#73: Gold Cup

    Closing down this visit to the Hut is the elusive Gold Cup. The title lead me to believe this would be a less-than-stellar Martini-glass drink, turns out I was only half right.  Any licorice fan will love this one, and anyone who doesn't will still appreciate the strong scent and flavor.  A strong dose of Pernod & Almond extract gives it this twist:

• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 oz maraschino liquer
• 1 1/2 oz gold Jamaican rum
• 1 tsp Pernod
• 3 drops almond extract

Strain into Martini glass, garnish with cherry & stalk, you got yourself a solid tiki drink. My co-captain Mike McKee joins me on this nearly final week of Grog Log.  Pictured below, he looks very enthused as he tackles a Honi-Honi, Classic Mai-Tai, and a Hut Halloween special: Blood of the Tiki.  Big Mo even makes a photobomb in this drink portrait.

#72: Blue Hawaii

    In this Grog Log journey, I've been saving a few guaranteed winners for last, and one I've been looking forward to the most, is the classic Blue Hawaii.  Not to be confused with the amazing Tonga Hut Blue Hawaiian, this mega classic drink always satisfies, not to mention it just looks really cool, too.  Tonga puts a coconut spin on it, while the original goes more pineapple.  For those interested, it was created in 1957 by Harry Ye, one of the head bartenders at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.  He was asked to create a drink featuring their blue curacao, and the Blue Hawaii was the solution.  On to the recipe:

• 2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 oz sweet & sour (equal parts lemon/lime juice & simple syrup)
• 3/4 oz blue curacao
• 1/2 tsp cream / half & half
• 1 1/2 oz vodka

    The combination of the curacao and pineapple makes for this unique seafoam-like color, which may be the most tropical looking drink I know of at the Hut.  One step closer to the end!

#71: Hawaiian Room

    This week I continue the delicious trek of the final 10 drinks.  Knocking out another super classic, it is time for the famous Hawaiian Room. As you can imagine, this drink was served in the 40s in New York City's Hotel Lexington in their Hawaiian Room.  Possibly the one and only drink on the Log that uses apple Brandy.  As usual, Tonga Hut was completely prepared, with this secret ingredient in stock.

• 1 oz white rum
• 1/2 oz Apple Brandy
• 1/2 oz Triple Sec
• 1/2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

The result is a pretty bitter & sour flavor.  Not my thing, but for anyone who seeks a rich sour taste, this is a winner.  On to the next!

#70: Cruzana

    With 9 drinks left to go, I've decided to give the Cruzana a whirl.  Patrons of The Hut consistently warned me that this was a tough drink to handle, but I found it to be really tasty.  You just got to be on board with grapefruit and maraschino.  A very simple recipe, this drink was created by the Cruzan Rum company in the 1960s.

• 2 oz grapefruit juice
• 0.75 oz syrup from maraschino cocktail cherry jar
• 2 oz Cruzan gold rum or Barbados rum

    Toss that all together in a highball glass with some crushed ice and a swizzle stick, and you're good to go!  My Grog Log list, now having seen many alcoholic battles at the Hut, is starting to look more like a pirate map, soaked with countless variations of alcohol throughout the year.  Only 8 drinks left to go!

#69: Headhunter

    It Begins!! The final 10 drinks!  Kicking off the last of the bunch is the Headhunter.  Appropriately, this Tiki drink boasts a large collection of ingredients, everything from Lemon and Honey, to two different nectar, to multiple Rum mixtures.  The concoction is as follows:

• 1 1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 oz. papaya nectar
• 1/2 oz. peach nectar
• 3/4 oz. honey mix
• 1 1/2 oz Demerara rum
• 1 oz. Lemon Heart 151 proof Demerara rum
• 3/4 oz. gold Puerto Rican rum
• 4 oz. crushed ice

    For the honey mix, just use equal parts honey and water, heated and mixed together until it dissolves.  This drink makes for a tangy, powerful flavor with an undeniably classic Tiki vibe.  Garnish with Lime & Lemon and toast to the Tiki Gods, Enjoy!

#68: Volcano House Hot Buttered Rum

   
    With the holidays fast approaching, it's apropo that the last drink before I slam into the final 10 on the list, is the infamous Volcano House Hot Buttered Rum.  One of the few hot drinks on the Grog, this makes for a good late nite Polynesian starter.  This drink originates from the 1950s, from Bob Ida's Volcano House Hotel in Hawaii.  The ingredients are as follows:

• 1 1/2 oz dark rum (Myers is actually called for)
• 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
• Very hot black tea (Earl Grey works well, as does decaf tea)
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz sugar (1-1.5 tablespoon)
• Cloves
• Slim pat of butter

 Served in a mug as demonstrated above, and garnished properly, you get a solid Tiki Holiday Drink.  Enjoy!

