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Orange Liquor Throwdown Challenge |
Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2176
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
|  Posted: 2010-05-26 07:06 am Permalink
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On 2010-05-26 05:59, Mama Z wrote:
...Yes, there's blue but I think I'd rather use orange juice than make a blue drink that's not supposed to be blue.
I'm still not seeing from this thread whether anyone thinks I can get away with using triple sec or cointreau as a replacement. |
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Blue can be used if you have nothing else available. Just switch to opaque glasses or mugs. Your Mai Tai will taste fine, but the color will be very unfortunate.
I use Cointrau in my Mai Tais and am very pleased. It is a more expense spirit, but I like the dryness of it and it compliments my homemade orgeat very well (mine's also on the sweeter side).
Triple Sec works well too, just make sure you get a 'good one.' In my opinion, the Bols tastes like Orange Gasoline, and the DeKyuper might as well be Orange Cough Syrup. Your mileage may vary because I am spoiled with the Cointreau.
Your best bet is to make one with what you have and see if it tastes good. Then adjust the recipe to balance your Triple Sec/Cointrau/Creole/Citron with your homebrew Orgeat.
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Sparkle Mark
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 05, 2004
Posts: 301
From: Porter Ranch, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-26 08:57 am Permalink
I'll see your Cointreau and raise you some Grand Marnier. (Triple Sec as a last resort)
Grand Marnier might be expensive but it does have enough brand recognition to be available in some remote liquor stores.
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Chinarose
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 25, 2008
Posts: 34
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2010-05-26 09:11 am Permalink
I also prefer Cointreau. It's drier and has a more bitter orange flavor. Grand Marnier is good, but has a lot of vanilla and woody brandy undertones. The orange flavor is not as pronounced. It's all a matter of finding your personal preference.
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Sparkle Mark
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 05, 2004
Posts: 301
From: Porter Ranch, CA
| Posted: 2010-05-26 09:29 am Permalink
This looks like a great online liquor store for those of you you back East in a dryer than wet county or state.
PLUS they have some pretty cool bundles of liquers.
http://www.drinkupny.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=curacao
I really do like the Senior Curacao of Curacao
http://www.curacaoliqueur.com/index.php
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croe67
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 05, 2003
Posts: 1068
From: Land of Cheese & Beer
| Posted: 2010-05-26 09:38 am Permalink
I prefer Cointreau, but my other 1/2 prefers Grand Marnier, so we always seem to have both in the bar
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Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2176
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
| Posted: 2010-05-26 09:49 am Permalink
Five Thumbs Up on the Senior Curacao! Get it! You will not be disappointed.
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Mama Z
Member
Joined: May 26, 2010
Posts: 3 | Posted: 2010-05-26 10:04 am Permalink
That would be lovely if you could actually buy liquor online and have it shipped to PA. You can only do so through our liquor control board.
I wasn't being hyperbolic when I said it's like Prohibition here. Afaik, we're still the only state in the country where the laws are still this antiquated.
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tabuzak
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 07, 2005
Posts: 276
From: New York City
| Posted: 2010-05-26 10:13 am Permalink
Hello Mama Z,
As a former resident of Pennsylvania (my family still lives there), I hear your plea. Since I am often called to task to do some bartending at family events, I find myself always traveling with supplements to the local available cocktail ingredients. The Pennsylvania Sate Liquor Control Board offers their product pricelist as a .pdf online (http://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/Files/productCatalog.PDF) with much undue pride I might add.
Chip's suggestions make sense to me in your particular pinch. I always liked the idea of using cointreau but never got the balance right. Since Chip says he's done it, I will give it another try. Better to risk going high on the quality than compensating for mediocre ingredients.
When you do get the opportunity to purchase at will, I go along with those who are using Curacao or Creole Shrub in their Mai Tais. I use the Marie Brizard orange curacao. It's my current favorite. I tried their Grand Orange also but found it too dry. I use Martiki-bird's homemade orgeat (when I can) and it's not as sweet as commercially available. The Grand Orange isn't that easy to come by either.
Martiki-bird came up with a good idea recently after we attended a Compass Box Whisky tasting. Compass Box makes an orange zest infused whisky product called "Orangerie." She subbed that for curacao in a Mai Tai and got a wonderful drink - a smokey Mai Tai.
Hmmmm... maybe we should call it the LOST Mai Tai. ; - )
I wouldn't do that to all my Mai Tais, of course!
-Jack
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Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2176
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
| Posted: 2010-05-26 11:21 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-26 10:13, tabuzak wrote:
...I always liked the idea of using cointreau but never got the balance right. |
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This is my recipe and everyone I serve it to makes those yummy kinds of noises all the way down to the bottom of the glass which is about the time the yummy noises turn to slurpy empty glass noises.
3/4 ounce fresh lime
1/4 Bar Syrup
1/4 Orgeat
3/4 Cointrau
1 1/2 St James
1 1/2 Appleton VX or better
Shake with cracked ice, strain over crushed ice. Pineapple Spear, Mint, two short straws, and an orchid if you have it handy.
I use 1/2 Orgeat and skip the bar syrup. My Orgeat is pretty sweet.
Adjust the first four ingredients as needed to balance your particular ingredients.
For my Top Shelf version I use El Dorado 15 and Appelton VX with Senior Curacao.
As always, your mileage may vary.
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tabuzak
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 07, 2005
Posts: 276
From: New York City
| Posted: 2010-05-26 11:31 am Permalink
Quote:
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This is my recipe and everyone I serve it to makes those yummy kinds of noises all the way down to the bottom of the glass which is about the time the yummy noises turn to slurpy empty glass noises. |
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Thanks! I am going to give that a try!
is your orgeat recipe on TC also?
-Greedy Jack
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tabuzak
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 07, 2005
Posts: 276
From: New York City
| Posted: 2010-05-26 11:35 am Permalink
Quote:
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For my Top Shelf version I use El Dorado 15 and Appelton VX with Senior Curacao.
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So you prefer the Senior Curacao over the Cointreau?
-Jack
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1279
From: Dog Patch - San Diego
| Posted: 2010-05-26 4:12 pm Permalink
Does anyone here ever use Controy? - basically a Cointreau knockoff made and sold in Mexico. It usually runs only about $10 a bottle. I read somewhere that it's the same stuff as Patron Citronage.
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Rum Balls
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Oct 04, 2004
Posts: 877
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2010-05-27 06:32 am Permalink
"Controy"? That's hilarious! Probably sold by by guys wearing "Rolexxx" watches 
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rev_thumper
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 10, 2007
Posts: 362
From: Koala Kabana, New England
| Posted: 2010-05-27 6:49 pm Permalink
I'll use Controy in a pinch (and I have in Mexico) but it is closer to triple sec than orange curacao.
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1770
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2013-01-05 3:38 pm Permalink
Hands down my favorite orange curacao (so far).
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