Interview with Trader Tiki on Serious Eats!
Somehow, the lovely Laren trapped me into talking about my syrups, and the creation of my small but fruitful syrup empire. Check it out for a bit of insight on what got me started, how I develop recipes, and just how many push-ups I can do in an hour! Okay, one of those is made up.
One of the things I pride myself on is openness and honesty about how I make the syrups and how I run my business. I know that a bottle can be so impersonal on the shelf, and want to make sure that anyone interested in doing so can ask me about the syrups. I might leave a sense of mystery (and/or industrial secret) kept out, but want to make sure that my customers and potential customers know I really give a damn about what I do, and have some experience in it to boot!
Read that interview at Serious Eats!
Okole Maluna!
Goings on and goings about
Hello there, long time no speak. What can I say, things have been maddeningly busy here at Reynolés Galley and Test Kitchen.
A few brief updates, the first of which, announcing TWO NEW SYRUPS!
Hibiscus Grenadine – The famed pomegranate-based sweetener with just a touch of citrusy bite, and a tropical kick of hibiscus that both deepens the coloring and expands the aromatics, making it really add a lot to your tropical drinks! No more hummingbird water, this’ll really take your drinks to the next level!
Don’s Spices #2 - Another Jeff Berry creation, this combination of Allspice and Vanilla makes the Nui Nui sing, and is being heavily revitalized by a number of famous bartenders. It’s a real tropical spice treat for your tiki-inspired cocktails!
There are still a few tweaks and tests to do, but these should be available for sale before May.
and don’t forget, the Home Tiki kit for $55 (shipping included!) is going away this weekend. Get in your orders before Friday!
CocktailCamp PDX is coming up this weekend, and while tickets are sold out, I’ll be taking video of the event for people to see. Craig Hermann, Matt Robold and myself will be doing a talk on Rum, Gomme, and Lime, or the basic components to the tropical cocktail.
Of course, why just talk it when you can try the drinks at Tiki Night at Teardop Lounge! Here in Portland, OR, April 18th. Besides the usual classics, we’ll be serving a few drinks in pineapples (Boo Loo), cucumbers (Cou-Cou Comber)… hell, bring us something and we’ll fill it with booze. Also on the menu will be the infamous island highball, J.Wray & Ting! Doors open at 4, and close late.
I’m also preparing, of course, for this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, with my Tiki Now! presentation on the tropical revival going on. There’ll be pictures, new fancy drink recipes to try, and heck, maybe even a door prize or two.
For more up to date info, check me out on Facebook and Twitter!
Martin Cate to open Smugglers Cove SF
In bigger news then when Martin Cate stepped down as Manager/Co-Owner of Forbidden Island Alameda, Martin Cate to open new Rum Bar in San Francisco, Smuggler’s Cove!
The Press Release is below, I’ll leave any additional comments/answers to Martin, rum connisuer extraordinaire.
SMUGGLER™S COVE COMING FALL 2009 TO SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO, CA- This fall, San Francisco will become home to Smuggler™s Cove, a new bar designed to celebrate the incredible diversity and versatility of the world™s most exciting spirit: Rum. Smuggler™s Cove offers a whole new approach to rum by featuring a vast array of traditional Caribbean drinks, classic libations of Prohibition-Era Havana, and famous exotic cocktails from legendary tiki bars- all under one roof. In addition, Smuggler™s Cove will offer an unparalleled selection of rare and premium rums from around the world carefully selected for enjoying on their own or skillfully blended into cocktails. For over a decade, owner and creator Martin Cate has been passionate about rum & tropical cocktails. He was the co-creator, designer and chief mixologist for Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda, CA. He has judged in international rum competitions, met with over a dozen rum distillers in five countries, and lectured at Bourbon and Branch™s Beverage Academy, Tales of the Cocktail, and Tiki Oasis. I am very excited to help showcase this wonderfully varied spirit both on its own and in delicious cocktails. A great rum drink can be simple and elegant, or complex and dynamic, but it must always be balanced, approachable, and just a pleasure to drink, says Martin Cate. Too often, people associate rum with syrupy and artificial drinks and we™re here to change that. Martin has traveled the world to learn the rich history and explore the traditional spices and regional ingredients of the world™s rum producing countries in order to feature them in the cocktails of Smuggler™s Cove. As an award-winning mixologist and member of the United States Bartenders Guild for the last four years, Martin is committed to using only the best quality spirits, fresh-squeezed juices, and housemade ingredients. But while Martin is serious about the drinks, he knows that people are looking for a memorable and fun experience as well. Smuggler™s Cove will be more than just a tiki bar, but it will feature the kind of dramatic, mysterious, and escapist atmosphere that makes a tiki bar so special- and makes rum taste better! Smuggler™s Cove will include waterfalls, vintage nautical décor and rum memorabilia, and relics from some of San Francisco™s most famous historic watering holes. Smuggler™s Cove will open November 2009 in San Francisco, CA.