#67: Captain's Grog

Anything with Grog in the title is probably going to be a good time, and Captain's Grog is no exception.  After consuming the Flaming Coffee Grog, this drink was a nice cool-down, and an appropriate chaser after another "Grog" drink.  Also, like watching the Flaming Coffee Grog being mixed, this one is quite the show simply due to the billion ingredients that go in.  See below for the laundry list.

0.5 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz grapefruit juice

0.5 oz maple syrup

0.5 oz falernum

0.5 oz orane curacao

1 oz soda water

3 drops vanilla extract

3 drops almond extract

0.75 oz Myers rum

0.5 oz light Puerto Rican rum

0.5 oz  dark Puerto Rican rum

Co-Captain Mike McKee joins me again this week, once again regretting not starting a Grog Log of his own, with how many visits he's made.  However, part of the joy of not being constrained to the list is sampling the specials that the bartenders create at the Hut.  Ian, a tiki artisan, put together his own special treat for Mike, a passion-fruit based Rye Whiskey drink.  You can see in the photos, it has an appealing presentation as well as a stunning flavor.

#66: Flaming Coffee Grog

Finally I come to the other coffee-based Tiki experience on the menu, the Flaming Coffee Grog.  This is quite an experience just to order.  Ian the Bartender, he is a real artist when it comes to making these classic drinks, and he spares no detail in preparation.  Using 151, he ignites a bowl of blue flame, toasting the orange and lemon peel, while he prepares the coconut cream, Marnier and cloves.  Pouring the peels, the 151 and coffee together, he shaves cinnamon along the rim and soaks the cinnamon stick, making for quite the intense coffee concoction.

• 3 teaspoons coconut cream
• ¼ oz Grand Marnier
• twist of orange peel
• twist of lemon peel
• 2 whole cloves
• ¾ oz 151º Demerara rum
• hot black coffee
• cinnamon stick

It makes for one hell of an alternative to an Irish Coffee, but I think I still prefer the Krakatoa, myself. Nonetheless, this is certainly a unique entry on the Grog Log, and one to remember as I slide into the final 10 soon.

#65: Coronado Luau Special

After enduring the delicious, yet strong impact of Colonel Beach's Plantation Punch, we come to yet another intense booze-fest, the Coronado Luau Special.  As you can see in the photo, just like CBPP, it's a BIG drink.  Originally served in a big goblet, this drink was a favorite at the Luau Room at the Hotel Del Coronado, down in Coronado, CA.  It has since disappeared, but is now a featured drink at Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA.

This is easily one of my favorite drinks on the list.  Fruity flavor, great mix of booze, frothy texture, it's pretty much a slam dunk.  I can't wait to go to Forbidden Island to try their take on this masterpiece.

• 4 oz Orange juice
• 4 oz Sweet and sour
• 1/4 oz Orgeat syrup
• 1 oz Dark Jamaican rum
• 1 oz Light Puerto Rican rum
• 1/2 oz Grand Marnier orange liqueur
• 1/2 oz brandy

#64: Colonel Beach's Plantation Punch

With a detailed name like this, I was pretty curious to try out Colonel Beach's Plantation Punch.  This one goes way back, to the origins of the West Coast tiki explosion in the 50s.  As the name suggests, it was created by the legendary Donn Beach for his restaurant: "The Colonel´s Plantation Beef Steak and Coffee House” in Waikiki,Hawaii.  The taste is pretty classic as well, ginger beer mixed with pernod and Puerto Rican Rum with a lime twist makes for a tangy grog-like flavor.  Ingredients are as follows.

• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 0.5 oz falernum
• 2 oz ginger beer
• 2 dashes angostura bitters
• 1/8 tsp pernod
• 2 oz dark Jamaican rum
• 1 oz gold Puerto Rican rum
• 0.5 oz Barbados rum

Shake with some crushed ice, and you got yourself a cocktail.  Tonga Hut mixes a great set of drinks, with very talented bartenders.  Which is why, I close this entry with a personal pet peeve.  More often than not, I'll see folks come in droves to the Hut, and order nothing but PBR.  This particular night, a group of 12 came in, and ordered up pile after pile of PBR cans.  This is a pretty extreme waste of talent and flavor, but on the plus side, it means I get to order more drinks!