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In search of: Black Magic! |
GentleHangman
Grand Member (4 years) 
Joined: Jun 23, 2006
Posts: 350
From: Stuart, Florida
|  Posted: 2012-04-07 09:03 am Permalink
I too have made Hurricane's posted recipe for the Black Magic.
Coruba was a bit difficult to obtain but I managed to pick up two bottles at an ABC liquor store. Smith & cross is totally unknown in my area so I used Appleton 12 & El Dorodo 12 along with the Coruba with exceptional results.
I don't quite understand the inclusion of Don's Mix . . . there's already 3/4 oz of white grapefruit juice in the drink, why not simply add about 1/4 oz of the cinnamon syrup? But- I added the Don's Mix anyway because I had some I'd made up for my Zombies.
Regarding the coffee; I brewed up some double-strength Kona coffee the day before and kept it in the fridge.
In my first drink I found 1 1/2 oz of the coffee produced a coffee flavor that overpowered everything else . . . but I drank it anyway because it was still a good drink! I think this is the portion of the recipe that will be subjected to experimentation to find the right brew strength/ amount to use that pleases the individual and balances best with whatever rum combinations are used.
The second time around I cut the coffee back to 1 oz and that seemed to smooth things out the way I like it and heightened the complexity of all the flavors.
I have tried many of the other variations of this drink and In my opinion this is, by far the best I've experienced.
Exceptional job Hurricane and thanks for sharing it with us all!
_________________
I bet you feel more like you do now now than you did when you came in.
GH
[ This Message was edited by: gentlehangman 2012-04-08 08:09 ]
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thePorpoise
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 23, 2011
Posts: 701
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2012-04-07 11:20 am Permalink
sometimes in cocktails calling for fresh coffee i've used kahlua instead to nice effect...
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Dapuma1
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 04, 2010
Posts: 80 | Posted: 2012-04-08 08:01 am Permalink
for the mouth feel that everyone is talking about (bear in mind i have never had the original just read the descriptions) if anyone has ever had Vietnamese iced coffee (french roast fresh brewed coffee and condensed milk over ice) could there be condensed milk in the drink to give it a silky mouth feel and smoothness
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GentleHangman
Grand Member (4 years)
Joined: Jun 23, 2006
Posts: 350
From: Stuart, Florida
| Posted: 2012-04-09 6:17 pm Permalink
Ok . . . I had to at least try it. . . no Coruba, but I had Mount Gay Eclipse Black (100 Proof), Appleton Estates 21 YO, and El Dorado 15 YO - 1 oz of each and kept the Kona coffee to 1 oz and followed Hurricane Hayward's recipe otherwise. All I can say is . . . "KOWABUNGA! - KEMOSABE! - JAMBO!" what a "Black Magic"! That rum combination raises this drink to supernatural heights! As one who celebrated his 21st birthday at the Kowloon in Saugus, Mass. (And still has the mug) back in '67 and who frequented as many great Tiki establishmets as possible, ( hated to see Francis Langford's Outrigger in Jensen Beach fade away . . . I was a 'Regular') . . . . until they fell by the wayside in the mid '70s. . . this version of the Mai Kai's Black Magic truly brings back memories of the mystical and secret recipes from "back in the day" . . . . I need to take a nap now.
_________________
I bet you feel more like you do now now than you did when you came in.
GH
[ This Message was edited by: GentleHangman 2012-04-09 18:19 ]
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CincyTikiCraig
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Posts: 328
From: Cincinnati, Ohio USA
| Posted: 2012-04-09 7:28 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-04-09 18:17, GentleHangman wrote:
Ok . . . I had to at least try it. . . no Coruba, but I had Mount Gay Eclipse Black (100 Proof), Appleton Estates 21 YO, and El Dorado 15 YO - 1 oz of each and kept the Kona coffee to 1 oz and followed Hurricane Hayward's recipe otherwise. All I can say is . . . "KOWABUNGA! - KEMOSABE! - JAMBO!" what a "Black Magic"! That rum combination raises this drink to supernatural heights! As one who celebrated his 21st birthday at the Kowloon in Saugus, Mass. (And still has the mug) back in '67 and who frequented as many great Tiki establishmets as possible, ( hated to see Francis Langford's Outrigger in Jensen Beach fade away . . . I was a 'Regular') . . . . until they fell by the wayside in the mid '70s. . . this version of the Mai Kai's Black Magic truly brings back memories of the mystical and secret recipes from "back in the day" . . . . I need to take a nap now.
GH
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21 YEAR OLD APPLETON IN A BLACK MAGIC???!!!!
You, sir, are my new hero! 
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Rum Balls
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Oct 04, 2004
Posts: 828
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2012-04-10 05:54 am Permalink
Having recently been in Hawaii, I had some Kona coffee on hand, so made a Black Magic last night (subbing Smith & Cross for the Kohala Bay)...very delish! Never been to the Mai Kai, so I can't compare, but this one is going in the "permanent" menu at the home bar.
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Hurricane Hayward
Grand Member (4 years)
Joined: Jun 07, 2008
Posts: 389
From: 16 miles from The Mai-Kai
| Posted: 2012-04-10 09:18 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-04-05 08:58, Swanky wrote:
The 151 Swizzle calls for Dagger. I will have to look again to see the others. It is the one rum he calls by name in the recipes.
