After completing this recipe comparison, I have come to many conclusions, but there is one that is indisputable. I will -never- get scurvy.

The Joy of Mixology

2oz light rum (used Cruzan)
1/2oz brandy (used Salignac)
2oz orange juice
3/4oz lemon juice
1/2oz orgeat (used homemade)
1/2oz 151-proof rum (used Lemon Hart)

Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass.
The Joy [...]

My trip to Portland last year included several visits to Powell’s book store. For those who don’t know of it, imagine a used book store that stocked 5-10 new used cocktail guides nearly every day. Seriously. Cocktails for Two caught my eye, and unsurprisingly so. The cover features a Manhattan poised [...]

I wanted to find a cocktail guide that was published as close to Repeal Day (Wikipedia) as possible. My stash from Powell’s in Portland was nearly untouched, so I looked there. After digging through a dust-filled box, I found a wood and leather-bound cocktail guide from 1941 called Here’s How. It somehow remained [...]

I am totally amazed how the Test Pilot has evolved since my post about it over a year ago. The first time I made it, I used the following recipe:

Test Pilot

1/2oz lime juice
1/2oz falernum
1/2oz Cointreau
1 dash Angostura bitters
1/8t Pernod
3/4oz light Puerto Rican rum
1 1/2oz dark Jamaican rum

Blend with 1c crushed ice for 5 seconds, [...]

I arrived home to find an Amazon box nestled lovingly up against my garage door, like it had found its true home. What occurred next was me moving faster than I have in probably two years. I grabbed a knife at random from the block and tore into the box with fevered intensity. [...]

After enjoying the Coronado Luau Special for the first time at Forbidden Island, I knew I must add it to my overwhelming collection of tiki drinks that make up the summer schedule. I rushed home and eagerly flipped through the citrus-stained and rum-marked pages of Berry’s books for the recipe …
I must pause to [...]

Winter’s icy scepter has finally made its killing stroke. The wind chill brought the temperature down to -18F today. Is it wrong that all I can think about is if I can get my ice down to that temperature so I can crush it for tiki drinks?
Truth be told, the tiki gods have [...]

According to Dr. Cocktail there is a bit of controversy over who exactly created the Fog Cutter. Tony Ramos remembers it from Edna Fogcutter’s, where it was the signature drink, but everyone else I’ve come across gives the credit to Trader Vic. You’ll see both of their recipes among many others compared below.
This [...]

I haven’t discussed, let alone imbibed, nearly anything this summer that didn’t contain copious amounts of rum. Tiki culture, and its cocktails specifically, have seduced me to the point of no return. Saying that, I have no intention of turning Kaiser Penguin into a tiki-only blog, as I’m sure the first brisk winds [...]

As I leafed through Intoxica! in search of the perfect lemon-filled cocktail, my mind drifted to the Hurricane. I had no idea how I was going to beat such lemon-crafted perfection. It has the perfect mix of sweet and tart with just the right balance of rum.
Many of the recipes in Intoxica! included [...]