Bitter Southerner no 4

Years ago I was honored by the Bitter Southerner, an on line Southern literary magazine, to create a cocktail that was variations on a theme, like a the Corpse Reviver series.  I created the Bitter Southerner no. 4 to be a bitter rum drink that had the look and feel of a Sazerac with strong Sicilian and Italian roots.

There were beautiful prints made of these cocktails based on the even more beautiful photographs by Pableaux Johnson.  And I used my Grandma Gullo's glassware that day so they are extra special representations of my craft.  Unfortunately, they sold out before I could get one.  Please, Bitter Southerner!  You didn't even pay me for my intellectual property!  Could you please send me a print of my work?  And one for Pableaux too?!?

Lucian Bacchanal

You're twisting my melon, man.

Its Happy Monday here at Compere Lapin!

Every Monday at 4pm we will be going over a cocktail on our menu, how its made, what inspired it and then do a tasting of the base spirit in said cocktail. 

This 20-30 minute class is free and open to the public! And the cocktail of the week will a $6 happy hour special at the bar on that Monday til 6pm! 

Today we did the Lucian Bacchanal. This is a drink I invented under a different name 10 years ago.  The story of that first drink, where I was challenged by another bartender, is here. 

Video of me making that drink can be seen below.  Please forgive the sloppy jigger work and silly hair toss.  I was but a baby bartender in a strange bar and had just gotten my hair did. Tell me...do you prefer my raven locks of hair, or my current curly strawberry blonde?



We discussed in class today how Chairman's worked great, but the Bounty Dark brings out a little more of that mezcal smoke.

Lucian Bacchanal

1.5 oz Bounty Dark Rum
.5 oz Vida Mezcal
.75 oz "Abby's Mix"*
.75 oz Lime Juice

Shake and strain into a cocktail coup/

*To make the "Abby's Mix" which is a play on Don's Mix form Tiki lore:

1:1 ratio by weight / Sugar : Water

1 :1 ratio / whole GF peel for “Abby’s Mix” : per cup of sugar

Peel the skin off oranges and place in a vacuum seal bag.  Add the appropriate amount of sugar to the bag.   (4 whole peels : 4 cups of sugar, 6 whole peels : 6 cups)

Vacuum seal the bag and let sit overnight.  (Write how much sugar is in the bag)

Next day add appropriate amount of hot water to sugar. (4 cups sugar : 4 cups water)

Stir to incorporate and take out left over GF peels.  Use immersion blender if necessary to dissolve sugar. **for Abby’s Mix include 2 cinnamon sticks and 3-5 anise pods per cup of sugar when you add the hot water

The rest of the August schedule for Happy Monday's is below:


TUESDAY August 14th (we are closed on this Monday the 13th)
Cocktail: Boos Teesi 

Spirit: Drumbshambo Gunpowder Irish Gin

Monday August 20

Cocktail: Cherokee Rose

Spirit: Bolivian Brandy

Monday August 27

Cocktail: Martino

Spirit: Rye Whiskey


Spreading Love and Knowledge in the Spiritual World!

Happy Mai Tai Day!

Mai Tai perfection

 Well, as with many Tiki drinks...already we start with controversy.  Trader Vic's would like you to know that the real Mai Tai day, by proclamation of the City of Oakland, is actually August 30th.  It was on this date in 1944, according to them, that Vic himself crafted a rum drink using rock candy syrup, fresh lime, orange curaçao, and orgeat. His Tahitian friend exclaimed “Mai tai roa ae!” which translates to “out of this world!” Thus this most popular Tiki drink was created.

Indeed,  I say, there can't be enough days to celebrate this amazing drink.  So look for another post on August 30th.

Mai Tai Tie!!

Here is the other controversy.  Pineapple juice.  Let me here by proclaim that this post will be about the classic tiki Trader Vic/Donn Beach/ Beachbum Mai Tai, not a Hawaiian Mai Tai.  I went to Hawaii last year and can confirm their Mai Tais are quite different with the addition of both pineapple and passionfuit and a very dark rum float.  I think we need to approach this drink like a "New Orleans Daiquiri".  Its going to be different with its own regional flair, and I accept and embrace that....when I am in Hawaii.

