Sharkfest - Tumblr Posts
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water….
So the bad news is the weather in DC is in the 90's with humidity in the stupids,which means I'm not leaving my apt on my days off. The good news is it's time for National Geographic's Sharkfest again,so I've got plenty of TV to watch! And of course I need a cocktail to sip while sitting on the couch,so I give you more shark-themed Tiki Drinks. Enjoy!
Last year I did a drink called the Shark Bite,which really wasn't that great. Blood in the Water is a riff on the Shark Bite,and the recipes I found didn't sound any better,so I decided to play with it. The result:
Mix #202 Giltron's Blood in the Water
1oz light overproof rum* 1/2oz Cherry Heering 1/2oz blue curacao 1/4oz lime juice 1/4oz lemon juice 1/2oz simple syrup
Shake everything except Heering with ice and pour into double old fashioned glass. Drizzle Heering on top.
*I used Wray & Nephew.
My riff is a bit tart,but not too sour,and the overproof gives it the bite you want in a shark-themed drink. Much better than last year's mixing. It has the bloody water look to it until the Heering mixes in,so if you're picky about how your drink looks,use a mug.
Mix #203 Quint's Grog
1oz light rum 1oz dark rum 1oz Demerara rum 1oz honey syrup 3/4oz lime juice 3/4oz grapefruit juice 3/4oz grapefruit flavored club soda
Shake everything but soda with ice and pour into mug. Top with soda.
From Trader Brandon comes a Navy Grog riff. Okay,technically all he did was swap in flavored club soda,but Jaws was a good movie and Quint was cool so here it is. Tastes just like a regular Navy Grog but the grapefruit comes forward more. And it's got plenty of bite.
Mix #204 Don's Shark Tooth
1oz gold rum 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz pineapple juice 2tsp simple syrup 1tsp syrup from Maraschino cherries* 1oz dark Jamaican rum
Blend everything except dark rum with ice and pour into glass. Float dark rum just before drinking.
*I used Cherry Heering.
Last year I mentioned that Don Beach had his own version of the Shark Tooth,and this is it. It has a nice sweet/tart balance with a cherry finish. Another Don classic.
Mix #205 WP's Shark Tooth
1oz Plantation 5yr Barbados rum 1oz Appleton Estate 12yr rum 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz pineapple juice 1/2oz cinnamon syrup 1/4oz Maraschino liqueur* 1/2oz 151 Demerara rum
Shake everything except 151 with ice and pout into Mai Tai glass. Float 151 on top.
*I used Cherry Heering.
From Facebook comes Wayne Philipp's riff on the Shark Tooth. Very cinnamon-y with some tart and plenty of bite. I used Heering,proper Maraschino would've made it a bit sweeter. I good strong drink for cinnamon fans.
Mix #206 Tiger Shark
1/2oz gold Puerto Rican rum 1/2oz white Puerto Rican rum 1/2oz 151 Demerara rum 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz pineapple juice 1/2oz simple syrup
Blend with ice and pour into mug.
From the former 1950's China Trader of Burbank,CA this is a classic Tiki drink with bite. A bit tart for me,but classic fans will dig it.
So kick back with a cocktail and tune in to Shark Fest,just remember to keep your hands and feet in the boat!
Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women.
Well,we're halfway through Sharkfest,but there's still plenty more to watch. And plenty more sharky Tiki drinks to mix up. Enjoy!
Mix #206 Luau Room Shark Tooth
1.5oz Tanduay rum* 1/2oz sloe gin 1oz lemon juice 1oz passionfruit syrup 1-2oz club soda
Shake everything except soda and pour into Mai Tai glass. Top with soda.
*I used Coruba.
This is the recipe used in the Luau Room bar of the Hotel del Coronado in the 1950's and 60's. It's light and sweet with a gin finish. An excellent summer drink.
I finally picked up some sloe gin which is much sweeter than other gins,and now I'll have to go back over some of my mixings that were supposed to use it and redo them. It really changes the character of the drink,so if a recipe calls for it instead of regular gin,you should use the correct stuff. It's also not bad to make a gin 'n tonic.
Mix #207 Mai-Kai Shark Bite
1oz Plantation 5yr Barbados rum 1oz Appleton Estate 12yr rum 1/2oz lime juice 1/oz pineapple juice 1/2oz rich(2:1) simple syrup 1/8oz cinnamon syrup
Rinse a rocks glass with water and freeze to create an ice shell. Shake everything except Appleton with ice until frothy. Add crushed ice to glass and strain mix in. Serve Appleton on side and pour in as a float.
Ok,so I just shook everything with ice and put it in a glass,and it turned out just fine. This is the Mai-Kai's take on the Shark Bite. It's got a sweet/tart blend with just of touch of cinnamon on the end. A nice drink,but it really didn't stand out enough to me to put it in regular rotation.
Mix #208 Blue Water White Death
2oz silver tequila 3/4oz Cointreau 3/4oz blue curacao 1/2oz lime juice 1/2oz simple syrup few drops grenadine
Shake everything except grenadine with ice and pour into Mai Tai glass. Add a few drops of grenadine to look like blood in the water.
So I found a recipe going around the internet for a 'shark attack margarita'. It was a kitschy drink where you pour grenadine into way too much sweet and sour mix from a plastic shark. I tweaked the recipe and it started out ok until the grenadine kicked in,then it turned out almost undrinkable. Now,there was a '70's movie called 'Blue Water,White Death' that was supposed to be a great white shark documentary,and that was also a hot mess. So I decided to fix this drink and name it after the movie to try and redeem both. The drink is a pretty bright turquoise with the grenadine giving it the 'blood in the water' look,and the tequila gives it plenty of bite. It's very tequila forward,so use the good stuff(I used 1800) with a light taste that goes back and forth between tart and sweet. Only use about six to eight drops of grenadine;too much and it will overwhelm the drink and make it too sweet. And remember the old reel,"one tequila,two tequila,three tequila,floor";this drink will sneak up and bite you like a great white hitting a seal.
So enjoy Sharkfest folks,and have fun at the beach.
