A Mountain of Crushed ice is moving to its on domain and will now be on this adress:

http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com

Please update your RSS and bookmarks. If you have a blog, I would appreciate you kindly changing your link to my blog.

Thanks for putting up with me moving again.

T

The never ending discussion as to who it was who really made the first original Mai Tai is a discussion that seem to be endless..There`s some interesting info on the subject involving a drink named QB Cooler that you can read in Beachbum Berry`s book Sippin Safari. Page 162.

Don Beach did invent a drink that he called Mai Tai but it never reached that fame and shortly dissapeared from his menu.

The conclusion might be that Trader Vic invented the drink that would be world famous under the name Mai Tai, but not based on Don Beach Mai Tai, while Don Beach is the man who invented many of the classsic tikidrinks like the Zombie, the Navy Grog and Missionary`s downfall, (one of my fav tiki drinks) as well as the whole concept of exotic polynesian style restaurants, known as tiki bars. I personally tend to believe that both drinks were original concoctions, the recipes are too different.

Furtermore, in Jeff Berry´s new upcoming book -  Beachbum Berry Remixed, there will be a whole six-page discussion about the “Mai Tai Wars,” sorting out the tangled history….Looking forward to read the new book!

I`m quite fascinated by how much can be written and debated about one drink, and which also is one of those that has been the most bastardised along with for example the Daiquiri and the Margarita which you can read about here.

As for Don Beach Mai Tai – here is the recipe:

1.5 oz Myer’s plantation rum (you may sub Appleton)
1 oz Cuban rum ( sub British navy-style rum, like Pusser’s or Lamb’s)
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
0.25 oz falernum
0.5 oz cointreau
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 dash pernod
Shell of squeezed lime
1 cup of cracked ice

Shake for 1 minute. Serve in a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with four sprigs of mint. Add a spear of pineapple. Sip slowly through mint sprigs until desired effect results.

I find this drink just a tad sour so i add 1/4 oz simple syrup to it, but that can also have something to do with how tart your grapefruits and limes are.

But among the two Mai Tais i really prefer Vic`s Mai Tai, there is a reason why it was the one that gained such popularity and now is one of the classics. It has such a balance and yet is very simple. That doesn`t mean that i consider Don Beach Mai Tai a bad drink, oh no, its tasty too.

It is handcrafted in small batches using wheat, corn, barley and other grains. Its distilled twice in a column still and then a third time in a copper pot still thus creating a smooth spirit. The handcrafted bottles that captured my interest are really beautiful and of course, collectors items. Each flavor has a unique design which incorporates Van Gogh`s brilliant artwork.

Van Gogh`s range of flavors:

• Espresso
• Double Espresso
• Acai-Blueberry
• Chocolate
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Appel (apple)
• Banana
• Vanilla
• Raspberry
• Oranje (orange)
• Citroen
• Coconut
• Melon
• Mango
• Black Cherry
• Mojito Mint
• Original 80-proof Vodka

I`m for the use of fresh ingredients when it comes to mixing so fresh fruits and homemade syrups and grenadine accompany these cocktails made with a few of Van Gogh`s many flavored vodkas.

PINA PEPPER CRUSH

2 oz Van Gogh Pineapple vodka
5-6 fresh pineapple chunks
8-10 black pepper corns
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz honeywater (1:1 honey+water, warmed up to liquid then cooled)
Top with lemon soda


Coarsely bruise the black pepper corns in a shaker, add pineapple chunks and honeywater and muddle. Add vodka, pineapplejuice and shake hard over ice. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with lemon soda.

Garnish pineapple leaves.

ACAI-BLUEBERRY vodka

This is a bluish colored vodka made from blueberries and acai fruit, so it looks a bit different depending on what you mix with.

ACAI DELIGHT

1.5 oz Van Gogh acai-blueberry vodka
0.5 oz raw sugar syrup
Sprinkle of fresh lemon juice
2 oz fresh ruby grapefruit juice
3 ginger slices
Lemon soda to top

Muddle ginger with the syrup in a shaker. Add the rest of ingredients except the lemon soda. Shake over ice and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice, top with a little soda. Garnish ruby grapefruit wedge and a few blueberries in the glass and strewn over the ice.

THE ACAI-BLUEBERRY

The Acai berry or fruit (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee) grows on a palm tree (L. Euterpe oleracea)in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. The Euterpe are tall, slender palms growing to 15–30 meters and the genus is named after the muse Euterpe of Greek mythology. Euterpe means “rejoicing well” or “delight” from Ancient Greek.

Acai looks like purple grapes about the size of a blueberry, growing on slim stems hanging down from the top of the tree. Acai has a tropical berry flavor , some say it tastes like a blueberry with a hint of chocolate.

ICED VANILLA

I cannot pass the opportunity to make yet another vanilla cocktail as i really love vanilla.

2 oz Van Gogh vanilla vodka
0.5 oz vanilla syrup
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
Top with lemon soda and a splash grenadine for color
Shake all except soda and grenadine over ice and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish vanilla bean and mint.

VAN GOGH ESPRESSO CREAM

2 oz van Gogh double espresso vodka

1 oz  Amarula cream

0.5 oz cold espresso coffee

Shake over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Dark cocoa rim.

VAN GOGH GIN & TONIC

0.5 oz simple syrup

0.5 oz lemon juice

Build in highball glass with ice, stir and top with tonic.

