A Tiki Drink for the Ages

As those that have read this rag for any period of time already know, The Ace is a lover of the Tiki cocktail.  And as a resident of Oakland, that means that The Ace loves to hang out at Forbidden Island in Alameda.  Oh sure, The Ace will occasionally darken Trader Vic's door in Emeryville (just for nostalgia's sake) or that of Kona Club on Piedmont Ave. (in theory at least I could crawl home from the joint).  But there's no beating Forbidden Island for legit Tiki drinks made the way they were intended to be - served in an awesome retro oasis complete with wall-to-wall Tiki kitsch.  

Years ago The Ace was perched at the bar on the Island when I found myself face to face with a drink that had been a winner in a customer recipe contest.  Rich with the warm spice of grapefruit and cinnamon, this cocktail still retained a strong, reassuring kick in the butt from its rhum spirit. This was one amazing drink.  

As luck would have it, the creator of this fine drink was a fellow cocktail blogger, so I was able to add this fine cocktail to The Ace Saloon's stable of Tiki drinks.  A special thanks to Craig Hermann of coloneltiki.com for creating his Gantt's Caipirissima cocktail and for graciously sharing the recipe on his fine site.  You can click here to see Craig's original post about this cocktail.  

It is really fascinating how well cinnamon and grapefruit work together in this and in many other cocktails. This combination is a remnant of one of the true legends of the Tiki genre - Donn Beach.  Donn (born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt) is most famous for his showmanship and his chain of Don the Beachcomber bars/restaurants - but he was a genuine cocktail innovator as well.  He created countless code-named mixes which were used in many of his bar's cocktail recipes.  These pre-made mixes doubled as mixology time-savers and also as a way of masking the cocktail ingredients from patrons as well as bartenders (which were prone to be hired away by competitors) in the cutthroat world of Tiki in the 1950s.   

One of the most famous of these mixes was simply named "Don's Mix."  It was comprised of 2 parts grapefruit juice to 1 part cinnamon-infused sugar syrup.  This simple, unlikely combination of flavors make give this drink its outstanding qualities and make it a true crowd-pleaser for any setting.   

Gantt's Caipirissima
www.coloneltiki.com

2 oz. Rhum Agricole* 
1 oz. cinnamon simple syrup (see below)
1/4 white grapefruit** - cut into 3 to 4 pieces

Muddle the grapefruit and the cinnamon simple syrup in the bottom of a double old-fashioned glass.  Add crushed ice up to 3/4 of the height of the glass, then pour the rhum over the ice.  Stir to mix the drink and serve with a cinnamon stick garnish.  

* Clement VSOP is optimal, but I have used La Favorite Rhum Vieux with success.  In a pinch (and when hosting larger parties) I have even substituted Rhum Barbancourt 8 in the place of the Agricole Rhum.  This is clearly more than a little sacreligious, but this makes for a great "well" version of this cocktail when you are serving 50-75 of these drinks per night, and it is still a huge crowd pleaser even in its well variety.

** White grapefruit is clearly preferred over the ruby red variety in this drink.  Here in California that limits this drink to a wintertime cocktail - when the famed Oro Blanco becomes seasonally available.  Trust me - it's worth the wait... 

Cinnamon Simple Syrup

2 parts granulated cane juice (sugar)
1 part water
3 cinnamon sticks, crushed

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add the sugar and stir to combine.  Add the crushed cinnamon sticks to the syrup and lower heat, allowing the syrup to simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for around 2 hours.  Once cool, strain to remove the cinnamon and pour into a squeeze bottle for storage.  Syrup will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Barrel-Aged Cocktails

Some months back I had read this great post from Jeffrey Morgenthaler's great blog about aged cocktails.  The notion of taking an already delicious cocktail and stuffing it into a used whiskey or wine cask to age for about 6 weeks - making the cocktail even better - really had me hooked from the start.  And of course watching this video didn't help matters in the least.  I was hooked.  I HAD to figure this cocktail aging thing out for myself... 

Having finished my first batch last week I can attest that barrel aging a cocktail creates an absolutely amazing result.  My barrel-aged Negroni is soft and voluptuous, the charred oak removed any rough edges normally associated with gin and Campari, replacing it with a full-bodied richness and a smoky, almost sweet finish.  And now I have several bottles of the stuff lining my liquor cabinet - enough to last me for maybe as much as a year. Even here in the cocktail Mecca that is San Francisco Bay Area an aged Negroni cocktail is hard to find - I have a virtually unlimited supply of one of my new favorite drinks.  And come time to entertain guests I now have a guaranteed money drink at my disposal, one that is sure to leave my guests talking.  If you are a cocktail enthusiast, a home-brewer of beer or even a foodie with a yen for alchemy it may be worth giving barrel aging a shot.  

