Drinks, Cocktails

Rusty Nail Shake

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An adult milkshake!  And, I will bet you can think of several other variations!

Ingredients: 

  • 1 pt (2 c) softened vanilla ice cream
  • 1 oz (2 Tab) Scotch, or to taste
  • 1 oz (2 Tab) Drambuie, or to taste
  • 1/8 c chopped toasted pecans

Directions: 

  1. In a blender, blend ice cream, Scotch and Drambuie until smooth but still thick.
  2. Pour into 2 chilled stemmed glasses.
  3. Garnish drinks with pecans.

Serves:  Makes 2 drinks  (Share with a friend!)

Source: Gourmet, July 1994

Grand Marnier Smoothie

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This is like a yummy “Orange Julius” with a kick,

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c softened vanilla ice cream
  • 1 1/2 c fresh orange juice
  • 1 oz (2 Tab) Grand Marnier, or to taste
  • 1/2 ea freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 orange slices, cut in half

Directions:

  1. In a blender, blend ice cream, orange juice, Grand Marnier and zest until smooth but still thick.
  2. Pour mixture into 2 chilled stemmed glasses
  3. Garnish with half an orange slice.

Serves: Makes 2 drinks  (One for me and one for seconds)

Source: Gourmet, July 1994

Screwdrivers – Single and Gallon Size

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The beauty of the Screwdriver lies in the cocktail’s simplicity. Combining orange juice and vodka in a highball glass is about as easy as a cocktail gets and creates a base that’s ripe for experimentation.
The Screwdriver is a classic drink that has been designated an International Bartender Association official cocktail. The history of the Screwdriver is somewhat debatable, even though mention of it in literature goes back to 1949. Some claim that the drink was first made popular by American aviators. Another origin story claims that it was made popular by American oil workers who dubbed the drink the Screwdriver because they mixed it first with a screwdriver when a spoon was not on hand.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1⁄2 oz Vodka – go for something mid to high shelf
  • Orange juice – fresh squeezed if possible

Directions:

  1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
  2. Add the vodka.
  3. Top with the orange juice.

Serves:   1

Source:  liquor,com

A Gallon of Screwdrivers

Ingredients:

  • 3 quarts orange juice
  • 3 c vodka
  • orange slices, for glasses

Directions:

  1. Combine orange juice, vodka.
  2. Mix well’
  3. Pour into punch bowl.
  4. Float orange slices on top, if desired.
  5. To serve, pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with orange slice.

Source:  CDKitchen

Recipe Variations:
While there are only two elements in the Screwdriver, there are some other options available that can ramp up your average Screwdriver. Essentially, we’re just using the vodka-orange juice base and adding a little to it because sometimes we need to break out of a routine. Here are a few ideas for improving your Screwdriver game:

  • Flavored Vodka – It is the easiest way to add a little spark and flavor contrast. Citrus vodkas would be an obvious option, though something with a little more contrast and will add depth. Try one of the berry vodkas for starters. Either cucumber or vanilla vodkas are amazing here as well. Experiment with your own infusions; rosemary-strawberry vodka is a very fun base for a Screwdriver.
  • Add a Sweetener – Orange juice has a natural acidity that can be combated with a little sweetener. To keep the flavor profile untouched, add a little simple syrup to your drink. If you want to add another flavor along with sweetness, take a hint from the Tequila Sunrise and add grenadine or a similar syrup like strawberry or raspberry-lavender. Just a small dollop of syrup will make a world of difference.
  • Add Sparkle – Lighten up your Screwdriver by topping it off with soda. Ginger ale and club soda are two perfect options, though you may also want to consider something a bit more fun like DRY Cucumber or Q Ginger. Also, you can take inspiration from drinks like the Mimosa and add a little sparkling wine.
  • Muddled Fruit – Before pouring your Screwdriver, muddle a few pieces of fresh fruit in your glass. Berries add a nice contrast and kiwi are an easy and fun addition. Lemon, lime, peach and almost any fruit you can find will add just a little bit of dimension to this simple drink.

