My long-awaited Moai decanter of Capel Pisco arrived today, along with a bottle of Bolivian herbal liqueur made from Coca leaves, called AGWA, so I wasted no time and whipped up this very tasty little green cocktail number called the Jaguar God, invented by Exotica blogger, Kono:

1 1/2 oz. Pisco
3/4 oz. AGWA
1/2 oz. Fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz. Passionfruit syrup (not nectar)

Shake and pour over crushed ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with fresh mint.

The AGWA when drunk straight up has a nose not unlike Hai Karate Aftershave, and it leaves a lingering taste of Listerine on the back of your tongue, but when used as a mixer, it offsets the bitter and slightly dry Pisco beautifully, and the coca leaf leaves you with an alert buzz, which counteracts the usually depressive effects of the alcohol in the cocktail. Did I mention that it's also a beautiful shade of pale green?

I'm afraid to have more than one though. I might turn into an Eighties stockbroker or something.

Mahalo, Kono!

Posted by MrBaliHai at 8:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Here's some good bartending news: world-reknowned tropical-drink mixologist/historian Beachbum Berry's new book, Sippin' Safari, is slated for a June release! In it, the Bum details the fascinating history of Don the Beachcomber's legendary (and exceedingly potent) libation, the Zombie. Pre-order your copy now, at Club Tiki.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, Yours Truly contributed a couple of vintage images to the book [Link]

[Link: Sippin' Safari Pre-Order]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you're cocktail snobconnoisseur like me, who thinks 99% of the bars out there are staffed by incompetent nitwits who believe that mixing Rose's Lime Juice, grenadine, and a half-cup of rum in a tall glass, topped off with Diet Sprite is an acceptable Mai Tai recipe, then you need look no further for confirmation than this hilariously painful video from DrinksTV, in which our delightful bimbotender, Andrea, shows us plebes how to make a "Woodford Reserve Mint Julep, which she helpfully explains, "...is like a Mojito, but with bourbon." Andrea is all about serious bartending, you can tell because she a) uses very precise measurements ("..a little bit, like a teaspoon or so"), and b) has her blouse unbuttoned to her navel.

If, for some inexplicable reason, you feel compelled to make this, you might want to have a hypo full of insulin at the ready to counteract the instantaneous Type II Diabetes you're likely to contract from the sugary overload of Rose's Lime Juice, powdered sugar, and canned sour mix contained in this abominable corruption of all that is decent and holy in Cocktaildom.

Update: If you thought that looked bad, wait until these 3 hootchies whip you up a Where the F*ck Did I Park My Car. Guaranteed to get you laid? Passed out and date-raped is more like it.

[Link: How Not To Make a Mint Julep]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

This'll be the scene June 8th-10th at Trader Vic's during the London Luau 2007. Unfortunately, I won't be able to join these fine fellows drinking out of the dugout canoe. Instead, I'll be attending my son's high-school graduation. Oh well, stiff upper lip, and all that rot.

[Link: London Luau 2007]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 6:14 PM | Permalink

Dr. Bamboo is a new mixology weblog that combines vintage cocktail recipes with original illustrations created expressly for each libation. The image above goes along with a tart little number called Satan's Whiskers, a drink that I'll definitely be conjuring up down in the Hai'deaway in the very near future.

Mix on, Doc!

[Link: Dr. Bamboo]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 5:55 PM | Permalink

Unfortunately, bidding has ended on the eBay auction for this (full) can of vintage Hobo Soup, “...the brainchild of a small-town newspaperman from Ortonville, Minn., who in 1953 went into the local hobo camps in search of a feature story. As a result he was treated to old-fashioned homemade hobo soup and felt the world should share in this down-to-earth cuisine. Made with beans, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, and turnips, and flavored with bacon to give it a satisfying smoky taste, this thick and hearty vegetable soup is literally a meal in itself. Simply heat and eat.”

Don't feel bad that you missed out on a chance to bid for a can of 45-year old soup though, because as it turns out, they still make it!

Hanford over at Junkyard Clubhouse says he's "...hoping for a return of mainstream hobo vernacular." So running with that thought, I say let's retrofit all of the tired old Internet memes of the past couple of years with a colorful tramp motif:

All Your Derelicts Are Belong to Us
Bum-nanaphone
The Flying Bindlestiff Monster
Hobos Vs. Ninjas
Smell like a Hobo Day (thnx, Humu!)
Vagabonds with Pancakes on their Heads

and, may the Hobo King have mercy on my soul...

Hobotse.cx

[Link: Hobo Soup][via Junkyard Clubhouse]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Photo ganked from Sweet Daddy Tiki's Mugshot Gallery

Populuxe's friends went to Easter Island and brought her back an ultra-fabulous Moai decanter filled with Chilean Pisco Capel liquor. Pisco is a brandy made from fermented muscatel grapes, and is used to make Pisco Sours which, according to declassified CIA documents, were Augusto Pinochet's favorite drink. Apparently, Pisco is pretty harsh stuff, but I figure that since I like both Grappa and Cachaça, how bad can it be?

In any case, the decanter is cool enough to obviate any concerns regarding its taste, so I've decided that I must possess my own bottle, and will henceforth dedicate my life to obtaining it...right after I send both my kids through college, of course.

[Link: Pisco Capel Moai Decanter]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

I hadn't heard from Max Sparber in a while and was wondering what he'd been up to lately. Turns out he's been working on a new weblog called The Bottle Gang [Link], a group-authored compendium of alcohol-related reviews and articles with an emphasis on the history of booze-hounding, and the many fine (and not-so-fine) drinking establishments of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

For those of us who greatly missed Max's previous drinking 'blog, the New Orleans-centric Daily Lush, this new endeavor is a welcome addition to the booze-o-sphere. I particularly enjoyed the following article on Hollywood drunks, and I'm hoping for a few more installments to cover some of the hundreds, if not thousands, of tipsy Tinseltowners that had to be omitted due to time and space requirements.

[Link: Hollywood's Greatest Drinkers]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)