Scorpion Rising
After officially shedding 20 pounds, and shaving almost 20 points off my blood pressure to boot, I decided it was time to celebrate by treating myself to a tropical libation this afternoon.
In a recent e-mail discussion with my friend, Kosmonaut, regarding what would constitute an appropriate tiki drink for a large group of people, I'd suggested going with a classic bowl drink like the Scorpion, and multiplying the ingredients to serve the requisite number of imbibers.
Consequently, I had Scorpions on the brain all day today, so I opened up my copy of Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari to the Kelbo's Scorpion recipe, and started tweaking away down in the basement bar. The result can be seen there on the left, and I have dubbed it "Scorpion Rising". No, it's not a tribute to the films of Kenneth Anger, just the cleverest play on words that I could come up with in my semi-inebriated state.
As I said, the Scorpion is a bowl drink, meant to serve 2. Unfortunately, I have yet to locate a Tiki bowl to add to my collection, so I pulled my large Disney World Polynesian Village goblet down off the shelf to serve in it's place.
I've doubled the Bum's recipe, and added several additional ingredients (I'll let you guess which ones). With the addition of a bit more ice, this could've filled a small bowl quite nicely and served 3-4 aloha-shirted, fez-bedecked hipsters (like me!) equipped with long straws.
1 1/2 oz. Fresh-squeezed Lime Juice
1 1/2 oz. Fresh-squeezed (or not) Orange Juice
1 1/2 oz. Brandy (V.S.O.P.)
1 oz. Gin (Hendrick's)
2 oz. Dark Rum (Cruzan Blackstrap)
1 oz. Trader Vic's Passionfruit Syrup
1 oz. Orgeat Syrup
2 tsp. Pimento (Allspice) Liqueur (Berry Hill)
1/8 tsp. Absinthe (Mr. Jekyll)
2 dashes of Fee Bros. Peach Bitters
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker half-filled with crushed ice. Shake vigorously, then pour into a large goblet or bowl. Add more crushed ice to fill. Garnish with beak flower.
The resulting drink is smooth, light, and thanks to the Absinthe and bitters, quite aromatic, but it has a serious bite that sneaks up on your about a half-hour later, so don't go making 3 or 4 of these and pounding them all by yourself!
Okay, celebration's over. I've got another ten pounds to lose...
Comments
conga rats on dropping the 20. i think i found some of those lbs to tell you the truth.
Posted by: johnny dollar | May 12, 2008 4:34 PM
Tanks. It's taken me the better part of 3 months, but it was well worth it to get out of my fat-fat pants and back into my fat pants.
Posted by: Mr. Bali Hai | May 12, 2008 4:44 PM
firstly, that cup is just fabulous. two thumbs up.
secondly, the cocktail sounds brilliant. the pimento liqueur and peach bitters are a great touch.
Posted by: Anna | May 13, 2008 6:11 AM
Cheers, Anna. It's one of the first Tiki mugs I owned, and still one of my favorites.
I've found that most bowl drinks tend to be kind of sweet and lacking in complexity, so the bitters and allspice add needed layers of flavoring. The Absinthe is also an important addition, just a few drops seems to enhance just about any cocktail you can think of. It's a two-edged sword though. Too much can totally overpower it.
Posted by: Mr. Bali Hai | May 13, 2008 7:06 AM
Congrats - may there be many bowls in your future!
peace,
HMK
Posted by: Henry Michael Karshis | May 14, 2008 10:55 AM
Yummy yummy drink! i love those cups too..i have similar but they are shorter (from Mamas Fish House.)
Something i really like about them is their heaviness.
Posted by: Tiare | May 14, 2008 5:06 PM
I have a pair of the shorter goblets too. They're not vintage, but I like them.
Posted by: Mr. Bali Hai | May 14, 2008 6:25 PM