Source:  The Spruce Eats
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  1. A screwdriver with two parts of Sloe gin, and filled with orange juice is a “Slow (Sloe) Screw”.
  2. A screwdriver with two parts of Sloe gin, one part of Southern Comfort and filled with orange juice is a “Slow Comfortable Screw”.
  3. A screwdriver with one part of Sloe gin, one part of Southern Comfort, one part Galliano and filled with orange juice is a “Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against The Wall”.
  4. A screwdriver with one part of Sloe gin, one part of Southern Comfort, one part Galliano, one part tequila and filled with orange juice is a “Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against The Wall Mexican Style”.
  5. A screwdriver with one part of Sloe gin, one part of Southern Comfort, one part Galliano, one part peach schnapps, and filled with orange juice is a “Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against a Fuzzy Wall”.
  6. A screwdriver with one part of Sloe gin, one part of Southern Comfort, one part Galliano, one part peach schnapps, one part sparkling rosé, and filled with orange juice is a “Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against a Fuzzy Pink Wall”.
  7. A screwdriver with two parts vodka, four parts orange juice, and one part Galliano is a Harvey Wallbanger.
  8. A screwdriver with equal parts vanilla vodka and Blue Curaçao topped with lemon-lime soda is a “Sonic Screwdriver”.
  9. A shot of vodka with a slice of orange is a Cordless Screwdriver.

Rum Pineapple Delight

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Who said jello is just for children???

Ingredients:

  • 1 3 oz pkg pineapple jell-o
  • 1 c Malibu rum (use plain rum if you don’t like coconut)
  • 1 c Water

Directions:  

  1. Dissolve jello in boiling water completely.
  2. Stir in rum.
  3. Pour into 2 ounce shot glasses 3/4 of the way up.  (use those little plastic portion cups)
  4. Chill till set and serve.

Serves:    12

Source:  Genius Kitchen

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know about Serving Wine

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The mystery of the champagne bottle — what is a jeroboam??  Now you know.  And a bunch of other stuff too.

Here are the various sizes, based on a 750-ml bottle.

  • Split: a quarter-size bottle (2 glasses)
  • Pint: half a standard bottle (3 glasses)
  • Standard: a 750-ml bottle (6 glasses)
  • Magnum: two bottles (12 glasses)
  • Jeroboam: four champagne bottles (24 glasses)
  • Rehoboam: six champagne bottles (36 glasses)
  • Methuselah: eight champagne bottles (48 glasses)
  • Salmanazar: twelve champagne bottles (72 glasses)
  • Balthazar: sixteen champagne bottles (96 glasses)
  • Nebuchadnezzar: twenty champagne bottles (120 glasses)

When deciding the number of wine bottles to purchase for a party, buy more wine than is needed, and allow for slight overages: calculate on the basis of five glasses of wine per 750-mL bottle, rather than six. A good rule is to be generous but never pressing.
To ascertain the number of wine bottles to purchase, remember that a glass is filled no more than half full, or 4 ounces. One bottle serves six people a 4-ounce drink; two bottles serves twelve people; three bottles serves eighteen people. Remember, allow for overages and have extra bottles handy.
The number of servings per bottle is largely determined by when the drink is taken.

Aperitif

  • Aperitifs are served before meals when guests are thirsty; plan on five to six servings per bottle.
  • When champagne is served as an aperitif, allow two glasses of champagne per person.

Table Wine

The amount of table wine is commensurate with the number of courses served with the meal and the length of time the guests are seated at the dinner table.

  • Multi-Course Meals. At a multi-course meal, normally one glass of white wine and two glasses of red wine are served for a total of 12 ounces per guest.
  • Simple Meals. At a simple meal, two glasses of wine are served per person, or a total of 8 ounces of wine per guest.
  • Luncheons. At luncheon, one and a half glasses of wine suffice, or 4 to 6 ounces per person.
  • Champagne with Meal. When champagne is served as a table wine, three glasses a person is sufficient.
  • Dessert Wine. Because dessert wine is served at the end of the meal, one glass is sufficient. Based on a 3-ounce serving, a bottle of dessert wine holds approximately eight glasses.
  • Champagne with Dessert. When champagne is served with dessert, one glass per guest is ample.
  • Liqueurs or Cordials. Following dessert and coffee, guests have little appetite or thirst, and a liqueur or cordial is offered in a small glass. Liqueur and cordial bottles hold approximately sixteen servings, based on 1 ½ ounces per guest.
  • Brandy. The average serving of brandy consists of an ounce or two. Generally one drink is served, and the average bottle of brandy holds around twelve servings based on a 2-ounce drink.

How to open a bottle of wine

Still table wine is opened with a spiral corkscrew.

