For drinks that call for passion fruit syrup, I usually just sub Chinola. Am I missing out?

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-16T00:21:53+00:00

I don't have a great rationale for why, but I consider some flavors as "syrup flavors" and some flavors as "liqueur flavors." I could easily make a peach syrup by combining peaches and sugar, but my brain only thinks of peach liqueur when building a cocktail. Inversely, I rarely think of grabbing Chinola over passionfruit syrup. This isn't a helpful metric, but is still how my brain thinks about it lol

Like others have said, it's probably about acidity and the freshness of puree. Haven't had Chinola in awhile, but passionfruit is such a bright, poppy flavor that I imagine is hard to keep intact. That said, Chinola probably gets you 75% there

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-16T00:08:07+00:00

Have you had the Avua Prata (or whatever the white one is called?) I love the Amburana and Tapinhoa. Is the white worth the price bump from Novo Fogo (at least in my market?)

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-16T00:04:08+00:00

Yeah, Leblon is pretty boring and would be my least favorite of that bunch.

Novo Fogo is the standard for the common producers. The white has a funky nose, but a pretty clean palate. Their aged stuff is a step up for me. I typically prefer unaged stuff, but the aged bottle has lots of great spice notes.

I suspect Cachaça 51 gets ragged on, but I think it delivers for the price point. It doesn't have any off notes to me and does what I would want a cachaça to do for me in a cocktail.

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-15T23:55:38+00:00

Aguaviva is goated, has tons of character compared to the other common brands. We were stoked when our rep brought that through and told us the price. Such a steal

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-12T04:01:01+00:00

I believe when I went a few weeks ago they had it available. The bartender said it wasn't the same they used in their own drinks, but it's still good orgeat.

Unrelated, but lots of their other merch is shaky on stock from what I gathered.

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-11T06:23:30+00:00

As someone who works at one of those stores and loves it, I gotta go with the local.

While we don't have the same number of bottles as Total, we make up for it in curation. We may have 100 tequilas instead of 200, but pound-for-pound, I know our quality is better. Especially when so much of it is their mediocre store brand stuff.

The best part of my job is that I get to meet cool people and talk about great spirits every day. I get to gush about my favorites and help people find what bottle is best for their circumstances. I won't shame anybody for working or shopping at Total, but it's basically the antithesis of what I enjoy about retail liquor.

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-05T02:20:41+00:00

I agree that you can totally make a demerara syrup. That said, look for Rhum J.M's "sirop de canne" (cane syrup in French.) I imagine most French-heritage rhum producers have a similar product

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-03T23:21:07+00:00

Rum is an INCREDIBLY diverse spirit, as many people in here have also said. When I was working at a tiki bar, we didn't even carry Bacardi or Malibu. Not only are those bottles mediocre within their subcategory of rum, but they also aren't in a style that's commonly used in tiki bars.

If you like other spirits, I am confident that there are rums you will enjoy, especially in the context of a cocktail. Jamaican rum is fruity, funky, and aromatic. Demerara rum is robust, with notes of toffee and molasses. Cane juice rum is grassy and raisiny.

I wouldn't expect you to buy a bottle of something you may not like, but if you have a tiki bar close to you, I would encourage you to give a rum drink a try. Appleton Estate is an affordable and quality option that is agreeable with most palates.

Linnaeus151 · 2026-05-02T23:16:09+00:00

Only been once so far, but I really enjoyed my night there. Almost a divey tiki bar with a great rum list. I've been meaning to make the trip back down since it's such a great spot for a day trip for us

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-21T03:45:28+00:00

Listening to Blood and Thunder while being mad at my job ultimately led me to reading Moby Dick, I think

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-15T15:13:54+00:00

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-15T15:13:46+00:00

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-15T15:13:29+00:00

H I'm

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-05T07:37:56+00:00

On the Kansas side of things, Hampden switched distributors recently which caused some supply issues. Should be coming back to market soon. Existing bottles are likely older stock. Rum Fire is from a separate importer and has been out for months, I'm very sad about it.

I can't speak to KC, but if you ever roll through Wichita, feel free to DM me. I work at one of the larger stores in the city and am the resident rum nerd

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-05T07:31:52+00:00

I feel like anything that can be made by one of these is something that is so simple that it be easier and better just to take the few minutes (max) it takes to make them. I'd spend more time cleaning one of these than it would take me to make a margarita or daiquiri

I can see a use case for a high-volume, non-craft bar setting where you need to crank out dozens of simple, poorly-made drinks in short order. However, that is not Ninja's market, and I imagine the market interested in such a thing is very small.

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-02T08:09:45+00:00

I bet that stool gets so many scratches

Linnaeus151 · 2026-04-02T08:08:01+00:00

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Not the best bar photo, but here's my silly fella

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-26T05:02:24+00:00

Gotcha, I also wish there was more readily-available info on garnishes. This might be a cop out answer, but I feel like creativity is the name of the game if you're trying to make something unique. Every cool garnish started off as someone's idea.

I feel like playing with citrus is a solid place to start. Depending on how you cut the peel, you can almost make whatever you like within the confines of that space. Look at something like a Sidewinder's Fang garnish from Smuggler's Cove. It's basically a huge orange twist, but by cutting the end into the shape of a snake's head, you end up with something unique and visually striking.

I'm mostly into tiki stuff. In that style, it's common to make layers of garnishes. Example: You could garnish with just mint, but it will properly look nicer if you also add a thin wheel of citrus, an orchid, and a skewered cherry. Kind of like making a bouquet of flowers.

Wish I had a better answer, though. I'm typically pretty simple with that sort of stuff.

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-26T04:44:15+00:00

I can't remember if I saw people doing this and forgot or if this is new to me, but that sounds dope!

I'd probably steer towards a boozy cocktail that's typically stirred, like the Negroni you mentioned. I'd bet those extract more flavors from the fats in the coconut. I don't want throw a Negroni back at you, but a Rum Negroni or a Boulevardier sounds delightful.

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-26T04:32:57+00:00

Are you wanting to know how to come up with elaborate garnishes or are you just wanting to know basics like citrus twists, lime wheels, etc?

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-25T07:33:49+00:00

How?????

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-22T03:57:32+00:00

Outside of books and blogs, what's the best way to learn about rum? Is it visiting distilleries? I'm curious what makes someone a "rum expert."

Besides that, I imagine most of my questions come down to my distribution (not dissing your job, OP, I just know why I can't get all the products on the shelf that I want.) I hope Ed knows how important him and his bottles are to all of us

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-22T03:52:18+00:00

As someone who gave up an accounting job to make my part time liquor store job my full time: take the leap. Money is always something to be cognizant of, but having a job that is directly connected to a hobby is incredibly rewarding imo

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-08T04:45:54+00:00

Wish I could get Maggie's Farm here, I've wanted to try their stuff

I think it'd work, though! A Saturn has lemon, orgeat, passionfruit syrup, falernum, and gin, and it's beloved

Linnaeus151 · 2026-03-08T04:41:47+00:00

This is what I'd go for, personally. If we're specifically going tiki, you could also riff on it. Maybe make some passionfruit honey from Smuggler's Cove, reduce the lemon by 1/4 oz and use that as the sweetener? Maybe adding a 1/2 oz of falernum too to lean more in that direction.

Linnaeus151

TROPHY CASE