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El Diablo – A Tiki Adventure on Cinco De Mayo
Aloha,
For my next cocktail out of Beach Bum Berry Remixed I choose the El Diablo. It is one of the few Tiki cocktails that has tequila. With today being Cinco De Mayo it seemed very appropriate.
According to alcademics.com this cocktail was first mentioned in Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink from 1946. Then in the 1960s The El Diablo was featured on the menu of Trader Vic’s Mexican Restaurant Chain, Senor Pico. The recipe was printed throughout the years in may of Trader Vic’s books.
What better cocktail to have on Cinco De Mayo than a cocktail from Trader Vic’s Mexican restaurant chain? So I combined the fresh lime juice, creme de cassis, tequila, and ginger beer. Next, I stirred the ingredients gently so the carbonation wouldn’t be lost, and poured the cocktail into a glass filled with crushed ice. There wasn’t very much of an aroma to this cocktail. Just a hint of lime juice. I took my first sip and realized that my bad day was to continue with this cocktail.
My first impression was that it tasted like ketchup. The creme de cassis has a very strong flavor. It make the cocktail sweet and spicy. My best description is ketchup with a hint of mustard spice. My guess is the cassis is meant to cover the flavor of the tequila, because the tequila flavor was very subtle.
I thought this can’t be right. So I read the instructions again and made another. To my dismay it tasted the same. I gave the cocktail one last chance and added an extra half ounce of lime juice. This cut he cassis flavor down a bit, but it still was terrible. If you are a fan of creme de cassis I’m sure you’ll like an El Diablo, but this is one cocktail that isn’t for me. I dumped it out and made myself a Cuba Libre. I guess that is why I call this an adventure. You never know what you are going to get.
Mahalo
Damon
Lei Lani Volcano – Tiki Adventure
The other day, I found a can of Guava Nectar that I had purchased a while back. So, I thought I would go out of order from my adventures in Beach Bum Berry Remixed, and try something with Guava Nectar.
The Lei Lani Volcano was invented at Disney’s Polynesian Village (which is now The Polynesian Resort), and it is made with Guava Nectar. Since, Walt Disney World is one of my favorite places in the whole world to visit; the Lei Lani Volcano is a perfect choice.
The Polynesian Resort was one of the original resorts at Walt Disney World when it opened in 1971. The Polynesian Resort is situated on the Seven Seas Lagoon directly across from the Magic Kingdom. The Barefoot Pool Bar is right on the Polynesian’s beach. It is so relaxing to sit on the beach and have a cocktail there. If you ever need a break from the action at the Magic Kingdom take a short monorail ride to the Polynesian and relax on the beach with a cocktail. You’ll feel like you are in Hawaii. The best part is you don’t have to stay at the resort to enjoy the bar and the beach. Also, the resort is a short walk from the Magic Kingdom parking lot; making it a nice place to end your day at the Magic Kingdom.
I really do like the Polynesian Resort, but I will warn you, they offers a “luau” called The Spirit of Aloha Dinner show. I went to it a couple years ago. It was quite disappointing. The show was a super cheesy Lilo and Stitch adventure with bad Disney pop music. The food was bland and not up to Disney standards. We left early along with a number of other families. Not even the kids seemed to enjoy the dinner/show. Hopefully, Disney has improved the experience.
The Lei Lani Volcano has guava nectar, unsweetened pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, and coconut rum. This smooth drink goes down really easy! The pineapple juice is the first to hit your taste buds, and in concert with the lime juice has a hint of sour. The sugar syrup cuts down the sourness very nicely though. The guava nectar adds a great, almost strawberry flavor to the cocktail.
I really like the guava nectar in this cocktail. It’s a nice change from the typical pineapple and citrus drinks. I used Cruzan Coconut Rum which added a great coconut flavor. Cruzan Coconut has a more authentic coconut flavor that is less sweet than Malibu. I’m guessing the Polynesian Village used Malibu back when they served this cocktail, but the Cruzan worked perfectly. With every sip I was imagining myself on the beach at the Polynesian enjoying the sun, the view of Cinderella’s Castle. Now that is a magical day!