  1. Grasp the Neck. The neck is the weakest part of a wine bottle. Grasp the neck of the bottle to support it.
  2. Remove the Foil. Use the blade of the corkscrew to cut the foil about 14 inch from the top. Otherwise, as wine pours over the foil the jagged edge will impart a metallic flavor.
  3. Wipe the Outside Lip. To remove mold or dust that may lie underneath the capsule, wipe the outside of the lip.
  4. Insert the Corkscrew. Gently insert the corkscrew in the center of the cork, but not all the way through. Otherwise small particles of cork may fall into the bottle.
  5. Turn Slowly to Remove the Cork. To avoid crumbling the cork, use a slow turning motion and steadily ease it from the bottle.
  6. Wipe the Lip. In the process of removal, the cork gently presses against the sides of the bottle and may leave a deposit on the inside of the neck. Before pouring the first glass, wipe the inside and outside of the lip to remove any traces of cork.
  7. Save the Cork. Save the cork to reseal the bottle.

If the cork breaks, push it all-the-way into the bottle; and hold it down with a skewer or any long metal object while pouring.  Or, filter the wine through a fresh piece of muslin.

Using a corkscrew to open a bottle of sparkling wine causes the cork to compress against the neck of the bottle, which creates pressure that makes the wine explode from the bottle.  Instead, open as follows.

  1. Remove the Metal Foil.
  2. Twist the Metal Loop. Twist the metal loop attached to the wire muzzle to the left.
  3. Remove the Muzzle.
  4. Grasp the Bottle. Grab the bottle by the neck.
  5. Hold the Cork with Your Thumb. To prevent the cork from shooting forth from pressure made by the bubbles, hold it in place with the thumb.
  6. Hold the Bottle and Loosen the Cork. Hold the bottle in one hand, and with the other hand turn and loosen the cork.
  7. Cover with a Napkin. To absorb any wine that may emit from the bottle when the cork is removed, cover it with a napkin.
  8. Tilt the Bottle. A tilted bottle of sparkling wine transfers pressure away from the cork and puts it against the side of the bottle. Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle (pointed away from guests or breakable artifacts).
  9. Push the Cork. Push the cork upward with the thumb, and gently ease it from the bottle to prevent a loss of wine.
  10. Bang! The cork should expel with a soft sigh, rather than a loud bang.

How to pour a bottle of wine

  1. Wrap a napkin around the neck for insulation.
  2. Hold the bottle in the palm of your hand, label facing the guest, so he or she can observe the vintage.
  3. Pour table wine down the inside of a glass.
  4. Bring the bottle to the glass and twist the bottle over the glass to halt the drops to avoid spills.

Pouring Champagne

  1. Pour champagne soon after the bottle is opened
  2. Avoid stimulating the bubbles by pouring in a trickle
  3. Pour a small amount of champagne into a glass, let the froth settle for a moment, then fill the glass three-quarters full.

How much wine to pour

Generally, leave enough room in the glass to gently swirl the wine and release the bouquet.
White and Rose:   pour 3 ounces into the glass – fill the glass one-third full.
Red:  pour 4 ounces –  fill the glass half full.
Champagne and Sparkling Wine:  pour 4 ounces – fill the glass three-quarters full.
Brandy: To create a chamber for the inhalation of brandy, only an ounce or two are poured.

Aeration of wine

Red wine is aerated by opening the bottle in advance of service. Aeration removes from the bottle musty odors, such as those from an unclean barrel.  The amount of time red wine needs for aeration depends on the age of the wine.  Young red wines, usually those under 8 years old, are strong in tannic acid and require 1 to 2 hours to aerate.  Mature red wines, generally those over 8 years old, are mellow and need to breathe for approximately 30 minutes, if at all.  Very old red wines require no aeration.  Wines with delicate bouquets, such as white wine, rose, champagne, and sparkling wines are not aerated and are opened just before service.

Decanting wine

If it’s too tannic to drink. Pour it back and forth between two vessels a few times.

