Passionate Melon

A raise of the glass to all those who help out by offering their opinions and partake in all the difficult "research" needed to sample these beverages! Cheers!

This week's guest drinker is Ms. Sharon McG. Thanks!

Joining me on my side of the bar was Sharon, a fellow patron with a decidedly less tolerant system for cocktails containing a generous alcohol content, but a discerning palate, nonetheless. Sharon's drink, "The Passionate Melon."

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker, add

- A 3 count of Malibu Melon-flavored rum

- A 3 count of Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay Passionfruit-flavored rum,

- A 3 count Bacardi White Rum

- A splash of Pineapple juice,

- A splash of orange juice

- A squirt of grenadine

- Shake vigorously

- Pour over fresh ice in a chilled, 16 ounce pint glass

- Garnish with available fruit, (i.e. melon, passionfruit, pineapple, etc.,) OR a wedge of lime!

Recipe by Joe the bartender, Passage to India Restaurant, Salem, MA

Bartender's Notes: a light, "training wheels"-type of drink, this is something tasty that you can have all night without the fear of an uncontrollable urge to do karaoke.

Sharon's notes: Light and fruity and not too sweet. Very reminiscent of summer, it is more of an appetizer drink than one she would choose to accompany a meal. Sharon confided that she was probably going to be ordering a second...

Cheers! - Chris

The Pineapple/Guava Zombie

TIKI-TIME!

The single-digit temperatures, snow, ice and freezing rain this time of year, make me long for the islands with their undulating waves, tropical breezes, minimal attire, and, of course, rum. With this in mind, (and because main mixologist Joe is on vacation, AGAIN!) I decided to revamp a favorite number of my own.

Since posting 'MY MAI TAI' last, uh, whenever , I have been doing a lot of experimenting with various rum combinations here at my home bar. After some trials and error, (and a few willing test subjects,) I believe I have finally found the Zombie recipe I have been searching for.

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice add:

- a 1 count of 151 Rum,

- a 1 count of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum,

- a 2 count of apricot brandy,

- a 1 count of Parrot Bay Pineapple Rum,

- a 4 count of guava/pineapple juice

Shake "monstrously,"

- float Kraken Black Rum on top,

- garnish with a chunk of pineapple and a little paper umbrella, (mandatory!)

Chris's Notes: I mentioned above about "willing test subjects," allow me to elaborate on that particular evening!

Recently, (deep into my recipe experimentation,) the missus and I had some old friends over. We had pizza and shot the sh... uh, breeze about old times and whatnot.

Then, I tossed out, "Who wants to try my new Guava/Pineapple Zombie?"

Two of our guests, Ron and Joyce, claimed to be leery of hard liquor and would only try a small glass. One guest, Kenny, said how he LOVES Zombies and would definitely try one or two, and the other, Terry, couldn't as she was the designated driver.

I got to mixing. I made Ron and Joyce each a 10-ounce cocktail, each a scaled-down version of the original, with paper umbrella and all. (The paper umbrella IS mandatory, after all.)

Kenny and I both enjoyed our Zombies in their full-size, big-boy serving, pint glasses.

A unanimous cheer from all tasters. Ron and Joyce enjoyed the drink enough to get another two each. The loved how the guava/pineapple concealed much of the 151's power, but you could still taste the flavor.

Kenny? Kenny absolutely dug it! He downed his and asked for another! A self-proclaimed Zombie connoisseur, he found this particular balance of flavors, juices and spirits to scratch him right where he itched!

Well, as our reminiscing drew to a close, and all of the Zombies were metered out, we said our "good evenings," and let the night end.

Ron and Joyce, who were our overnight guests, slept like the very dead, and then deep into the following morn. Terry called that following morning and confided that she needed to make a few unscheduled stops along the way home for Kenny to, uh, toss out some of last night's pizza.

The moral of this week's story: Beware the subtle power of the Zombie!

The Guava/Pineapple and the 151 are both intensely powerful and work very nicely together. But know your limits with this drink, kids.

Or the Zombie will bite you.

Chris

P.S. If Ron, Joyce, Terry, or Kenny read this: That was a great night, let's do it again soon!

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The token video this week is, appropriately enough, The Brains with 'More Brains!'

A little horror-themed Psychobilly to accompany your mixing!

BRAINS!!!

Lychee-Mango Martini

Some readers may have noticed that there was no new drink post this past week. The reason for this is that I was away. I went on a vacation/research trip to New Mexico, with Senior Research Assistant, (and sister,) Kerry. Although our findings include some really nice tequila-based cocktails, (to be posted soon!), this week's Greatest Drink in the World is The Lychee-Mango Martini, an absolute miracle of modern mixology.