Note to the intrepid home mixologist:  As it turns out, the process of making barrel-aged cocktails can be quite expensive and time-consuming.  Unless you are a hard-core cocktail person (endowed with a strong dose of patience) this may be an endeavor best left to bars that have the foot traffic to use - say - 6 gallons of cocktail. 

 
So if you're still reading, I'll stop mucking around and get down to it.  Here are some of my production notes and the recipe for a lovely barrel-aged Negroni.  Stay tuned for more adventures with a barrel-aged Trident and possibly a Martini.  

A Few Words About Barrels

Hurry up Negroni... The Ace is thirsty!I followed Mr. Morgenthaler's advice and purchased my barrel from the guys at Tuthilltown Spirits in New York.  I was able to get a 6-gallon barrel that had formerly held bourbon whiskey for ~$125 plus shipping.  It is very important that you find a quality barrel for your process.  For my aged Negroni I wanted a barrel that had been flame-charred and then had stored bourbon (or rye) whiskey for a number of years.  And you want to get the barrel directly after its primary purpose as a whiskey storage vessel has been completed.  You obviously don't want a barrel that has been drying out in someone's back forty for the past couple of years, and you certainly don't want the barrel your Uncle Cooter has been using as his card table for decades.  

I spent a lot of time over the Summer months looking for other suppliers for barrels and could not find any other sources for whiskey-cured barrels. I even spoke to the folks at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky to see whay more distillers don't sell barrels to bars and other mixologists. It seems that many distillers sell their used whiskey barrels to lower-cost whiskey producers (Think Jim Beam and Canadian Club) to be recycled aging their whiskey products.  As a result whiskey barrels are pretty expensive and a bit hard to find. 

That said, the barrels are recyclable - so you may not need to buy more than one to be used on multiple projects.  Now that my Negroni aging process is finished I just bought a couple gallons of cheap blended scotch whiskey to re-condition my barrel in preparation for the next project - a Trident cocktail.  Other barrel-aged recipes call for wine-cured barrels (Mssr. Morgenthaler's aged Manhattan recipe in fact calls for a barrel cured with Madeira wine).  Those may be easier to find if you live in a wine-producing area of the world.  

A Few More Words About Proportions

When considering the amount of cocktail that you would like to produce, be sure to assess the cost of buying 10 or more bottles of spirits.  Luckily, the spirits involved in a Negroni (gin, sweet vermouth & campari) are all reasonably priced at $15-30 per bottle.  But even so you should expect to spend $200-300 in spirits, depending on the size of your batch.  

Don't forget to hold on to those dead soldiers... They'll come in handy in about 6 weeksThe recipe below assumes a 3-gallon batch of aged Negroni.  It resulted in just slightly less than 3 gallons of cocktail - the Angel's Share was approximately 1/2 a bottle of spirits.  BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR SPENT SPIRITS BOTTLES.  They will come in handy after the barrel aging process is complete and you need to store your cocktail in glass bottles until you are ready to serve.  

Barrel-Aged Negroni
Adapted from jefffreymorgenthaler.com

4 750ml bottles Campari
4 750ml bottles gin (I used Boodles, but Plymouth is also great)
3 1liter bottles Carpano D'Antica sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients into a large bucket or mixing bowl (without ice).  Stir and pour using a funnel into the barrel.  Use a rubber mallet to hammer the bung (stopper) into place and store in a cool place for 4-6 weeks.  Save your spirits bottles for storage when aging process is complete! 

Beginning at about 4 weeks its okay to take a little sample of the cocktail to check on the progress of your concoction.  I found that 6 weeks was just right in my case.

When aging process is finished pour the liquid out of barrel into a bucket or mixing bowl and then strain the liquid (to remove the charred wood chips) into the original spirits bottles with a funnel.  

To serve cocktail, pour pre-mixed cocktail into a mixing glass with ice.  stir vigorously to chill drink and strain into an up glass.  Serve with orange peel if desired.  

Mixology Monday: Some Like it Hot

This month's Mixology Monday is hosted by The Backyard Bartender, and the theme is Some Like it Hot. As Nancy writes in her promo post, "make anything you want to, as long as its served hot."

I was a bit confounded by this one, to be honest - hot cocktails are a bit outside of my comfort zone. The Ace has tried a number of hot cocktails at various wintertime parties the past several years, but none were big hits with partygoers. I personally love a good mulled wine, but generally I am left with a bowl three-quarters full of tepid booze at the end of my holiday gala. Sure, there's the possibility that I just plain suck at making cocktails - but people seemed to enjoy all of the chilled drinks on the menu just fine. So what the hell - I figured I'd just go for it and have some fun with this while I am at it. 