Mahalo,
Damon
How to Drink Out of A Pineapple
Aloha,
My post on How To Drink Out of A Coconut was quite popular. Maybe it was because I almost cut off my fingers. Anyway, I thought I would explore other fun ways to drink Tiki cocktails. Another fun way to serve Tiki cocktails is to make a cup out of a fresh Pineapple. Using a pineapple corer it is really easy to remove the fruit from the center of the pineapple to make a cup. You can pick up a pineapple corer for about $10 at almost any store that sells kitchen gadgets.
All you have to do is cut the top off the pineapple. Then, twist the corer into the pineapple. As, you twist the beautiful, sweet aroma of the fresh pineapple will fill the room.
Be careful, to not go to go all the way through the pineapple. You should be able to feel where the bottom of the corer is from the outside of the pineapple.
Once, you are getting close to the bottom just pull the corer out of the pineapple and the fruit will come with it. It seems to help if you turn the pineapple while you pull. Once the fruit is removed there will be juice in the pineapple that you can save for drinks. The corer leaves the center in the pineapple, but this can be cut out with a knife.
I had read online that a bar in Australia was serving drinks in a frozen pineapple. So, I’m going to give this a try. The frozen pineapple will help keep the drink cold longer, and this should allow you to prepare the pineapples in advance. So, check back soon, and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Mahalo!
Damon
Castaway Cocktail – Tiki Adventure
Aloha,
I’m slowly drinking my way through Beach Bum Berry Remixed, and sharing my thoughts, and impressions about each of the cocktails. As I go through the book from front to back, sampling each one, I’m having a fun Tiki Adventure. The next cocktail is The Castaway.
The Castaway is based off a 1980s rum shooter called Jamaican Dust. This Tiki cocktail is very simple. It only has three ingredients, pineapple juice, coffee liqueur (Kahlua), and gold rum. Even though, it only had three ingredients it is still pretty good.
I was a little skeptical about mixing coffee liqueur and pineapple juice, but the combination is pretty good. The pineapple juice, and the coffee liqueur make this cocktail almost creamy. The Castaway would work great as an after dinner drink.
The recipe calls for crushed ice, and I would stick to that with the Castaway. Anytime a cocktail recipe calls for crushed ice you really want to listen. Crushed ice is going to melt faster causing the drink to be diluted slightly. Recipes with crushed ice are designed to have this dilution happen. Without crushed ice the flavors may be too syrupy or intense. Just the slight melting of the ice can really transform a drink and take it from being an OK drink to an amazing one. In the case of coffee liqueur and pineapple juice it’s good to have a little dilution. Otherwise, the flavors are overly intense and the drink is too thick.
I don’t think The Castaway is one of my favorite Tiki cocktails. It doesn’t have a whole lot going on in it. I prefer a cocktail with a little more going on in it, but it’s still a good cocktail.
If you are looking for the recipe for The Castaway get a copy of Beach Bum Berry Remixed. It has a lot of great Tiki Cocktails in it including The Castaway. Have you tried the Castaway? I’d love to hear what you think about it. Just leave a comment below.
Mahalo!
Damon
Restaurant Review: Cheeseburger in Paradise
Aloha!
Saturday, was a cold, rainy, and snowy day in Wisconsin. So, what better way to forget about the dreadful weather than to have lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise. The moment I walked in I was transported to an over the top beach bar in Florida. The sound of Jimmy Buffett music greeted my ears, and tropical scenes were painted on the walls in bright, almost neon, colors. There where thatch roofs over the booths and the bar. Colorful lighting decorated the thatch. One wall of the restaurant was made of garage doors that can be opened when the weather is truly nice outside. I visited Cheeseburger in Paradise one night last summer when the doors were open. It was beautiful! This is common practice for those of you in tropical climates, but it is a treat for us in the north. Of course, there is a bar in the center of the restaurant that is laid out in a wavy pattern. What a perfect tropical oasis on a snowy spring day!
Cheeseburger in Paradise has a pretty big cocktail menu. So, picking a drink was a little difficult. I knew from the last time I was here that the frozen drinks were all extremely sweet. They are too sweet in my opinion. I wouldn’t recommend them. So, I ruled those out immediately. Towards the back of the drink menu they have mixed drinks.
Since there was no mai tai; I tried the Tropical Island Tea, first. The menu described it as, not your typical long island ice tea. This was very true. The only thing that made the drink like a long island was that it was all alcohol, and didn’t taste like it. It had SKYY Infused Passion fruit, Wild Turkey American Honey, Bacardi Silver, and Cointreau. A delicious passion fruit flavor dominated this libation. There were hints of orange from the Cointreau as well. It was still a bit on the sweet side, but I enjoyed the drink.
