Cocktail of the Week - The Rob Roy

The Rob Roy is a classic cocktail that, despite the resurgance the cocktail, you don't see it very often.

The History:  First created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. The drink is named after the Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor who became famous for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.  Don't feel bad for Robin Hood; he has a cocktail named after him but it certainly isn't as well known. I wonder if the two could trade places for Rob Roy would rather be known for his acts of humanity - like Robin Hood - or for his namesake cocktail

The Recipe: 

• 2.5 oz Scotch.  I pref(er The Famous Grouse.  It's a very nice blended scotch that won't break the bank.)
• .75 oz Sweet Vermouth.
• A few dashes of bitters. (Angoustoura is traditionally used, but blood orange works equally as well.)
• Stir with ice and serve up in a cocktail glass
• Garnish with a twist or cherries (or do as I did and garnish with a twist and bourbon soaked cherries)

Falernum - New Item For The Bar

I recently discovered the wonders of John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum.  Falernum is a sweet  tating spirit that is primarily used in Caribbean and tropical drinks. It contains flavors of almond, ginger and/or cloves, and lime.  I recently enjoyed it in a classic rum drink, the Corn n' Oil: (Cruzan Black Strap Rum, John D. Taylor‟s falernum, fee‟s old fashion bitters)

New Tropical - Its In The Foam

Creative bartenders have been importing various techniques from molecular gastronomy for a few years now.  You come to expect this in major metropolitan area, but I certainly did not expect to find this in Maui.  Merriman's in Kapalua has an exceptional offering of cocktails, including a few that incorporate molecular mixology. 

The first cocktail to note is the Tequila & Mango:  Cazadores tequila, Lahaina mango shrub, Hawaiian chili peppers, coconut foam.  I am not a fan of flash over substance, but this really works  The foam adds a nice layer of texture and flavor; first you taste the  rich, slightly sweet, coconut foam, then you taste the sweetness of the mango, the spice of the chili peppers, and the earthiness of the tequila.  Come this summer, I fully intend to copy this recipe!

The Mai Tai is dead, long live the Mai Tai

Dear Monkeypod-

I can never drink another Mai Tai again; you killed my ability to ever agin enjoy that cloyingly sweet verion of the cocktail served at every Laua and hotel restaurant on the island. Having been to Maui many times before, I knew not to expect much in the way of cutting edge mixology. I was fully prepared to drink my share of cocktails with umbrellas and be content. But then our paths happened to cross. There you stood, from the outside, a very unassuming second story location in a strip mall in Wailea. But I knew the minute I read the description of the Monkeypod Mai Tai that I was in for something very special. (Old Lahaina Rum, Maui dark rum, lime, Orgeat, Orange Curacao and Honey-Lilkoi foam)


No overly sweetened mixes here. The foam is like a lilkoi meringue; it slowly sweetens the cocktail as it melts.   The flavor of the light and dark rum are not hidden behind a sweet syrup mixer (you can actually taste the alcohol) and the Orgeat adds just a hint of Almond.

It is true Monkypod, that you feature lots of other intreaguing "new tropical" cocktails that showcase your appreciation for current mixology trends.   But the Monkeypod Mai Tai has the strongest sense of "place"' (wine folkes call it terrior) of any cocktail I have ever tasted. Lush, beautiful, sweet, strong, and memorable; it's wonderfull Hawaii in a glass.  

Mahalo-

Thirsty Lawyer

The Maui Mama White Linen

Thirsty Lawyer and Mrs. Thirsty Lawyer are in Maui for some much needed down time. (For me that means reviewing deals and taking calls in a beach chair.) We went out to Mama's Fish House; a beautiful restaurant on the north side of the island. Mama's sits on right on the beach in a secluded cove, tiki torches lighting up an otherwise dark night with the sound of the ocean in the background. It's one of the most romantic restaurants in Maui.

Mama's food is top notch, but lets be honest, Hawaii isn't well known for its craft cocktail culture. Sure you can find a Mai Tai and similar sweet rum drinks at every restaurant and bar, but we were looking for something not so sweet but still "tropical". So we made some changes to one of our favorite cocktails, the White Linen, (first introduced to us at Ella in Sacramento) and came up with Mama's White Linen.

First we had the bartender muddle pineapple in a shaker, add two oz. of Hendricks Gin, half an ounce of St. Germain, and one ounce of fresh lemon juice. Add ice, shake and serve up. It's a refreshing cocktail; a bit tart with just a touch of sweetness from the St Germain and the pineapple. The cocktail would have benefitted from adding a cucumber (cucumber and pineapple = extremely refreshing) but sadly no cucumber behind the bar.

Recipe of the Week - The 212

Tequila. The mere mention of this spirit may cause a chill to run down your spine; the flashback to a college drinking evening gone horribly wrong still burned in the deep recesses of your mind. Having spent my formative years at San Diego State University (a mere 35 minutes from downtown Tijuana) my taste buds were scarred from shooting inferior tequila (paint thinner possibly??). It took a long and arduous rehab process, but I am better now and happy to say, very much enjoying just how very good tequila can be.

The 212

The 212 (From the PDT cocktail book)

Start with 2 oz of reposado tequila in a shaker with ice.  I prefer La Cofradia or Corralejo, but feel free to experiment with any 100% Agave reposado tequila. Add 1 oz Aperol and 2 oz of pink grapefruit juice. Shake and strain over fresh ice; garnish with an orange twist.

Have Bar Gear Will Travel

Since my budding mixology skills have now become fairly well known by my friends and colleagues, invitations to dinner parties have taken an interesting twist, such as last night. Our host really didn't want us to bring a bottle of wine or dessert as we offered; instead our host asked if I wouldn't mind making a cocktail or two during cocktail hour. Would I mind having people complement my drinks, insist that I must have been a bartender during college (not true), and ask how I came to write about cocktail culture? Are you kidding me! Who wouldn't want to be the center of attention for a few hours...at another person's party none the less.

When I spoke to my friend and dinner host for Saturday night, I couldn't just agree to make drinks and hope that I was going to step behind a well stocked bar. I asked him to give me an inventory of his bar and immediately began assembling a drink list in my head. Although he had to pick up a few additional staples such as Hendricks gin, Lillet blanc, a good Sweet Vermouth, and Angostura bitters, in my opinion any home bar should have these items.

I always bring a fair number of items from my own bar stock such as Aperol, Punt e Mes, house made simple syrups (lemongrass, clove, rosemary), and specialty bitters (blood orange, Aztec chocolate, house made clove and hellfire).  But even more important to bring are certain bar tools without which making quality cocktails would be impossible
.

The most important item is the measuring cup. You can't free pour a craft cocktail; precise measurements are required. I am particular fond of the OXO Stainless Steel Mini Measuring Cup.

A hand juicer is also a must. I refuse to use pre-squeezes lemon or lime juice; I always squeeze fresh juice. I like the metal lemon juicer by Progressive. Its quick, sturdy and works.

I always have a muddler at the ready. Unless the host is already somewhat of a cocktail aficionado its not likely that they will have a muddler. Since a few items on my "go to" list of drinks require muddled mint or cucumbers, I always bring my muddler.

I always bring a channel knife. What's a cocktail without a garnish. Rather than trying to make it work with a dull vegetable peeler, I always pack my channel knife for making all variety of twists.

It's always a bit humorous to arrive at a friend's house and unpack two bags of bar gear, but good drinks take work.