Wine temperature

With wine, different styles require different temperature.  Serving wine too cold masks its aroma and flavor. Cold also brings out any bitterness in the wine. But, serving a wine too warm will make it seem flat and dull and overly alcoholic.
To protect red wine against vaporization and loss of bouquet, it is served at a slightly cooler temperature than the average room, or around 65°F (18°C).  Because warmth reduces the astringent taste of tannin, to lower the sharp flavor of red wine high in tannin, serve it at a warmer temperature than an aged red wine low in tannin.
Light-bodied wines are served chilled. In general, the sweeter the table wine, the colder it is served; this reduces the cloying taste. However, if chilled too long, light-colored wines lose their bouquet and taste.  Chill white wine, rose, and dessert wine in a refrigerator for 30 minutes to 3 hours before service.  Chill champagne or sparkling wine for approximately 1 hour.Chill white wine, rose, and dessert wine in a large container filled half with water and half with ice.  Salt: water speeds the melting process of ice, and salt increases the rate of chill.  To promote an even chill, submerge a bottle up to the neck in water.  To speed the rate of chill, gently twirl the bottle so the wine comes in contact with the cool sides of the bottle.  Chill approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
To chill champagne and sparkling wine in an ice bucket.  Fill the container with half water and half ice, but do not add salt; the mineral causes rapid chill, which causes the flavor to deteriorate. Chill  approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
Chill white wine, rose, and dessert wine in a freezer for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, and champagne 10 to 20 minutes or until the bottles are cool to the touch.Wine temperature guidelines

  • Sparkling wines and young, sweet white wines: 40° to 50°
  • Most whites: 43° to 53°
  • Rich, full-bodied whites: 50° to 55°
  • Light reds: 50° to 60°
  • Medium-bodied reds: 55° to 65°
  • Bold reds: 62° to 67°

Order of wine service

Begin the meal with the most temperate wine and progress to the headiest and most fragrant.  At a simple meal where one wine is served, chose a wine that best compliments the main course.  When two wines are served, serve in the following orders:

  • sparkling wine is served before still wine;
  • dry wine before sweet wine;
  • light wine before heavy wine;
  • young red wine before mature red wine; and
  • ordinary wine before fine wine.
  1. Appetizers: Aperitifs, dry sherry, dry champagne, and dry white wine
  2. Soup: White burgundy, dry champagne, chablis, or sherry (when sherry is an ingredient in soup)
  3. Fish: Dry champagne or dry white wine, such as white burgundy, chablis, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc
  4. Fowl: Dry champagne or dry white wine, such as alsatian, pinot blanc, semillon, sylvaner, and traminer
  5. Game: Dry red wine, such as barbera, burgundy, cabernet sauvignon, gamay, pinot nair, or zinfandel
  6. Red Meat: Dry red wine, such as burgundy or claret, or those listed under “Game”
  7. Salad: no wine is served
  8. Cheese: Dessert wine, such as madeira, muscatel, tawny port, sweet sherry, or tokay
  9. Dessert: Sweet champagne, such as doux, or dessert wine, such as madeira, malaga, marsala, port, sauterne, and sweet sherry
  10. Fruit: Dessert wine
  11. Chocolate: Port or cream sherry

Storing wine

Cold and hot temperatures threaten the taste of wine. Cold temperatures slow the rate of fermentation, and extremely cold air increases the astringency of red wines high in tannic acid. Store wine in a cold place, such as a cellar, a closet, or an unused cupboard.  Don’t keep wine on the top shelf, because heat rises. Wines stored in warmish air mature too quickly and do not keep long.   Changes in temperature also affect wine, so don’t store it in an area where the temperature fluctuates. Sudden changes in temperature accelerate aging.

White wine, rose, sparkling wine, and dessert wine lose flavor and bouquet when stored in a refrigerator, but the taste is enhanced when they are chilled in a refrigerator for several hours. Avoid storing them in a refrigerator for too long. After five days, the cold refrigerator temperatures will slow the action of the bubbles.  In general, white wine, rose, and sparkling wine are stored at cooler temperatures than red wines. Wine stored in a house where the ambient temperature is 68 to 70°F (20 to 21°C) keeps for several months.

The humidity level for wine storage is a minimum 74 percent and a maximum 95 percent. To promote humidity, place a damp sponge on a saucer. Humidity above 95 percent encourages mold.  Store wine bottles horizontally. The position keeps the corks moist. They swell and prevent air and bacteria from entering the bottles. Wine breathes in the bottle; vibrations travel through wine and promote an unpleasant taste. Repeated vibrations foster wine lees, dead yeast cells left after fermentation that rise in the bottle and promote a sour taste. To reduce vibrations, allow space between the storage of bottles. Wine is susceptible to odors. To promote taste, keep storage areas free of odor-producing elements. Sunshine or ultraviolet light foster wine with a musty or flat flavor; incandescent light is recommended in a storage area.