But today I am in glorious New Orleans!  And am about to embark on a Mai Tai crawl through the French Quarter.  First stop is my home bar of Compere Lapin, natch.  Bartender James whipped me up the prefect Mai Tai to start my day.

Think of a Mai Tai as an orgeat Daiquri had a baby with an agricole Daisy.  The Daisy being lime, spirit and orange curacao; we are going to use Clement Creole Shrubb, to perfectly compliment the aged agricole, in this case, Rhum JM VO, aged at least 3 years. 

The Daiquiri part would be lime, rum and sugar, in this case taking the form of orgeat, an almond rose water syrup popular in Tiki. With almonds and rose or orange water, it does indeed have it roots in the Mediterranean. It can be homemade if you are feeling ambitious,  but there are many fine pre-made versions available as well.  

The rums, according to the drinks inventor, were to be from Martinique and Jamaica.  But we are creating a dry funky Mai Tai for a modern palate that would go well with the Creole Caribbean food of our Chef, Nina Compton.  She is from St Lucia, so we will surely use Bounty or Chairman's reserve from her home Island in place of the Jamaican Rum.

So have a Mai Tai today, August 30th and, indeed, every and any day in between!

Happy May Tai Day from James and Abigail!

Easy steps on how to Mai Tai on Mai Tai Day!

1 oz Chairman's Reserve Rum
1 oz Rhum JM VO
.5 oz Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb
.5 orgeat
.75 oz lime.

Whip shake and put over crushed ice.
Garnish with mint sprig and lime wheel. And for an extra touch I add a float of Chairman's Reserve Forgotten Cask to float on the top.

Move Over T. Rex

The blurb on the lower left of this clip is I hope referring to my awesome transformation into Mardi Gras Glam Rock Goddess.  No?  Ok.  I know.  I need a new wig.  And I need to take better care of my voice! But I do love how my king cake fascinator looks on camera.  And I do love how this daiquiri tastes.   Watch me make it below.  



Its my favorite time of year here in New Orleans.  King Cake for breakfast, day drinking and gym everyday to balance the debauchery.  Every night I sleep on a pile of tinsel, glitter and false eyelashes.

Le bon temp roule here in New Orleans, my dears!

King Cake Daiquiri

2 oz white rum
1 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz Cocktail & Sons King Cake Syrup
mist of absinthe

Shake all but the absinthe in a mixing tin with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass misted or rinsed with absinthe.

My Sherry Appreciation Extends to the Cask, Baby!

Yo. This is good juice. Cask strength and full of nutty raisin goodness from the oloroso Sherry butts that this rum gets finished in. Sips like a cognac. The stuff that dreams are made of, y'all. 

My Sherry Appreciation Extends to the Cask, Baby!

Yo. This is good juice. Cask strength and full of nutty raisin goodness from the oloroso Sherry butts that this rum gets finished in. Sips like a cognac. The stuff that dreams are made of, y'all. 

Sherry Cobbler

There are certain cocktails that are less about the ingredients and more about the presentation.  The way the drink feels in your hands.  The proximity of the straw to some aromatic garnish.  The feel of the chilled vessel as touches your lips.  The Sherry Cobbler is one of those drinks.  The type of sherry you should use?  A dry one, like a Fino or Amontillado.  But really anytime could make a great cobbler.  The type of sugar? Superfine.  Or simple, or pineapple gum syrup.  Maybe even a spoonful of seasonal jam.  The citrus?  Orange, or lime, or lemon or even grapefruit or Satsuma here in New Orleans.  Hell throw some berries on there, strawberry, raspberry blackberry...See where I am going?  There is a lot of flexibility in this cocktail and you can use your judgment and personal taste to make it just the way you want.

The Construction.  Now here is where you might want to stick to the blueprints.  Crushed ice and a straw.  Much like a Julep, this drink is all about presentation.  There is nothing better than slurping up this icy, nutty, fruit, citrus, cocktail through a straw.  This is the perfect place for a metal straw.