Here is a link to a excellent homemade tonic.

For more info on this product, visit Van Gogh website.

Our third sponsored TDN took place thursday the 22 jan – 09 and was sponsored by Mata Hari absinthe. At the same time as most of us participated from all around, Sean-Mike and Marshall from Scofflaws den, Rick from Kaiserpenguin, Nathan, and Sam Harrigan from the Brand Action Team attended the TDN live from Tabard Inn in Washington, D.C where bartender Chantal mixed up the recipes that kept coming in from the rest of us mixing it up in our homes.

As usual in the mixoloseum chat room there were an almost never ending range of drinks, discussions, jokes and tweaking of recipes. For those of you who don`t know what the TDN is, its the “Thursday Drink Night” at the mixoloseum chat room where cocktail enthusiasts, bartenders and spirit writers suggest recipes, makes drinks, tweak them, discuss them after a given theme. I think the video very well explains what TDN is all about:

The TDN went for more than 6-7 hours and there were many people partaking. Here are a few very random comments from the mixoloseum chat room that night, when i think some 30 cocktails in all were made:

User TabardInnCrew has entered this room.

[BonzoGal] Hi, all y’all at Tabard Inn Crew!

[Sam Harrigan] Hello from DC!

[cocktailnerd] We ready for TDN to begin ladies and gentlemen? We have our first drink from Erik Flannestad

[cocktailnerd] Green Pearl Cocktail: 2 oz Dry Gin, 1/2 oz Lime Juice, 1/2-3/4 oz orgeat, dash Absinthe. Shake, strain, up.

[cocktailnerd] keep the welcomes coming and hopefully we’ll have Gerry Fischer, the master distiller joining us soon.

[Sam Harrigan] SeanMike & Marshall from Scofflaw’s Den are with me…Rick Stutz (kaiserpenguin) and Nathan (oysterschnapps) should be joining soon.

rhesuspieces00: I have to confess, i still have no intuition for how to use absinthe as a primary ingredient. its easy to throw a dash or two in anywhere, but any drink that uses more than 1 oz of absinthe and turns out good seems like a small miracle to me.

rumdood: The absinthe is – to me – typically too strong of a flavor.

[steveraye] So from a mixology POV, what’s the solution when using a powerfully flavored ingredient?

rumdood: Finding other strong flavors to balance or temper it.Egg can be good because it’s a great tempering agent.

rhesuspieces00: typically, if i have a really strong ingredient, i try to find other nice things to reduce its potency whil providing a nice back drop to showcase the primary.

[stevideter] peeps ready?

[stevideter] The Dancer Who Loved Me: 1 oz MH, 1 oz Lillet, 1 oz Apricot Orchard, stir over ice, strain into glass filled with cracked ice.

[jayhepburn] that one sounds very interesting.

[steveraye] Gerry just landed at 6:25 from Austria, may not be able to join us till later.But if anyone has any questions, I can answer some of them, but it would be good to wait till Gerry gets on.

[cocktailnerd] Why is there resistance to the Bohemian-style? “Czech-style” I understand given it’s sordid and craptastic history, but this seems a legitimate expression of the form…

[steveraye] That’s the point…all the other products we brought back were super heavy on licorice. Gerry had resurrected this one bec of the lower anise and felt it would work well in cocktails. He was right…AMH outsells his regular Absinthe Montmartre throughout Europe. And the recipe is original…I saw the actual recipe which he keeps in Great Grandpa’s safe.

rhesuspieces00: i’ll confess a preference for marteau, but a low-anise absinthe is useful for a lot of reasons, both for mixing and as a gateway for people trying to learn to appreciate absinthe.

[steveraye] The issue is there are two definitions of “Bohemian”. In acuality, Bohemia is a region of what used to be Czecoslovakia (the west). But Gerry used the word Bohemian as a descriptor of style, not a designation of Geographic origin. But because “czechsinthe” has such a bad rep in the US, people sometimes lump Mata Hari with them, even though when we say Bohemian we mean “reduced anise flavor style”

[Meade] steveraye for me, czech absinthe is traditionally horrible because of bad distilling methods. that isn’t always true, but that’s valid for any generalization.

[steveraye] Meade, youre right. Czechsinthe generally is bad GNS mixed with wormwood flavors and food coloring. AMH is macerated, distilled, and the color comes naturally. from wormwood pontica.

User geraldfischer has entered this room.

[TabardInnCrew] Hi Gerald and welcome to TDN!

[geraldfischer] I heard the question about bad reputation of bohemian absinthe and if it should be called wormwood bitter

[cocktailnerd] Yeah,we were discussing earlier how the Bohemian style of absinthe compares to “more traditional” Swiss and French styles, what can you tell us about the Bohemina style’s development and history?

[steveraye] We were talking about the origins of Bohemian=lower anise. I explained two definitions, bohemian style, and Bohemia the region which unfortunately is associated with czechsinthe here in the US

[geraldfischer] I would like to start by stating that wormwood and absinthe is the same word ,first in english and then latin.So weare talking about a spirit made out of wormwood ! I found out that wormwood ( already used by the romans ) was used first for psychic reasons by Hildegard of Bingen a Benedictine in the 12th century as medicine against Melancholism and depression.

[geraldfischer] Are we using wormwood in a spirit because of its taste ( bitter ) or because of its effect ?

[tiare] I would think taste yes, and then effect.

