We had some bags of frozen peach slices in the freezer. Then we had some peach punch.
Freestone Peach Punch
Delicious
While on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, we visited the ChocoMuseo in Punta Cana. My family once owned a chocolate shop so I’m always curious to see whats happening with chocolate while in my travels. Besides an amazing chocolate Mama Juana they sell, they also had cacao husks for sale which they recommended preparing like tea and adding honey. The below recipe is substituting brewed tea with the brewed cacao husks (no honey/sugar).
Cacao Husk Punch
I had some saffron sitting in the spice cabinet that needed to be used. Food? No way. Drink!
The Orange Crocus
Oh yeah
One of our favorite rums is from Selvarey. If you follow us on Instagram, that should be obvious. While delicious on its own to sip, we couldn’t help but try it with blood oranges which were in season. This is a blossom mixed drink.
Bonita Sangre Flor
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
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
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
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.
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. 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…”
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.”
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.
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
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
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
We attended a gathering of the Rum Rhum Club at the Tonga Hut in North Hollywood a few weekends ago on a Sunday afternoon. The focus was on Panamanian rums and Forrest Cokely, the guest speaker, covered a few of the Abuelo rums. They were served neat and in mixed drinks. We also had special guests Andy and Robert from Selvarey rums, a new Los Angeles based rum company. Guests were served first their white, which was light and easy to sip. Jen Marie remarked that it was a one she could see a group of women sipping and enjoying with it’s light and easy welcome. Then my nose picked up a familiar scent to my heart. I smelled chocolate. Not something I would normally smell in a tiki bar let alone from rum. Soon, I could hear other people talking about the scent only to see more tasting glasses being passed around of Selvarey Cacao, a “dark rum infused with natural chocolate flavor.” We were very much looking forward to trying this and were not disappointed. I grew up with my parents owning a chocolate shop and though it is no longer open, my mother and I still make truffles and turtles during the holidays for friends and family. So with that being said, I know a little bit about cacao. And with that being said – this rum is delicious. Neat and at room temperature, they’ve found a very nice balance so that it’s not syrupy thick like a chocolate liquor or too light with barely any flavor. I was inspired.
Selvarey worked with Master Blender Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez to create both rums from Panama. The Cacao is a 5 year old 70 proof rum infused with locally sourced chocolate. We were able to pick find a bottle at the Walgreens on Sunset and Vine. As of 5/18, it was still on sale at its introductory price. We’ve already give a few bottles out as gifts.
Having just read Beachbum Berry’s “Potions of the Caribbean,” I wanted to try the Cacao modifying the Crucian Banana Squash which calls for white Virgin Islands rum, lime juice, whole bananas and ice. Here is what I came up with:
Peel and slice the bananas very thin, place in a small bowl and cover with the rum. Cover and place in the fridge for 4-24 hours. Once the time has elapsed, pour contents into a blender along with the lemon juice, Frangelico, and ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a glass. I garnished with banana chips.
Though lime juice works well with bananas, it does have a challenge with chocolate. Lemon does compliment both and I used it as the sour element. I added the Frangelico, which is a hazelnut liqueur, to mellow the lemon and chocolate a bit.
Chocolate isn’t often used to mix tiki style drinks so this may be a bit unusual to most folks. I enjoyed it. You can definitely taste all of the different ingredients with just a hint of hazelnut.
Chocolate, hazelnut and orange go very well together so I also made an ensemble using equal parts Cacao, Frangelico and Grand Marnier Triple Sec I picked up in Spain.
Ensembles are made to drink slowly as a “shot.” I keep my mouth slightly open and inhale while drinking to give the maximum taste.
A few other ideas:
Albaricacao Posset
Equal parts Apricot Liqueur, Cacao, and heavy cream. Shaken for 20 seconds with ice and strained into a chilled glass with fresh nutmeg.
Ginger & Orange pancakes with Rum/Maple syrup
I used a standard pancake batter and added fresh ginger and Grand Marnier cordon rouge. For the syrup, I blended:
Enjoy!
This weekend we taught an Introduction to Rum Class and Tasting for a few friends. Hosted at our home, we went through the basics of what alcohol is, a brief history of rum, the different types of rum, and how they are processed. After warming up the group with the talk, it was time to walk the walk. Out came the line up rums which the class was then eager to try and sample.
The classroom
We poured, enjoyed and discussed the following rums; Old New Orleans Crystal (light), Koloa Spice (spiced), Shellback Silver (light), Bacardi 1909 (light), Clement 6 (aged agricole), Dillon Blanc (light agricole), Bayou Spiced (spiced), Selvarey Cacao (flavored), Selvarey Rum (light), Pitu (cachaca), Zaya 12 (blended aged), Zafra 21 (blended aged), Smith & Cross (blended aged), and Diplomatico Reserva (blended aged).
A fine assortment of rums to introduce the class to.
Most of the class, like many people that we run into, were not familiar with the rum scene. Many know very little about rum beyond what you will usually find on the shelves of a grocery store or your standard bar. Most people just aren’t aware of the plethora of drinks you can enjoy with different styles of rum.
We started off with sampling the light rums, which overall the class enjoyed. We then took a turn and sampled agricole, spiced and flavored rums to introduce them to the complex flavors of this spirit. We then saved the best for last and and went into tastings of aged and blended rums. Being the true sipping rums, they are the most fun to deconstruct in terms of flavor notes.
The Dillion Blanc was the least favorite. A young agricole rhum is usually not a crowd pleaser unless mixed in a Ti Punch. Though, the Clement 6, an aged agricole, did seem to turn the class around to that style and was one of the favorites. The Koloa Spice came off a bit too sweet for some, even though Jen Marie and I have always enjoyed it. The surprise bottle of the night was debuting the Bacardi 1909, a limited edition, which “maintains the same flavor profile as it did in 1862” – Bacardi. I’m looking forward to trying it in a future daiquiri blind tasting using different light rums.
The four rums that were enjoyed the most were the Clement 6, Zafra 21, Diplomatico Reserva and the Smith & Cross. The blended and aged rums beat the lighter flavors.
The favorite four
After the walk with the samplings, I mixed for the group three different drinks using rum. First, the Pina Colada, by using the the Ramon “Monchito” Marrero Perez recipe that was used at the Caribe Hilton, Puerto Rico. I’ve made this drink a few times and it’s amazing to see the surprised reaction people have comparing it to the premixes or drinks in name only to the Pina Colada. Second, I made a Cuba Libre Cooler from the 1939 recipe found in Charles H. Baker’s book, The Gentleman’s Companion. For these I use only sugar cane Coke and key lime juice. (I recommend never to use American Coke or persian limes). Last on the list, I made a Mojito Collins. This drink definitely can get responses of oohhhss and ahhhss. The key is not to muddle the mint which can introduce bitter flavors, especially if you leave the stems on. Concussing (slapping the mint between the palms of your hands) the mint brings out the oils which is where the delicate flavor lives. Because guests have enjoyed this version so much, I wanted to share it with you…
Here is the recipe from Andrew Willett’s Elemental Mixology book:
In a 10 1/2 fl-oz tall glass tumbler add-
In a glass mixing tumbler add-
Delicate, light and delicious.
Enjoy!