The Recipe:

While chilling a large Martini glass, into a cocktail shaker, add:

- a 2 count of Svedka Citron Vodka,

- a 2 count of Mango Rum,

- a 2 count of Lichido Lychee Liqueur

- a 2 count of mango juice

- squeeze in the juice of 2 lemon wedges,

- shake energetically,

- strain into the now-chilled martini glass

- garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Joe's Notes: This week we have produced not only a drink that tastes and looks absolutely fantastic, but also something that may be good for you. The three fruits combined in this martini have some amazing health properties.

The Lychee, (pronounced either Lee-Chee or Lie- chee, depending on whhich side of the Atlantic you are reading this on,) has been harvested in China for over 4,000 years. It is a fruit packed with vitamins and nutrients, it aids digestion and is used as an aphrodisiac in China. It is considered the "love fruit." Because of all the health benefits of the Lychee it is often given to babies in place of a pacifier (or 'dummy' if you are reading this "across the pond.") This is not a practice that I would recommend given the size and shape of the Lychee it seems that it would be a choking hazard, maybe it is cut up first.

The Lychee, along with the mango, produces the antioxidants that fight the free radicals that are apparently attacking your body. Now, that is a strange name to call molecules. I always thought that the Free Radicals where the political Whigs in England that opposed the Tory party. I also have some recollection of free radicals being used in the very confusing and pointless Algebra classes at high school. Although admittedly I did spend most of my time looking out the window or trying to take a nap undisturbed by what appeared to me an equally bored teacher. That could be one of the reasons i am a bartender and not a mathematician. I did buy a book one time for my son titled "Fun with Math." The title attracted me to it as I felt it was a perfect oxymoron. Needless to say it was not a lot of fun.

Lets get back to the drink. Lemons also have some powerful healing properties. Most of us are probably aware that lemons are a good source of vitamin C and that they can benefit some one with a cold, the flu, sore throat and malaria. Lemons have also proved to be a blessing for mountaineers. In the cases of insufficient oxygen and difficulty in breathing lemon comes to their rescue. Edmund Hillary, the first man to put his foot on the top of Mt. Everest, has admitted that his victory over Mt. Everest was greatly due to lemons.

Last but not least, let us not forget the alcohol. The benefits of the consumption of alcohol has been debated for years. I believe that the consumption of alcohol, if it makes you happy, is a good thing. It can make you feel relaxed and can even remove some of the inhibitions that could be preventing you from meeting the love of your life. If alcohol makes you cry, fight or tell long and boring stories, stop immediately and consult with a trained physician, (at this point your bartender does NOT count as a trained physician!)

So pour yourself a Mango Lychee Martini and google the health benefits, and feel good about yourself and what you are putting into your body.

Joe the Bartender

Chris's notes: Thanks, Joe. And those nutrition classes seem to really be paying off!

This fruity little number is an AM eye-opener on par with the Mimosa! No, wait. This exceeds the Mimosa. That's right, I said it. (People just think because it has a foreign name the Mimosa is a foreign breakfast drink! NO! It's named after a flower similar in color! How deceptive!) The Lychee-Mango Martini, however, with it's honesty in name, has an equally energy-infusing blast of vitamin C along with a wider and more interesting spectrum of flavors! And although this cocktail is guaranteed to compliment any breakfast, it can be enjoy at any time of day or night as a pick-me-up with a that tastes great.

So don't be bullied into ordering a drink just because it sounds classy, order one that is! And from now on, let's eschew the unnecessarily foreign names; forget ordering a "Croissant." Get a Crescent Roll! Cul-de-Sac? It's a damned dead end!

And skip the Mimosa entirely and order yourself this little glass of sunshine; The Lychee-Mango Martini. You'll feel better about yourself.

Cheers!

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This week's completely unrelated, token video, (or is it "Tolkien video?") comes from Mr. Spock, (NOT Dr. Spock, the baby guru who, incidentally, recommends never, EVER jamming whole lychees into a baby's mouth,) but Leonard Nimoy with The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins!

Enjoy!

The Zombie

On The Greatest Drink in the World... This Week's facebook page, there is a section for readers to request a specific drink. So far, only two drinks have been requested; a Bloody Mary, (see the "Bloody Molly,") and The Zombie.

This week we are pleased as Planter's Punch to be honoring that request.

The Recipe:

- a 2 count Bacardi White Rum

- a 2 count Mount Gay Rum "Eclipse"

- 1/2 of a lime freshly "squozen"

- a 1 count of Apricot Brandy

- a "sploosh" of of Pineapple juice

- a shot of falernum

- Shake 'monstrously'

- Strain over fresh ice

-Top with Kraken Black Spiced Rum

- Garnish with a marischino cherry and a wedge of lime

- Little paper umbrella optional, (but HIGHLY recommended!)