Source: Etiquette Scholar

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

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This strawberry banana smoothie is made from four simple ingredients – strawberries, banana, milk and yogurt. There are many recipes – but when camping, keep it simple.

Ingredients:

  • 2 c fresh strawberries, halved
  • 1 banana, quartered and frozen
  • 1/2 c Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt is nice and thick, but you could use regular yogurt in this recipe as well.)
  • 1/2 c milk

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

Serves: 2

Source:  Lisa Bryan – Downshiftology

Don’t tell anyone but you can add an ounce of rum if no one is looking.

Mai Tai – The Original Tiki Cocktail

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The Mai Tai is perhaps the most famous Tiki cocktail for a good reason.

Ingredients: 

  • 3⁄4 oz Fresh lime juice
  • 1⁄4 oz Rock candy (simple) syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)
  • 1⁄4 oz Orgeat almond syrup
  • 1⁄2 oz Orange curaçao
  • 2 oz Premium aged rum
    Garnish:
  • 1 Lime rind and fresh mint sprig

Directions: 

  1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, except the garnish.
  2. Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with crushed ice.
  3. Shake vigorously until the shaker is well-chilled and frosty on the outside.
  4. Pour (unstrained) into a double Old Fashioned glass.
  5. Garnish with fresh mint and a lime if you fancy that.
  6. You can also float some dark rum on top of the cocktail.

Serves:   Makes 1 cocktail – enough??
Source: Liquor.com. postprohibition.com/recipes/trader-vics-mai-tai/

And a bit of history.  Note the date is 1994.

The Mai Tai hits the Big Five-0
Celebrating The (nearly) Perfect Mai Tai
By Rick Carroll

Bright as a tropical moon, smooth as summer surf, rich as old Lurline passengers, cool and fresh as green limes, the Mai Tai is Hawaii’s favorite drink. One sip and it’s paradise. Or, should be.

On the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Mai Tai, the state of the most popular tropical cocktail in the Pacific is shaky. Most Mai Tais served in Hawaii today are too strong, too sweet and, at $7 and up, too expensive. They are pale imitations of the original.  Some taste like gasoline, others like cough syrup. They burn the throat, produce terrible headaches and generally give Hawaii a bad name. They should be served with a Surgeon General’s warning.

The worst Mai Tais are served in Waikiki. They contain cheap rum, bottled pre-mixes, canned pineapple juice and orange juice concentrate. Weak and syrupy, they look murky in a plastic glass brightened only by a red maraschino cherry and pineapple wedge skewered on a plastic sword. These tacky concoctions have little in common with a real Mai Tai and should be avoided at all costs.  Some variations on the original theme are excellent because they don’t alter the basic ingredients.

The classic Mai Tai is an unforgettable cocktail, an icy Jamaican rum and fresh lime juice drink with a subtle hint of oranges and almonds and a sprig of fresh mint for garnish.  Now, that’s a Mai Tai.

The Mai Tai may be Polynesian in name, but it’s American in origin, created not on a tropical lagoon but on the mudflats of San Franciso’s East Bay in 1944, by a legendary California restaurateur, the late Vic Bergeron of Trader Vic’s fame.

There’s been a lot of conversation over the beginning of the Mai Tai. And I want to get the record straight,” Bergeron said before he died. “I originated the Mai Tai. Many others have claimed credit. All this aggravates my ulcer completely. Anyone who says I didn’t create this drink is a dirty stinker.”  Don the Beachcomber claimed he created the drink but circumstantial evidence favors the Trader, who, in a 1947 book, “The Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide (Revised),” told how he originated the Mai Tai in his Oakland restaurant:

“In 1944 after success with several exotic rum drinks, I felt a new drink was needed. I thought about all the really successful drinks- martinis, manhattans, daiquiris, all basically simple drinks. I took down a bottle of 17-year old rum. It was J. Wray & Nephew from Jamaica-surprisingly golden in color, medium bodied, but with the rich pungent flavor particular to the Jamaican blends.  The flavor of this great rum wasn’t meant to be overpowered with heavy addition of fruit juices and flavorings.  I took a fresh lime, added some orange curacao from Holland, a dash of rock candy syrup, and a dollop of French orgeat for its subtle almond flavor.  I added a generous amount of shaved ice and shook it vigorously by hand to produce the marriage I was after. Half the lime shell went into each drink for color and I stuck in a branch of fresh mint.”