[geraldfischer] In the countries of the former Austrian Hungerian Monarchy ( Germany/Italy/Hungry/Czech ) we like Bitterspirits and we never had a problem with the bitter taste of wormwood.

[dietsch] My wife and I both enjoy our cocktails more bitter than sweet.

[geraldfischer] The only spice that can cover a bitter taste is aniseed / licorice

[camper] here is my question: paul pacult says MH is “sweeter than most” absinthes. yet i think we all think of it as the least sweet absinthe. do you think that anise gives a perception of sweetness?

[geraldfischer] Aniseed makes it milder if you like licorice taste.

[camper] it’s almost like anise has a coating effect, as you say negating the bitterness. i am wondering if we confuse it with sweetness.

[geraldfischer] the bad reputation of czech absinthe results because of two reasons. Absinthe was reborn in the late 80´s by small company called Hill´s selling their bohemian absinthe to the clubs in London.The small distilleries in Europe had mostly disapeared and the remaining bigger ones were not interested in the small absinthe market.

But a lot of former pot smoker thought that theyfound the LEGAL drug and mixed their absinthes in the cellar of their homes. Mid of the 90´s we had 350 different absinthe of producers that nobodyknew before !

Please choose the absinthe that tastes best to you either in the french way if you like licorice or in the bohemian way if you prefer a bitter spirit.I would like to point out to you that Mata Hari is the only not licorice tasting Absinthe that has a Louche Effect with ice & Water.

[cocktailnerd] what oils, outside of wormwood, are causing that?

[geraldfischer] Secret, kept next to the Coca Cola recipe

[samuraibartender] geraldfischer – When you’ve a moment; I swear I get a slight flavor not dissimilar to cinnamon in the taste of Mata Hari. Anything you can tell us about that?

[geraldfischer] Yes we use a kind of cinnamon, we call CASSIA.

[TabardInnCrew] i’ve got a drink when people are ready.

[TabardInnCrew] The Sum of the Derivative: 1 1/2 oz bourbon, 1/2 oz Mata Hari, 1/2 oz Dolin blanc vermouth, dash of angostura.

[cocktailnerd] how did your opinion of Mata Hari change as a result of this evening?

[samuraibartender] It’s good, in cocktails – different and I don;t think I;d throw it at every cocktail what calls for a quantity of absinthe, but not bad for mixing overall

[rumdood]: I’m enjoying what I’ve mixed tonight. It’s definitely a mixer and not a traditional absinthe.

[Meade] honestly, i didn’t have one prior to me tasting it. forever ago i read about it containing diviner’s sage, which intrigied me, but i took it as it was and it was delicious.

[tiare] Its really enjoyable as mixer i think.

[Meade] mata hari fits into “absinthe” to be, but i just wouldn’t call it an absinthe francaise.

[camper] i found the statement that absinthe, since it means wormwood, means it should taste like wormwood, to be an intriguing idea and has caused me to reconsider my thoughts about it.

Here is a link to the wrap-up of the Mata Hari TDN.

LA LIMONATA

1.5 oz tequila

1 oz  Mata Hari absinthe

0.5 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz simple syrup

Lemon soda to top.

Shake and strain into glass filled with crushed ice.

Garnish a lime wedge and mint.

What`s your opinion on Bohemian style absinthe?

Cherry Heering has been produced in Denmark since 1818 to an original secret recipe handed down through five generations, and is the original “Cherry Brandy.”

The cherries – a special strain of cherry is used – the small, dark Stevens Cherry which has been evolved from an ancient variety still to be found growing wild in parts of Denmark, are pressed together with stones to create a unique cherry taste, and then placed in wooden casks with more spirit added together with spices. No artificial flavours or colouring is used. In order to ensure that the rich taste of the cherries is maximized, the blend needs to rest and circulate for several months. 3-5 years later the product will be bottled.

As i really love cherries it isn`t hard for me to like this product especially since it really is of a very good quality. I find the taste just sweet enough, its deep,warm and rounded with a very pleasant cherry flavor. It`s an essential ingredient in the Singapore Sling and Blood and Sand cocktails. And Blood and Sand is a cocktail which is a favorite of mine, so here it is :

BLOOD AND SAND

This drink has got its name from the film starring Rudolf Valentino as a bullfighter,in 1922. Its served at Tiki Ti with a top pouring of tequila while the crowd led by one of the Mikes yells toro toro tooooorooo..

I wanted to try that (the tequila part) but if I sit here at home yelling toro, toro, toro while pouring a drink I`m not sure how the people here would react. I could be thrown out head first.

For my Blood and Sand I decided to try my Yamazaki 10, wonderfully inspired by my friend Chris who used Yamazaki 12 in his version of this drink. And blood oranges…I just love them! and of course I want to use them as much as I can while they still are in season.





* 1 ounce Yamazaki 10
* 1 ounce fresh-squeezed blood-orange juice
* ¾ ounce Cherry Heering
* ¾ ounce sweeet vermouth
* splash tequila

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with a little splash of tequila. Garnish with pineapple and a brandied cherry.

It tasted great with the Yamazaki and the tequila topping, very interesting. I will definetily make more of these. For garnish I used a pineapple/brandied cherry garnish lazily strewn on top of the foam, mmmm…

Inspired by Blood and Sand i made another little cocktail that i call Cherry and Sand which also was a part of the float themed TDN a while ago.


