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Some tiki drink tips |
mbanu
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 02, 2005
Posts: 84 |  Posted: 2006-07-11 10:47 am Permalink
Here are some I'd picked up, hopefully by reading this thread I can pick up some more. 
* You get more juice from citrus if you smack them around a bit beforehand. You don't want to break the skin or anything, but you want the citrus to be squishy instead of firm when you take the knife to it.
* A lot of tiki drinks that call for a gold rum and a white rum aren't trying to turn you into a master blender.  They're following an old trick of Don the Beachcomber's (I think) where you mix together different amounts of rum *from the same distillery*, one unaged (or as close as you can get) and the other extra-aged, so you can always get just the right amount of "aged" flavor without having to mess around with multiple bottlings of the same rum at different years. I use Castillo Silver and Bacardi 8 for this.
So what are your tiki drink tips?
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Tikiwahine
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3288
From: Ontario, Canada
| Posted: 2006-07-11 11:15 am Permalink
Always shake with crushed ice, and shake in a figure-eight motion.
It creates the correct amount of meltage(water) required in tiki drinks, and chills them to a good, very cold temperature.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2006-07-11 11:29 am Permalink
It's common practice to firmly roll your citrus before you juice it. Easier than beating it up.
I may be dispelling the mystery, but, in my opinion, the real reason for using crushed ice instead of cubed is you can pour an ounce less beverage in a glass of crushed ice than in a glass of cubed ice and fill it. Thus, you give the customer less drink for their money and they are none the wiser!
Don Beach was a genius!
My best drink tip, always double the recipe. Why? It makes the measurements easier (1/2 ounce which requires a table spoon, becomes and ounce which uses a jigger; 1 1/2 ounces similarly becomes 3 ounces...). It also allows a little more error room. The larger the batch, the better the batch, usually.
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Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2079
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
| Posted: 2006-07-11 4:03 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2006-07-11 10:47, mbanu wrote:
... A lot of tiki drinks that call for a gold rum and a white rum aren't trying to turn you into a master blender. ... |
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It is more than that. Most drinks call for not just Light and Dark rum, but specify a Jamaican and a Martinique rum. The different distilleries using different canes grown in different soils and climates add quite a bit to the flavor of the rum, and therefore add quite a bit of complexity to the drink.
And my tip... The important thing is the rhythm. You shouId aIways have rhythm in your shaking. A Manhattan you shake to a fox trot. A Bronx to a two-step time. A dry martini you aIways shake to waItzes.
One more shaker tip, as soon as you are done pouring the drink, take the top off of your shaker. It is less likely to stick together that way.
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mbanu
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 02, 2005
Posts: 84 | Posted: 2006-07-11 7:22 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2006-07-11 16:03, Chip and Andy wrote:
Quote:
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On 2006-07-11 10:47, mbanu wrote:
... A lot of tiki drinks that call for a gold rum and a white rum aren't trying to turn you into a master blender. ... |
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It is more than that. Most drinks call for not just Light and Dark rum, but specify a Jamaican and a Martinique rum. The different distilleries using different canes grown in different soils and climates add quite a bit to the flavor of the rum, and therefore add quite a bit of complexity to the drink.
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Well, this is one of those Trader Vic style vs. Don the Beachcomber style things, I think. (Could be wrong) I get the impression that the way Trader Vic went about making drinks was to find the perfect rum, and then build a drink around it. Then if/when the rum became scare, to blend together a bunch of other rums to replicate the flavor of the original. It's what he did with the Mai Tai when he ran out of the 17 year Jamaican, and it's what he did with the Scorpion when he couldn't find a reliable source of okolehao. So with his drinks, it might not apply. After all, he didn't steal *all* of Don's tricks, or he'd have had drunken mynah birds in all his bars.
[ This Message was edited by: mbanu 2006-07-11 19:28 ]
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atomictonytiki
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: May 14, 2002
Posts: 1267
From: Bangkok
| Posted: 2006-07-11 7:56 pm Permalink
Make crushed ice by placing ice into a plastic bag, wrap in tea towel and smack it ta betsy with a rolling pin.