Joe's Notes: The Zombie is one of those cocktails that has a number of variations as to its ingredients. This is partly due to the secrecy of the inventor of the Zombie, Donn Beach. (There is even some discrepancy on whether he did, in fact, invent this drink.) He refers to one of the ingredients as "Donn's Mix" and never divulges what that mix actually is. Many bartenders will wave their cocktail shakers and bar spoons about fervently laying claim to the best zombie, and at the same time dismiss others Zombies as "inferior concoctions"

Our Zombie, that we are entering into the GDITWTW library has, as always, both quality, and fresh ingredients. The use of Falernum is one of Donn Beach's original ingredients that I believe is an essential part of the drink.

A word on Zombies and other monsters...

During a debate at the House of Lords in London on the existence of monsters and where they could have possibly come from. (Yes, this really did take place!) The Earl of Halsbury said this, "I have always thought that just as a mother, when baking bread, leaves a little of the dough over in order that the children can make funny little men with raisins for tummy buttons and put them in the ovens and bake them alongside the cake or bread for the day. So possibly on the day of creation, a little of the divine power was left in reserve for the lesser cherubim and seraphim to use and they were allowed to make funny little objects."

Chris's Notes: Thank you, Joe. I now fear British politics more than I do the undead.

But, as far as this week's drink, The Zombie, is concerned, I am very excited. I have mentioned in previous posts my love of Rum and Juice combinations, (HECK! Toss in Nachos and Peanut M&Ms and you'd have my 'Four Basic Food Groups!') and The Zombie is no exception.

Now, there are a number of people throughout history whom I hold in high regard for their contributions to society; The Earl of Sandwich, The creator of the first bikini, and, (a personal hero of mine,) Donn Beach, A.K.A. Don The Beachcomber .

Don the Beachcomber was a rum connoisseur and THE man responsible for the The Vicious Virgin, Three Dots & a Dash, Navy Grog, The Dr. Funk, the Mai Tai, (a personal favorite,) and The Zombie, among many, many others.

According to legend, the drink was created for a friend of the Beachcomber's who was going on a trip by airliner. The friend, in his blissful ignorance, had three of these results-oriented mixes before departing and claimed to "be a zombie for the entire flight!" Hence the name.

The juices apparently hide the amount of alcohol to such an extent that, in an early example of a CMA, restaurants limited Zombies to only two per customer.

Of course, I couldn't let this post go without a couple of Zombie movie clips! Enjoy, (and thank you, cherubim and seraphim for your "funny little objects!")

- Zombie definition from "Ghost Breakers"

- Zombie vs. Shark from "Zombie,"

- The Shaun of the Dead movie trailer,

- "Zombiekill of the week" from 'Zombieland'

And lastly,

- The 'Fido' movie trailer.

And of course, a 'related' (finally!) token music video! (Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie!)

The Perfect Storm

Our regular drinks author, Joe the Bartender, decided to take a little time off, leaving me with the opportunity to go on a little field trip. In the very same neighborhood as my regular Friday night barstool, is The Lobster Shanty, a local establishment that boasts a wide assortment of accolades to it's name. It is also the home of this week's Greatest Drink, The Perfect Storm.

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice, add:

- a 1 count white rum,

- a 1 count Malibu Coconut Rum,

- a 1 count Captain Morgan Spiced Rum,

- a 2 count pineapple juice,

- a 2 count orange juice,

- Shake "tempestuously,"

- Strain into a 16 ounce pint glass full of fresh ice,

- sink a splash of cranberry juice, (DON'T splash that splash, though!)

- Float a generous ½ count of Myer's Dark Rum on top,

- Garnish with a wedge of lime and a cherry.

Bartender's notes: Diane, one of the owners of the Lobster Shanty, explained the creation of The Perfect Storm to me: "It was a group effort. No one wants to take the credit for the beverage publicly, but it was invented not long after the actual storm of the same name, (see movie with George Clooney.) Given the name because the Myers float makes the drink look like a foreboding sky over an angry ocean.

We see it as three drinks: One if you drink it from the bottom up with a straw, one if you sip it from the top down with yer mouth, and yet another if you stir or shake it - yet all are delicious."

Chris's notes: The Perfect Storm is one of the more famous of The Lobster Shanty's 'signature drinks,' (another being the "Lobstertini," but I decided to save that one for another day! Maybe this summer!) and I loved the name of this drink the first time that I heard it! It just screamed out 'summer' with a local accent. I knew I needed to try it out, and now that warm weather is hitting New England, (in random spurts, anyways,) the time was upon me!

