August Tiki Tuesday Menu
Here’s the selection for the August Tiki Tuesday at Teardop Menu, this time featuring a few of my favorite takeaways from this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. The Luau Coconut will be in limited supply, so get there early!
Dead Reckoning
A Martin Cate original, featuring tawny port and maple syrup in a surprising balancing act, this drink was developed for and premiered at NW Tiki Kon 2007.Hurricane
The REAL Pat O’Brien’s Original, not that sloppy red stuff you’ll see in the stores. Tart, sweet, and deep.Jet Pilot
A spicy sweet drink from The Luau in Beverly Hills. The Luau was owned by Steven Crane, who also owned the now defunct Kon-Tiki here in Portland.Lei Lani Volcano
This drink hails from Disney™s Polynesian Village resort. A balanced sweet and sour combination of Guava, Lime, Coconut Rum and Pineapple juice is no Mickey Mouse cocktail.Luau Coconut
Served by Beachbum Berry at the Tiki Spirited Dinner, this one’s a real treat, served in a real coconut! Be sure to ask for a spoon, the inside’s the best part!Mai Tai
Trader Vic™s most famous creation, and easily the most recognized tiki drink in the world. This lightly sweet combination of aged Rum, Lime, Curacao and Orgeat put Trader Vic™s on the map.Navy Grog
That good old Don the Beachcomber classic, with a mix of aged rums, grapefruit, and agave nectar.Nui Nui
Don the Beachcomber™s spicy classic, with Aged Rum, Orange and Lime juices, and Don™s Spices #2, a secret only recently unearthed by Jeff BeachBum Berry.Pampanito
A Martin Cate Original, as served at the Cocktail Hour at Tales of the Cocktail. This one’s rich and tart, with a lot of molasses and dark rum.Rum Pot
Trader Vic’s sweet and complex original, recently unearthed for Tales of the Cocktail 2008.Sidewinder’s Fang
Watch out, this one’s got a bite to it! This mixture of citrus, passion fruit and dark rums will really sink its fangs into you.Zombie
The most infamous of all Don the Beachcomber™s creations, any more than two and you™ll be joining the living dead with this combination of tropical juices, passion fruit, and plenty of dark and light rums.
July Tiki Tuesday Menu
Here’s the Tiki Tuesday at Teardrop Lounge menu for the upcoming Tiki Tuesday on July 22nd. This one is going to be a doozy, as Daniel and myself will be back in from Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. Hope to see you there!
Colonel’s Big Opu
A champagne celebration for Teardrop’s First Anniversary. This Trader Vic original of gin, lime, and Cointreau is a dandy refresher.Colonel Beach’s Plantation Punch
A summer cooler from Don the Beachcomber. This was served at Colonel Beach’s Plantation Beef Steak and Coffee House at the International Marketplace in Honolulu.Hawaiian Eye
This mix of two rums, lime, and Falernum was developed by famed bartender Tony Ramos for the cast of the show Hawiian Eye in the early 60s.Jet Pilot
A spicy sweet drink from The Luau in Beverly Hills. The Luau was owned by Steven Crane, who also owned the now defunct Kon-Tiki here in Portland.Lei Lani Volcano
This drink hails from Disney™s Polynesian Village resort. A balanced sweet and sour combination of Guava, Lime, Coconut Rum and Pineapple juice is no Mickey Mouse cocktail.Mai Tai
Trader Vic™s most famous creation, and easily the most recognized tiki drink in the world. This lightly sweet combination of aged Rum, Lime, Curacao and Orgeat put Trader Vic™s on the map.Mexican El Diablo
A Trader Vic original with Tequila, cr鑪e de Cassis and Ginger Ale. As the Trader says Go easy on this one because it’s tough on your running board.Nui Nui
Don the Beachcomber™s spicy classic, with Aged Rum, Orange and Lime juices, and Don™s Spices #2, a secret only recently unearthed by Jeff BeachBum Berry.Pequod Punch Bowl
A Beachbum Berry original featuring tea and rum. A real whale-chaser of a drink, best shared with fellow adventure-seekers.Rum Pot
Trader Vic’s sweet and complex original, recently unearthed for Tales of the Cocktail 2008.Test Pilot
Don the Beachcomber’s original classic. A balanced mix of rum, lime, cointreau, and Don’s 1-2 punch of bitters and Pastis.Zombie
The most infamous of all Don the Beachcomber™s creations, any more than two and you™ll be joining the living dead with this combination of tropical juices, passion fruit, and plenty of dark and light rums.
Barbados Red Rum Swizzle
Summer, is it here? Who knows here it Portland. In a matter with Nature’s cruel irony, the June Tiki Tuesday just happened to be on the one cloudy day after a weekend of sunny weather. Luckily, the NW Tiki Crawl was bright and sunshiney, making the pool (and basement bar) at the final stop feel all that much better.
Hot weather brings about inspiration for the Tikiphile in all of us. What better than a full complement of tropical weather and drinks to make ones feet feel lifted, out of the office chair and into a hammock, slung with leisure, and some care, between two native palms. A chilly tropical drink in one hand, and not a damned care in the other.
This drink, as printed in the pages of Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink, is the first in his tall ones section. Though listed alphabetically, I think it’s a damned dandy drink to start of a tour of Tropical Tall Ones.
Barbados Red Rum Swizzle
All that stuff about fifteen men on a dead man’s chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum, isn’t just so much hokum. There was more swashbuckling in and around the Barbados Islands, and in all the British West Indies in general, than anyone will ever be able to write about. The natives down there developed a terrific red rum and this little potion is a great way to enjoy it.