“I gave the first two to Eastham and Carrie Guild, friends from Tahiti who were there that night. Carrie took one sip and said, ‘Mai tai roa ae.  In Tahitian this means,’out of this world, the best.’ Well, that was that. I named the drink ‘Mai Tai.'”

The Mai Tai became popular at Trader Vic’s restaurants in Oakland, San Francisco and Seattle. In 1953, Bergeron introduced the Mai Tai to Hawaii at the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Hotels whose well-heeled guests arrived by Matson Line steamships.  It was the right drink at the right place at the right time.

To celebrate the Mai Tai’s 50th birthday, I went in search of the perfect Mai Tai, no small task since there are more than 6,000 drinking establishments in the islands today. Most serve a Mai Tai, not all of them are mai tai, if you know what I mean.  The decline of the classic Mai Tai began shortly after 1959, when Hawaii became a state and jets cut the flight time from the West Coast to 4.5 hours. Bartenders now had to hustle to serve the big new wave of tourists eager for a taste of the tropics.  “Everybody wanted a Mai Tai,” said Harry K. Yee, former head barman at Hilton Hawaiian Village. “We served them as fast as we could make them.” Made by the gallon, sold by the glass, a Mai Tai cost $1.25 back then. “They are sweeter, bigger, milder and more expensive now,” Yee said. “They are not the same drink.”  Seeking greater profit, Waikiki hoteliers diluted Mai Tais, used cheaper rum and substituted Hawaii’s own pineapple juice for fresh lime juice.

While everyone was snorkeling, the Mai Tai slowly evolved into a sickly sweet, two-rum float with pineapple juice under a pink paper parasol. It began to fade in popularity as a new generation turned to Frozen Margaritas. To punch up the Mai Tai, bartenders added a 151 rum float which made it taste like boat varnish.  By the 1980s, the original version of the Mai Tai could be found in Waikiki only at the Halekulani, which takes great pride in serving classic cocktails by original recipes. New York bartender Danny DePamphillis reintroduced the original Mai Tai at the Moana Hotel in 1986. It was perfect-Trader Vic would have been proud- but at $5.50 its revival was short-lived.

Today, contemporary versions of the original Mai Tai may be found in Hawaii’s finer drinking establishments. If you’re a purist, like me, you will follow the original recipe and make your own. I guarantee it will be-out of this world, the best. Mai tai roa ae.

Trader Vic’s Original Mai Tai

  • Pour only 80 proof J. Wray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice.
  • Add juice from half a fresh lime.
  • Some orange curacao.
  • A dash of rock candy syrup.
  • A dollop of French orgeat.
  • Shake vigorously.
  • Add a sprig of fresh mint.

Where To Find the Perfect Mai Tai

Where you sip a Mai Tai is almost as important as the ingredients.  This tropical drink always tastes better in a thatch hut on a lagoon with coco palms lining the shore. A great Mai Tai in the Tonga Room of San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel is not the same as a great Mai Tai on Waikiki Beach. Here’s my short list of where to find and enjoy the best Mai Tais in Hawaii today:

Oahu
Halekulani, Waikiki
The search for the perfect Mai Tai ends here at the House Without A Key. It’s as close to the original as you will find in Waikiki. This sophisticated version is comprised of a fine blend of two rums, lemon and lime juice and sweet orange curacao. A purple Vanda orchid adds a splash of color. $7.25.
Jameson’s By The Sea, Haleiwa
Up on Oahu’s north shore, big waves draw surfers from around the world but Mai Tai connoisseurs pack the lanai at Jameson’s at sundown to catch the wave of Mai Tais prepared by head barman Jim Bragaw; the best in Surf City. $5.00
New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel
Go on Aloha Friday when the exotic sounds of Arthur Lyman waft across the golden sand. Ask veteran bartender Clara Nakachi for a classic Mai Tai. Sit under the tree where Robert Louis Stevenson wrote poems to Princess Kaiulani. Take a sip, stare out to sea and wonder, is this not be paradise? $5.75

Mau
The Bay Club, Kapalua Bay Hotel & Villas
Maui may be the Chardonnay capital of the Hawaii (all those California wine-bibbers) but you can find a great Mai Tai at the newly renovated Bay Club overlooking Kapalua Bay where head barman James “Kimo” Tagupa knows how to make a good one. $7.25