Please read this piece form 2007 and read the master, David Wondric, wax poetic and downright Baker-esque about the Cobbler: http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/recipes/a3737/sherry-cobbler-drink-recipe/

At Compere Lapin, our version is fortified with rum and served in a beautiful highball glass with garnish dusted with sugar, ala beignets at Cafe Du Monde.  Nice New Orleans twist along with the name, an illusion to our famous Meyer the Hatter store.

Meyer Cobbler
1 1/2 oz demerara rum
3/4 oz Amontilado sherry
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz demerara syrup
dash of ango bitters
lemon and orange wheel in the tin
Garnish: orange wheel, berries, mint and powdered sugar

Whip all ingredients in a tin with 2-3 cubes.  Strain over crushed ice.  Garnish and use a straw!!

Barnacle Daiquiri

I wanted to be in Red Hook today.  I wanted to go to the Barnacle Parade.  I wanted to surprise the crew at Fort Defiance and have a tiki drink with Zac Overman.  I wanted to shake daiquiris behind the bar.  But money, timing and a real bad ear infection seemed to conspire against me.  So I made this daiquiri as a whim, inspired by Cassie's, my co-worker, version with a mist of absinthe in the glass and the white rum split with Red Hook riesling.  Yes!  A wine cocktail!  And its delicious!

Below is the recipe and the video I made to send to St John and Zac at the Fort.

Barnacle Daiquiri

1 oz Red Hook Riesling
1 oz white rum
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 oz lime juice
mist of absinthe

Shake all but absinthe and strain into a chilled cocktail glass misted with absinthe.  Yhay Absinthe!

Bayou Sunset Sangria

I demonstrated a rose rum sangria at the Bayou Boogaloo. Events like the Boogaloo are what made me fall in love with New Orleans! I am so proud to share my love for cocktails on this beautiful day!

Bayou Sunset Sangria

(Serves 10)

Watermelon 

Honeydew

Cantaloupe 

Red grapes

Blueberries

One jalapeño pepper

3 cups Bayou white rum

11/2 cup Bayou spiced rum

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup Bissop hibiscus concentrate

2 bottles of rose wine

Using a melonballer, break down half each of the melons. Reserve melon shells as serving vessels if so inclined. Slice grapes in half and add blueberries whole. De-seed the jalapeño and slice into thin rings

To fruit salad add agave, hibiscus and half the rum, reserving the other half for the wine punch. Fruit salad can now stay fresh for up to 3 days. 

To make wine punch, just combine rum with the wine. 

When ready to serve, use one scoop of fruit salad per person over ice with 1 cup of wine punch per person. 

Sno-Balls for Grown Ups

New Orleans has a name for frozen slushie type drinks.  Daiquiris.  These drinks are as about as far removed from an original Daiquiri as a Mango-Choco-Appletini is to an original Gin Martini.  While I have no room at my bar for a full on Daiquiri machine, I try to re-create the frozen drink craze during our hot summer months with Beverly, my industrial ice crusher.  Beverly Crusher (the smaller version is called Wesley) creates beautiful fine shaved ice more reminiscent of our famous Sno-ball stands or the shaved ice I used to get from the little old Dominican men with a huge block of ice on their shopping carts in my old neighborhood in New York City.  These men sold piraguas with hand shaved ice and homemade syrups.  My favorite here in New Orleans is called a Pink Squirrel, a cherry almond syrup that is greatly enhanced by a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk on top, a topping as common has whipped cream here at New Orleans Sno-ball stands.  Take flight with this boozed up version of the Pink Squirrel with that other form of city vermin, The Pink Pigeon.

Drink:  piragüas or as we call them in New Orleans, Sno-balls for grown ups

Pink Pigeon

¾ oz fresh lime juice

1 oz Luxardo Sour Cherry Syrup

¾ oz Luxardo Amaretto

2 oz good white rum Rum (I like a local rum like Old New Orleans, Bayou or Rouraroux)

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain ½ of mixture onto a mound of crushed ice.  Pour the remaining ½ and then top with more crushed ice.  Garnish with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk and a cherry.

Of course Strawberries and Cream are another natural combination.  Try this classis New Orleans Sno-Ball Boozed up:

Tiger’s Blood

2 oz Coconut Rum

1 oz Coconut Milk

1 oz simple syrup

Fresh Strawberries

Spiced Rum Whipped Cream*

Muddle about 2-3 ripe strawberries into the simple syrup.  Shake all ingredients over ice and strain ½ of mixture onto a mound of crushed ice.  Pour the remaining ½ and then top with more crushed ice.  Top with Spiced Rum Whipped Cream and fresh strawberry.

