Highlights included watching the entire south of England grind to a halt early this week, due to less than 2-inches of snow, the heaviest fall of the white stuff for 18 years. Lucky for me, it cleared up just in time for me to catch my flight out of Heathrow on Saturday morning. As a hardy Wisconsinite, I can only laugh at the wimpitude of this former world empire, brought to its knees by such tiny amounts of frozen water.

Unfortunately, I was unable to hook up with the Cartoonist this trip, thanks to my dodgy mobile phone not relaying his messages to meet him last Sunday, but I did manage to meet up with Tiki Chris and quaff several cocktails at the London Trader Vic's, including an authentic London Sour, shown here complete with Union Jack and a 3-sheets-to-the-wind Mr. Bali Hai mugging for the camera. It was good, but I prefer my version in the previous post.

More photos of TV at Tiki Chris' joint.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Here's an excellent Scotch-based cocktail created in 1965 to celebrate the opening of the London Trader Vic's. I used 12-year Lagavulin scotch, a single-malt from the Isle of Islay, that imparted a nice, smoky flavor to the drink. It was smooth, but not overpowering. I'm probably going to Scotch Hell for using a single-malt instead of a blended Scotch in a mixed drink, but it tasted good, so bite me, Scotch snobs.

2 1/2 oz. Fresh-squeezed orange juice
3/4 oz. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 oz. Simple syrup
1/4 oz. Orgeat syrup
2 oz. Scotch

Shake with 1 1/2 cups of crushed ice and pour into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange wedge, a Union Jack, and Old Glory.

Cheerio and Toodle Pip and all that rot.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

"The height of the Polynesian restaurant craze dovetailed with the advent of the Space Age, and almost every tiki bar named at least one drink in honor of the Final Frontier...This is our humble addition to the Astro-Aku convergence..."

1 1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice
1 oz. Papaya nectar
1/2 oz. Apricot nectar
3/4 oz. Sugar syrup
1/2 oz. Falernum (Fee Bros.)
Dash of Angostura bitters
1 oz. Lemon Hart 151 Demerara rum
1 1/2 oz. Gold Puerto Rican rum (I used Appleton's Gold)

Blend with 1/2 cup of crushed ice. Pour into Easter Island mug or large snifter filled with ice cubes.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I whipped up the coffee grog using the basic recipe for the Volcano House Hot-buttered Rum drink in Beachbum Berry's Grog Log, but I subbed Cruzan Blackstrap rum for the Myer's Dark called for in the recipe, and added 3/4 oz. of Patrón XO Café (a surprisingly delicious coffee-flavored tequila). I dubbed the resulting beverage the "Popocatépetl", after a 17,000-foot volcano in Mexico.

The Hot Zombie recipe is from Sippin' Safari. It contains lime and pineapple juice, passionfruit syrup, gold Jamaican rum, brown sugar, hot water, a pat of butter, and a cinnamon stick. Delicious, easy to make, and even though it's served hot, it still tastes much like the Speviak Zombie, which is also in Sippin' Safari.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 7:01 PM | Permalink

I've scanned the best ones, and uploaded them to a gallery for your viewing pleasure.

Bottoms up!

[Link: Shakespeare Howls Cocktail Napkins]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 4:12 PM | Permalink

In other news, I received a most pleasant surprise in the mail the other day. Kevin, the head bartender at the Tiki Bar and Lounge in Melbourne, Australia, sent me a copy of their new menu, beautifully illustrated in classic mid-century Polynesian Pop style by local artist, Fiona Palmer. The drinks sound great. I'm particularly intrigued by the "Get Smart"-inspired Cone of Silence, which features a shaved-ice cone.

As they were closed for remodeling, I unfortunately missed out on the Tiki Bar when I was in Melbourne last January. However, I'm (very tentatively) scheduled to go there again this March, and Kevin assures me they'll be open for all of my tropical refreshment needs this time. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Needless to say, I've been too busy digesting these delicious sh*t sandwiches to blog much, but I have managed to escape downstairs to the Hai'deaway for a couple of exotic libations recently, so I'll tell you about them.

