Old Fashioned

I thought these were ThunderCats napkins...

The Old Fashioned is just that, old fashioned. It's simple, a classic, and fucking perfect. Most bars make them wrong, but a few make them very well, and you can too. The homemade Old Fashioned is the best kind. It's one of my three favorite cocktails, and since I'm watching Mad Men, it seems an appropriate choice for tonight's post.

This version isn't much different, except that I used coconut syrup instead of a sugar cube. You don't get to do any muddling, but there is still a bit of ritual involved. Some bartenders will muddle an orange slice and a cherry in the glass. Don't do this. It's way too sweet and it's gross.

I'm not totally convinced that coconut sugar is that much better for you than table sugar, but it seems like it and I have some, so I'm going to keep using it. Also, it has more flavor to it than plain sugar, a little caramel-ish, kind of like dark brown sugar.

   

2 ounces rye whiskey (I like Copper Fox)
2 dashes bitters
1 barspoon of coconut syrup
Soda water

  

The coconut syrup I have is pretty solid at room temperature, so after putting in the glass I splash some hot water in to dissolve it. Once it's dissolved, tilt the glass and rotate it to coat the glass. Now stick the glass on ice for a minute while you fetch the whiskey, bitters, and soda water.
Now add the bitters, whiskey, some ice, and fill the glass with soda water. Stir, and garnish with a large orange peel and if you have one, a bourbon-soaked cherry (I'll write about those, later). Leave the stirrer in the glass.

Lilikoi Daiquiri

 lilikoi, or yellow passion fruit

This one is so simple that it's barely a cocktail, but sometimes the best cocktail is the one you have. I'm currently visiting home in Hawaii and the place I'm staying is pretty limited in the bar department. I'm not about to go broke stocking this place, so I'm making due with what's here.

This has turned out surprisingly well. I picked up a bottle of Koloa white rum (my favorite white) for about $25. This usually costs me about $35 and a couple of hours of driving, so that's pretty awesome.

I just ran out of limes and was looking for something to use instead when I found some lilikoi growing on a vine in the yard. I cut one open and looked around the kitchen for something to juice it with--no tools into this place, either. If you aren't familiar with a lilikoi, they are full of seeds. In fact, all the juice/flesh is on the seeds. Finally, thirsty and tired and digging through the kitchen for a juicing/straining solution, I juices scooped the whole mess into my glass, filled it with ice, and poured my rum in. A thorough stir and I was in business.

• 2-3 ounces Hawaiian white rum
• juice, flesh, and seeds of a whole lilikoi

The result was delightful. The lilikoi is sweet and sour at the same time, and tastes excellent with rum without requiring a sweetener for balance. As a bonus, th ice kept all the seeds at the bottom and out of the way. There weren't many ripe lilikoi on the tree outside, but through some lazy experimentation I discovered that adding only ice and rum to my glass kept most of the flavor going without needing additional fruit.

What do you do if you don't have these growing in your yard? I don't know, you figure it out.

Rum Coco

The holidays are over, so I guess it's about time for another recipe. This one is very simple, but very refreshing and delicious. Perfect for a hot day at the beach, or if you don't live where I do, pretending it's a hot day at the beach.
If you really want to caveman it up, I'd recommend climbing a tree and cracking open a fresh young coconut yourself. For most of you, this isn't really an option. You can still grab a whole coconut from the grocery store and break out your machete, but the easiest option is to find some coconut water in a can. There are plenty of options, but usually use Amy and Brian's since it's easy to find (near me) and is just coconut water with no added sugar. One note about this: I've found that canned coconut water is still sweeter than the stuff you get straight from a coconut, so you might want to use less.
Use a tasty white rum (I like Koloa) or a light-bodied gold rum so you don't overpower the coconut water.

• 2 ounces white or light gold rum
• 2 to 4 ounces coconut water
• Squeeze of lime juice, if desired

I like a little lime juice in mine, but it's not necessary. Watching Night of the Iguana while you drink it is purely optional.