*To make the spiced Rum whipped cream, whip 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 Tablespoon of spiced rum and 2 tablespoons of Steens Cane Syrup.

Belinis, Sangrias and Daiquiris…on ice!

Not all snowballs are creamy.  Adding some bubbles to shaved ice created a refreshing frozen treat that dances a conga on your tongue. 

Island Bellini

1 oz Passion Fruit Puree

1 oz Peach Puree

3 oz of Moscato d Asti

3 oz Dry Cava

Pour all ingredients over crushed ice and mix gently.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a fresh peach slice if you are so inclined.

I use half moscato and half dry cava to control the sweetness to my liking.  When working with frozen ice or blended drinks, it is key to go a tad sweeter than you would normally.  The dilution of the ice needs a bit more sugar to bring forward the entire flavor of the cocktail.  Of course, all sweetness should be adjusted to your own personal preference.

King Cake Old Fashioned

Epicurious makes me and SoBou look good.

Mardi Gras has ended here and while I recuperate in bed I will regal you with tales of King Cake babies frozen in Ice cubes.

Yup I create a King Cake Old Fashioned for the Mardi Gras season (Starting on January 6th, Twelfth Night) and the initial response is that the babies in the drink, serving as a garnish, could be a choking hazard.  Not, "What great Idea!  I can't wait to taste it!  What a creative use of local products!  How proud of your job and your new home you must me to create such a wonder form local products!  You have captured all the flavor of a King Cake, without resulting to a sweet cloying cocktail!?!  This one has backbone and bite!"  Choking.  Hazard.  Am I serving Babies now?

Luckily I figured out a creative solution to that too!  I froze the babies in the ice cube.  Needless to say, it was a big hit and I received some wonderful press from it as well!  I have a recipe published on Epicurious.com! So go put that in your recipe box!

And check out GoNola's round up of King Cake inspired drinks.

And take me home tonight (cue the Eddie Money song)

And for pete's sake, Sam!  Turn the camera sideways!!!!  I am surrounded by amateurs! (insert sarcastic eye roll here)

Ring of Fire

I present a Valentine's Day cocktail!  It is spicy, sweet and sour...just like a real love affair!

I saw June Carter Cash sing for Johnny Cash's birthday once.  She came out with her harp and said, "This is a song I wrote about what it is like to be in love with Johnny Cash"  To see this gentle little old lady sing this song, her own composition, to her dying husband...well it just broke my little heart.  I hope one day to be a little old lady who loves someone this much.

Here is the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnplCRQVLDM

Here is the drink:

The Ring of Fire

1 1/2 oz Rougaroux Praline Rum

1/2 oz Willett Rye

1/2 oz cinnamon syrup

3/4 oz Lemon juice

healthy pinch of Cayenne/chili pepper blend

Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled cocktail glass with a half rim of Cayenne sugar.

The Next Battleground: The Old Fashioned

Yes! 19th Century Old Fashioned

In recent years, we historically minded bartenders have fought the good fight for the case of the Martini.  A Martini is a drink consisting of Gin, Vermouth and sometimes bitters with a twist.  They are not made with vodka and no vermouth, and they are not Dirty.  They certainly DO NOT have any fruity thing like Apple pucker, pom or choco tacked on to the front of them.  They can be served in a martini glass, though I prefer an classic Nick & Nora.  If you like Vodka in a martini glass with no vermouth, you just ordered chilled Vodka in a Martini glass.  That, in no way, is a Martini.  If you do not like the taste of vermouth (and I keep my vermouth chilled and fresh so you really should like its delicious taste) then no amount should go into your Vodka drink.  Since Vodka, by its very nature, has no odor or taste, it won't matter if I make your drink "dry" or extra dry.  I splash or a full ounce, all you will taste will be vermouth.   


I could go on, but you know what I am talking about, right?  PS...if you really are afraid of Gin, try my Vesper.  It has converted 9 out of 10 dirty vodka drinkers when made by my hands.  What really helps is the story, and that is where we bartenders can flourish and nail the sale.

