Link: The Myth (and History) of the Cocktail Umbrella →
"But how the cocktail umbrella came to be synonymous with the faux-Polynesian drinks movement we know as tiki is even more vague."
Proper garnishes remain important.
Link: The Return of Oleo Saccharum Packs a Punch →
"Oleo saccharum, which basically translates to sugar oil, is a technique entirely premised on sugar's ability to extract moisture. "Oleo saccharum is the process of extracting oil from citrus peel," says Bodenheimer. "It's really that simple, it's not a very complex thing.""
An oleo saccharum really does make a big difference in a punch. It takes some additional planning and effort, but not too much.
Tiki Oasis 2015 Bartender Challenge video
Please enjoy a short video of the Tiki Oasis 2015 Bartender Challenge. I was up there being judge-y on a Sunday morning.
Mai Ta-IPA?
Wait, what's this now? Firstly I think I would like to get this book that I just learned about, "Cocktails on Tap" by Jacob Grier. Also, I did not know that out in the ether was something (potentially) connecting my fondness for tiki cocktails and my fondness for IPAs. This Mai Ta-IPA sounds odd and wrong but I am going to need to try it.
Reverb Crash
When I have an ample supply of fresh passion fruit and fresh white grapefruit on hand, one of my favorite ways to deploy those flavors is in a Reverb Crash. The Reverb Crash is a cocktail by Ran Mosessco, co-founder of the Israeli surf group The Astroglides and founder of San Diego's surf group The Sand Devils. Oh and he's an all-around nice guy (seriously, just ask around). In 2003, Tiki Central conducted a tiki drink contest (keep in mind, this is 2003 and "craft cocktails" wasn't yet the loaded phrase it is in 2016). Ran's cocktail, the Reverb Crash, came out victorious, and for good reason.
The Reverb Crash makes full use of grapefruit and passion fruit combined with a prototypical tiki-inspired rum-blend backing. There's a touch of orgeat to compliment the sweet of the passion fruit (and orgeat lends a tiki element) and some lime to amp up the sour. That said, it's the fresh white grapefruit that makes this cocktail sing since it calls for a full 4 ounces of the stuff. The original recipe doesn't specify white or red grapefruit juice and I've made both. I happen to prefer the white grapefruit juice for the extra bit of sour. Mix one up, put some surf music on the turntable, and kick the reverb.
Reverb Crash (gently modified)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
4 oz fresh white grapefruit juice
1 1/2 oz passion fruit syrup
1/2 oz orgeat
1 1/2 oz dark Jamaican rum (Coruba)
1 1/4 oz light Virgin Islands rum (Plantation 3 star)
Combine in a shaker tin with ice. Pour unstrained into a tiki mug and garnish with a mint sprig or two.