CHERRY AND SAND

1 oz Bourbon
1 oz dark Jamaican rum
¾ oz Cherry Heering
0.5 tsp simple syryp
Top with Lemon Soda
Float Lemon Hart 151

Shake over ice and servi with crushed ice in a highball glass, garnish with fresh mint.

To round it up i made a tiki drink, a version of the Aloha cocktail:

ALOHA COCKTAIL #2

This cocktail is based on the Aloha cocktail page55 in Sippin Safari.The original recipe uses 151 Bacardi rum and light Puerto Rican rum. I switched the Angostura bitters for their orange bitters, used hibiscus grenadine and upped the orange juice to 1 oz from 0.5. Apart from that its the same recipe as in the book.

0.5 oz white rum
0.5 oz JWray overproof
1.0 oz fresh orange juice
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
0.5 oz hibiscus grenadine
2 dashes Angostura orange bitters

Shake and strain into a ice filled glass. Garnish cherry and pineapple leaves or pineapple slice. This cocktail went down way too easily, its really tasty.

Visit Cherry Heering.

A MAI TAI A DAY…

As a part of the Mai Tai rum combo cocktail-blog coverage i have made a couple different Mai Tais, mostly from demerara rums.I know the Mai Tai had dark Jamaican rum first, and then was paired with a Martiniqan rum, but i think demerara rums makes awesome Mai Tais and the whole idea of this rum combo coverage is to, well, try different rum combos..

The  coverage on the other 3 blogs will contain enough rum combos to cover most needs for tasty Mai Tais…rumdood alone have some 118 rums to choose from…So together we will all hopefully cover enough various rum combos to keep most thirsty Mai Tai lovers happy regardless of where you live, we hope there will be something for everyone. Keep an eye on these blogs as their posts are on their way and rumdood is going to post more on the Mai Tai.

Our best rum combos will also be posted in a wrap-up on the mixoloseum blog. The whole january and into february has been and continues to be Mai Tai month for us, we are working with various rum combinations in our search for the tastiest Mai Tais all based on Trader Vics recipe, as well as attempting to set the recipe for a real Mai Tai straight.

The original Mai Tai by Trader Vic called for the 17 year old JWray & Nephew rum which today exists only a few bottles, if even that, in the hands of a few lucky people. Its fun to experiment and i have found that demerara rums makes excellent Mai Tai´s.They give the Mai Tai`s a deep complex flavor, by their own or for that lively flavor, paired with Clement VSOP or St James hors d`age.

For this post i have made 14 different Mai Tais, many with some unusual demeraras but not all. I know many of these rums i use here are hard to find and some very pricey, but i thought it could be interesting still to cover a few of these kind of rums as well and there has been demands for these rums to be written about too.

If i would to sub these demerara rums i have i would use Lemon Hart 151 for the high proofs like Uitvlugt and Silver Seal, and El Dorado 12 for the other heavy demeraras.

Another very good rum combo in my opinion for the original recipe is otherwise Appleton Extra and St James hors d`age, or Clement VSOP. Yet another very nice combo is Pusser`s and Zaya which i first read about in the Tiki Central.

THE ORIGINAL FORMULA

2 ounces 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum
1/2 ounce French Garnier Orgeat
1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao
1/4 ounce Rock Candy Syrup
Juice from one fresh lime

Shake and garnish with half of the lime shell inside the drink and float a sprig of fresh mint at the edge of the glass.

TRADER VIC`s SANCTIONED RECIPE from Intoxica:

1 oz dark Jamaican rum
1 oz Martinique rum
1 oz fresh lime juice (one lime)
0.5 oz curacao
0.25 oz each of orgeat and simple syrup

Mix all ingredients and shake with ice.  Strain into a glass over crushed ice. Garnish with lime shell and a sprig of mint.

The basic recipe used for my Mai Tais here is Trader Vics formula with either 1 oz each of 2 rums or 2 oz of one rum. I use Vic´s formula because i like its simplicity and balace of flavors as well as letting the rum flavor really come through and i like it better than Don`s Mai Tai which is totally different. Which one of these were the original is an endless discussion which i won´t bother with in this post.

The orgeat i like to use nowadays is Trader Tiki´s extra thick (homemade) when i dont use my own homemade. As for orange curacao, i don´t have it right now, so i used Cointreau but as i find that Cointreau can easily be a bit overpowering, i used 1/4 oz than 0.5 oz. I have listed my Mai Tai`s with the best first (outstanding, which is a 14) and then falling to the last #1 which isn`t bad at all.

One thing i don`t want to be without when i make Mai Tai`s is the mint sprig, because  i really love the fragrance of fresh crispy mint when imbibing a Mai Tai, and without mint i think a Mai Tai is naked. But when i`m out of mint (or rather the shops are out) then i use lime for garnish.

The straws need to be short and placed near the mint so the fragrance reaches you. The crushed or shaved ice is another key ingredient, apart from good quality rums.

LET´S SET THE MAI TAI STRAIGHT

Ingredients NOT to use in my opinion, is grenadine and orange or pineapple juices, or amaretto or anything else that is not in the original Vic`s recipe. You may throw in a little bit of this and a little bit of that into a Mai Tai recipe and end up with some very tasty drinks but these are not Mai Tais. Give it a new name!

The possibly WORST Mai Tai recipe i have ever encountered came from a cocktail book: light rum, simple syrup, limejuice, orange juice, orange curacao, coconut milk, green dyed cocktail cherries, red dyed cocktail cherries, orange slices, pineapple chunks…stating after, that all ingredients except the rum can be subbed with instant powder cocktail-mix…

COCKTAIL MIX???!!!