Em..No, thanks. 20th Century Old Fashioned.

While this battle obviously rages on, I see a new battlefield opening up.  The Old Fashioned.  I'll admit, as a young drinker, I was besotted with that mush of orange and cherry.  It was like a Shirley Temple for grown ups.  I always knew it was too sweet and asked for extra bitters and eventually requested no sugar at all.  Extra bitters, no sugar, nice cherries, bitter orange rind, the 20th Century Old Fashioned (as we called it at Fort Defiance) is not a terrible drink in the right hands.  Some drinks still demand this fruity slush, such as the Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned.


But a true Old Fashioned is from the 19th century and one of the oldest cocktails ever made, hence the name and the fabulous story that goes with it.  Bartenders...convert your customers with the story of how the Old Fashioned got its name and see your educated customers flourish with your sales.

The Story of the Old Fashioned

May 13th, 1806 Hudson, NY- the first recorded date of the definition of the word cocktail.   Spirit, bitters, sugar, water.  Boom.  That is it easy peasy.  It was basically a bittered Sling.  It was a drink, singular, like the Martini, not a class of drinks (see above).  Introduce ice and fresh citrus peel and you have got a more modern looking Cocktail.  More specifically, you have what we at Fort Defiance called the 19th Century Old Fashioned.  But when did the drink become old fashioned?  Well flash forward to the 1860's-1880's.  This is bartending's first golden age, the days of Jerry Thomas, Only William and the Bon Vivants.  You have all sorts of mustachioed barkeeps in vests and diamond stick pins making all sorts of drinks, lighting Blue Blazer's on fire and putting on a show behind the bar (sound familiar?).  Well an old timer would stumble into one of these new-fanagled saloons and order a Cocktail, you know, the DRINK.  Well these wise ass bartenders or "Mixologysts", as they called themselves, would ask what kids of fancy cocktail the old timer wanted.  After all they were trained and well versed in all sorts of cocktail creations, fizzes, flips, bucks, improved cocktails etc...


"No!  Just stop high there, fancy pants!", I imagine the salty old timer saying.  "I just want a cocktail, an OLD FASHIONED cocktail!"  There is the magical moment in the story.  "And shave that mustache, you hippie", he might have added in my imagination.


And there is how the Old Fashioned got its name.  So mix one up...its so easy to do at home and I can do it even when the cupboards are bare.  That reason is probably why the Old Fashioned is the most popular drink in this household.  The cupboards are often bare.  


Raise a glass to the old timers who just want an Old Fashioned cocktail!


The 19th Century Old Fashioned
2 oz Spirit (Whiskey, rum, tequila, gin etc...)
sugar cube or bar spoon of simple syrup or maple or honey
Bitters (oh just have fun and pick 1 or 2)
Citrus Twist


Build in an Old Fashioned glass (duh) and stir in big rocks.  Twist a spiral or large swath of citrus.  Mostly Lemon, but lime for rum is awesome and grapefruit for tequila and mezcal rocks my world.  This drink gets better as it sits.

Tattoo You

Oh what is an inked up bartender gal to do?!  

To celebrate Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins and his 101st birthday, Sailor Jerry Rum is doing free tattoos tomorrow at various locations around the country.  Well my artist is in New Orleans, but I am still here in NYC!  Oh well...I do not really have a NYC tattoo yet, so maybe its time.  Besides, I am drawn to the the classic Mom and Dad heart banner.  There is no irony there..my folks are the two most important people in the world and my mom did give me the idea for my last work.  What do you think, Mom and Dad?

Here are some participating locations if you want to channel you own inner sailor:

• New York , NY--Fineline Tattoo from 12 pm-10 pm 
• Chicago, IL--The Chicago Tattooing Company from 12 pm-12 am
•  New Orleans, LA-- Uptown Tattoos from 12 pm-12 am 
• Huntington Beach, CA—HB Tattoo from 2 pm-10 pm

Palito's Way

Squirrel Watching

Pal. Palbert. Palberto Gonzales.  Bert. PBG.  Sneezy McSneezerson....My dog went by a lot of names.  And he answered to them all if you had love in your voice.  Yesterday I had to say good-bye to my dear little friend and companion.  I knew the end was coming and spent that last few weeks spoiling him with Turduckan, Lamb chops and trips to the park to watch the squirrels.


