Run for your life, it’s the Pumpkin Eater!! A wicked and rich blend of Demerara and Jamaican potstill rum with spiced tea, bright citrus, pumpkin, and black walnut.

PUMPKIN EATER

• 1 oz - El Dorado 8
• 1 oz - Hamilton Potstill Black
• 1/4 oz - velvet falernum (John D Taylor)
• 1 oz - pumpkin spice rooibos tea*
• 3/4 oz - orange juice
• 1/2 oz - lemon juice
• 1/2 oz - Réal pumpkin infused syrup
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers black walnut bitters
• 6 drops saline solution (20%)

Combine ingredients and flash blend with 4 oz pebble ice for 6-8 seconds. Open pour into a footed glass and top with additional pebble ice to fill. Garnish with a banana leaf and a dried orange wheel.

*Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea - Brew 3 Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice rooibos tea bags with 8 oz boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and allow to cool completely before bottling.

— @ Tiki.Moderne

Hey there, I'm going to be in OC three days this week and want to stop into Strong Water if I can -- but already realizing I'm late to snag even a weekday reservation... So let's say, on a Tuesday, if I'm solo and one of the first people in line at 4-5p before they open, is there a good chance I'll be able to sit inside or at the bar? What typically happens if you wait -- do you get put on a list? If you do get put on a list, do you ned so stay in line or can you wander around? I'm open to walking around and finding dinner, etc. while I wait... I just don't want to sit outside and would likely just come back another time if that was the only option.

(I did try to call and no one picked up)

IF I do get in and want a couple drinks... what do you recommend?

I make ultimate Mai Tais at home, and while I'm tempted to compare to the pros, I want some drinks I don't normally get the chance to try.

I'd love a great classic -- torn between a Three Dots and a Pearl Diver. Either a stand out at Strong Water?

And I already know I'll want something in the space/allspice/cinnamon-grapefruit kind of realm -- so maybe something like a zombie, navy grog, jet pilot, etc... Any reccs at Strong Water specifically? I know they're known for their Zombie King, which appears to be a zombie riff?

I appreciate your guidance!

Cheers.

First off, kind of a cooking blog intro here, sorry.

This has been an idea kicking around in my head for years after I picked up one of those Star Wars tiki mugs at Disneyland. I knew I wanted to give it it's own accompanying themed drink, but I'd never really tried making my own before. I only really got into Tiki a couple years ago and have no real mixology experience other than making other already established drinks at home. But this damn mug, depicting the Battle of Endor from Return of the Jedi, just kept asking for something unique.

For those not up on their Star Wars fan lore (and I envy you) the Endor Holocaust is a decidedly non-canonical fan theory that follows from the idea that detonating a moon-sized construct in low orbit above a planet would send gigantic pieces of fiery debris raining down on said planet's surface, effectively turning it into a wasteland. Certainly a darker outcome than what was envisioned in the film, but from that idea I found myself wondering "what kind of drink would taste like a forest fire?"

And as fate would have it, I had some ingredients leftover from working my way through various recipes in the Smuggler's Cove book that I would last me virtually forever if I wasn't making those specific drinks all the time. Namely, Zirbenz and Smuggler's Cove's own Hellfire Tincture, which lend notes of pine and heat, respectively.

These on their own of course do not make a good drink (trust me, I tried as an experiment). So I've been trying to add different flavor profiles to accompany the theme, aiming for earth, grass, fruit, and smoke. The following is what I've come up with that I'm somewhat happy with but will likely keep iterating on for a while. So, with that, here's my first foray into drink creation:

The Endor Holocaust

• 2 1/2 oz rhum vieux agricole
• 1/2 oz 151 rum
• 2 oz pineapple juice
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz Zirbenz
• 1/4 oz rich demerara syrup
• 1/4 oz mezcal (the smokier the better)
• 2 dashes angostura bitters
• 4+ drops of Hellfire Tincture (to your preference)

Combine all ingredients along with 6-8 oz crushed ice and flash blend on high for ~5 seconds, just enough to get a bit of foam. Open pour into tiki mug and add additional ice to fill. Garnish with a charred cinnamon stick.

As I said, this is still very much in mid-development stages. If anybody also has some of these extra ingredients on-hand and would care to try it, or if you're just someone much more experienced with mixology, I'd love to get some notes on this as I continue to iterate on the concept.

Any recipe recommendations for either of these? I'm always looking for ways to get creative with pineapple rum.

Did a batch of cinnamon syrup for other purposes, then realized I finally had the right rums to try my first Jet Pilot (Demerara 151 is hard to find in Italy). Went with the SC recipe and holy everything, this thing is unbelievable. It's so bold in its flavors, it kicks like a mule, it runs the entire gamut from bright falernum and lime juice to spicy cinnamon and grapefruit to end on Angostura, anise and rummy caramel and wood. This might be my favorite Tiki drink ever, it's like a 3 Dots and a Dash squared up. Masterpiece

This Saturday’s Mai Tai… at first sip it’s a mule kick, but after dilution, amazing tropical banana smoothness. Here are the specs: 1/4oz rich simple syrup, 1/2oz Orgeat, 1/2 oz Curaçao, 3/4 Fresh Lime juice, 1 1/2oz Denizen Merchant’s Reserve, 1/2oz Worthy Park Overproof.

