#31: Shark's Tooth

This week closes with a good Tiki Nightcap, the Shark's Tooth.  This one is tricky to make, and can be executed two different ways.  The ingredients usually remain the same, consisting of equal parts Lemon & Lime juice, dark rum, a good splash of pomegranate or grenadine (for the blood), and then you can either shake these ingredients, or blend them with crushed ice.  Then, pour into a short glass and top with soda water, stir and serve.  I went blended crushed ice on this one, the result is a good finish to a round of cocktails.  That makes 31, well on my way to the halfway point of 39, bring it on!

#30: Rum Barrel

 To commemorate drink #30 on the Grog Log Challenge, I dug into one I'd been saving for a special occasion: The Rum Barrel.  Usually this is served in a literal barrel-shaped glass, but worry not, the taste is still phenomenal.  This classic Tiki Concoction is made up of Passionfruit liqueur, lime juice, unsweetened pineapple juice, orange juice, lime juice, a bit of sugar syrup, Jamaican dark rum, and then a 151 Proof Rum, like Bacardi or El Dorado.  Shaken, poured, and garnished with a stalk, this drink makes a good accompaniment to any celebration, or just to relax in the summer months.  Jessica joins me again this week, as we claim the Umbrella Booth as our perch for Tiki Indulgence. 

#29: Painkiller

Once in a while I come across a home run on the Grog Log, or a drink that people have been raving about, and Painkiller is both of those.  This drink is an awesome blend of texture, garnish, and sweet complex taste.  Painkiller consists of creme of coconut, a hefty dose of pineapple juice, orange juice and dark rum.  The whole thing is shaken to a frothy mixture, poured over crushed ice, then garnished with nutmeg and cinnamon on top.  I would recommend this drink to anyone looking for a refreshing sweet tiki drink with a bit of spice to it.  Good way to kick off this visit.

#28: Beachcomber's Gold

After much anticipation and procrastination (and with some strong encouragement from brother Badger), I arrived at the infamous Beachcomber's Gold.  This drink is unanimously considered the worst drink on the Grog Log by patrons of Tonga Hut, including the staff, in fact it is so putrid that it is the only drink you are allowed to pour out once you've consumed half.  I've heard many strategies for taking this beast down, everything from chasing it with water, to drinking two Log drinks simultaneously, but most everyone (except Syd the bartender) agrees, that this drink should not be taken lightly.

So, whats the deal?  It has an extremely strong bitter taste that is made up of two different kinds of vermouth, French and Italian, bitters, pernod, and Puerto Rican Rum.  The resulting taste is a bit like drinking a cigarette ashtray, a hollow sort of strong smokey flavor with a black licorice scent.  For bitter or for worse, I finished this bad boy with great satisfaction.  On to the next!

This also marked the end of brother Ryan's visit to the Hut, a successful trip!  Until next time, Bon Voyage!

#27: Von Tiki

Next up this week is the Von Tiki.  This is another cocktail that falls in the sipping category, served in a wide sipping goblet as seen below.  This simple cocktail consists of Honey (like a Barenjager), spiced rum (the recipe calls for an Austrian rum, like Stroh), and Barbados Rum, like Mount Gay.  Makes for a strong flavor with a sweet aftertaste.  Nothing too noteworthy, there are better drinks on the Log, but certainly not terrible.

#26: Coconaut (Re-Entry)

As you can tell in the photo, the "Coconaut Re-Entry" is a very special drink.  Apparently there are two different approaches to this tiki cocktail.  The classic way is a standard "Coconaut", which consists of Coconut Creme, Lime Juice, and Dark Jamaican Rum.  This is then mixed with ice, blended into a slushie-like mixture and served in a tall Hurricane-like glass.  However, there is one more step to make it a Coconaut "Re-Entry".  When squeezing the lime juice, the lime is then hollowed out, placed atop the finished drink, filled with 151 and set aflame.  This makes for the intense looking drink seen below.

It is definitely the most interesting drink I've had on the list besides Hell in the Pacific, and is very sweet and very delicious.  A must-try for fans of conspicuous Tiki Drinks.  Joining me this week is the man who introduced me to the concept of the Tiki Bar, my big brother Ryan.  He is an even bigger Tiki fan than I am, and was very happy to come to the Hut and check out the Polynesian playground of great drinks, great bartenders, and great atmosphere.  Cheers!

#25: Boo Loo

Recommended by one of my fellow Grog Loggers, the Boo Loo finishes off my visit to the Hut this week.  This beast reminds me of a less-sweet version of Tortuga, which basically means its the strongest drink I've had yet on the Log.  Four, yes four, different kinds of rum make up the alcoholic base of this beast.  Honey, Lime, and Pineapple make up the sweet-flavor end of this guy, as well as club soda to give it texture.

• A few small fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 1/2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1 oz honey
• 1 1/2 oz club soda
• 1 1/2 oz Demerara Rum
• 1 1/2 oz gold Purto Rican rum
• 3/4 oz dark Jamaican rum
• 3/4 oz 151 Demerara Rum

Blend it all together until liquified, and you got yourself a cocktail.  Created in the mid 60s, it is a staple drink at the amazing Alameda tiki bar, Forbidden Island.  It is an awesome drink, but I regret trying to go for four drinks with THIS as the closer, because it delivered an easy knock-out punch to my sobriety, and I was barely able to appreciate the intense flavor.  Sad to say, this is the first time (and hopefully only time) that I was unable to finish the drink.  Bad form.