Next up, was the Electric Lizard. This drink had Coruba Coconut, Midori, lime juice, sweet & sour, and Sprite. It had a tasty balance of coconut and melon flavors from the Coruba coconut, and the Midori. It was rounded out with a lemon lime flavor from the sweet & sour, lime juice, and sprite. This cocktail was also quite enjoyable.
For an appetiser we ordered the chicken satay. The satay isn’t on their appetiser menu, it is actually a lunch item, but there were three of us and we were on a mission to find chicken satay! That’s another story… The satay was good, but nothing special. The peanut sauce made it all right. I liked Stir Crazy’s Chicken Satay much better.
I had the chicken quesadillas for my meal. I love chicken quesadillas, and these were pretty good. It had cheddar and peper jack cheese, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and pulled chicken. The roasted red peppers were really good in the quesadilla. The red peppers and cheddar cheese were a great combination.
The other two in the group had the mini crab cake burgers, and the coconut shrimp. Both of those meals were very good. The sweet potato chips are an excellent side dish. They are thin cut, crispy, salty and sweet. Mmmm…
Overall Cheeseburger in Paradise is a great place to escape. The food is pretty good, and the drinks are all right. I really felt like I was in a Florida beach bar. It was nice to have some tropical drinks in a tropical setting and escape the cold spring weather for a little while.
Mahalo,
Damon
How to Make A Painkiller
Aloha,
In the United States today is tax day. To wear off some of that sting from the tax man Smuggler’s Cove, one of the most popular Tiki bars in the U.S., is celebrating National Painkiller Day. Sadly, Smuggler’s Cove is across the country from me, but that isn’t stopping me from having a good old Painkiller.
This Tiki cocktail was invented in the 1970s at the at The Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands. The Soggy Dollar has no dock so it’s visitors have to swim to shore from their boats getting their money all wet, and that is how the bar got it’s name. The original Painkiller recipe is top secret, and is still being served to this day at The Soggy Dollar. However, through some reverse engineering by some people with much better taste buds than mine you no longer have to go to The Soggy Dollar to enjoy this Tiki cocktail.
To make a Painkiller combine the following in a cocktail shaker with about a one cup of ice:
- 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- 4 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz Lopez Coconut Cream
- 2.5 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Preferably Pussar’s Navy Rum)
Shake the ingredients together until the shaker is frosty on the outside. Then, pour it into a large glass or Tiki mug. You may want to use a Tiki mug for this one because this great tasting drink isn’t very pretty to look at. Then, sprinkle some Nutmeg and Cinnamon on top. Garnish with an orange wheel, pineapple slice, and cinnamon stick.
The Painkiller really surprised me with how amazing it was. The Lopez Coconut cream gives a delicious coconut flavor to the drink, and the pineapple juice blends in nicely. I’ve tried other brands of Cream of Coconut, but Lopez is the best. The only place I can find Lopez, near me, is at Wal-Mart.
You get just a hint of orange from the fresh orange juice, and the dark Jamaican rum adds a nice touch, but doesn’t over power. Even a non-rum drinker will love this cocktail. The Cinnamon and nutmeg go really well with the creamy coconut. There is just the right amount of sweetness so that you could keep drinking these all day. I can just imagine being in The Virgin Islands sipping on this while laying in a hammock, and listening to the gentle waves roll in. Uncle Sam is a million miles away…
I went to the Soggy Dollar’s website to do research for this post, and they have the relaxing sound of waves crashing to the shore playing on their site. I usually hate it when websites have background sounds, but the waves are very peaceful. So pull up their website while sipping on your Painkiller and your cares will drift away even faster.
Mahalo!
Damon
The Sour Challenge: Eastern Sour Vs. Western Sour
Aloha!
As we continue sipping our way through Beach Bum Berry Remixed; you Bourbon fans are in luck! We get to try two more Bourbon based cocktails; The Eastern Sour and The Western Sour. Just like the Bourbon Special these two cocktails are also from the 1950s. We’ll take these two cocktails and put them against each other to see who is the champion of the “sour” cocktails.
