Last night's dogbite: Aloha Cocktail
Angostura, Bitters, Drinkage, Heering, Liqueurs, Rum August 14th, 2007
If I can’t be gratuitous with the new camera and photos I’m able to take, what joy in life is there, no? This was my second attempt at an entry in MxMo XVIII that didn’t make the cut; not because I liked it less than the Sleeping Giant, because I actually preferred this drink, but because even though it uses orange juice it just didn’t feel like it was jiving in the spirit of the thing. This is a more traditional Tiki cocktail in that it’s a blend of 2-3 juices in moderate proportions as well as a liqueur and a couple of rums thrown in for good measure. According to Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry this drink was created in 1970 by Hank Riddle, while working at the famous ‘Don The Beachcomber’s’ restaurant as a competition entry. I gravitated towards this because it offered an opportunity to use Cherry Heering, an ingredient I’ve only recently acquired through the generosity of my in-laws and have been wanting to use sooner than later.
Aloha Cocktail
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz orange juice
- 1/2 oz grenadine (used homemade cold-process)
- 1/2 oz 151 Bacardi Rum
- 1/2 oz white Puerto Rican Rum
- 1/2 oz Cherry Heering 1
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake well with ice cubes and strain into a cocktail glass.
This has a really nice subtlety to it that the Sleeping Giant was lacking. The sweetness is still there but the tart of the lime juice, the herbals of the Heering, and the complexity of the bitters all balance this out to make it a much more enjoyable and well-rounded drink. I’m impressed at how well the Heering comes through and given that this is my first drink using it I’m anxious to see how it performs in something that focuses its flavor a touch more. The 151 has the effect of reminding you that you are indeed drinking an alcoholic drink and keeps it from sinking into a mire of dullsville. Overall it’s an above average drink that surpasses the balance I find in a lot of Tiki cocktails, so hat’s off, and aloha, to Mr. Hank Riddle for this one.
Aloha Cocktail Rating: 
- Can substitute with a cherry-flavored brandy but an eau de vie should be avoided [↩]
Ooo that sounds delish!
How do you make your grenadine? As soon as my Rose’s is done I’m going to try my hand at homemade (provided the recipe is simple enough for the likes of me). I know R. Hess mentioned a recipe in one of his (outstanding, by the way) videos which includes a low simmer, simple syrup, etc.
Mark, I use the recipe I found on The Cocktail Chronicles (see below for link). He lists both a cold and hot process and I was originally more interested in trying the hot version. But, since I can’t get pomegranates here (and it requires the berries) for another few months I had to go with the cold-process (for which you can use bottled juice) and it’s actually quite nice and probably more true to the character of what should be used in mixed drinks; I highly recommend it.
http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2006/05/21/grenadine-face-off/
PS: I did add a 1/2 oz of orgeat to mine after trying it without. It definitely gets the flavor closer to what people expect from a grenadine (i.e. Rose’s) but I don’t necessarily consider it an improvement on the flavor.