We love rum. It's wonderfully diverse, under appreciated, and often misused. If you want to get into a geek conversation about it, corner us on a slow night.
One of the most often-butchered rum drinks, and a true classic, is the Mai Tai. When made properly, it's an earthy, nutty, bitter gem. When butchered, it's sickly sweet and boring.
A great overview of several mai tai recipes can be found over at Andrew Bohrer's blog, Cask Strength. If you want to simply geek about rum for hours, head over to Matt Robold's Rum Dood blog.
These guys are the real deal. Check them out.
Additionally, Andrew posts a recipe for his take on a Mai Tai without any rum, called Elena's Virtue.
1 ounce Amaro Nonino
.5 ounce Amaro Montenegro
.5 ounce fresh lime juice
.25 ounce Tuaca
.25 ounce Luxardo Amaretto
Shake ingredients and strain over finely crushed ice. Garnish with an orange zest, basil, and .25 ounce of hickory-smoke infused Ramazzotti.
This one is from a few years back, but great geekery and useful until the day Picon is imported.
Jamie Boudreau, a Seattle-based bartender and long-time blogger, made a very effective substitute for Amer Picon, essential in drinks such as the Brooklyn and Picon Punch. Amer Boudreau is something you'll be delighted to find behind the bar at the Club, once we get the Campari Group to bring Ramazzotti into the state. In the meantime, you'll have to be content making your own batch at home.
In our free time, we're always scouring the Interwebs for juicy bits of ephemera, trivia, or just good knowledge. When we find (or refind) something particularly relevant to liquor, bartending and craft, we'll share it here.
Old Fashioned 101 - Brought to us by Martin Doudoroff, a cocktail enthusiast. Simple, to-the-point instructions on how to make a proper old fashioned, or as we like to call them, old-fashioned old fashioneds.
Vermouth 101 - Another site from Doudoroff discussing and listing the basics of vermouths and quinquinas, along with some familiar brands and recipes.
We love rum. It's wonderfully diverse, under appreciated, and often misused. If you want to get into a geek conversation about it, corner us on a slow night.