The Chief Lapu-Lapu is named after the Filipino Chieftain who whacked the famous world-circumnavigating Portuguese sailor, Ferdinand Magellan, during a battle in 1521. I drank my first one at the Royal Hawaiian Restaurant in Laguna Beach a couple of years back. The restaurant is still around, and they continue to serve this fine potable, although a change of ownership and a poorly-conceived remodel have stripped it of much of its vintage charm.

Like its namesake, this drink packs quite a wallop, and thanks to my use of homemade sweet and sour mix, along with some good-quality Passionfruit-pulp syrup, it was far tastier than the one I had in Laguna.

3 oz. Sweet and sour mix (homemade: 1 part lime juice, 1 part lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup)
3 oz. Fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 oz. Passionfruit syrup (Finest Call)
1 1/2 oz. Dark Rum (Cruzan Blackstrap)
1 1/2 oz. Light Rum (Appleton Gold)

Shake with ice cubes and pour into large snifter filled with more ice cubes.

I made some Grenadine syrup from fresh pomegranates a while back, and I've been itching to try it out, so I whipped up a Dr. Wong last night, it's a variation on the Dr. Funk cocktail I blogged about a while back. Wong and Funk clearly graduated from the same med school, but Dr. Wong advises his patients to cut back on the rum, and take a healthy dose of Passionfruit juice before bedtime. This drink was served at the old Luau of Beverly Hills. A new 90210 Luau just opened up in the past month or so, and although they've "updated" the decor with the typical pan-Asian crap you find all over LA these days, they've kept much of the old Luau's original drink menu intact. However, I'm not sure if Dr. Wong has been resurrected along with them.

1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Tonga Mix (4 parts grenadine, 1 part Passionfruit juice)
1 Tsp. Pernod or Absinthe
1 oz. White Rum (I used Rhum Agricole Blanc)

Blend at high speed for 5 seconds with 3 oz. of crushed ice. Pour into a pilsner glass.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Juice of 1/2 Orange
1/4 oz. Orgeat Syrup
1/4 oz. Demerara Cane Sugar Syrup
2 oz. Bourbon or Rye Whisky (I used 1 oz. Sazerac Rye and 1 oz. of Knob Creek Bourbon to cut down on the sweetness of the bourbon a bit).

Shake with 1 1/2 cups of crushed ice and pour into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with mint and a fruit spear.

I used a specialty mug from a Thai restaurant, and garnished with a skewered orange, lime, and lemon shell. A crouton soaked with lemon extract provided the flame.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The cocktail is the Ancient Mariner, from Beachbum Berry's Grog Log. This was the first time I've made it, and I think it's destined to become one of my faves. The hint of Allspice gives it an almost seasonal flair, perfect for these cold, late-Fall evenings.

3/4 oz. Fresh-squeezed Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz. Allspice Liqueur (Berry Hill)
1 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum (Myer's)
1 oz. Demerara Rum (El Dorado 5-year)

Shake with crushed ice and pour into double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with lime wedge and mint.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

2 1/2 oz. Tequila Reposado
2 oz. Dark Rum (1 oz. Meyer's, 1 oz. Cruzan Blackstrap)
1 oz. Tiki-Ti Mix ( 1/2 oz. Curacao, 1/4 oz. Orgeat Syrup, 1/4 oz. Demerara Cane Sugar Syrup)
1 oz. Fresh-squeezed Lime Juice
1 oz. Passion Fruit Syrup (Trader Vic's)

Cut lime wedge and squeeze into tall tiki mug or large snifter filled with ice cubes. Blend all ingredients with 1 cup of crushed ice for 5 seconds. Garnish with Maraschino cherry speared to pineapple wedge.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)