Why adding (and changing) all these stuff to a already perfect recipe? and then even call it a Mai Tai? Trader Vic`s Mai Tai is such a perfectly balanced drink and it deserves to be made right. Its supposed to have fresh lime..its supposed to taste rum! The rums are meant to predominate and shine through in this drink and the rest of ingredients are singing along balancing the rum flavors to perfection.

On to the rum combos!

MAI TAI #14 with Silver Seal demerara 15 year old

This one has long been my favorite. Its simply Mai Tai roa ae, and its just so full flavored and exquisite in perfect balance,  intoxicating…and nothing so far i`ve had beats it, period. Or so i thought….but that was until i tried JWray & Nephew´s old Jamaican Dagger Punch dark rum..WOW..i doesn`t really beat the Silver Seal but i found it equally good.

So now i also think i have sort of gotten an idea as to how the Mai Tais were in the old days. I dont know how old the dagger punch rum is, i would guess from between the 40-50s because there`s no evidence of their production after the 1950s. These rums were produced by Wray & Nephew in various age-increments (1 Dagger, 2 Dagger, 3 Dagger) and they were all dark Jamaican rum.

So the 2 now share 1st place, which got me to wonder how these two would combine, more on that soon.

THE SILVER SEAL 15 YEAR DEMERARA

This 110 proof Silver Seal Rum has a way to just perfectly marry the other ingredients and simply make a outstanding Mai Tai, very addictive. The flavor is hard to describe, its fullbodied, a complex mix of molasses, dark chocolate, wood, vanilla, dried fruits, punch and yum! Another thing i love with this rum in a Mai Tai is that it bites, as its 110 proof. 2 oz Silver Seal 15 year is used.


MAI TAI  #14 JWray & Nephew Jamaican Dagger Punch – Old Jamaican  Dark Rum

I was amazed by this one..first by the color, dark mahogany. Then the flavor, which i really cannot describe so easily, its well…vintage. It has dark tones of molasses and dried fruits, and is spicy and woody. Very balanced and complex. I imagine that JWrays 17 year old rum could probably have tasted something similar due to what people who has tried it has told me. On the other hand i`ve also heard the JWray tasted different. This dagger is 8 years old.

When i use the 15 year Silver Seal i feel like its a bit close to this one but the two are still very different. And i cannot say either what it is that i find they have in common, one is a demerara and the other is jamaican, but there´s something. Wooden pot stills maybe? I had such a hard time to determine which one of these two is the best Mai Tai i`ve had, it didn´t help to sip them side by side, so they will both share the 1 st place. I used 2 oz of the Jamaican dagger rum.I tried this dagger rum in this Mai Tai experiment more out of curiosity that anything else and this rum must be seen as such as its not produced anymore.

MAI TAI #14 with Silver Seal15 and JWray´s Jamaican dagger punch rum

As i found both of these each one on their own to make the best Mai Tais i`ve had so far i decided to combine them and use 1 oz of each. The two combined? sheesh..here is the exquisite, strong, demerara flavor of the Silver Seal with that rich, strong and spicy taste of the Jamaican dagger. The color is much lighter than it was when i used only the dagger punch rum. So now there´s 3 Mai Tais, based on 2 rums sharing the top position.

MAI TAI #13 with Samaroli`s Port Morant 1990, and Banks XM10.

SAMAROLI PORT MORANT 1990

This demerara rum is made by Samaroli and is bottled in 2007 in Scotland. It has no added color. The flavor is very deeply woody, a bit floral and fruity with flavors of molasses. 366 bottles were made so this is a rare find. Port Morant 1990 is 90 proof. I`m not using it in too many Mai Tais, but its hard to resist as it makes real mean Mai Tais, its almost as good as the 15 year Silver Seal. Paired with XM10 -  a very close number two.

BANKS XM10

XM Royal Gold 10 Year Old (80 proof) is a superb aged demerara rum with a very round and full flavor profile with fruits, molasses and toffee flavors. One of my favorites. If you can get this one, (and its soon to be sold in US as well), and El Dorado rums plus Lemon Hart 151, then you`re fine as far as demeraras go.

I used 1.5 oz Banks XM10 and 0.5 oz Samaroli Port Morant. I took less of the Port Morant as it has such a strong woody flavor. In these proportions i find it complements the toffee flavors of XM very well.

MAI TAI #12 with Banks XM10

As the XM10 is so yummy, its almost like drinking liquid toffee, i wanted to use only this rum ( 2 oz)  in the drink. I`m not dissapointed, the sweetness and roundness of the body in this rum makes an excellent and very smooth Mai Tai which goes down way too easily.

XM Royal Gold 10 Year Old is a superb aged demerara rum crafted by the Aguiar Industries master blenders. This rum is hands down wonderful. Its a creamy full bodied masterwork, very round, with warm round toffee-like flavors. I`m happy for those in the US who soon will be able to buy this fine rum.


MAI TAI #11 Coruba12 and Banks XM10

If we shall talk about yumminess..here it is! Coruba12 has a lot of complexity and some sweetness, dried fruits and molasses-toffeelike flavors and paired with XM10 which  is a step ahead with the toffeeness but with the typical demerara flavor, you`re in for a very tasty Mai Tai.



