Mai Tai

The Mai Tai (the one without pineapple, with orgeat) is probably my favorite tiki drink of all time. Plenty has been written about the Trader Vic's Mai Tai, so I' won't belabor the point. But if you have never had one, MIX ONE NOW. You'll thank me later.

Recipe:
1 oz light rum (Bacardi Silver)
1 oz gold rum (Bacardi Gold)
.5 oz Orange Curacao (Potter's)
.5 oz Orgeat Syrup (Torani)
.5 oz lime juice
1 oz dark rum (Myer's)

Shake all but the dark rum with ice and strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass. Float dark rum on top and garnish with a cherry.

Lounge Lizard

Here's a decent variation on a rum and coke: dark rum and amaretto.

Recipe:
1 oz Dark Rum (Myer's)
.5 oz Amaretto (Potter's)
Cola (Safeway diet coke)

Pour rum and amaretto into ice-filled colins glass. Fill with cola. Garnish with a slice of lime.

Look Out Below

Any drink that has 1.5 oz of 151 rum in it should be immediately suspect. It tries to warn you in many ways, much like colored poisonous insects do--the name is ominous, the 151 cap has one of those weird flame-proof thingies on it, and although this is a cocktail glass-sized drink, you are instructed to serve it on the rocks.

I have NEVER been so drunk so quickly on one cocktail before. Beware.

Oh yeah, taste? What taste? I was too busy going "Hoo-HAH!" and wheezing to poll the tastebuds. The lime and grenadine are just trying to take the edge off.

Recipe:
1.5 oz 151 Rum (Bacardi 151)
.25 oz lime juice
1 tsp grenadine (homemade)

Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass.

Little Princess Cocktail

I have had a growing appreciation for sweet vermouth combined with rum. But this drink cemented it. Very simple--half and half rum and sweet vermouth. A dry drink but with nice, smooth flavor.

This will be a new favorite of mine, I think.

Recipe:
1.5 oz sweet vermouth (Martini & Rossi)
1.5 oz light rum (Bacardi Silver)
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Little Devil

I liked this drink. Not that it was all interesting or anything--I mean it isn't bad, just not unique. Yet it didn't taste like a rum drink, and now halfway through the rum section I think that's just what I needed. The gin makes this drink nice and aromatic.

The name isn't fitting, however. It's not that evil or mischievous, really.

Recipe:
.5 oz lemon juice
1.5 tsp triple sec (Potter's)
.75 oz light rum (Bacardi Silver)
.75 oz gin (Bombay Sapphire)

Shake with ice and strain inot a chilled cocktail glass.

Lemon Coconut Colada

It's been a while folks, but although I may not have been posting, I have been drinking. We are now moved in to our place in San Francisco, and I'm in the process of putting together an actual bar. I would consider one of those nice standalone ones you can find at places like Pottery Barn, but seriously, they seem to only hold about 5 bottles. I need much more shelf space.

Anyway, back to the drinks. This was the last one I had while we were still back in Redwood City.

I tried to find Coco Lopez, because I really needed to try something with such an interesting name, but to no avail. Instead I used canned coconut creme, which in retrospect must have been richer and sweeter than Coco Lopez, since this was the sweetest thing I've ever made. I did drink it though. I swear, I'll eat coconut creme straight out of the can. That stuff is pure sugary crack. And this drink probably has about 700 calories in it, all told.

Recipe:
1.5 oz Citrus-flavored Rum (screw that, I don't buy that stuff. Bacardi Silver.)
1.5 oz Coconut-flavored Rum (the dregs of my bottle of Malibu. It won't be replaced.)
2 oz Coco Lopez (Coconut creme. I used only about 1.5 oz, but that was still too much.)
1 oz Heavy Cream
4 oz Pineapple Juice
.5-1oz Lemon Juice

Shake all ingredients wiht ice and strain into ice-filled hurricane glass. Garnish with lemon zest.