- 1/2 lime
- 2 ounces Barbados Rum
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Squeeze lime and drop in 10-ounce glass; fill glass with shaved ice; add rest of ingredients and swizzle.
Of course, the trader had quite a bit to say about the technique this drink is named for.
Before we go any further, a word about swizzling. I think it’s a hell of an idea. You get your drink and you stir it with a spoon but you don’t get the proper dilution to make it taste good. With your pet swizzler you work it up and down in the drink between the palms of your hands and you get a good chill on the drink and the proper dilution of any strong drink.
The original swizzle sticks, a natural product of the West Indies, consisted of a dried stem of a planty having radiating branches. When the stem is twirled rapidly between the palms of the hands, the forked branch ends induce a perfect mixture.
To give you an idea of the indicated result, here’s a nice little close up of a well-swizzled drink.
If you were to ask this Trader’s opinion (and you’ll get it, asked or not), swizzling appears to be out of fashion. Why that is, who is to say. The Swizzle Stick has been knocked down from bar tool to novelty-wear, a blunt cocktail pick with a doofy flamingo sporting a corporate logo on the top. Perhaps once the muddling of the Mojito madness dies down, this simple but elegant method (and the drinks it is named for) will come back into its proper place in tropical libations.
If you’re looking for a good (and inexpensive) swizzle stick designed in the classic functional fashion, well, best of luck to you. There are a good number of Cocktail Stirrers
Update: Many thanks to Chris at Rookie Libations for pointing out his excellent post on the swizzle. Also, turn on your jealousy hats because I gots me a real one now!
A somewhat expected party
Recently, my friend Erik Ellestad of Underhill Lounge and Stomping through the Savoy visited Portland, where I had the opportunity to share a few meals, laughs, and drinks with him, his lovely wife, and our friends Humu and Rich.
The highlight of the visit (other than the hot makeouts we saw at Thatch), was Erik’s visit to Teardrop Lounge, where Daniel and Alyson shook, stirred, and muddled through most of the “J” section, all the way from the Jack Kearns through the Jupiter.
You can read more about the adventure at Erik’s post on eGullet. I just wanted to show pictures of the aftermath of the event, and share an inspired cocktail.
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Daniel, having chatted with Erik for a bit, had asked if Erik had found any particularly interesting or inspiring drinks. Erik responded with his affection for a lovely little perfect Martini variation known as the Fourth Degree Cocktail. Being the curious sort, Daniel whipped one up for me at the latest Tiki Tuesday (I’m allowed to take a Tiki break every once in a while).
Fourth Degree Cocktail
- 1/3 French Vermouth
- 1/3 Gin
- 1/3 Italian Vermouth
- 4 dashes of Absinthe
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass
It’s a very lovely libation. What more can be said about such a classic combination of ingredients, it was rich, dry and smooth, with a lot of carry through in the finish, thanks to the use of a local distillery’s special ingredient.
It just so happens that I recently got a new toy, in the form of a mini-tripod, which I had placed with my camera on the bar. Daniel set down my Fourth Degree Cocktail, and went back to reading the Savoy. This is the picture that happened, no staging. I love my fake job.
June Tiki Tuesday menu
Hey there folks,
between the new batch of bitters, some improvements on the Galley, and a super secret project that will never see the light of day, it’s been busy times here for the Trader.
Nonetheless, let the good times commence this upcoming Tuesday at Teardrop Lounge! This is going to be a good one!
Captain’s Grog
From the Captain’s Inn, Long Beach, CA, circa 1962. This dirnk features a blend of dark and light rums, Falernum, citrus, and a rather surprising sweetener.Jamoca
Chilled Coffee and tropical rum make up this libation developed by Don the Beachcomber in the early 1930s.Jasper’s Jamaican
Let this Spicy Carribean classic take you back to the days when Jasper LeFranc tended bar at the Bay Roc in Montego Bay.Jet Pilot
A spicy sweet drink from The Luau in Beverly Hills. The Luau was owned by Steven Crane, who also owned the now defunct Kon-Tiki here in Portland.Kava Bowl
Trader Vic’s classic bowl, featuring Haitian Rum, orgeat, and a bounty of citrus.La Florida
A complex classic by famed Cuban bartender, Constantine Ribailagua.Lei Lani Volcano
This drink hails from Disney™s Polynesian Village resort. A balanced sweet and sour combination of Guava, Lime, Coconut Rum and Pineapple juice is no Mickey Mouse cocktail.Mai Tai
Trader Vic™s most famous creation, and easily the most recognized tiki drink in the world. This combination of aged Rum, Lime, Curacao and Orgeat put Trader Vic™s on the map.Nui Nui
Don the Beachcomber™s spicy classic, with Aged Rum, Orange and Lime juices, and Don™s Spices #2, a secret only recently unearthed by Jeff BeachBum Berry.Port-Au-Prince
A mix of Haitian Rum, tropical spices and fresh juices. Don the Beachcomber served the last of these in 1941.Wisdom of Pelé
A Trader Tiki original, inspired by the rich rums of Guyana. This sucker’s a limit one, so keep your head up, ‘lest you learn Pelé’s lesson.Zombie
The most infamous of all Don the Beachcomber™s creations, any more than two and you™ll be joining the living dead with this combination of tropical juices, passion fruit, and plenty of dark and light rums.