The Western SourThe Western Sour was from Crane’s Kon-Tiki restaurant chain. The Kon-Tiki chain made it’s home in Sheraton hotels across the U.S., and and was a direct competitor to Trader Vic’s. This Bourbon cocktail has fresh squeezed white grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, falernum, and sugar syrup. The Western Sour isn’t bad, but the grapefruit seems to work against the Bourbon a little. You don’t get that rich oaky flavor like you do with the Bourbon Special and the Eastern Sour. When taking a sip you first taste sweet lime and grapefruit flavors. It then changes to more of a sour lime flavor, and finally you taste the Bourbon. The aftertaste is quite sour, and acidic. I’m a person who likes sour flavors more than average, but it was even too sour for me. Sometimes, I can blame my citrus for being the culprit on a sour drink, but I tasted the juice by itself and it was great.
The Eastern Sour is made of fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh lemon juice, orgeat syrup, sugar syrup, and Bourbon. Your first sip you taste orange juice with a hint of lemon juice. The two juices go together extremely well. There is a hint of sour from the lemon juice, but it isn’t too strong. The orange juice, orgeat syrup, and sugar syrup really help to balance out the sour lemon juice just right. The wonderful oaky flavors of the Bourbon come through after the citrus and make you want another sip. The orgeat also adds a hint of almond to the drink to give it more complexity that will make your taste buds dance with delight. No matter where you are you’ll be transported to a tropical oasis. Just feel the sand between your toes, hear the waves crashing gently to the shore, and see the beautiful palm trees running along the beach. Ah…. isn’t that relaxing.
For me, the Eastern Sour is the winner in this drink off. You really had two quality cocktails, but the Eastern Sour with it’s orange, lemon, orgeat, and Bourbon really made me want a second. I just don’t have the same feeling about the Western Sour. These three Bourbon Tiki cocktails have opened my eyes to how great Bourbon works in Tiki drinks. I always thought of rum as the staple spirit in Tiki cocktails, but Bourbon really offers some amazing cocktail experiences.
What do you think? Do you like the Eastern Sour or Western Sour better? Let me know.
If you are looking for the recipe to these two great cocktails you can pick up a copy of Beach Bum Berry Remixed, or if you really want to just Google for them. The book isn’t very expensive though. Just buy it. Then, you can sip along with me and we can compare notes.
Mahalo
Damon
Next Up, The Castaway….
A Bourbon Special for a Special Day
Aloha!
Today, was a special day for all of us in Wisconsin. It was the first day of the year where the temperature reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We hadn’t come anywhere near 80 degrees yet this year. For the first time since last fall it felt like summer. The sun was shining, and strong spring winds were blowing. I’ve been working my way through Beach Bum Berry Remixed trying every cocktail and sharing my thoughts on each one. How appropriate that the next drink in Beach Bum Berry Remixed is the Bourbon Special. The Bourbon Special is a 1950s cocktail that originated at the Kon-Tiki restaurant chain.
As I sat outside, on the patio, for the first time this year I tried the Bourbon Special. It is made with fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, falernum, ginger beer, Bourbon, and Angostura bitters. As always, it is important that you use fresh ingredients. This cocktail is another true masterpiece! The first sip coats your pallete with several flavors. First you taste the lime juice which is nicely sweetened by the sugar syrup. The falernum adds a hint of spices and a touch of almond which complement the lime nicely. A nice ginger flavor also comes through from the ginger beer. The oaky flavor of the Bourbon comes through but is just the right amount to complement the other ingredients of this special cocktail.
The first time I made a Bourbon Special I forgot the bitters. I actually liked this version better than the one with the bitters. The bitters seems to hide the spices from the falernum and the ginger beer. I liked the falernum flavors more pronounced. I tried one other variation of the Bourbon Special. I substituted the Bourbon with Roaring Dan’s Rum. This Milwaukee rum has a flavor that is similar to a whiskey. However, the rum didn’t really pull it’s weight in the drink like the bourbon did. The cocktail almost tasted like limeade. I like limeade, but it didn’t have such a great variety of flavor without the Bourbon. I’m always amazed a how different a cocktail can taste with just one small change.
My favorite version wound up being with Bourbon, but without bitters. I think that is just my personal taste though. Even if you aren’t a Bourbon or whiskey fan I would recommend trying this cocktail. The strong Bourbon flavors that are too much for many peoploe are offset by the other ingredients. I think this is a drink anyone can enjoy. It was a fine way to kick off patio season.
