January Drink of the Month - Tropical Trio

Happy New Year to you all from Bar Kiley! I spent my New Years in Minneapolis, MN this year, where the high temperature on January 1st was a balmy -6°. Things didn't get much better upon returning to South Bend, where it has been snowing for the last two days. I've made it my personal mission to fight off the winter doldrums - we're fighting back against Old Man Winter here at Bar Kiley this month by featuring a trio of tropical drinks to help put you in a warm place, even if the warmth only goes to your stomach...

Drink #1: Mai Tai

Maita'i is the Tahitian word for "good" and this drink certainly lives up to its billing. Most people credit the Mai Tai to Trader Vic's restaurant in California in the mid 1940s, but it may have originated as early as 1933. There are two very different ways to build a Mai Tai - one results in an understated drink heavy on rum flavor with a bit of citrus and almond and the other gives you an incredibly sweet, fruity drink. I greatly prefer the classic Mai Tai, but both will do wonders to keep you feeling tropical!

Classic Mai Tai:
In a cocktail shaker, combine:
2 oz white rum
3/4 oz orange curacao (triple sec will do here in a pinch)
3/4 oz orgeat syrup*
1/2 oz lime juice

Use the back of the bar spoon to float your dark rum. You
can also pour down the spoon if you have a spiral-cut
bar spoon, which is a great tool to own!

Shake over ice and strain. Then, using the back of a bar spoon, float 1 oz dark rum on the top of the drink.
The dark rum is lighter than the drink you've made and will float on top of the rum mixture as long as you pour it slowly and distribute it over a larger surface area (hence the use of the spoon). Garnish with a pineapple section and serve.

* Orgeat syrup is so named because it was originally made with barley (Orgeat is a version of the Latin word hordeata - "made with barley). It is an almond flavored syrup made from almonds, sugar, and rose or orange flower water. It is a milky color and gives the Mai Tai its distinctive flavor. You could make your own Orgeat syrup at home, but there are also pre-made syrups available at most liquor stores.

My stop light Mai Tai

Fruity Mai Tai:
In a cocktail shaker, combine:
1 oz light rum
1 oz apricot brandy
3 oz orange juice
3 oz pineapple juice

Shake over ice and strain. Then slowly sink 1 oz grenadine to the bottom of the glass. The grenadine syrup is quite heavy and should settle to the bottom forming a nice red layer. Then, repeating the step from the Classic Mai Tai, float 1 oz dark rum on top of the drink using a bar spoon. Serve with a straw or cocktail stirrer. The drink will have a pretty three-layer look, but you will want to stir it up before imbibing.

Drink #2: Aruba

The Aruba cocktail also features Orgeat syrup, but uses gin as its base liquor. It features hints of orange, lemon and almond to compliment the gin and uses egg white to create a pleasant frothy layer on top. (Scared of using egg whites? Ty it, the gin and lemon will kill all the bugs, so never fear! Still squeamish? Read this article from the Washington Post, and then give it a try anyway!)

In a cocktail shaker, combine:
2 oz gin
1/2 oz white curacao (again, triple sec works in a pinch)
1/2 of an egg white
1 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz orgeat syrup

Shake over ice, strain and serve in a highball glass with a lemon ring garnish. The egg white should produce a nice foam that will sit on top of the drink. Seriously, make sure you use the egg white - its worth it! If you read the Post article, the Clover Club is another excellent drink - try it some time (maybe we'll feature it in a future post...)

Drink #3: The Blue Hawaiian

Finally, you can't have a feature on tropical drinks without adding the Blue Hawaiian, which is the only reason most bartenders own Blue Curacao (although you may remember the Blue Orchid from August which also uses Blue Curacao). This drink combines rum with pineapple and coconut cream and is often topped with extravagant tropical garnishes. Plus, it's blue - guests tend to notice that fact when its served....

In a cocktail shaker, combine:
1 oz blue curacao
1 oz coconut cream (Coco Real is the brand I most often find in the store, often in the mixers section next to the grenadine and lime juice)
2 oz light rum
2 oz pineapple juice

Shake over ice, strain and serve. Impress your friends with your blue drink making expertise and your over-the-top garnishes. If you start with a pineapple wedge, you can use a toothpick to add all sorts of flair - orange wheels, cherries, limes and even prickly pear!

Before we go,one quick note concerning rum: Just in case anyone needed this cleared up, there are three basic types of rum: white rum, light/golden rum, and dark rum. All three of these varieties are sold as-is, but you can also find spiced versions of all three types. Bacardi is the most common white & light rum, and Meyers is the most commonly used dark rum. Captain Morgans is an example of light spiced rum, while Kraken is an example of dark spiced rum. You can substitute spiced rum in any of these recipes, but note that the flavor profile will change a bit as a result. When making a Mai Tai or a Blue Hawaiian, make sure you use the right type of rum - don't try to float Bacardi Gold in your Mai Tai, you'll be disappointed with the results!

Enjoy your Tropical Trios!