los angeles

Grogs Using Mexican Sodas

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A good buddy of mine has opened a bar in an area of Los Angeles called Boyle Heights.  The Whitt (on Whittier Blvd) definitely has a Mexican theme with most of the surrounding community having Mexican ancestry.  I wanted to come up with a few signature drinks for him that would be fast,  easy to make, and taste of Mexico.  Our house is always stocked with Mexican coke for Cube Libres so the inspiration came quickly to create grogs based on other Mexican sodas.

Easy to find at local stores

Easy to find at local stores

Below are two that tasters seem to enjoy the most.  Both drinks were served in Libby#115 13.5oz glasses tumblers.  The idea being that the soda is still the highlighted flavor.  Smaller oz glasses would, of course, bring out the other flavors more.  The serving ice cubes were 1 1/4 inch squares.

Mielzana Cooler

  • Prep an apple wheel and notch cut for the rim of a glass
  • Add ice cubes to the serving glass
  • Pour in 2oz of Ron Miel,  1/4 oz fresh lemon juice and fill the rest of the glass with Sidral Mundet
  • Garnish with an apple wheel and straw

Apple/Rum/Honey/Lemon

Ron Miel isn’t a rum you can find everywhere.  I found it at Mission Liquor in Sherman Oaks and its worth having on your bar shelf.  You could try using honey and light rum but I would add all the liquids (not soda) and honey first, stir, and then add ice and soda.  Honey hardens when it gets cold.

Tamarind Cooler

  • Prep a lemon wheel and notch cut for the rim of the glass along with 1 long sprig of cilantro
  • Add ice cubes to the serving glass
  • In a separate tumbler/glass, add 2oz of Beefeater gin, 1/4oz of fresh lemon juice, and a 2-4 sprigs of cilantro. Stir together and then finely strain into the serving glass
  • Fill the rest of the serving glass with Jarritos Tamarind soda
  • Garnish with a lemon wheel, cilantro sprig and strawCilantro/Tamarind/Gin/Lemon

Sounds a bit unusual to mix a drink with cilantro but tasters were pleasantly surprised.  To add some kick to this, add 2-4 slices of Serrano peppers along with the cilantro, lemon juice and gin before stirring.  Make sure the strain is fine to avoid seeds in the serving glass.

LA Bartender – Esteban Rios

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Last year, while looking for wedding venues, we went downtown to look at Les Noces Du Figaro, a unique French restaurant that basks in the neon lights of the Los Angeles Theatre when the sun goes down.  Jonathan, the owner, showed us around his beautiful space, including the upstairs which is a perfect venue for a small party or reception.  The large windows along Broadway let in the 1930’s old time Los Angeles lights.  Very unique.

We then sat at the bar, tried some delicious food and were introduced to the bartender, Esteban Rios.  He is our inspiration for the first introduction to bartenders you should check out in Los Angeles.  He appreciates using fresh, home inspired, and seasonal ingredients and mixes with a curious and positive attitude.

Esteban with his avocado creation

Esteban with his avocado creation. Delicious!!!

Name: Esteban Rios
Hometown: Santa Ana Del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
Coming to Los Angeles: At age 17 moved from Mexico to Fontana, California and then a year later to West Los Angeles
First job: Barback at the Whiskey Blue at the W Hotel and then later became a bartender there
Mixologist inspiration: Henry C. Ramos, the creator of the Ramos Fizz
Advise to those starting out in bartending: “Know your product, taste your cocktails, and make your guests feel like they are at home. Create an experience. Be yourself, make them laugh…”

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Favorite experience behind the bar: “Having a Ketel One and cranberry with Axl Rose at 3:00 a.m. at the Whiskey Blue bar, talking about ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ and celebrating Slash’s birthday until 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. It was fantastic.”
Favorite bars in Los Angeles: “Las Perlas is fun.  I like the mezcal selection, the cocktails are good, well prepared, the bartenders are very nice and the crowd is laid back. Crane’s is awesome. They have a jukebox, its small, dark, and a good place to hang.”

