From the category archives:

Tiki Drinks

Stephen Crane’s Scorpion Bowl

During a recent talk here in Portland at the Great American Distiller’s Festival, I shared a few stories and told of the time when Stephen Crane’s Luau coming into town began the “Big Showdown” of the Exotic restaurant chains. Stephen Crane’s Luau had been a big hit in Beverly Hills, and when he joined forces [...]

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The Leilani Volcano

When one is serving tropical and exotic libations, as one is wont to do, it is best to have a “safe bet” on the menu. For all the Zombies and Jet Pilots we know and love, the idea of a potent blend of rich and funky rums doesn’t always appeal to every customer (just our [...]

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Making a Mai Tai

They told me the camera was on standby! But seriously folks, as part of the “make great cocktails done right” sort of outreach I’ve got going here, I decided to take on the task of Tiki when asked to do some video for the Oregon Bartender’s Guild. This is one of a series of two [...]

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The Tropical Itch

A lot of drinks come with some form of goofy garnish, whether it be a Menehune in the Menehune juice, or Trader Vic’s Potted Parrot. Garnish can, in some instances, really sell a drink. One is ordered, and patrons ask “What is that!?!”, particularly with something garishly garnished, or even better, set on fire. This [...]

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2070, now with fabulous prizes!

Fabulous prizes at the bottom of the post. First, let’s get to drinking! So, if you’ve haven’t heard it said around here before, Martin Cate, my ultimate H-bomb when it comes to name dropping, has been known to drop down a damn golden nugget of a drink when he cares to. I’m not saying all [...]

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Pondering Planter’s Punch

While reviewing an upcoming rhum, some embellishment on the bottle suggested its excellence in a classic Planter’s Punch, and provides a recipe: 1/3 Rhum 1/3 Orange Juice 1/3 Pineapple Juice dash of Grenadine This got me to thinking a bit about Planter’s Punch. The name itself is evocative, recalling the history of the five ingredient [...]

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