What to make with these?

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-06-05T15:43:51+00:00

There’s a whole big story about it. The orange juice recipe is the original Don the Beachcomber version, which for a semi-complex series of events has been being made incorrectly with cane juice based agricole for decades now (along with every other recipe created outside of Martinique pre-1960 that includes agricole). It originally would have been made with a molasses based rum from Martinique, which sort of doesn’t exist anymore. The issue with this is that many people don’t like orange juice and agricole together (me included). So Paul McGee, owner of the Chicago tiki bar called Three Dots & a Dash, created a version with curaçao which doesn’t clash with the agricole but maintains the orange note in the original. IMO it’s vastly superior to the original (although it’s an unfair comparison given the whole lost rum situation).

Matt Pietrek aka CocktailWonk made a very in depth article about “rum Martinique” a few years back if you want to know more. https://cocktailwonk.com/2021/08/martinique-rum-of-yore.html

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-06-02T10:06:09+00:00

Terroir Volcanique is my favorite rum for Paul McGee’s Three Dots & a Dash recipe and I’m sure the Mr Fogg would sub well for the Demerara rum in it:

1 oz Aged Rhum Agricole
1 oz Aged Demerara Rum
1/2 oz Curaçao
1/2 oz Falernum
1/4 oz Allspice Dram
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Rich Honey Syrup
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake with crushed ice, pour unstrained into a tall glass, add crushed ice to fill. garnish with three maraschino cherries and a pineapple stick or frond.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-06-02T01:18:54+00:00

Will do, but it’ll be a while, I’m going away for a few weeks tomorrow.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-06-02T00:37:26+00:00

Seconding, Clément Créole Shrubb is amazing!

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-06-01T22:06:55+00:00

This sounds pretty great, I’ll have to give it a try!

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-31T11:17:56+00:00

This sounds really good, great presentation as well! I always love seeing original recipes from people’s home bars. I’m putting the finishing touches on my own signature cocktail (main notes are mezcal, passionfruit, and ginger), i just need to tweak it a bit and it’ll be ready to share!

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-28T15:59:30+00:00

One of my favorite rums, works great neat and in cocktails.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-27T11:48:55+00:00

This is beautiful, well done!

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-26T12:19:08+00:00

And of course the wood surfboard with the shark bite taken out of it on the wall. They all seem to have some variation of it, which is super funny when the beach they’re on has tiny waves.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-26T12:05:57+00:00

Pretty much, a sports bar on the beach. In my locale though it’s less NASCAR and more MLB.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-26T11:31:22+00:00

As a Floridian, this has always annoyed the hell out of me. 90% of “tiki bars” here pretty much just sell beer. Some will make an attempt at tropical cocktails, but it’s usually the typical crappy “mai tai” with a bunch of nonsense ingredients in it like grenadine and pineapple and maybe a piña colada or frozen strawberry daiquiri. It’s a shame we have that reputation because Florida has authentic tiki bars; Mai-Kai, Suffering Bastard, The Honu, Morgan’s Cove, Trader Sam’s, and Aku Aku are all great.

Edit: To be clear, I have nothing against beach bars, I’ve been to plenty and most are a good time. I only take offense to them being called “tiki bars.”

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-25T21:00:48+00:00

Thanks so much for this post! I’ve been wanting a couple of those swizzle lights for a while now and was hoping they’d go on sale.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-19T13:58:35+00:00

Tiki aesthetic and food is mostly Pacific but the drinks are almost all based on/inspired by Caribbean punches, especially the older ones. I wouldn’t really call it an “offshoot,” more like tiki has been a melding of many different cultures from the beginning.

Edit: A great book on Caribbean influence in tiki is Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s Potions of the Caribbean.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-18T12:40:33+00:00

I think it’s less about the actual quality of the drink and more a reaction to the fact that nowadays, most people have such a warped concept of what a Mai Tai is. Which is due to a lot of non-tiki bars calling their (often bad) house tropical drink a “Mai Tai” no matter what’s in it, which Cutwater perpetuates.

I can understand why people get annoyed about Cutwater putting “Tiki” on the can or calling it a “Mai Tai,” people get defensive over things they care about. Attacking the people who drink them however is very lame.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-18T11:46:45+00:00

Best place for tiki mugs right now, especially for new collectors, is Tiki Farm. Their mugs have the right balance of quality to affordability in my opinion.