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Taking Swanky's suggestion, we've re-tooled our 151 Swizzle tribute recipe. Check it out here:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/08/03/mai-kai-cocktail-review-robust-flavors-and-potency-are-hallmark-of-151-swizzle/
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jokeiii
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 18, 2010
Posts: 306
From: Miami
| Posted: 2012-04-11 08:41 am Permalink
Half the fun of reconstructing these recipes is tracking down the rums. Now I have to keep an eye out for Kohala Bay. (It only took me 3 years to find Coruba here in Miami...)
_________________
-J.
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Hurricane Hayward
Grand Member (4 years)
Joined: Jun 07, 2008
Posts: 389
From: 16 miles from The Mai-Kai
| Posted: 2012-04-13 11:40 am Permalink
Next up, the Mutiny ...
We explore the legend that this drink is actually a mashup of the Black Magic and Barrel O’ Rum. And we compare these classics and come up with a Mutiny tribute.
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/04/13/mai-kai-cocktail-review-the-mutiny-is-a-worthy-foe-in-the-battle-of-the-tropical-titans/
Which do you prefer?
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aquarj
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Apr 02, 2002
Posts: 1040
From: SF bay area, CA
| Posted: 2012-04-27 6:17 pm Permalink
Just to chime in here, this has been a great thread. I tend to like the "dark" tasting complex Donn Beach style drinks, so these variations have been great to try. Melintur's Dark Magic was up first, and tasty.
Hurricane Hayward's blog has been a great resource, and I really like the observation about a little cinnamon as the go-to secret zazz factor in the Mai Kai drinks. On a couple experiments, I found that to be quite true. Starting with BK's Magic above, adding a dollop of B.G. Reynolds' extremely viscous cinnamon syrup made it really sparkle.
I couldn't find Swanky's Magic on the Grogalizer, no matter how many ingredients I turn on in "My Bar". Aside from the fact that I'm probably missing something on using the Grogalizer, I'd definitely try it if that recipe materializes on this thread someday.
-Randy
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thePorpoise
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 23, 2011
Posts: 701
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2012-04-27 7:31 pm Permalink
has anybody tried it using different kinds of coffee?
kona is hard to find and pretty durn expensive over here back east...
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CincyTikiCraig
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Posts: 328
From: Cincinnati, Ohio USA
| Posted: 2012-04-27 8:49 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-04-27 19:31, thePorpoise wrote:
has anybody tried it using different kinds of coffee?
kona is hard to find and pretty durn expensive over here back east...
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You might try a Kona blend. I bought one at Kroger (Ralphs) last weekend that was on sale for $5.99 per 1 pound package. It makes a pretty tasty drink, especially when used at double strength as many recipes call for.
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Hurricane Hayward
Grand Member (4 years)
Joined: Jun 07, 2008
Posts: 389
From: 16 miles from The Mai-Kai
| Posted: 2012-05-08 5:37 pm Permalink
A new blog post goes into more detail about Kohala Bay ...
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/#dagger
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Melintur
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 23, 2002
Posts: 306
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2012-05-09 2:23 pm Permalink
I have had great luck in mitigating the acidity of 'regular' coffee to better mimic the acid-less notes of Kona by either of these 2 methods.
1) [more work] Cold-press the Coffee.
2) [less work] Use 'stale' coffee. I find that the 'left-over' morning coffee carafe of my Cuisinart drip machine works very well for these recipes when I transfer to the fridge when I come home in the evening. Let it sit for a few hours to mitigate the acid.
Neither will produce the magic of low-acidity Kona, but you can get quite close, especially with cold-pressed.
cmh
Quote:
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On 2012-04-27 20:49, CincyTikiCraig wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-04-27 19:31, thePorpoise wrote:
has anybody tried it using different kinds of coffee?
kona is hard to find and pretty durn expensive over here back east...
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You might try a Kona blend. I bought one at Kroger (Ralphs) last weekend that was on sale for $5.99 per 1 pound package. It makes a pretty tasty drink, especially when used at double strength as many recipes call for.
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_________________
Craig 'Colonel Tiki' Hermann
Colonel Tiki's Drinks
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TIKI KON 2012: Ten Year Tour! AUG 3-5, 2012: Portland, OR
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2012-09-28 12:13 pm Permalink
Revisiting this drink...
First, I changed "Swanky's Magic" to "The Headshrinker" in the Grogalizer. My goal was not to dissect and create the Black Magic. My goal was to make a cocktail that has the essence of the Black Magic. I don't want side-by-side comparisons. My recipe is a lot more approachable I think.
Second, #7 IS NOT Don's Mix. The ingredient in the Zombie Punch is #4, which the Bum found was Grapefruit and Cinnamon. #7 is not the same as #4. And it does not work in the drink. I have the original recipe and if you use Don's Mix, the drink is not good.
Third, I could not approximate this drink without making extra strong real Kona coffee.
I am happy with the version I have come up with now, using Jim's recipe as a guide and tweaking. I really need to sample it again at the Mai-Kai to be sure. All think we are within a couple of degrees of it now.
All-in-all, Jim's recipe is close to what I made, but I just removed the Don's Mix and retinkered the sweet ingredients.
Hey, Jim, order me one, strain the ice out and mail it in a zip lock bag...
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[ This Message was edited by: Swanky 2012-09-28 12:19 ]
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