February 2nd,
2012
Posted by
Doug
under Recipes, Rum, Tiki Month 2012
Midcentury exotica didn’t just cater to suburban fantasies of work-free islands and guilt-free sex. There was also the call of adventure, epitomized by these classic “dangerous” drinks: if the sharks didn’t eat you, the cannibals would.
—Beachbum Berry Beachbum Berry Remixed, Pg. 86
There is quite a bit going on in that quote. Expect to see it several times this Tiki Month.
I want to kick off Tiki Month with a pleasant little cocktail with a scary name, the Sidewinder’s Fang. Berry’s words, and the Sidewinder’s characteristics bring to mind other scary things, like rollercoasters.
Top Thrill Dragster. (via: SodaHead)
Scary name. Pants-wettingly scary ride. See SodaHead for proof.
The DRAGON!!!
Only scary because it is found at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
Everybody likes scary stuff, but while some of us like to really be scared, others just like the idea of being scared. As the Bum notes, the Tiki oeuvre is replete with scary names and images, designed to make you almost fear the drink. Some cocktails, like the Zombie and the Hurricane are as devastating as their monikers imply, others not so much.
The Sidewinder’s Fang is such a drink.
- 1 pt. dark Jamaican rum
- 1 pt. demerara rum
- 1 1/2 pts. fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 pts. orange juice
- 1 1/2 pts. passionfruit syrup
- 3 pts. soda water
Combine all but soda water with ice and shake. Pour unstrained into scariest looking vessel you have. Top with soda water to taste and stir. Garnish as the Tiki gods inspire you.
In a glass, this guy looks pretty much like a washed-out Screwdriver. The taste, assuming you use good juice and syrups, is surprisingly complex and bright. As you can see, it isn’t all that scary, if you know the ingredients. But for a culture built around the deceptive power of the Zombie… And the Sidewinder’s Fang tastes like it might be one of those roll of quarters in a sock-type drinks.
You may think, since it is so relatively weak already, you can omit the soda water. Don’t. Without the soda, the juices totally overwhelm the drink and none of the rum comes through. Undiluted, it tastes too sweet, and you might just as well use have used cheap well rum instead of the interesting stuff. That said, I think 3 parts of soda water may be too much, so use your own judgement as you mix.
Regardless, this drink is an easy and delicious mix to serve to guests as an evening extender. It maintains an existing buzz without advancing it too much. And if you use big ice cubes (which you should, if available) it is a drink you can drink fairly slowly without it losing its appeal.
{This recipe can be found in Beach Bum Berry Remixed and in Beachbum Berry’s Tiki+ app.}
And hey! This post is part of Tiki Month 2012 here at the Pegu Blog! Be sure to look around for LOTS more Tiki stuff all February!
February 2nd, 2012 at 9:52 am
I cannot be overemphasized that the easiest — not the only — way to ruin this drink is with the passionfruit syrup. You simply HAVE to make your own, which, outside of a bit of a shopping adventure is pretty easy. The hard part is finding frozen passionfruit pulp. If you live anywhere near a Latin market of any description, they WILL have it.
Once you’ve scored some, thaw it out and dilute it with simple syrup and you’re good to go.
jmgiii(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 10:00 am
jmgiii,
I’ll write more about passionfruit later, but you are right. As with orgeat, if you settle for Finest Call, you might as well not bother. I may try your mix as well, but I’ll suggest that my buddy Blair’s syrup is pretty delicious and delicate.
Doug(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 10:09 am
I’ve found that passionfruit nectar is a good starting point to make passionfruit syrup. Add some sugar (not much) and boil it down until you get the consistency that you want. Had to make tons of the stuff while playing around with the rumrummer recipe for last year’s Hukilau cocktail competition.
George Jenkins(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 10:13 am
Blair remains the man. Can’t wait for him to develop a weird-ingredient-free Cream of Coconut. If finding a Latin market is outside someone’s orbit — not EVERYONE lives in an area with a large Brazilian/Mexican/Dominican population — his stuff can be recommended enthusiastically. (I suggested making your own because for those of us who have pretty easy access to the frozen pulp, it’s crazy easy and there are a trillion other uses for all that passionfruit. Say, a tub of Hurricanes.)
jmgiii(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:07 pm
I know when this drink was originally developed Don the Beachcomber used Fassionola. Since for a long time it was a very hard ingredient to source, I know the Beachbum and other have gone to substituting passion fruit syrup. I have sourced and used true Fassionola in this drink and I can say it makes a big difference and adds a special something to this drink. The makes of the makes of the syrup pretty much only sell to food industry, but now someone is actually selling the stuff through ebay now. Give it a try I think you may be please.
