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate. Substitute 1:1 per Trader Vic recipes.

Trader Vic's Best Tropical Cocktails

During the summer there are few drinks that hit the spot like a nice tropical beverage. Although commonly high in alcohol, the tropical drinks that follow in this post also contain a fair bit of juice and water, in the form of ice, which helps with maintaining hydration.

Trader Vic, the self-proclaimed creator of the Mai Tai, has a number of famous tropical drinks which were served in his restaurants and came with specifically designed glassware for the purpose. The Trader Vic's Bartender Guide, revised is a great repository for vintage tropical drink recipes. I have tried many of these recipes and what follows is a personal "top ten" of the drinks in the book. For this post, I am specifically focusing on tropical drinks. The book contains many cocktails including such non-tropical classics as the Manhattan and the Martini, but the Trader Vic signature cocktails are what really set it apart.

The following are my favorite ten recipes for tropical drinks from the book. Regarding mixers, see posts for passion fruit nectar and grenadine separately. Specific brand recommendations can be found in the recipes and are not necessarily repeated if mentioned once.

#1 Babalu (p. 144)
3/4 oz. frozen concentrated pineapple/ grapefruit juice (I use separate cans of concentrate)

1/2 oz. lemon juice

2 oz. golden Puerto Rican rum (e.g. Bacardi)

1/4 oz. rock candy syrup (Trader Vic lingo for saturated simple syrup. 1:1 simple syrup is fine)

1 c shaved ice or crushed ice

Blend in a mixer and serve in a highball glass (or vintage Trader Vic Voodoo glass) with cracked ice. Garnish with mint and fruit stick.

#2 Fog Cutter (p 153)

2 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1 oz. brandy

1/2 oz. gin
2 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. orange juice

1/2 oz. orgeat syrup (Torani is good, with no HFCS)

sweet sherry (such as Harvey's Bristol Cream)

Shake everything but the sherry in a shaker with ice cubes. Pour into a highball glass (or vintage Trader Vic Fog Cutter mug) Float the sherry. Serve with straws.

#3 Mai Tai (p 164)

1 lime

1/2 oz. orange Curacao (not triple sec, I use Bols)

1/4 oz. rock candy syrup

1/2 oz. orgeat syrup

2 oz. rum* (1 oz. dark Jamaican such as Meyers or Coruba, 1 oz. Appleton Estate V/X)

Cut the lime in half and squeeze, reserving one shell. Combine ingredients in a shaker half filled with cracked ice. Shake and pour into a double old fashioned glass (or vintage Trader Vic Mai Tai glass) Serve with mint and a fruit stick.

*Note on the rums: According to Trader Vic, the original Mai Tai was made with J. Wray 17y old Jamaican Rum (no longer available). While I believe that using a 17y old rum is unnecessary for this drink, I do think that using Jamaican rums helps with the authenticity. In his book, he recommends 1 oz. Dark Jamaican rum and 1 oz. Martinique rum. I've heard that if you order a Mai Tai "made the old way" in a Trader Vic's today, it is made with Coruba and Lemon Hart Demerara (Guyana) rum.

#4 Rum Keg (p. 176)

1 oz. rock candy syrup

1 oz. passion fruit nectar

2 oz. pineapple juice (Dole)

4 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. apricot liqueur (Bols apricot brandy)

5 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1 oz. dark Jamaican rum (Meyers or Coruba)

Blend in electric drink mixer with 2 cups shaved ice. Pour into 2 highball glasses over ice cubes (or vintage Trader Vic rum keg)

#5 Rum Pot (p. 176)

3 oz. lemon juice

3 oz. orange juice

3 dashes vanilla extract (1 dash = 1/4 oz)

3/4 oz. passion fruit nectar

1 oz. rock candy syrup

3 oz. golden rum or 1.5 oz. white Puerto Rican rum and 1.5 oz. dark Jamaican rum.
Blend in electric drink mixer with 2 cups shaved ice. Pour into 2 highball glasses over cracked ice (or vintage Trader Vic sugar pots)

#6 Scorpion (p. 179)

1.5 oz. lemon juice

2 oz. orange juice

1/2 oz. orgeat syrup

1 oz. brandy

2 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

Blend in electric drink mixer with 1 scoop shaved ice. Pour into highball glass with ice cubes. (or triple recipe and pour into vintage Trader Vic scorpion bowl)

#7 Bamboo Punch (p. 337)

juice of 1 lime

2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1/2 oz. passion fruit nectar

1 dash rock candy syrup

1 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1.25 oz. dark Jamaican rum

1/2 c shaved ice

Blend in electric mixer. Serve in highball glass with ice cubes (or vintage Trader Vic bamboo cup). Decorate with fresh mint and fruit stick.

#8 Kava Bowl (p. 360)
2 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice (Dole)

4 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. grenadine

1 oz. orgeat syrup

1 oz. Siegert's Bouquet rum*

6 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

3 c shaved ice

Blend all ingredients in an electric mixer . Pour into 2 highball glasses (or vintage Trader Vic scorpion bowl). Decorate with gardenia. Serve with long straws.

*See here for Siegert's Bouquet rum info. Siegert's Bouquet rum was available on the export market in the sixties, and seventies and was very similar to the OLD OAK GOLD Blend but a slightly darker color and mellower. A similar rum today will be ROYAL OAK, according to Angostora. . Substitute a gold rum in lieu of any of the Angostura rums mentioned above.

#9 Trader Vic's Grog (p. 381)

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. passion fruit nectar

1 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice

2 oz. dark Jamaican rum

Pour into mixing glass half filled with shaved ice. Shake an pour into a double old fashioned glass (or vintage Trader Vic ten-pin pilsener glass). Decorate with fresh mint, cherry and a stirrer.

#10 Zamboanga Punch (p. 384)

juice of 1 lime

3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 dash grenadine

1/2 oz. passion fruit nectar

1/2 oz. light Puerto Rican rum

1.5 oz. dark Jamaican rum

Blend in electric mixer with 1/2 c shaved ice. Pour into a highball glass (or vintage Trader Vic bamboo cup). Add ice cubes. Decorate with fresh mint and a fruit stick.

Final Notes and acknowledgements:

These are very enjoyable beverages, great for getting together with friends and relaxing. They take a bit of work and a lot of counter space to prepare as well as some shopping to obtain the wide list of ingredients, but all are well worth the effort.

There are a number of recipes in the book which call out Trader Vic's Navy Grog mix. There is a general concensus among Tikiphiles that the navy grog mix used in the restaurants is quite different (and superior) than that currently marketed by the company. I have not been able to secure an authentic sample, nor have I settled on an authentic recipe, so there are no drinks on this list which use this ingredient.

The color pictures of vintage Trader Vic's barware are from Ooga Mooga. The b&w photos are from the Bartender's Guide pictured above. The Menehune swizzle stick is mine (vintage unknown).