When I did have to be away from him, it was behind the stick, where he was still very much on my mind.  I have to offer thanks and love to my co-workers and patrons who showed great kindness, support and patience.  


One of the ways I rewarded them was with a new drink created for my Pal.  Its a light refreshing take on a Hemingway and the name is a play on his own and the 1990's era movie...because Pal always had a little gangster hood in him, being form Washington Heights and all.


Palito's Way
1 oz Chairman's Reserve Silver Rum
1 oz Banks Rum
3/4 oz grapefruit syrup
1 oz lime
1/4 oz Maraschino liqueur 
Soda water


Shake all but the soda water and strain into a collins glass.  Top with fresh seltzer and garnish with a Grapefruit triangle.

Zombie's gone to Mai Kai Heaven

Adult Disney World

Rum Renaissance kicked off here in South Florida with a Zombie Jamboree thrown at the legendary Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale. It included a Zombie Seminar by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry and bartenders from near and far throwing down their versions of this classic Tiki drink.

Running from the Zombies

I must make a confession. As a child, I was obsessed with 1950's tiki-tacky. I begged my folks to stay at the Polynesian resort at Disney World. I liked fancy drinks with big garnishes. At the beach I like to dig for buried treasure and play out fantasies closely modeled on The Goonies, Treasure Island and other swashbuckling adventures. To this day I still walk around my apartment in a sarong, trying to stay as naked as possible while I dream of tackling the waves in a dug out canoe and cooking fresh fish by a beach bonfire. It is only recently that I have learned that my early cravings for cocktail culture might have been generated in this childhood desire. Perhaps the Zombie was my destiny calling from the Gods and Goddesses.

Offering myself as sacrifice to the Tiki Gods

As we learned from The Bum's fascinating seminar, The Zombie, created by Don Beachcomer in 1936, almost single handily kicked off the Tiki craze. After the fall of prohibition, many drinkers went back to gin and whiskey, leaving behind the cheap rum drinks of more restricted times. Having access to all this cheap and good rum, Don started wowing the crowds in Hollywood with sophisticated cocktails called "Rum Rhapsodies". To avoid theft of his complicated cocktails, Don forced his bartenders to work behind closed doors in a service bar and wrote his cocktail recipes in code. This led to mass desertion of his staff, rightfully perturbed about not getting their fair share of tips (See?! Tip pools ARE best) and mass disintegration of the actual recipe for a Zombie since no one knew what was in it!

In his exhaustive research, over 15 or so years, Mr. Berry found 3 likely candidates for a Zombie. The first two, from 1950 and 1956, come from printed publications that have quotes from Don Beachcomber himself. (Why not find an interesting cocktail recipe in a magazine about the best places to go to for Burlesque? I guess it was like the Maxim of the day complete with comely babe on the cover.) The third and earliest example of a Zombie recipe came from a holy artifact in Tikidom; a little black book.

Those service bartenders who worked behind screens in Tiki bars had little black books with all of the cocktail recipes written inside. Mind you, they were often still in code, but with this early building block in place from an original bartender at Don Beachcomber's in 1934, Mr Berry now was on his way to finding the most original and likely candidate for the true Zombie. While the 1950's version was well balanced and bright with delicious citrus, the 1934 version was boozy and rich. Seemed a more likely drink to be named Zombie with its dark notes and ability to knock you into a stupor.

Speaking of stupor, the next part of the Jamboree was indeed that with 6 different teams of bartenders from around the world (well, two came from Mancheser, England at least) competing for best new interpretation of a Zombie. It was fun to be on the other side of a contest for once and have a chance to show my mom and dad what I do. Some local boys did real good with a bright passion fruit version and a very authentic deep rich version with a raw sugar rim. The winners (there was a tie) was Esteban's NY version that was rich with vanilla and the Vegas version that was full of nutmeg, citrus and a complex note from the lemongrass syrup. I wish I had a pirate loot to recognize them all!