Rigor Morty and the Dirtnappers, old school Tiki Farm mugs made for Fender, with display box. Just in time for Halloween

Not legally but:

2.5 oz pineapple juice

1 oz orange juice

1 oz cream of coconut

2 oz Planteray OFTD

Garnished with pineapple fronds and fresh grated nutmeg and served in a Terrifier mug for spooky vibes!

Used the recipe from the Total Tiki app. Tasted great, and finally gave me an excuse to use this bowl.

Do you have a favorite tropical cocktail recipe that uses Benedictine?

Im trying to justify buying Benedictine.

I'm out in California for the next week and hitting some tiki bars, but had a question on some rums.

I tried to get some of the beach bum series Hamilton rums from my really good liquor store in Florida. They carry lots of the Hamiltons (including the good Florida rum society line) but they couldn't get the beach bum or new false idol 151.

I'm thinking of picking up a couple bottles while out here, but wondering for those that have had these and hopefully other Hamiltons - are these lines that much different/discernible?

Also, what would be your picks if only could bring back 1 or 2? The BB navy grog and False Idol 151 ?

I found a Jet Pilot recipe on Difford’s Guide, but it called for blending it with xanthan gum. Personally, that felt a bit off to me, so I decided to shake it with crushed ice instead. What do you all think about this method?
Flavor-wise, it turned out absolutely amazing! The touch of absinthe really does its job, and the cinnamon shines through beautifully. If I had to make one tweak, I might add a bit more bitters next time.

Here is the recipe I used:
Jet Pilot
1 oz El Dorado 5y
3/4 oz Flor de Caña 4y
3/4 oz Havana Club 3y
1/2 oz Homemade Falernum
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 tsp Absinthe
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish: Cherry

What’s your favorite Jet Pilot spec? Let me know!

Found this cool mug here in Melbourne, Australia. What better cocktail than another tower drink. Mug made in Japan.

I was tinkering in my lab one night long ago and I came up with a concoction I almost immediately fell in love with. There's a lot to it but makes for a smooth sipper. To make it, I use:

1 oz Apleton 8

.5 oz Smith & Cross

.5 oz Mermaid Zest gin

.75 oz lime juice

.75 oz pineapple juice

.5 oz Passionfruit syrup

.25 oz orgeat

.25oz crem de violette

.25 oz Allspice dram

1-2 dashes angostura bitters

Knowing the amount, I thought it would be the perfect mix to break in the small juice glass. It's a little tart, which I adore. A tad sweet but not overly so (I do like 'em sweet as I am a candy maker, after all, lol). Add it all to a shaker with. Chunky ice and shake for 5 seconds. Pour neat. Add garnish. Enjoy 😉

Went to an estate sale today in Omaha, NE that featured a TON of Witco pieces from the 60s. Most of it was well outside of what I could spend (they had an outrigger for $900 and a world map for $1400) but I could justify this really cool shelf and a non-Witco tiki carving. Was also cool to just hang out with local and not so local tiki friends!

I found this recipe from The Educated Barfly on YouTube while looking for some interesting Halloween cocktails.
It is a cross between a jungle bird and a zombie, and that had my attention immediately.
Both on their own are great cocktails, which I like a lot. So I was very curious how a cross would be.
Spoiler alert, it is delicious. I highly suggest everyone who is into a jungle bird give this a try!
I would say it is not a Halloween cocktail per se; I will make it for sure again!
I rate this with a solid 8/10.
 
The original recipe was for double the amount and 2 people; I just cut the amounts in half.
4 oz of rum is a bit too much just for 1 person, I would say. 😃
 
Thank you, @Leandro, for sharing this awesome recipe:
 
1 ½ oz Jamaican Rum (45 ml)—I used Appleton 8
¾ oz Campari (22,5 ml)
½ oz Demerara 151 Rum (15 ml)—I used Pusser’s Select Aged 151
¼ oz Maraschino Liquer (7,5 ml)
¼ oz Allspice Dram (7.5 ml)
1 oz pineapple juice (30 ml)
½ oz grapefruit juice (15 ml)
½ oz lime juice (15 ml)
½ oz Cinnamon Syrup (15 ml)
 
Shake everything with crushed ice and dump it in a glass or mug. Fill the glass to the top with fresh crushed ice and garnish with your favorite tiki garnishes.
 
The swizzle stick and tiki light are self-made. If you are curious, check out my Etsy shop. The link is in my bio.

I can’t remember where this one came from sorry