For more information, please visit http://www.smugglerscovesf.com/ and sign up on our mailing list to get all the latest news.
About Martin Cate: http://www.martincate.com/press.php
Contact Martin Cate at info@smugglerscovesf.com or 415-999-7929
The Monteleone Cocktail Contest, entries due May 18th!
Hey Folks, a few notes on a contest from the Hotel Monteleone.
The Hotel Monteleone is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Carousel Bar on May 21, 2009.
From 1949 until about the late 60™s or 70™s there was a drink on the specialty drink menu called the Monteleone Cocktail. Unfortunately, we have no idea what the exact recipe or ingredients were. The Hotel Monteleone is hosting an online contest to accept drink recipe nominations for a new official Monteleone Cocktail.
The recipes will be judged by VIPs who will be at the Carousel anniversary celebration on May 21. There are no requirements on types of liquor or style of drink, but all drink entries must be received by May 18, so that the ingredients may be acquired and drinks prepared at the May 21 event.
Participating bloggers should post their entries online, and all participants should e-mail their drink recipes, along with their name, address and phone number, to athornton@hotelmonteleone.com. The winning entry will become the new official Monteleone Cocktail, and the winner will receive four free nights at the Hotel Monteleone during Tales of the Cocktail 2009.
I know I’ll be getting my entry in lickety split. Given that the Carousel Bar was the birthplace of the mighty Vieux Carré, I’m guessing Benedictine and Peychaud’s might have their place in the new cocktail. Well, we’ll see. Good luck to all who enter!
In other news
Can I get a cocktail post in here? Yes, and soon… soon as I recover from last night’s TDN.
In the meantime, a discussion of the comings and goings in my life, booze related.
We’ve deployed the Spring Cocktail Menu over at Acadia Bistro, with a few New Orleans classics, and some originals I think you’ll like. We’ve also been brewing our own ginger brew. It’s labor intensive, no kidding, but the results are so worth it. It ain’t the Colonel’s Shandy with no wussy Ginger Ale!
Colonel’s Shandy
- 2 oz Bourbon
- ½ Lemon
- 2 dashes Rhubarb Bitters
- tsp Simple Syrup
Build over rocks in a tall Chimney Glass, and top with 1/2 Pilsner and 1/2 Ginger Beer. Give it a bit of a stir, and garnish with a Horse’s Neck.
Besides this dandy, you’ll find the classic New Orleans cocktails the P’lace de Armes, a New Orleans Style Jack Rose (with Peychauds Bitters), and Tchoupitoulas Street Guzzle. The originals Bulle a Monté (the bubble rose), which combines housemade Rose/Hibiscus Liqueur with a lovely Gruet Methode Champenoise, the Fleur de Lis, a take on the Pink Lady with house made Orgeat in place of Grenadine, and featuring a PDT inspired Fleur de Lis stencil on top. Of course the classic Sazerac and other popular Acadian libations are still there. Drop on in sometime and say hi.
In other news, I’ve been accepted into the Tales of the Cocktail Cointreau Apprentice Program. What does this mean for you? Probably little. What does this mean for me? A lot of hard work in New Orleans this year, that’s for damned sure. I’ll be joining my buddies Erik and David, and a great list of other bartenders in this program. Like I didn’t sweat enough in New Orleans last year.
And in other other news, I’ve registered for the next B.A.R. 5-day program coming up this Fall in New York. Again, what this means for you? Bo diddly, I’m just sharing. With any luck, I’ll have a nice write up of some places in NY I’ve been itching to go to for the past year or two.
So, it looks like my year is pretty much setup to keep me incredibly busy. How you doing?