The Molikai bar in the front of Mai Kai is Joe's favorite place on earth. And no wonder. It looks like the inside of an 18th century sailing ship. Lovely girls in sarongs serve you the finest drinks made from fresh juice, syrups and numerous rums. There are no liquor bottles in sight and all the mixing is done in secret behind a spinning lazy susan. With half off drinks and appetizers from 5-7pm, I'd be here every night too!

But the real charm of the Mai Kai lies in their elaborate serpentine dining rooms and gardens and nightly Polynesian shows. Its like Disneyland for adults. And the show is a thing of wonder. The talented joyful dancers and musicians take us on a journey through many islands of the Pacific; from New Zealand to Tahiti and Hawaii. Energetic, elegant and heart pumping, these performers were astoundingly beautiful and expressive. I found my breath taken away many times and was even distracted from the tasty dinner. The longest running Polynesian show since 1956 (even Hawaii can't boast that!) is an absolute treasure to South Florida and I am so excited to have discovered it!

I think I know where we are going for Grammy's 93rd Birthday next year....

Pop Up Art

So if you have been watching Top Chef this season you know that Pop Up restaurants are all the rage. They are a temporary concept for a restaurant that is bare bones and a bit more fun since they are not tied to permanent idea. The boys form Fatty Crab and Fatty 'Cue decided to do just that with their former Cabrito space in the West Village and open Fatty Johnsons. They also have had the brilliant ideas to get the city's talented bartenders in on the fun. Guest bartending is a lot of hard work but it is also a neat opportunity to show off some of your own drinks and just play in someone else's sandbox.

Tonight Ivy Mix and I are popping up behind the stick at Fatty's. Here is a sneak preview of our menu. Hope to see you all in my old neighborhood!

La Dulce Vida
1.5 oz Chairman's Reserve Rum
3/4 oz Vida Mezcal
3/4 oz lime
3/4 oz Spiced Syrup (Abby's Mix)

Shake serve up in coup with grated cinnamon

Morton Street
1 oz Bourbon
1 oz Wild Turkey Rye
2 oz Fresh Grapefruit
3/4 oz rosemary infused Maple Syrup
Club Soda

Shake, serve on the rocks in a collins glass, top with soda and garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary

7 Steps to Hell
1.5 oz Compass Box Oak Cross
1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz Cynar
Barspoon of Peat Monster
dash each of Jerry Thomas Own Decanter and Creole Bitters

Stir serve up in a glass spritzed with Peat Monster and lemon twist

Jezebel

1.5 hendricks
1 banks rum
.5 cocchi americano
.5 dolin dry
dash of angostura orange bitters
stir, coupe/martini/up, lemon twist

Collo Rosso

1 appleton VX
3/4 old forester 101
3/4 carpano antica
1/2 campari
stir, dbl rocks, rocks, orange twist

La Sonámula

1.5 jalapeño infused jimador blanco tequila
1 lemon juice
3/4 chamomile syrup
2 dash peychaud
shake, coupe/martini/up, thyme sprig garnish (optional)

St Lucian Tonic

I came home in the most lovely little blizzard last night. The streets were coated in a white sheen of quiet clean. Pal and I raced thought the snow covered sidewalks and I couldn't wait to take him for a walk to the park in the morning. He has the cutest puffy orange vest for playing in the snow. He looks like those hot guys in High School I always had a crush on..in their puffy vests and cowboys hats. LeSigh.

Pal playing in his sexy vest with a friend

I only make the dog where the vest when we are going to be out in the snow playing all day. Otherwise he just gets so sad wearing those silly things.

Anyway.... Four hours later I got up to move the car and it was rain and ice and and winter hellscape!!! We went back inside and I slept half the day away feeling like I had a cold and never wanting to leave the house again. One pot of homemade soup (with dandelion...the biggest ones I have ever seen!!) and a low fat grilled cheese sandwich (not as bad as it sounds...when dipped in ketchup) and one truly awful IQ lowering movie (too embarrassed to say) followed by a hernia inducing viewing of the Ricky Gervais Show and I am ready to go out again!

Maybe a drink first.... Something warm right? Yes! But something to chase away this hint of a dull ache in my bones that could turn into a cold...so something with vitamin C!