Molokai
Ohia Lounge, Kulakoi Hotel & Golf Club
At the end of a hot dusty trail ride on the Molokai Ranch, nothing tastes finer than a Mai Tai in the Ohia Lounge, an airy seaside bar on Hawaii’s biggest white sand beach. Mai Tais taste original here because hardly anything ever changes on Molokai, thank goodness. $5.50

Kauai
Tahiti Nui, Hanalei
Tahiti Nui got smashed by Hurricane Iniki but its world famous Mai Tai lives on. It’s Auntie Louise Marston’s secret 30-year-old family recipe imported from Tahiti. Only change over the years-no more vanilla beans. The new Nui reopened New Year’s Eve-same place, same Mai Tais, the best on Kauai. $5.00

Hawaii
Shipwreck Bar, Kona Village
Johnno Jacko wrecked his 42-foot schooner on the reef at Kaupulehu in 1959 and stayed on in the islands to build Kona Village. The hull today serves as the Shipwreck Bar where host Fred Duerr still serves the traditional Mai Tai, according to Trader Vic’s recipe. $7.00

About the Author
Rick Carroll is the author of numerous Hawaii books from The Bess Press including Great Outdoor Adventures of Hawaii and the best-selling anthology, Chicken Skin: True Spooky Stories of Hawaii. He is now editing Travelers’ Tales Hawaii, due in the Spring of 1999 from O’Reilly & Associates, San Francisco. A former San Francisco newspaperman, Carroll lives at Lanikai Beach, Hawaii, and still drinks dry martinis, up, with a twist.

Copyright Rick Carroll 1998. All rights reserved.
This article originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on November 9, 1994. Reprinted here with permission of Rick Carroll

 

 

 

Major Bailey’s

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This is an absolutely deadly summer sipper – so cool, so tasty, so easy to drink!  Use the juice can as a measuring cup.  No, Aunt Emma, gin does not come in cans.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can frozen orange juice
  • 1 can frozen lemonade
  • 1 can Gin (or rum)
  • 3 cans water
  • mint for garnish
  • ice

Directions:

  1. Mix juice, water, gin in a large pitcher.
  2. Fill a tall glass with ice.
  3. Add mix.
  4. Garnish with mint.

Serves: Using a 12 oz can this makes 9 8 oz servings.  How many are you going to down??

Source: A riff on an old Mr Boston recipe via Dorothy Trotter (Peter’s mother)

KOA Open Bar

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When you set up an Open Bar – what do you need?  What are you going to forget?  This is a basic list – modify it to suit your group and occasion.  Keep in mind, this list is what we take camping! (There is always beer and soft drinks available)

Alcohol:

  • 1 Scotch
  • 1 Bourbon
  • 1 Gin
  • 1 Vodka
  • 1 Rum
  • 1 Tequila
  •            Dry Vermouth
  •            Sweet Vermouth

Mix and Garnish:

  • 1   Bitters
  • 1   Olives
  • 1   Cherries
  • 1   Onions
  • 2   Tonic
  • 2   7up
  • 2   Lime
  • 2   Lemon
  • 2   Soda Water
  • 1   Ginger Ale
  • 1   Coke
  • 1/2 gal Orange Juice
  •     Sweet & Sour Bar Mix
  •             Grenadine

Things you might forget:

  • Glasses Tall/Short
  • Jigger
  • Toothpicks
  • Straws
  • Stirrers
  • Napkins
  • Cutting Board
  • Knife
  • ICE, ICE, ICE

 

 

Rum Bar Setup

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Rum is a distilled alcoholic drink made from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels.  For a different kind of party have a rum bar.    Just pick your 3 – 5 favorite cocktails that are simple to make and be sure their ingredients are represented, then write the recipes somewhere noticeable.  Make sure all the ingredients and equipment, glasses etc. are there and let your guests DIY.   Or let your guests be creative! Below is a list of ingredients you might include – pick and choose.

  • Several kinds of Rum:  dark, light, spiced, or flavored
  • Assorted Liqueurs:  Orange Curaçao, Brandy, Banana Liqueur, Peach Brandy. Apricot Liqueur, Triple Sec
  • Assorted Fruit Juices: Orange, Rose’s Lime Juice, Lemon, Pineapple, Pomegranate
  • Assorted Cut Fruit:  Lemons, Oranges, Watermelon, Cherries
  • Simple Syrup
  • Orgeat Syrup
  • Creme Of Coconut
  • Bitters
  • Grenadine
  • Mint
  • Sugar, Brown Sugar
  • Club Soda
  • Ice – lots of ice!