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Rum –
What do you think about rum? “Rum is fascinating because it varies from every country, and the way it’s distilled. It has history. If for some reason I’m feeling a little down, I have some rum and fresh juice…and it takes me to that tropical place…if I have too much, I turn into a pirate!”
What is your favorite rum to sip? “It use to be Dos Maderas PX, but, then the LA Rum Runners introduced me to Selvarey Cacao. Before Dos Maderas, it used to be Appleton.”
What rum have you tried that surprised and/or inspired you? “Selvarey for sure as well as Dos Maderas.”
What is your favorite rum drink to mix? “Dark and Stormy.  You still taste the rum and its very refreshing and easy.”

What is the most common rum drink people order from you? “Rum and coca cola…unfortunately.”
What have you successfully mixed with rum that has surprised you? “Tomatillo juice.”

Esteban’s rum recipe for this blog:

2oz of Sailor Jerry’s rum
1oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4oz agave nectar
2 1/2oz tomatillo juice
Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, shake 6 times and strain into a bucket glass with ice.
Tip: Tomatillo juice can be made by adding tomatillos in a blender and it is up to you if you want to strain it. I do, but if you don’t, you will have a stronger earthy flavor, as well as a different texture.

 

A Sunday afternoon at the Rum Rhum Club

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As you get out of your car in a small parking lot in North Hollywood on a Sunday afternoon, there can be a feeling that you just arrived at church.  You may see others dressed in their Sunday tiki best, make eye contact and nod, and head towards the back of the Tonga Hut.  Sometimes, you arrive on your own and you take your leap of faith with your fiancé, past the dumpster with boxes of empty rum bottles, squeezing her hand tight, and enter the hallway.  If you are familiar with this portal, you know the ritual of adjustment.  Even so, it’s always a shock to your pupils as they rush to open and bring in light.  You pass the display cases, raise your eyebrows to Magnum P.I. and reach your passport check in.  Sherri greets you warmly, collects your toll, and stamps your book while her squeeze Tom surrounds the pleasant and mostly dimmly lit interior with tropical/tiki music.  You hear the dibbling water from the Drooling Bastard on your left and go find a seat.  Syd is hustling behind the bar getting ready and Marie is creating, sometimes on the spot, mixed drinks with the rum that will be preached that day.  We wait to see where Forrest Cokely has been.

Checking in

Checking in

The Rum Rhum Club was created by Tonga Hut co-owner Amy Boylan early in 2012 with the mission to taste and experience new and vintage rums from around the world.  The Master of Ceremonies Forrest is loaded with experience and enriches your knowedlge of rum, if thats what you are looking for or you can just sip and enjoy the “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd. The format is such that you can learn about the different styles of fermentation, heads and tails, and esters or you can simply enjoy throwing the various samples down your hatch.  Forrest is very open to questions and you can see that he enjoys dissecting the bouquet in a rum, similar to a sommelier.  It’s open forum there, comments, feedback, cheers and outbursts are welcomed.

We’ve been to past meetings where we focused on rums from Panama (special guests from Selvarey), Puerto Rico, but on this day, there was too many interesting bottles to focus on just one country or region.  The congregation that gathered were treated to eight different rums and two mixed drinks, including the delicious Tonga Hut Rum Barrel that they only serve in their Palm Springs location.  It highlights Montanya Rums from Colorado and we were able to try the Oro and Platino.  Both delicious and easily sippable.  The Oro would be an interesting replacement to bourbon in a pecan pie.  We also were presented a glass of Helios rum, which is distilled in Okinawa in ceramic stills.  A very interesting agricole rum that was a bit easier than its cousins in Martinique.  I definitely suggest this as a gate way agricole to those who don’t care for such a strong vegetable taste.  Many other rums passed this way and that over bowls of popcorn.  The day ended with a group picture by Tom and a sampling of Plantation’s 1989 Trinidad rum with much fanfare.  Sweet up front with a nice gentle burn at the end.  Definitely worth finding and adding it to your collection.

Big Mo and the passports

Big Mo and the passports

The Rum Rhum Club meets every 4-8 weeks and is $40 for new members (includes your passport) and $20 for members.  They have a Facebook page that can be found by clicking on here. Sessions last from an hour or two followed by the bar opening to the public and the weekly Sunday evening gathering of a few Drooling Bastards.   We highly recommend joining the club regardless if you are a rum novice or expert.

Stop it.

Stop it