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Happy Hour: Mai Tai For the Masses

partysugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:00:49 -0700

Last Thursday I got an email from a girlfriend asking me if I would make mai tais for a party on Friday night. Considering my profession, and the fact that I take pleasure in crafting specialty cocktails for my friends and family to enjoy, this is not an uncommon request. However, her email was more like a quickfire challenge because it wasn't just any old party, it was her rehearsal dinner and 78 people had RSVPed - that's a lot of mai tais. After reading the recipe for Trader Vic's classic mai tai, I started to get nervous. Each cocktail requires 3/4 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice. If I made enough for everyone to have two drinks (156 cocktails) I would need a lot of limes. It was during this moment of panic that I made an executive decision.

As much as I love using fresh ingredients, premium alcohol, and homemade mixers, in this case, there simply wasn't time. Thus, I took some help from the store. The resulting four gallons of mai tai wasn't the most authentic tiki drink, but it tasted great and did the job at the party! To check out the massive recipe, that's ideal for large, college-style parties, read more.

Mai Tai For the Masses
Modified from HubPages

Ingredients

2 cups dark rum
1 cup light rum
1 cup triple sec
3 1/2 cups no-pulp orange juice
3 1/2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups sweet n' sour mix
1/2 cup grenadine

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher or cooler. Stir to mix. Serve over ice.

Makes about 24 drinks (I made four batches for the rehearsal dinner).

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Happy Hour: Mai Tai

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:00:47 -0700

One of the best seminars I attended at last weekend's Aspen Food & Wine Classic was a cocktail class that focused on tropical cocktails. The lesson was led by Julie Reiner, the owner and bar genius behind such Manhattan hotspots as the Flatiron Lounge, Pegu Club, and the Clover Club.

Julie started off by giving us a primer on one of America's favorite drinking pastimes, the tiki bar. America's unique tiki culture owes much of its history to a San Francisco pioneer by the name of Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. - perhaps better known to the rest of the country as Trader Vic.
Trader Vic created many of tiki's classic concoctions - among them, the Scorpion and the Fog Cutter - but is most famous for the Mai Tai, a world-famous liquid vacation that combines the tartness of lime with the sweetness of orgeat and the caramelized molasses flavor of dark rum. See Trader Vic's tried-and-true recipe when you read more.

Trader Vic's Classic Mai Tai
From Julie Reiner

Ingredients

2 ounces aged rum
3/4 ounce orange curaçao, preferably Marie Brizard
1/4 ounce Monin Almond Syrup, or other orgeat
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce dark rum
Parasol, lime wheel, and mint sprig, for garnish

Directions

Shake aged rum, orange curaçao, orgeat, and lime juice in a shaker with ice.
Strain contents into a lowball glass filled with fresh ice.
Top with 1/4 to 1/2 ounces dark rum.
Garnish with a lime wheel, sprig of mint, and a parasol.

Serves 1.

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Definition: Orgeat Syrup

partysugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:01:31 -0700

Orgeat Syrup
A sweet syrup used to enhance cocktails with a strong almondy taste. Originally made with barley and almonds, today it's made with a mixture of almonds, sugar, rose water, and orange flower water.

Come Party With Me: Beach Picnic - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:58:31 -0700

Sun. Sand. Beach. Fried chicken. Clams. Salads. Cherry pies. What's missing from this equation? Cocktails of course! This week I've created the ultimate kite flying beach picnic party and a cool, tropical cocktail fits the theme perfectly. In this case, nothing can beat the classic mai tai - they are easy to make in large batches and can be packed up in an oversized thermos. For the designated drivers, a delicious hibiscus ginger tea is thirst quenching and revitalizing. For those who don't want a cocktail I'll fill my cooler with other options: Great White Beer (it's fruity taste and beachy name are ideal for a beach party), a New Zealand white Gewürztraminer called Patutahi, and still and sparkling water. For the mai tai and tea recipes, read more

Mai Tai
From Gourmet by way of reader bibelot

1 oz (2 tablespoons) dark rum
1 oz (2 tablespoons) amber rum
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) Cointreau or triple sec
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon orgeat syrup or 1 drop pure almond extract
1 teaspoon superfine granulated sugar
Dash of grenadine
an orange slice, optional for garnish

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with 1 cup ice cubes, then strain into a glass filled with ice cubes.