I know this sound a crap tip but i spent ages using ice crushers to make a tiny amount of shaved ice and a lot of sweat. Also if you just wrap the ice in the towel it sticks to the cloth and often gets flavoured by your washing powder, not good and use a clean plastic bag, an old breadbag put unwanted breadcrumbs in a mai tai.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2006-07-12 06:28 am Permalink
A little common sense thing I am just starting to use...
Do all your mixing with a bar towel on the counter/bar. You are going to make a mess, and it'll be a sticky one. And you will be drinking, so you won't care. Next day, you will care and you may find stained counters (Grenadine is the worst!) or ants... Plan on it ahead of time and just work over a towel.
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cheekytiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 09, 2004
Posts: 1088
From: The Haole Hut, London, UK
| Posted: 2006-07-12 07:29 am Permalink
I find Crushed Ice in your shaker chills the drink much quicker than Ice Cubes, especially when making drinks that require no ice in the final product, ie. A Daquiri.
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1766
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2006-07-12 10:08 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2006-07-11 16:03, Chip and Andy wrote:
And my tip... The important thing is the rhythm. You shouId aIways have rhythm in your shaking. A Manhattan you shake to a fox trot. A Bronx to a two-step time. A dry martini you aIways shake to waItzes.
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Ah, the Thin Man!
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reedalong
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 27, 2004
Posts: 61
From: Chicago, IL
| Posted: 2006-07-12 11:19 am Permalink
I have never been able to master it, but I saw an elderly female bartender in Tahiti who crushed ice at a rapid pace by holding the cube in her hand, wacking it with a wooden muddler tool, throwing the crushed ice in the glass and repeating with the next cube.
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quickiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 29, 2005
Posts: 139
From: Stockton, CA
| Posted: 2006-07-12 1:57 pm Permalink
I agree with atomictonytiki. Back in the 60's, my father used an ice bag with a little bat which he used to make crushed ice for drinks. The bag was made of a tightly woven canvas-like material and the ice didn't stick to it. Over the years I've seen these things at specialty cooking shops from time to time, but have always kicked myself later for not picking one up. Haven't seen one in quite a while. Any clues where to get one??
[ This Message was edited by: quickiki 2006-07-12 13:59 ]
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Quince_at_Dannys
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 29, 2004
Posts: 146
From: Command Records International HQ
| Posted: 2006-07-12 7:05 pm Permalink
These are all great tips! Here's another--when doubling a recipe, you may NOT want to double the Pernod. Pernod: RUINER OF ALL!
Actually, in all seriousness, Pernod is tough to double. Usually if one drink calls for 1/8 tsp., you can get by with 1/8 tsp in 2. If you use 1/4 it usually tastes too strong. Not sure why it works that way, it just does.
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KuKuAhu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 23, 2002
Posts: 567
From: Kahiki, Ohio
| Posted: 2006-07-13 09:09 am Permalink
Quote:
| The important thing is the rhythm. You shouId aIways have rhythm in your shaking. A Manhattan you shake to a fox trot. A Bronx to a two-step time. A dry martini you aIways shake to waltzes. |
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I know it's a film quote, but lest anyone be confused...
Never shake a martini. Please.
Ahu
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Rum Balls
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Oct 04, 2004
Posts: 828
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2006-07-13 4:03 pm Permalink
Quote:
| Back in the 60's, my father used an ice bag with a little bat which he used to make crushed ice for drinks. The bag was made of a tightly woven canvas-like material and the ice didn't stick to it. Over the years I've seen these things at specialty cooking shops from time to time, but have always kicked myself later for not picking one up. Haven't seen one in quite a while. Any clues where to get one?? |
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I've seen this ice bag before at Sur La Table, but can't find it in their online store.
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tikimug
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 01, 2002
Posts: 751
From: 1217 mi. North of the Mai Kai
| Posted: 2006-07-14 05:02 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2006-07-13 16:03, Rum Balls wrote:
Quote:
| Back in the 60's, my father used an ice bag with a little bat which he used to make crushed ice for drinks. The bag was made of a tightly woven canvas-like material and the ice didn't stick to it. Over the years I've seen these things at specialty cooking shops from time to time, but have always kicked myself later for not picking one up. Haven't seen one in quite a while. Any clues where to get one?? |
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I've seen this ice bag before at Sur La Table, but can't find it in their online store.
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I'm not sure if this is what you are talking about, but I found The Lewis Ice Bag online.
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