MAI TAI #10 Banks XM10 and JM Reserve Special

My first thought when tasting this one was “wow this is tasty! very very tasty..” Its like the rums just melt together into a real elixir of pleasure.I`m not even sure it shall have no 10.

Now JM isnt a cheap rhum agricole..i wish it was. Its really a very good sipping rum, but as we know, the better ingredients, the better cocktails. And in this research any rum that is good could be used i think.

MAI TAI #9 Banks XM10 and Clemént XO.

This one is just WOW, so tasty! the punch of the XM10 with its toffeeness paired with Clemént XO which is a outstanding aged rhum agricole, tasty.

MAI TAI #8  El Dorado12 and Clemènt VSOP

This is a very pleasant and tasty Mai Tai. El Dorado 12 is just punchy enough to blend well with Clemènt and combined they are great. I`m unfortunately out of El Dorado 15 but on the other hand, that´s such a strongly punchy rum that it takes over the other flavors a bit. But that`s just my taste. Otherwise its my fav rum together with Silver Seal 15.

MAI TAI #7 Zaya (Guatemala) and Pusser`s 15

This is just so tasty. I first read about it on Tiki Central, long ago and i think it was Pusser´s blue label that was used. Well, this one is tasty too! The punchiness of the navy rum with the sweetness of Zaya – nice!



MAI TAI #6 Lemon Hart Jamaican and El Dorado 12

Here we have a Mai Tai with 2 very good rums and the taste is good but for some reason i expected more, maybe i expect too much? this one tastes good but i guess that with some of these other demeraras its easy to get a bit spoilt. Did i have only these 2 rums to use, i would have loved this Mai Tai. Well, i do, i love all good Mai Tais!


MAI TAI #5  Silver Seal 15 and Clemént VSOP

I expected much of this one, probably because of Silver Seal, but its not as good as i thought but still very tasty i shall not deny that and it became even tastier while it mellowed in the glass. But its a huge difference to use 2 oz of just Silver Seal or to pair it with Clemént VSOP.

MAI TAI #4  Port Royal and St James 12 with a Uitvlugt Port Morant 1990 float

Port Royal is a beautiful little demerara rarity which is aged 14 years and is a bit on the sweet side, yet very woody, its 92 proof. I was figuring it would be interesting to pair it with St James 12 year which is a rum i all of a sudden discovered being on limited offer in our spirit shop. I hadn´t seen it before anywhere, neither did i find any information on it but i bought it and yes, its a very smooth agricole rum. Probably its a special edition or something, nobody has been able to tell me anything.

It turned out to be a very very tasty Mai Tai, the smooth St James 12 perfectly blends with the woody Port Royal, so i give it no#5.

The original recipe do not call for any float but i like floats and so here is one with a float of the overproof Port Morant 1990 for an extra kick. I`m totally sure that Banks XM10 and St James12 or hors d`age would be a very nice combo as well. I used 1 oz of each.


MAI TAI #3  Appleton Extra and Havana Club 7 year

This is also a pleasant rum combo and I suspect this will be used by one or more of my fellow blogger friends .This mellow and rich flavored rum combo makes  for very tasty Mai Tais. These rums are premium, both are versatile and luckily also moderately priced, good for the “everyday Mai Tai”.. I used 1 oz of each.

MAI TAI #2  Appleton extra and Old Vatted (O.V.D)

With Appleton extra as base i didn`t need to worry about good taste, the addition of 0.5 oz Old Vatted demerara just added a touch of deep woodiness. I had a problem in deciding which one of  either this one or the Appleton Extra and Havana Club 7 year, should be #3. But Havana Club7 wins with its overall yumminess.

Here i used 1.5 oz Appleton Extra and 0.5 oz OVD

MAI TAI #1 Banks XM10 and Uitvlugt 1990 fullproof

A kick of the fullproof Uitvlugt to punch up the round sweet and toffeelike XM isn`t bad at all, but i think you got to love demeraras to fully appreciate this combo as the Uitvlugt is a li`l bit on the almost harsh side with the high proof and woodiness. I used 1.5 oz of XM to 0.5 oz of Uitvlugt. As Uitvlugt highproof (132 proof) is a very strong demerara and i used just a little bit extra simple syrup in this. This rum combo is for those demerara geeks who loves deep woodiness. This is the last one and even though the least on my scale it isnt bad at all.

Overall, the best Mai Tai rum combo suggestions with rums available today, based on my experince with these i`ve tried here, except for the dagger rum which is supposed to be seen as a curiosity, are in no specific order:

Appleton Extra with St James hors d`age or Clemént VSOP

2 oz Silver Seal 15 demerara

(or 1.5 oz El Dorado 12 with a 0.5 oz Lemon Hart 151, alternatively 0.5 oz El D12, 1 oz XM10 and 0.5 oz LH 151, it won`t be the same thing but its the best subs i can think of for the moment)

Banks XM10 demerara

El Dorado 12 and Clemént VSOP

Zaya and Pusser´s

There`s other rums apart from El Dorado 15 that i haven`t used because as i`m out of it and that`s Coruba dark, Appleton Reserve and VX and Lemon Hart 151. I`m sure they would be good in Mai Tai`s as well and mixed with say Banks XM…got to try that one some day! To read more on demerara rums, see my demerara rum blog post series.

One thing that fascinates me is that how one rum can be really outstanding paired with another and then when paired with yet a different rum all of a sudden isn´t that outstanding as it was with the first rum. So it isnt so easy to find the ultimate pairing, i`m not even sure if i have and luckily its probably a never ending research. The world of flavors is really fascinating!