Blood Oranges are in season and they a not only gorgeous, they have a lovely tart taste that is perfect in some cocktails. I have been using them a lot with gin, but today I am going for some rum. Spiced rum. Who know what tropical St Lucian herbs and spices might lead to some healing powers? And then who better that The Bitter Truth to make a spicy herbaceous tonic to heal my runny nose?

I better have a big mug.

St Lucian Tonic
2 oz Chairman's Reserve Spiced
3/4 oz The Bitter Truth Pimento Dram
4 oz hot cider
2 oz fresh squeezed blood orange

Heat the cider and pour over the other ingredients and a clove studded slice of blood orange.

I just got back from a walk in that mess and I was humming along happily due to this tonic...see? It works!

The First Salute

There is a new drink going in the menu at Fort Defiance tonight. It captures the historic zeitgeist of my beloved workplace and is one of my favorite recent creations.

I wanted to create a tasty rum drink using an aged rum that would be a nice transition from our glorious Indian Summer to the cold winter months ahead. I also have been playing around with making my own version of the tiki classic, Don's Mix. I made a simple syrup with Cinnamon, grapefruit zest and star anise. Star Anise has been a favorite since tasting my Grandmother's homemade Pizzelles as a child. (And a trip to Niagara Falls last week to visit my 95 year old Aunt Nevia reminded me I STILL have not put my Grandmother's Pizzelle iron to the test!) I have used those lovely star anise pods to infuse bourbon and make Coquito. The flavor comes through nicely in a syrup too.

Armed with "Abby's Mix", some lime and Chairman's Reserve, I had a stellar new drink. The rum adds a hint of vanilla and a full bodied boost while the syrups spiciness comes through to the end of the sip. Now....I needed a name.

So came to the rescue our local bon vivant, Phil. When I mentioned the Rum comes from St Lucia, he stood and saluted me at the bar, a not so easy task after two of said cocktails. Turns out, island nation was the first to salute the young America and recognize them as a sovereign nation, a mere 4 months after declaring independence. The extraordinary historical writer Barbara Tuchman wrote a book about the event and its importance in our Revolutionary war.

Well, that certainly fits the theme of our Fort Defiance. Its a delicious drink, so it will fit in on our tasty menu. It even fits Toby's guidelines for a good drink (3 ingredients!!)

The only thing....after some cursory research (I MUST check my facts) I found out it was the nearby Dutch controlled island of St Eustatius that actually fired the first salute. St Lucia was under British and French control back and forth over the years and was probably in no condition to be as cheeky and brave as those Dutch.

Still, its a good story and a good name and I am sticking with it! By the way...its 82 degrees in St Lucia today. Want to to go?

The First Salute
2oz Chairman's Reserve Rum
3/4 oz "Abby's Mix"
3/4 oz Fresh Lime

Shake with ice and serve straight up.

From TheFirstSalute.org:

On November 16, 1776, a small American warship, the ANDREW DORIA, sailed into the harbor of the tiny Dutch island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies. Only 4 months before, the United States had declared its independence from Great Britain. The American crew was delighted when the Governor of the island, Johannes de Graaf, ordered that his fort's cannons be fired in a friendly salute. The first ever given by a foreign power to the flag of the United States, it was a risky and courageous act.

Opening Night at Theatre

Photo: Guest of a Guest

Zagat hosted a sneak preview opening of Theatre in Tribeca. Albert Trummer and the lads behind Apothéke created this space as an ode to German cabarets. But the stage isn't for performers, sadly, its for the bar and the bartenders. Still, the locals are pleased to have such a beautiful new cocktail focused bar in the neighborhood. I talked to a neighborhood boy who is originally from Louisiana (and you know what I soft spot I have for Southern boys). By the end of the conversation I was telling him about our plans to have a son named Boudreaux. Moses makes drinks THAT good.

The VIP area behind the bar/stage is accessible Goodfellas style through the kitchen, up and down stairs. It was worth the climb the other night as the beautiful Lynnette Marrero was back there pouring Ron Zacapa rum.

It will be a while before the official opening, enough time to work out the kinks...and maybe get a performance space suitable for Sally Bowles.