Serves 1.

Image Source

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Hibiscus and Ginger Iced Tea
From Martha Stewart

1 tablespoon thinly sliced, peeled fresh ginger
3/4 cup sugar
4 hibiscus tea bags
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges, for garnishing

Put 4 cups water, ginger, and sugar into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; add 4 hibiscus tea bags. Cover, and let steep 15 minutes.
Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl set in an ice-water bath. Let cool.
Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Serve over crushed ice, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Serves 8.

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Mai Tai for the Masses

partysugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:15:37 -0700

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What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:30:34 -0700

Wedge salad is a throwback to yesteryear, but its flavors still feel new.
Plan a Summer cocktail party that's both vegetarian- and carnivore-friendly.
Get into the spirit of TC 6 by testing your Top Chef show savvy.
Celebrate cupcakes with seven unconventional cupcake recipes.
Taste-tested: Quizno's Toasty Bullet subs.
Can you guess whether these dishes were named after people?
Make a classic mai tai that's perfect for serving the masses.

Noteworthy Nibbles - Mar. 31-Apr. 7, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:00:20 -0700

From Mississippi catfish cookoffs to Louisiana strawberry celebrations, this week is full of can't-miss Spring food festivities in the South. What delectable diversions will you be hitting up this week? Be sure to chime in below!

Plantsville, CT: Flavors of Connecticut - Mar. 31
San Francisco, CA: Nirvino Mixology Contest - Mar. 31
Kona, HI: Kona Chocolate Festival - Mar. 31-Apr. 5
Vail, CO: Taste of Vail - Apr. 1-4
Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Food and Wine Month Kickoff Party - Apr. 2
Boston, MA: Taste of of the Nation Boston - Apr. 2
Clear Lake, TX: Clear Lake Crawfish Festival - Apr. 3-4
Newport, NC: Newport Pig Cookin' Contest - Apr. 3-4

To see the rest, read more.

Ponchatoula, LA: Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival - Apr. 3-5
Poteet, TX: Poteet Strawberry Festival - Apr. 3-5
Timonium, MD: Maryland Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival - Apr. 4
Austin, TX: Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival - Apr. 4
Belzoni, MS: World Catfish Festival - Apr. 4
Winnsboro, LA: Franklin Parish Catfish Festival - Apr. 4
Greenville, SC: Taste of the Nation Greenville - Apr. 5
New Orleans, LA: Mai Tai Seminar - Apr. 6
Philadelphia, PA: Sake Fest - Apr. 7

Source

Why Is Your Home Town A Culinary Paradise?

YumSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 12:17:37 -0700

Alan Richman, a writer for GQ, recently wrote:

"Alice Waters and sourdough bread aside, the Bay Area has contributed surprisingly little to the culinary ripening of America."

What? Is he crazy? Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle thought so and offered up a 25 point rebuttal on his blog today.

Included in his list are:

Chuck Williams - founder of Williams-Sonoma
Robert Mondavi - he brought French modern techniques in winemaking
Ceclia Chiang - whom Alice Waters calls "The Julia Child of Chinese Food
Thomas Keller - only American to have top ratings for both his NY and Bay Area restaurants
Wine bars - The London Wine Bar is credited with starting the wine bar genre
The Mai Tai, Martini & Lemon Drop - while there's some debate, both are usually credited to the Bay Area
Laura Chenel - made the first artisan goat cheese in America (which makes her my hero)

The whole list is pretty interesting (although, admittedly, there are a few things that you've never heard of), but I'm glad he threw it together. This place is a tasty slice of food heaven.

However, even if it didn't have any of the history or famous people behind it, there are currently so many different cultures and great produce that it's definitely a food lover's dream come true.

So tell me, why is your hometown a culinary paradise?