TOOLS TO SET OUT –  more than one of each if it is a party of more than 6 or 8.

  • Cocktail shaker and strainer
  • Cocktail umbrellas, toothpicks
  • Drink stirrers
  • Straws
  • Cutting board and knife
  • Muddler
  • Several different sizes of glasses

SUGGESTED RECIPES TO POST ON THE BAR (write these nearby on a chalkboard or butcher paper. You may need to simplify them to serve one drink):

  • Corolo Cocktail
  • Bee’s Knees
  • Dark and  Stormy
  • Aunt Agatha
  • Jamaican Breeze

Don’t forget EANAB – Equally Attractive Non Alcoholic Beverage

  • Ice teas:  caffeinated, uncaffeinated, flavored
  • Flavored water
  • Rum flavoring

The 5 Essential Rules of Any DIY Drink Bar

  1. Squeeze a lot of citrus juice in advance and set it out in squeeze bottles.
  2. Give people instructions and a way to measure. Whether you say “1 part this, 1 part that” or give specific ounces or tablespoons, make sure your measuring utensil will make sense to your guests. And give a recipe that makes one drink at a time.
  3. Always set out sparkling water. Not everyone wants to get smashed, and bubbles improve many cocktails.
  4. Set out lots of ice. You can’t make a good cocktail without ice. An ice bucket is helpful.
  5. Label things! Whether you use plastic squeeze bottles, recycled salsa jars or pretty sling top glass bottles, slap some masking tape on there and write the contents with a Sharpie.

And, just a reminder:

It’s never a good idea nor a safe idea to drink and drive. But if you do, you’d better know your limits.

  • ALCOHOL PERCENTAGE IN BEVERAGE
    (Beer ~ 4-4.5% Wine ~ 15-20% 1 Shot ~ 30-50%)
BAC Chart for Men

Men
Approximate Blood Alcohol Percentage
Drinks Body Weight in Pounds
100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
0 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 Only Safe
Driving Limit
0 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00
Only Safe Driving Limit
1 .04 .03 .03 .02 .02 .02 .02 .02 Driving
Skills
Significantly
Affected

Possible
Criminal
Penalties
2 .08 .06 .05 .05 .04 .04 .03 .03
3 .11 .09 .08 .07 .06 .06 .05 .05
4 .15 .12 .11 .09 .08 .08 .07 .06
5 .19 .16 .13 .12 .11 .09 .09 .08
6 .23 .19 .16 .14 .13 .11 .10 .09 Legally
Intoxicated

Criminal
Penalties
7 .26 .22 .19 .16 .15 .13 .12 .11
8 .30 .25 .21 .19 .17 .15 .14 .13
9 .34 .28 .24 .21 .19 .17 .15 .14
10 .38 .31 .27 .23 .21 .19 .17 .16 Death Possible
Subtract .01% for each 40 minutes of drinking.
One drink is 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer,
or 5 oz. of table wine.

BAC Chart for Women

Women
Approximate Blood Alcohol Percentage
Drinks Body Weight in Pounds
90 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
0 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 Only Safe
Driving Limit
0 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 Only Safe Driving Limit
1 .05 .05 .04 .03 .03 .03 .02 .02 .02 Driving Skills
Significantly
Affected

Possible
Criminal
Penalties
2 .10 .09 .08 .07 .06 .05 .05 .04 .04
3 .15 .14 .11 .10 .09 .08 .07 .06 .06
4 .20 .18 .15 .13 .11 .10 .09 .08 .08
5 .25 .23 .19 .16 .14 .13 .11 .10 .09
6 .30 .27 .23 .19 .17 .15 .14 .12 .11 Legally
Intoxicated

Criminal
Penalties
7 .35 .32 .27 .23 .20 .18 .16 .14 .13
8 .40 .36 .30 .26 .23 .20 .18 .17 .15
9 .45 .41 .34 .29 .26 .23 .20 .19 .17
10 .51 .45 .38 .32 .28 .25 .23 .21 .19
Death Possible
Subtract .01% for each 40 minutes of drinking.
One drink is 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 5 oz. of table wine.

This information is taken from Virginia Tech Alcohol Abuse Prevention website.