In reading some of David Wondrich's writing about late 19th- and early 20th-Century cocktails in his excellent book Imbibe!, many of America's hot cocktail recipes come from way back in it's mixology history. Unfortunately, many of these drinks don't translate all that well today. The Hot Toddy, for example, is a drink of spirit (pick one, but Islay malt scotch was a favorite in Jerry Thomas' day) plus citrus peel plus water plus hot iron out of the fire. Oh - and if you're not man enough you might add some sugar. I whipped up a Hot Toddy with Scotch the other day - just as research - and all that I can say is that this flavor profile has officially exited the American palate. Something along the lines of drinking hot bong water...

So where to go from here? I thought about the hot drinks that I have liked in the past. Most of them were comprised of rum, a sweetener and hot milk or butter. Something about the dairy seems to calm down the acidic burn that spirits tend to develop when served hot. It needed to be a sweeter rum - perhaps a demarara rum. And not many things go with demarara rum better than falernum and allspice dram. Then it dawned on me... Hot Tiki. Huzzah!!!

I dug into the Tiki archives and found a source of inspiration in Donn Beach's classic Hot Tiger's Milk recipe. The Tiger's Milk batter is pure genius - who doesn't love butter, honey and coconut? Just add some falernum for its herbal sweetness and allspice dram for its warmth and voila - you've got a drink! 

So for The Ace Saloon's maiden MxMo voyage, let's do a hot Tiki-inspired drink designed to leave your punch bowl empty at the end of the evening. Okay okay - so KISS released Heaven's on Fire well after they lost their makeup (why, oh why?) and after Ace's departure. But the name still works for this hot little number. 

Heaven's On Fire (a.k.a. Hot Ace's Milk)
Adapted from Don the Beachcomber' Hot Tiger's Milk cocktail - circa 1937 
Special thanks to Jeff Berry's fine book Sippin' Safari (2007) 

1 1/2 oz. El Dorado 5-year demarara rum
1/2 oz velvet falernum
1/4 oz. allspice dram
3 tsp. Donn's Tiger's Milk batter (see below)
5-6 oz. milk, brought to just below boil 

Place the milk in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until just below boiling (be careful not to overcook the milk and get those nasty milk curds on top of the drink). While the milk is heating, combine the rum, falernum and allspice dram and Tiger's Milk batter in a coffee mug. Pour the hot milk into the cup over the mixture, stir the drink to combine the ingredients and serve.

Donn's Tiger's Milk Batter
Also from Don the Beachcomber circa 1937 (thanks again Bum)

1/4 oz. (say 1/2 tbsp or a 1/4" slice from a stick) soft butter
1/4 oz. honey 
1 oz. Coco Lopez

Combine ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin.  Measure out for drinks.  Makes about 3 drinks. 

So there you have it - February 2011's Mixology Monday theme Some LIke it Hot. Special thanks to The Backyard Bartender for hosting this month. Be sure to check out her wrapup post to see what all the real mixologists come up with.  Enjoy and stay hot!

Grapefruit Cocktail Extraordinaire: The Plantation

My current favorite bar is Comstock Saloon in San Francisco.  It's really an amazing place in the North Brach area of town.  You simply won't find a more professional set of barkeepers anywhere - led by the two chief mixologists, Jeff Hollinger and Jonny Raglin.  Back in the day, both of these guys came from Absinthe on Hayes Street in San Francisco, and a couple years ago Jeff co-wrote a brilliant book called Art of the Bar which shows off his considerable talents behind the bar.  

Ooh - check out that green cocktail!The Art of the Bar has been in my Library for some time now, but recently I found myself digging through the tome looking for a grapefruit cocktail for Mrs. The Ace.  My wife, a well-documented grapefruit cocktail lover, was looking for something new to help her pass another rainy Bay Area winter evening.  Lo and behold, I found this thing of beauty that includes not only grapefruit but also is a fresh basil cocktail.  

This drink has a lovely, fresh taste to go with its brilliant green coloring. The basil and sugar make a nice, light pesto of sorts that go nicely with the citrus flavors of grapefruit and lime. And if you float some club soda on top you get a great little summertime cooler for your trouble. It's almost enough to make anyone forget that it's still cold and rainy outside. In just a few short weeks this drink will be much more useful as a harbinger of Spring.  