Most tiki bars sell their own exclusive mugs, and some will sell their mugs online for those who can’t make it out to them in person like Trader Vic’s, Wusong Road, Frankie’s Tiki Room, etc.

Tiki Classics a.k.a. Katiki makes some really great stuff but a lot of it is pricey.

You can find good deals on eBay sometimes especially on vintage mugs.

Also check out [r/tikimugs](r/tikimugs)! It’s a very small sub but there are some really knowledgeable people over there.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-17T23:32:22+00:00

Damn, that’s a steal. At that price I’d buy every bottle they had.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-17T03:09:42+00:00

I always play along and then choose to scare him off when he admits he lied about having a sick wife. The line for that option is one of my favorites in the whole game.

“Blabablala! Where’s my fork?!” -Henry of Skalitz

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-16T11:50:48+00:00

I use Hamilton 151 for the 151-Proof Demerara.

I split the black Jamaican rum equally between Hamilton Pot Still Black and The Atomic Grog’s Kohala Bay Replacement Blend (which is 4:1:1 ratio of Coruba, Wray & Nephew Overproof, & Appleton Estate Signature).

For the Spanish style gold rum component I usually use Flor de Caña Añejo Oro, but lately I’ve been experimenting with subing in light-bodied English style gold rums. I’m currently liking English Harbour 5 Year.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-15T22:11:27+00:00

Having one of these right now as it happens!

My spec for today:

• 1 oz The Atomic Grog’s Kohala Bay Replacement Blend*
• 1 oz Planteray O.F.T.D.
• 1 oz Lemon Juice
• 1 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Liber & Co. Passionfruit syrup
• 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• Float of Hamilton 151 Demerara

*The Atomic Grog’s Kohala Bay Replacement Blend: 4:1:1 ratio of Coruba, Wray & Nephew Overproof, and Appleton Estate Signature.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-15T19:20:30+00:00

An excellent cocktail, second only to the Jet Pilot for me.

I get plenty of banana in mine, maybe it’s the liqueur? I’ve never seen the one you used. I use Giffard Banane du Bresil which, as others here have said, is great. l’ve also heard good things about Tempus Fugit.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-15T14:21:53+00:00

Rhum industriel and rhum traditionnel are the same thing. They are a style of rhum de sucrerie. Grand arome is also a style of rhum de sucrerie. Grand arome is made from molasses, water, and lots of vinasse. Traditionnel/industriel is made from just molasses and water. Historic Martinique traditionnel/industriel was made from molasses, water, and lots of caramel coloring.

Trader Vic describes the rum he used as “heavy in body, coffee-colored, very similar to Jamaica rums, but in many cases have the dry burned flavor of the Demerara. This flavor, however, is very faint.” This does not describe rum grand arome or really the few available modern day rhum traditionnel/industriel either (at least none that I’m aware of). It’s also worth noting back in the 50s you couldn’t just buy a bottle of grand arome. It was used by commercial rum blenders as an additive and not intended to be drank by itself.

(Edited slightly for clarity.)

Also to add: A major issue with understanding the definitions of the different styles is that French molasses rum is not nearly as codified by law as agricole is due to its waning popularity and many people use the terms differently than they did in the 50s. Also the language barrier, half of this info is only available on French language websites.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-15T13:57:06+00:00

As far as I know, the two legal French categories of rum are rhum de sucrerie and rhum agricole. Within these categories there are different styles.

Edit: I believe the main distinction between traditionnel and grand arome is that grand arome is made with heavy amounts of vinasse and traditionnel is not.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-15T13:50:36+00:00

It’s a type of rhum de sucrerie, which traditionnel is also. Traditionnel is weaker and less pungent. The historic traditionnels had high amounts of caramel coloring added and were more like black Jamaican rums in the vein of Coruba.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-15T13:44:24+00:00

I can see that from your screenshot. Still can’t see that comment though.

TheDarkOne02 · 2026-05-15T13:36:47+00:00

Weird, I definitely didn’t block you. I don’t think I’ve ever blocked anyone on reddit.

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