Demerara

Demerara

Demerara

#24: La Florida

This is one I had been curious about for a while, with a name like La Florida.  Another good drink to sip, but unlike Ciro's Special, this one IS extremely sweet.  Of course, with ingredients like Sweet Vermouth, Creme de Cocao, Curacao, Grenadine and Lime, how could it not taste like a Life Saver candy.  Light Rum is mixed in to make it boozy, and garnished with an orange peel for effect, but this cocktail is on the mega-sweet end of the flavor spectrum.  Ultimately, a good sipping drink for those who don't want to know they're drinking alcohol.  Meanwhile, Jessica Forer joins me this week and grabs a sweet-flavored special of her own, the Hawaii Five-O.  One of Lisa-Marie's specials, usually that drink comes with banana but was substituted out for Blackberry to give it an equally fruity spin, pictured below.  Cheers!

#23: Planet of the Apes

The appropriately named "Planet of the Apes" is a banana-flavored tiki favorite. The alcoholic base of this one is a mix of dark & amber rum, giving it a good kick.  With Pineapple, Orange and Banana Liqueur in there, it gives it a nice banana aftertaste.  This one strikes right in the middle of the sweet & sour flavor, a good tiki drink for those who don't like overly-fruity tasting drinks.

#22: Ciro's Special

This week starts with another sipping drink, the Ciro's Special.  Created in the 1940s at Ciro's nightclub in Hollywood, this one is really tasty; one of the few sweet sip-drinks I've done on the Log so far.  Grand Marnier and Jamaican Rum make up the base flavor, with lime juice and Creme de Cassis mixed in as well. 

• 1 oz fresh lime
• 3/4 oz Creme de Cassis
• 1/4 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 1/2 oz Jamaican Rum

I'd put this one towards the top of the list for easy sips, the Grand Marnier makes it an easy one to take down, without it being just a glass of syrup.  Also, Yelp apparently thinks I am an alcoholic now:

#21: Port Light

Wrapping up this week at the Hut is the Port Light.  This is easily one of the best drinks I've had on the list, sort of like a bourbon slushie.  It consists of nectar, honey and lemon juice, mixed with bourbon and then blended into a frozen concoction.  This would make an awesome poolside refresher for a summer day.  Must remember this one for future visits.  Until next time!

#20: Noa Noa

Continuing the journey, next stop was the Noa Noa.  Coincidentally, similar in ingredients to the Suffering Bastard, but with some important changes.  The key ingredient that gives this drink its distinction is brown sugar.  Mixed with rum, bitters, lime and mint, it makes for a very powerful tangy drink with a sweet aftertaste.

#19: Suffering Bastard

Kicking off this weeks visit to the Hut, is one I've been anticipating: The Suffering Bastard.  The flavor and recipe of this popular drink is often disputed, some folks claiming that it should be orange-based (orange curacao & orange juice with orange slice).  However, as with most of these recipes, I bow to Jeff Berry's cataloged Grog Log version, which is identified by ginger beer (or Ginger Ale), and the mint sprig, as pictured above.  This drink is a mixture of Gin, Brandy, bitters, ginger ale, and mint, which comes together to make a tangy flavor with a strong aroma that will remind you of a Mojito.

My original Grog Log companion, Mike McKee, came down to join me this week, tackling a few new drinks himself, including Lisa-Marie's Hawaiian Highball (pictured below), and intimidatingly-named named: Black Strap Slap.

#18: Kapu-Kai

Finishing this week of Hut visits is the Kapu-Kai, another sipping drink in a rather large goblet.  This concoction is a sweetened rum sip, with a dash of citrus, as it contains straight rum, lime and syrup.  Like the Loni Honi, this would make a good late-summer backyard pool drink.  Somethin' to sip and chat with.  Speaking of chat with, this week two South Park colleagues of mine, Neil Ishimine, and Jason "J-Lo" Lopez, made it out to visit the Hut and catch up!  They had the ever-popular Blue Hawaiian, Honi-Honi, Rhumboogie, and Coconut BayBreeze.

#17: Blue Reef

Next in line is a popular tiki cocktail, the Blue Reef.  Known for its electric blue appearance, as demonstrated in the photo below, the Blue Reef is an inviting summer beach cocktail.  Take heed, however, the secret ingredient in this concoction is Galliano, which gives the drink an extremely strong flavor of black licorice.  Even the lime and Curacao are silenced by the overwhelming flavor of Galliano, so be prepared.

This was the end of the drinking experience for me, with my friends Mike, Meg and Catherine, but fortunately they were able to grab several drinks before heading out.  Between the two of them, they took down the popular whiskey drink, the Honi-Honi, the Voodoo Juice, and possibly the best drink on their menu, the Blue Hawaiian.

#16: Tortuga

The Tortuga is a drink that came highly recommended from many Drooling Bastards, and it lived up to its reputation.  This monster has everything:  Bacardi, Sweet Vermouth, White Creme de Cacao, 151, Lemon, Lime, Orange, etc.  Just watching Ian the Bartender mix it all was a hilarious experience in itself.  This one sneaks up more than any drink I've ever had.  The multiple juice flavors give it a fruity cover, while the 151 and other booze gives it a strong punch.  This is probably one of my favorite drinks on the log, as well as a fan favorite among other Loggers, but certainly not a good idea to try driving home after.  My good childhood friend Mike Carney made it out for this visit, visiting from Missouri, with his wife Megan, and our mutual friend Catherine.  Very glad I got to introduce some out-of-state visitors to the oldest Tiki Bar in L.A!