As I drink my way through Beach Bum Berry Remixed I’m reviewing each cocktail and sharing my thoughts. I’m not giving out the recipes. It wouldn’t be fair for me to give all the recipes out of the book. There would be no reason to buy it then, and everyone who worked on this fine book deserves to be rewarded for their hard work by you buying a copy.
Mahalo!
Damon
Bring a Tiki to Work Day
Aloha!
Bring a Tiki to Work Day was such a fun day! I put on a Hawaiian shirt, and took one of my more colorful tikis with me to work today. Along with the tiki I brought coconut M&Ms to share with everyone.
Instead of my normal cup for water I brought in a tiki mug to drink out of. On my iPod I had exotica and Hawaiian style music playing all day through my headphones, and I changed my computer’s wallpaper to a beautiful tropical sunset. The day was far more relaxing and enjoyable.
I got a lot of positive feedback and people had wished I had told them in advance so they could have worn Hawaiian shirts and brought in treats. I think a tiki day at work is on the horizon.
Today, made me realize how grey and dull my cube is. It’s no wonder it can feel depressing around there sometimes. We don’t have any strict rules about decorations so I think a tropical make over is necessary. I’m also going to keep my tiki mug at work to drink out of instead of my boring old cup.
On days like this I realize work is really what we make of it. Day in and day out work can become boring, routine, stressful, and downright un-enjoyable. However, it’s something we all have to do. By making a conscious effort to find ways to make work fun you might actually have things to look forward to besides quitting time. So why not organize a tiki day at your work?
Dress code allowing, have everyone wear a Hawaiian shirt, and you bring in some cheap decorations for the day, and just have fun with it. You could even have a cook out over lunch. If grills make your company nervous just have everyone bring a lunch and eat it outside. You could still bring in snacks to share. Most companies would embrace a fun event like this especially if it costs them little to nothing, and it will break up the boring routine.
Mahalo to Eric Hedman for organizing Bring A Tiki To Work Day on Facebook!
Foundation Tiki Bar Unveils A New Menu
Aloha!
Last night, Foundation Tiki Bar in Milwaukee, unveiled their new cocktail menu. The menu went through a complete transformation. In fact, the only drink that remains from the old menu is the volcano bowl. Everything else on the menu is new or updated. There is a great selection of classic tiki cocktails from the 30s all the way through to modern tiki favorites. I’m getting thirsty just thinking about all the new libations!
With over two dozen drinks on the menu I was excited to get started. My first selection was a Jet Pilot. This new addition to the menu really hit the spot, and helped me to quickly forget how cold this spring has been. This refreshing cocktail had great blend of rum, spices, and citrus. Unlike, your standard, run of the mill cocktail; a good tiki cocktail has a great amount of depth and offers a bouquet of flavors in every sip. The Jet Pilot at Foundation fits this definition perfectly, and sent my taste buds to paradise.
Next up was a Piranha. Our bartender, Michael, told us that this drink made the menu by popular demand. It started out as one of their specials, and after it came of the list customers kept asking for it. So piranha fans your drink is now a standard on the menu. After one sip I could tell why this was a popular request. The blend of rum, ginger beer, and citrus was great. The spicy sweet flavor of ginger beer blends really nice with rum and citrus.
Third, I tried another new menu item, The Port Light. Foundation’s version of this Kahiki classic is similar to the original. It has Bourbon, pomegranate, passion fruit, and lemon flavors. The combination of passion fruit, pomegranate, and bourbon was new to me and it was spectacular. The passion fruit give a nice touch of sweetness, and the pomegranate give a touch of sour. The bourbon rounded the drink out nicely with an oaky flavor. It was the perfect combination. This smooth drink is a symphony for your taste buds that goes down very easy.
While we sampled the new menu, our bartenders Michael and Ron were regaling us with tales of rum and tiki bar adventures. They both had a lot of great rum knowledge. I immediately felt right at home in the friendly atmosphere.
Monday night is a great night to visit Foundation if you want a nice crowd that is there to chill out and unwind. They had a great set of exotica playing all night long. Other nights, and espeically the weekends, there is a bigger crowd with more of a upbeat attitude. Foundation is Milwaukee’s only authentic tiki bar, and claims to be the home of Milwaukee’s best Mai Tai. I have personally sampled Mai Tais at a number of different places in Milwaukee, and hands down, Foundation makes the best Mai Tai around.
Mahalo!
Damon
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