Plantation Cocktail
Adapted from Art of the Bar (2006) by Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz

4-6 leaves fresh basil
1/2 tsp sugar
1 oz. Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz. Cointreau (or Combier)
1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 oz. fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
Club soda (optional) 

Combine the basil and sugar in a mixing glass and muddle until the basil is liquified into something that looks like pesto.  Fill the mixing glass with ice. Add the gin, orange curacao and juices to the glass and shake well for 10-20 seconds until well-chilled. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a chilled tall collins glass filled with ice. Top with a float of club soda for a summer cooler (optional). Garnish with a slice of grapefruit. 

Super Bowl Drinks - Round 2

So as I wrote about here, The Ace is giving you some Super Bowl-themed cocktail recipe ideass that you might want to try at your big game party this coming weekend. Given that Green Bay and Pittsburgh are both beer towns, this can be a little tough. My last post focused on Pousse Cafes for the two teams - which are basically colorful shooters for the event. Not exactly the most impressive drinks from a mixology perspective, however. This post attempts to give you some more interesting and tasty options for your soiree. Here goes...

Packer Paloma
Adapted from Boozehound (2010) by Jason Wilson 

3 oz. fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
2 oz. blanco (silver) tequila
1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 to 3/4 oz. agave nectar (to taste)

Fill a cocktail shaker 1/2 full of ice. Add the grapefruit and lime juices, tequila and agave nectar to the shaker. Shake well and pour directly into a tall collins glass. Garnish with a slice of lime and a slice of grapefruit.

George Baker was a Packer fanThis an alliterative take on the classic Paloma cocktail - which is kind of a grapefruit margarita.  Grapefruit is a very good mixer with tequila, and this drink is very bright and refreshing. In fact, the Paloma is much more common in Mexico than is the veritable Margarita. It is also comprised of ingredients that you can squeeze and prepare in advance - allowing you to prepare this drink quickly at your party. 

I like to use white grapefruit in this drink (in fact I used fresh local oro blancos) - and I think the 3/4 oz. of agave nectar just offsets the bitter qualities of the white grapefruit. If you use ruby grapefruits then stick closer to the 1/2 oz. I also sometimes like to mix a little Cointreau or Combier into this drink.  

Oh yeah - and drinks on the house to patrons singing Una Paloma Blanca! 

Corn n' Steel
Adapted from recipe on back of John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum bottle

2 oz. Cruzan Blackstrap rum
1/2 oz. velvet falernum
Dash of Fee Brothers' aromatic bitters (recommended for its heavy cinnamon flavor)
1/2 lime
pineapple for garnish 

Combine the rum, falernum, bitters and the juice from the lime in a shaker with lots of ice and shake for at least 20 seconds to chill. Pour (including the ice) into a highball glass and garnish with a slice of pineapple on the rim of the glass.

Polamalu's secret to shiny hair... Velvet Falernum!This drink is really just a regular ol' Corn n' Oil - with pineapple garnish for flavor and to adapt the coloring in honor of the Steelers. The Corn n' Oil is also a great little drink, one that has enough sweet to make almost anyone happy.

And best of all the pineapple adds a some extra tropical flavor to help you stay warm on a chilly Super Bowl day.  

Mean Joe Greene's Pina Colada

1 1/2 oz. dark rum
2 oz. Coco Lopez
2 oz. pineapple juice
ice

Pour all ingredients into a blender with lots of ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and serve. Garnish with a cherry soaked in the tears of a Packer fan.  

Okay, okay - so this is just a Pina Colada. But it has black rum and yellow pineapple in it - and it may be the best money drink of all time. So serve it at your party - for cryin' out loud!

The Black & Gold Flip
From Scofflaw's Den website - from Mixology Monday LIV

2 ounces Kraken spiced rum
1 ounce Strega
1 whole egg
Put the ingredients in a glass without ice. Shake for 60-90 seconds to emulsify the egg. Add ice and shake again to thoroughly chill the drink. Strain into a chilled glass, top with some fresh grated nutmeg.

An interesting take on the classic flip recipe - SeanMike uses Kraken (which is very dark to the point of being black) and Strega (which is brilliant yellow) to make this drink. Of course, the black and gold are lost in the process of shaking the flip - but nevertheless this drink was a hit at MxMo a few weeks' back. The drink itself was all right - I have never been a fan of Kraken, but honestly the Strega actually kinda works with it. The biggest barrier for most people will be the spectre of the whole egg. But maybe you can trick people into watching the game while you make this drink for them. 

So there you have it - four cocktails that you can serve to people that you LIKE at a Super Bowl party this weekend. Best of luck, and may the Steelers cover the 2.5!!!