Rawim(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:58 pm
If memory serves, Blair Reynolds was working on a Fassionola that didn’t have all those chemicals and HFCS, etc.
jmgiii(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:04 pm
I didn’t know the tiki/exotica fantasy involved guilt-free sex; that’s news to me. Then again, perhaps most/all fantasies involve guilt-free sex?
DJ HawaiianShirt(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:10 pm
jmgiii,
You are correct, I had procured a sample of the original stuff and shipped it off to him for him to use anbd test against. So it is one of the many brands in his raging fire of exotic syrup development.
Rawim(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 3:04 pm
He should be up on a pedestal that small children may admire him.
jmgiii(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 3:34 pm
jmgiii,
That last comment reminds me of the greatest post ever from The Onion…
Doug(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 3:36 pm
If i could i d buy Blair´s passionfruit syrup since what he makes is awesome and it´s a treat to have them ready on hand, but the shipping (and costumes) to me is prohibitive, so i make my own but i always use fresh passion fruits because it´s always available here, maybe i`m lucky with that at least??
Anyway the result is good, here´s a link if anyone feel like doing it and have fresh fruits available – http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com/?p=4941
Tiare(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Tiare,
Thanks! Here in Miami we can get fresh ones and they are not (unlike the rest of the USA) too expensive. Will try!
jmgiii(Quote) (Reply)
February 2nd, 2012 at 7:49 pm
jmgiii,
Cheers and thanks! goodluck!
Tiare(Quote) (Reply)
February 3rd, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Had this brief discussion w. Beachbum today:
BBB: Aloha JM, don’t bother trying to resurrect fassionola. It was not a very good product — basically a highly artificial passion fruit syrup with an orangey taste. If you use a good passion fruit syrup, you’ll be much happier
JMG: Is that what fassionola is supposed to be? So, say, if I make an orange-infused simple syrup, and use THAT (1:1?) on some thawed out frozen passionfruit pulp, would that do it? Or am I just better off w. making straight passionfruit syrup?
BBB: Straight passion…
jmgiii(Quote) (Reply)
February 3rd, 2012 at 10:19 pm
I`d definitely go for fresh passionfruits if possible OR BG Reynolds Passionfruit syrup!
Tiare(Quote) (Reply)
February 4th, 2012 at 9:00 am
February 4th, 2012 at 9:55 am
I´ve tried Tiare´s recipe and it´s pretty delicious.
I have the same problem here with Blair´s delicious stuff, shipping kills me, so I make my own from fresh fruit too. The fruit grows in my front yard, but it´s very affordable anywhere all year around here in Brazil.
When we make it for events we use a 10L slow blender that can strip out the flush and juice from the seeds without breaking them. After strained just add sugar and you are good to go. When out of season the fruit might be a bit too sour so baking soda dissolved in water helps a bit.
If you have one of those juicer/centrifuges i´d give it a try, it might work the same as our blender.
Tony Harion(Quote) (Reply)
February 4th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
- Baking soda dissolved in water? can you explain that one Tony?
Tiare(Quote) (Reply)
February 6th, 2012 at 4:02 am
February 6th, 2012 at 11:48 pm
Yeah T, i use the baking soda trick quite often.
Sometimes the passion fruit I get is a bit too sour. When you add the baking soda it reacts with the acids resulting in salt + water (neutralizing the harsher acid notes). Mixing the baking soda with water will help it dissolve more evenly.
You only need a tiny bit of baking soda, and be aware of the vigorous foaming.
If you add just the right amount you have a small salty finish that can even be quite pleasant. A dash too much and you will mess it up.
(a pinch of salt can do wonders for sour drinks – read bonus tip here: http://www.cookingissues.com/2010/09/08/cocktail-science-in-generalpart-2-of-2/)
This might be a bit more useful for making passion fruit nectar than syrup, but good to know anyways.
Tony Harion(Quote) (Reply)
February 8th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
May 29th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
I have all 3 flavors JE Tropical Gold Fruit Mix (Fassionola)
available. I’ve had a huge run on this stuff in the last
couple months. It’s made by Jonathan English, and yes it’s
made in the original fassion of Fassionola and may not
be the healthiest of all drink mixes, but it’s perfect for
vintage recipes specifically requiring fassionola.
The stuff is very thick, candy like syrup and quite tasty
if you have a palate for these types if sickeningly sweet
products. As far as I know, I’m the only one offering this
product in less than case quantities, besides wholesale food
distributors. This post is not meant to be a sales pitch, but FYI that the fassionola product is currently available and being produced by the Jonathan English company and if you want to stick to the original tiki cocktail recipes, there is no substitution
Jamal Spelling(Quote) (Reply)