Gone the Beachcomber
Planter's Punch
Tahitian
In honor of its 10th anniversary, I decided to delve into Beachbum Berry's Grog Log this weekend, in search of killer cocktails I might have passed over in the 8 years or so that I've owned it. As you can see from the photos above, the results were pleasing to the eye, at least, but after sampling these drinks, I have to say that in general, the cocktail recipes in the Grog Log seem to lack the complexity of the libations listed in the Bum's newest tome, Sippin' Safari,
The best of the three by far was the first, Gone the Beachcomber, a float of Demerara 151 over Maraschino liqueur, 80-proof Demerara, lemon, lime, and passionfruit syrup. The Maraschino liqueur tended to obscure the other flavors, so I'd recommend cutting it back from 1/4 oz. to 1/8 oz. (1 tsp).
I followed it up with the Planter's Punch, which I topped with a flaming crouton stuck into a lime shell. With 3 tsp. of grenadine in the mix, the punch turned out far too sweet for my tastes. I had to 'shop the photo quite a bit to make the flame visible, but I think the contrasty colors make it look like it came out of an old brochure or postcard, so it's cool.
The final drink of the evening was the Tahitian, a combination of pineapple and lime juice, with 3 rums, which produced a very harsh-tasting, flat libation. I'm not sure what it was lacking, but it definitely needed something to lift it above the ordinary. It got better as the ice melted and diluted it, but I don't think I'll be making it again.
Mike Lynch has scanned and uploaded a number of old gag books in the past few months, but the desert-island theme of this collection really caught my eye (for what I assume are obvious reasons). Most of the humor is stale, un-P.C., and dated, but I still get a kick out of the fine line work on display.
This might be an opportune moment to invite everyone to revisit my own tribute to lame, insensitive, tropical-island humor, the April, 1935 issue of Ballyhoo Magazine.