So finally here is my advice for those of you looking for perfectly yummy Mai Tais, if you can get it, get Silver Seal15 and Banks XM10, and get Appleton Extra, Clemènt VSOP, Zaya and Pusser`s. Use Trader Vics recipe and don`t add pineapple and orange juices, amaretto or grenadine.

I was asking some fellow bloggers in the mixoloseum chat room about why they think its so hard for people to stick to the real Mai Tai recipe as it is a very simple recipe and it seems like the biggest problem in many places is how to find orgeat. Here i can find it sometimes but i make my own which isnt very hard. As its a bit boring -  but not difficult, to get the blanched almonds out of their shell, i don`t make that large batches, i make about 1L at a time. I keep my orgeat in the fridge.

Here´s a link to the orgeat i make:  http://fxcuisine.com/Default.asp?Display=26

Here´s another link to orgeat: http://www.artofdrink.com/2006/02/orgeat-syrup.php

The demerara rums i`ve used can be purchased at R2M shop, Speciality Drinks, The Whiskey Exchange or the German and Italy EBay.

I myself have only had a real Mai Tai at a bar only in one place and that was at TikiRoom here in Stockholm, with the rum combos Appleton VX-Havana Cub7 and Appleton Extra-El Dorado dark, what about you? where have you been served at real Mai Tai?

This months Mixology Monday is hosted by A Mixed Dram, thank you for hosting! We get a good portion of freedom of imagination and also a challenge here when we are supposed to do something we haven`t done before.

There were a few suggestions: “Try a new base spirit.”, “Use a technique you’ve never used before”, “Been reading about those really cool and wacky purees infused with spices and herbs and other flavourings, or some other cool culinary technique? I challenge you to bring it here next month.”

After some thinking i finally have choosen to make a Indian style cocktail (which i haven`t done before) using some spices i haven`t used before in cocktails, which is fresh turmeric and cumin syrup.

The fragrance from the shaker when everything was muddled was so fresh! the drink tasted fruity-earthy-spicy and fresh. I´m not sure if i felt the taste of the cumin syrup or not, but overall i was pleased with this drink and the bright yellow color was needed in this darkness of the winter that is now. It was really interesting to make a indian style spiced cocktail and i want to make more.

INDIAN SUNSHINE

1 oz gold and 1 oz white rum
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz cumin syrup
1 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
A small splash mango juice

A very small piece of fresh turmeric, be careful so it doesnt overpower the drink.This also will stain everything yellow including your stomach..so use not your nicest wooden muddler. This is what imparts such a lovely yellow sunshine color to the drink.

A small amount fresh cilantro, like a small sprig.

Garnish with fresh curry leaves and a sprig of peppermint.

Muddle a very small piece of fresh turmeric ( remember this spice is strong) with cumin syrup, fresh cilantro and lime juice in a shaker and add the rest of ingredients. Shake over ice and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Sprinkle dark cocoa and chilipowder on top.(i used Santa Marias cocoa and chili powder)

CUMIN SYRUP

1 tsp cumin seeds
Equal parts water and raw cane sugar, 1 cup each

Heat cumin seeds in a hot skillet until fragrant. Add the cumin seeds to a pan and add the water and bring to a boil. Then simmer for a little while, about 4-5 minutes and then add the sugar and stir until it`s dissolved.

Remove from heat, cool, strain, bottle. Keep in fridge.

When smelling the roots of the turmeric you can really see that its a member of the ginger family -

( Zingiberaceae), just as the cardamom plant. They all have that same sort of delightful “raw” and “earthy-peppery-citrusy” fragrance. When i used to work in a tropical greenhouse i quite often replanted large cardamom plants and i remember how i enjoyed the fresh smell of their roots.

Time for dessert!

While waiting for the MxMo and the following Mai Tai rum combo posts i have this little dessert to squeeze in between, enjoy!

BAKED PINEAPPLE BOAT WITH TROPICAL RUM SAUCE AND MARENGUE BRULÈE

For the boat: 1 large pineapple, 2 small papayas,marengue (whipped egg whites)

For the Sauce: 3 oz coconut milk, 1 tsp dark sugar, 1 split vanilla bean, 1 tblsp demerara rum.

Oven +200C

Makes 2 servings.

Cut the pineapple in 2 halves and scoop out the contents.and cut in bite size pieces, Mix and stuff the pineapple halves. Wrap in banana leaf or foil and bake for 15-20 min.

In the mean time make the marengue by whipping egg whites until it gets stiff and fluffy, i use about 3-4 eggs depending on size.

Sauce:

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds and slowly simmer in the coconut milk and sugar for about 10-15 mins, add the rum the last 5 mins. When the baked pineapple boat is done, take it out, wrap up and let cool a bit.

Put the oven to a high grill unless you use a brulèe torch.

Drizzle the sauce over the pineapple boats and top with the marengue. Take a fork and make a pattern on the marengue. if using a torch, now brulèe the top. If not put the boat in the oven near the top and carefully brulèe the marengue. garnish with some pineapple leaves stuck in on the side of the boats.

Serve immediately.