Now, in that little poll over to the left in the sidebar, I voted for Rum. Twice. Because I love a good rum drink in the warmer weather. And that's what The Perfect Storm is. A good rum drink! The sinker of cranberry, (also a nice local touch!), gives it flavor, but not the overwhelming sweetness that comes with a shot of Grenadine. The pineapple and orange are sweet enough for that, and they are complimented nicely by the Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. All this flavor is followed by that last blast of Myers, just when you need it. Delish!

The Lobster Shanty's Perfect Storm recipe also appears in The Bartender's Black Book by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham.

(And, of course, a video, related and everything!)

Lucky Monkey

Another 100% original composition, straight from Joe’s own noggin , this drink is simple to mix up and makes an after-dinner treat to rival the sweetest of desserts.

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail mixing tumbler of ice, mix equal parts of:

- Bailey’s Irish Cream

- Banana flavored rum

- Creme de Banana

- White Creme de Cacao

Shake well, strain in to a large, chilled martini glass

- Garnish with a fresh strawberry

Recipe by Joe The Bartender, Passage to India Restaurant, Salem, MA

Bartender’s notes:

One Friday evening in the not too distant past, Senior Research Assistant, Kerry, was perched at her regular bar stool. Her hawk-like eyes spotted a bottle of banana rum sitting amongst the highly polished bottles displayed behind the bar.

"Joe" she said, "could you rustle up a little something with that."

After a little tweaking and some supervision from Kerry, I presented her with would come to be called The Lucky Monkey.

"Delicious" she replied. Chris, in his usual manly tones , agreed that it was "Very Good," but a little too sweet for him. "I couldn't drink this all night," he stated.

Sharing my years of experience and knowledge I informed the gathering crowd that as with any dining experience all things had their place. A cocktail (or two) before dinner, a little light wine with appetizer or soup. Water with the salad. A more robust wine or beer with dinner. And a Lucky Monkey or suchlike with dessert. Now upon completion of dinner, the choice of what to drink is completely open. You can start the cycle from the beginning or simply choose to stick to the safe bet.

As some of you may know, I reached what is commonly known as a "milestone birthday " recently. To mark this event my younger, slimmer and slightly more attractive brother decided that it would be a good idea to visit from the U.K.

Bringing with him his wife and four children, they took up lodging in the top floor of my house. A large table was booked within walking distance of my house and we all set off for a fun-packed evening. I was forced to sit with a large, flashing badge, (pin,) announcing my age to everyone in the restaurant. As I watched the badge's reflection mocking me from the mirror opposite , I couldn't decide whether it was through the hand of God, or the delights of medical science that I had managed to cheat death for so long. Sinking back into my Sapphire Martini , (see http://greatestdrink.blogspot.com/2010/02/bombay-sapphire-martini.html,) I listened to my brother as he announced that from now on my idiosyncrasies and rather odd behavior could be seen as an age-related phenomenon.

I think it was at this point, or as soon as the laughter had subsided, that I decided to try and drink my way through the 'Greatest Drink in the World ' library. Now, although this is a good idea, I would recommend that for any one attempting this in the future, that it may be advisable to maybe stretch this feat out over a long weekend.

As for my brother and his family, it looks like they may be trapped here for a while due to erupting volcano 's over Iceland.

Happy birthday to me, Joe the Bartender

Chris’s notes: Before Joe's advanced age caused him to engage in long circuitous explanations and to explore each and every passing and only remotely-related thought that popped into his head, he said to me once, "Mixing drink flavors," he said, quite lucidly, "is a lot like baking or cooking. If the core flavors mix well together, the drink will be a good one." This drink explains exactly what he meant...

Bailey's, chocolate and banana. And well together these tastes go! The Lucky Monkey is tasty as all heck, and one sip provides it’s drinker with a full-body smile.

It is a creamy beverage, though, and sweet. This makes the drink seem more like a full-on dessert than an aperitif, (as Joe noted above.) And like a dessert, more than one could prove to be pretty filling.

One thing that wasn't explained yet, however, is the name. When Joe presented this to Kerry and me, it was a "Try this," scenario. It was not yet an official cocktail, as in, it was nameless.

Spitballing , we knocked a few terms about, "Banana & Bailey's," "Green Banana Sundae," and a few others. We had even decided on making a contest for the blog, "Name this Drink" with first prize being a year's supply of rum, or some other motivating award.

As Joe and I were hammering out the details of the contest, how to do it, what to make as a prize , et cetera, Kerry blurts out, (after just taking another good-sized gulp of the drink,) The Lucky Monkey.

The contest was immediately abandoned. We knew that was the name we were looking for.

Cheers! - Chris

("Uh-oh. Chongo!" Token only-vaguely-related video; 'Here.')