Cocktail #7: The Dorado Beachcomber

I've been reading Jeff Berry's Potions of the Caribbean, which is a fantastic read if you're interested in the history of exotic cocktails and tiki culture. The book has over 70 drink recipes, many of which have never been published before. The Dorado Beachcomber caught my eye so I decided to give it a try. From the book:

[This cocktail is] from the Dorado Beach Hotel, Puerto Rico, circa 1962. An unpublished recipe from an annotated Dorado Beach cocktail menu. 

1.00 oz. gold Puerto Rican rum (I substituted gold Jamaican rum a friend brought back for us from a recent trip there)
1.00 oz. 151 proof Puerto Rican rum (I used Don Q)
3/8 oz. Curacao
1.25 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/8 oz. orgeat syrup
3/8 oz. white sugar syrup

Shake well with two cups of crushed ice. Pour unstrained into a coconut mug (we bought ours at Chicago's own fabulous tiki bar, Three Dots and a Dash a few years ago when we were visiting; they now have an online shop, though these particular ones seem to be sold out), or use a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge, pineapple slice, and cocktail cherry. 

There are some similarities to a Mai Tai - the orgeat, curacao, etc. But the use of the 151 rum makes this a boozier concoction than a Mai Tai, and the lemon adds a higher level of sour. If you're in the mood for something sour and strong, this is a drink for you. Perhaps an easier drink to make than to drink due to its strength, it's still worth giving it a try.

To get your cocktail shakers shakin', throw on this cha-cha record from Enoch Light:

Cheers!

Cocktail #2: The Royal Hawaiian

This week's cocktail may be a departure for many people who have come to expect rum in their tiki drinks (I was one of them!). Also, it's incredibly easy to make with relatively easy-to-find ingredients (the orgeat being the most obscure, but even that is getting easier to find these days). The recipe is as follows:

1.5 oz. pineapple juice
0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of orgeat syrup
1.5 oz. gin

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker that's filled halfway with ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. I've chosen to garnish mine with a lemon slice and maraschino cherry speared by an umbrella.

This is the first time I've tried this cocktail, and I quite enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for sour - which this drink is - but even if you're not, the lemon is not overpowering here, as it's tempered by the sweetness of the pineapple juice, and orgeat. The drink will form a thin layer of sweet foam on the top, which is really nice before the more sour liquid beneath hits you.

Beachbum Berry has a short history of this cocktail:

"From the Moana Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii, circa 1948. Webley Edwards' then-famous radio program Hawaii Calls, featuring the Singing Surfriders and the Waikiki Maidens, was often broadcast live from the Banyan Court of the Moana; up to 3,000 middle aged tourists at a time would pack the courtyard to hear Edwards open the show with his trademark 'Aloha,' to which the crowd would always respond, 'a-LO-ha!'"

As you mix up  your own Royal Hawaiian, throw on these Webley Edwards records from YouTube:






Cheers, and enjoy!