]]> http://amountainofcrushedice.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/long-live-the-pineapple/feed/ 1 Tiare http://amountainofcrushedice.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/demerara-rums-part-two/ http://amountainofcrushedice.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/demerara-rums-part-two/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:03:41 +0000 Tiare http://amountainofcrushedice.wordpress.com/?p=1478 ]]>

In this second part of my series on demerara rums i`m going to write about BanksXM, Old Vatted and Samaroli Port Morant 1990.

BANKS XM DEMERARA

Since the 1840`s, the D’Aguiar family have been in business in Guyana, its for over 150 years, and over the years this company`s rums have been awarded many accolades, including three outstanding awards at the International Wine and Spirits Competition for its 10 year-old rum and XM VXO, which won a double gold medal and a bronze award respectively.

XM Royal Gold 10 Year Old is a superb aged demerara rum crafted by the Aguiar Industries master blenders. I can really vouch for this rums superior tastness, its hands down wonderful. Its a creamy full bodied masterwork, very round, with lots of toffee-like flavor. So Yummy!

I`ve now heard its going to be sold in the US and i`m very happy for my demerara loving friends living there and all rum lovers, this is really a masterpiece of a demerara rum.

The rums used to make XM Royal Gold are first aged in bourbon casks for over 9 years, then the best rums are chosen for blending. When they are blended the rum is then filled into Sherry casks for another 6 months of aging.

I also have the 12 year old Millenium, a blend of aged demerara rums, very smooth and more refined in flavor than the 10yo, but it lacks the rounded “toffeeness” of XM10 and i prefer the 10, but its a very nice rum with a smooth and distinctive flavor.

Then we have XM VXO – famous for its unique smoothness, bouquet and aroma which i haven`t been able to try yet. Its crafted from rums aged for 7 years in Sherry casks and then the choicest casks are selected for blending XM VXO 7 year old.

XM is distilled at Diamond, and then aged and bottled by Banks/DIH outside Georgetown. Banks/DIH is a blender.

So to summarize these 2 XM rums:

The XM10 is yummy, full bodied, round, with lots of toffee-like flavor, on the sweet side.

The XM12 Millenium lacks much of that toffee-like flavor and is less sweet, a bit lighter and more refined, also very tasty.

O.V.D – OLD VATTED DEMERARA RUM

First time i tried this rum my thoughts immediately went to Lemon Hart 151. O.V.D has a lot of similar flavors but at 80 proof of course without that overproof bite. I find its a very good mixing rum provided that not too much is used as the woodiness is very pronounced. It adds a distinctive character to for example, tropical and Tiki drinks in the same way as LH151 does. Its nice for sipping as well and has a distinctive oaky aroma as it have matured for up to seven years in oak.

Its a  blend of Demerara Rums made from sugar cane growing along the banks of the Demerara River. It is matured in Guyana, it’s full-bodied, mellow, woody and spicy, with some complex toffee flavours, rich on the palate, mellow finish and a hint of sweet molasses. O.V.D is blended from the finest demerara rums in the world, and matured in oak casks. George Morton Limited first imported O.V.D into Scotland in 1838.

Originally Old Vatted was imported by George Morton from Guyana in 1838. Morton was a whisky bottler and blender – since recognized as Scotland’s leading rum specialist. Today the George Morton Company is a subsidiary of William Grant & Sons Ltd. One thing that is very good about OVD is that its very reasonably priced, about the same price as XM10.

Its said that Morton created Old Vatted Demerara rum especially for the Scottish palate…

OLD because its aged longer than most rums to obtain a mellow, rich and spicy taste and it has been imported to Scotland since 1838.

VATTED, because specially imported, top quality rums from Guyana are carefully vatted or blended to become consistent smooth, rounded and full-bodied.

DEMERARA, because it comes from the country in which the Dutch established the colony of Demerara. And its made from the very best sugar cane stock and the rums from this region are renown for being dark and aromatic and for their richness of flavour.

Producer: Demerara Distillers   –   www.demrum.com

SAMAROLI PORT MORANT 1990

Samaroli is an Italian independent bottler, a legendary whisky selector and famed for the exceptional quality of their releases and for their arty, innovative labels and packaging.

In 1992, after a 12 years period of enquiries in the tropical places, Silvano S. Samaroli started with the bottling of special lots of Rum in Scotland. His first Rum became a very successful 1948 West Indies Dark Rum. This was the start of a growing portfolio. I´ve read there`s only 4 bottles left of that rum. At this moment there are several beautiful Rums available that bear the name Samaroli. Since the Rums are all from just 1 big or small cask, all products by Samaroli are limited editions.

I find my Samaroli Port Morant 1990 excellent. It has a very deep woody flavor with some peppery and tropical fruit notes accompanied by molasses and vanilla. Its naturally colored by aging. Its too rare to mix with too often, only 366 bottles were made, but it does make a outstanding Mai Tai when mixed with Banks XM10.

A pricey treasure.

Any rum that is refered to as Demerara rum must be distilled in Guyana in the county of Demerara.

Many of these demeraras and other tasty rums are going to be used in the big Mai Tai rum combo coverage that will take place on jan 26 involving 4 cocktail blogs: Rumdood, Trader Tiki, KaiserPenguin and this blog. Our best rum combos will also be posted in a wrap-up on the Mixoloseum blog. The whole january is a Mai Tai month for us, we are working with various rum combinations in our search for the tastiest Mai Tais all based on Trader Vics recipe, as well as attempting to set the recipe for a real Mai Tai straight. Presented to you on jan 26!

How often have you had a real Mai Tai in a bar?