Tiki! Kiwi Mango Colada

So I recently met the blogger of The Pegu Blog, Doug, at the Don Q competition in Columbus this past weekend.  Looking at his blog reminded me that I sadly missed the February MxMo: Tiki! roundup.  I've not been super into Tiki previously, but last summer I had a bit of fun exploring, and while I'm spending way too much time in front of my computer with a broken ankle I thought I'd pour through some old photos and post recipes I hadn't yet had a chance to.  With the glorious temperatures around here lately, and my sadness at missing out on that last MxMo, I felt this entry quite apropos.

A bit of a sidetrack for a moment:  this recipe is, I suppose, officially a Swizzle.  It uses crushed ice and  a baton lele to froth and mix everything together.  My baton lele is a plastic tool that I procured as a giveaway at Tales two summers ago from St. Croix rum.  It is sadly missing a leg (this is what I get for taking my tools into work...ha).  They are IMPOSSIBLE to find.  If you happen to know where I can procure a wooden or metal one, I would be terribly indebted to you...or even if you're from St. Croix rum and could send a few of the plastic ones my way ;-)  I have attached a link to an excellent description of how to swizzle from Summit Sips in my recipe.

Kiwi-Mango Colada
Glassware:  I used a pint glass. It's tiki...there are many awesome options.
Garnish:  Cherry/Pineapple/Orange on a pick. Pineapple leaf to finish.
Method:  Muddle and Swizzle (crushed ice and baton lele)

Ingredients:
Muddle:
2 chunks Fresh Mango
1 slice Fresh Kiwi
6 chunks Fresh Pineapple
1 oz Coco Real (my preference for creamy coconut goodness)

Add:
.75 oz Gosling's Black Seal rum
.75 oz Cruzan Coconut rum
1 oz Pineapple juice

Swizzle to mix, add crushed ice, and then swizzle to dilute and chill.  Top with more crushed ice and garnish.

 

Don Q: Flor de Encanto

Don Q annually hosts a cocktail competition in conjunction with the USBG, and this is my first year participating (I joined too late to participate last year).  Our competition is on Sunday, and so I thought I'd share my entry.  Don Q rum is from Puerto Rico, and they ask competitors to showcase the spirit of the island in their cocktail in some way.  The state flower of Puerto Rico is a type of hibiscus, so I used that as my base idea.  Once I nailed down the recipe, I was lost on a name.  I thought a great idea might be to look into some of the folklore, and I came across the legend of Guanina--a star-crossed lovers sort of story.  I decided on "The Enchanted Flower" (also fitting, as the nickname of Puerto Rico is "Isle of Enchantment").  Then, seeing as how I work with a girl from Puerto Rico, she helped me translate the name.  The dash of cinnamon is a nod to the Spanish history linked with the island, as the Spanish were (of course) quite into the spice trade.

Flor de Encanto

Glass:  Large cocktail

Garnish: Dash of ground cinnamon

Method:  Shake and Strain

Ingredients

1.5 oz Don Q Gold rum

.25 oz Fruitlab Organic Hibiscus liqueur

1.5 oz Fresh Orange juice

.25 oz Fresh Lime juice

.75 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio)

Shake with ice and strain into a large cocktail glass.  Garnish with a dash of cinnamon over top and enjoy! 


And, as a little bonus, some photos from the competition:

 

Campari: Stars In Our Eyes

This past Monday I helped put together the Campari/USBG Cincinnati regional event for their national Best Campari Aperitivo competition.  I also created the passing cocktail.  The passing cocktails don't generally need to follow the competition rules, so mine involved homemade ingredients while the competitors' did not.

Aperitivos are are liquors/liqueurs/cocktails designed to stimulate the appetite and get your tastebuds working.  To break my cocktail down, Campari is an aperitivo liqueur, anise is a spice that is known to be an appetite stimulant, and prosecco is commonly a first-ordered drink before dinner.  I tried to make this as textbook aperitivo as possible.  I also tried to make it as light as possible, and not use the full ounce of Campari that the competitors were using, as I didn't want to overwhelm anybody's palates before the main show.

I thought the name thoroughly appropriate, as the phrase generally refers to beginnings of many kinds (relationships, business endeavors, etc.), and the use of garnish, and the cocktail's style as a "beginning" before a meal...very multifaceted meaning.

Stars in Our Eyes
Glass:  Champagne Flute
Garnish:  Long twist of blood orange and Star Anise
Method: Shake and Double Strain

Ingredients:
.5 oz Campari
.25 oz Fresh blood orange juice (I used Moro blood oranges)
.5 oz Anise simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water, 1 tsp anise seeds)
1/4 tsp Anise seeds

Shake well with ice, double strain into champagne flute, and top with 3-4oz of Brut Prosecco. Garnish with long blood orange twist and star anise.