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RICHARD MIDDLETON

Brennans of Houston

LAURIE SHEDDAN HARVEY

Sanctuari Bar at Triniti

ALEX GREGGMoving Sidewalk

RUSSELL THOEDELei Low Bar

ROBIN BERWICKDouble Trouble

Ca!eine & Cocktails

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RUM?

FAVORITE TIKI DRINK/NOSH

PAIRING?

Sailor Jerry for cocktails and Ron del Barlitto from Puerto Rico for sipping.

Sanctuari Bars Reginalds Southern Mai Tai paired with Trinitis Devils on Horseback (!gs stu"ed with blue cheese wrapped in candied bacon with vanilla gastrique).

IF YOU WERE A TIKI DRINK WHAT WOULD YOU BE?

A Hemingway Daiquiri because who wouldnt want to be Ernest Hemingway for a day?

IF YOU HAD TO MAKE A TIKI DRINK FOR A CELEBRITY WHO WOULD IT BE FOR AND

WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Hunter S. #ompson a Scorpion Bowl spiked with qualudes.

Anything imported by Edward Hamilton. He has a great palate. My favorite changes often but right now I would say Neisson Rhum Reserve Speciale.

Originally tiki drinks were served with Chinese food. #e drinks handle the spice well, and I just love Korean food.

I would be a Nui Nui, probably because its my favorite one from Donn Beach. Its a blend of three rums with vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, grapefruit and orange, lightly blended. Perfection.

I would make Hunter S. #ompson a Singapore Sling with a sidecar of Mezcal.

Since rum is the most diverse of all spirit categories, this really is a tough one. But if I have to pick one, then it would have to be J. Wray and Nephew Overproof from Jamaica.

A Pina Coloda while eating the pineapple triangle garnish

Su"ering Bastard I would make Steve Buscemi a Zombie.

Brugal 1888, Zaya Gran Reserva 12, Ron Zacapa XO, Railean Small Cask, Bayou Spiced, Don Q Grand Anejo oh, yes, Pryat Cask 1623, Barbancourt 15 and did I mention Appleton Es-tate? Mount Gay Black makes me smile, too.

Any roasted pork or quail dish with a Planters Punch. #e designated drinker

Trader Vics Original Mai Tai to Meryl Streep because they are both American originals that always surprise you.

Roti with extra hot sauce. Coated with gritty, wind-blown Caribbean sand on a remote beach. Tortilla or plantain chips with fresh guacamole and spicy pineapple salsa will work in Houston though.

#ere is just no way I could choose one. Depends on the way it will be enjoyed.

Trinidad Sour. Angostura bitters, orgeat, lemon and rye whiskey. I cant explain why. #is cocktail changed my life. Its the Talking Heads of cocktails.

Harry Belafonte. Smith & Cross Navy-strength Jamaican Rum Daiquiri. Im a huge fan of both.He is humble, delicious and so digni!ed...like the daiquiri!

hese Houston bartenders are all in agreement: Tiki has no rules. Rum is a good start but isnt absolutely essential. Most tiki drinks tend to include fresh fruit juice and spices, but they can be served in whatever cracks your coconut. Tiki is more about a feeling, with a hint of whimsy and exotica. Most importantly, a tiki cocktail should be fun. Here are some matters that these lords of libation dont necessarily agree on.

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CLASSIC TIKI COCKTAILSSo, what makes it tiki? !e majority of tiki drinks are rum-based, and they tend to follow this formula: 1 "avored syrup, 2 parts fresh fruit juice and 3 parts rum. Add whimsical garnish and spices and enjoy.

MAI TAI Said to be invented at Trader Vics in 1944, Don the Beachcomber will #ght to the bloody end and insist they invented it in 1933.

PLANTERS PUNCH Some say that the Planters Hotel in Charleston, SC, is responsible for introducing Planters Punch to the world. A September 1878 issue of the London magazine Fun shared the recipe with its readers:

A wine-glass with lemon juice !ll,Of sugar the same glass !ll twice"en rub them together until"e mixture looks smooth, soft, andnice.

Of rum then three wine glasses add,And four of cold water please take. ADrink then youll have thats not badAt least, so they say in Jamaica. Planters Punch! A West Indian Recipe

SINGAPORE SLING Not only is this a true Southeast Asian cocktail, it isnt made with rum. (Its gin-based.) It was introduced before 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender working at the Long Bar in Ra$es Hotel, Singapore, and charmed the pants o% travelers from all over the world.

ZOMBIE Invented at Don the Beach-comber, this cocktail calls for 4 ounces of rum, including 151 rum, and is considered one of the strongest tiki cocktails.

DAIQUIRI !is is the legendary favorite of Ernest Hemingway and John F. Kennedy.

PIA COLADA !e story is that Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofres, to boost his crews morale, gave them a beverage that contained coconut, pineapple and white rum. !is would later be known as the pia colada.

JUNGLE BIRD !is is one of the newer tiki drinks, invented in 1978 at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton.

HURRICANE If youve ever been to Pat

OBriens in New Orleans, you know that the Hurricane is made of arti#cial red dye, rum and mystery mix and can cause you to black out and behave as if youve never had a drink before. Its kept guests raging since the 1940s when it was #rst served in a hurricane glass a novelty at the time.

DARK N STORMY !is is an ideal introductory tiki drink for someone who is intimidated by drinks like the Zombie. It combines black rum and ginger beer with a squeeze of lime.

WHERE TO FIND CLASSIC TIKI COCKTAILS

UNDER THE VOLCANO2349 Bissonnet

DOUBLE TROUBLE3622 Main

LEI LOW6412 N Main

ANVIL BAR & REFUGE1424 Westheimer

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WHY RUM?Heres a fun Rum 101 from one of the best rum information sources, the Ministry of Rum (ministryofrum.com).

Rum distinguishes itself from other spirits by the plant from which it is made. In the United States, rum is de!ned as a spirit distilled from the fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses or other sugar cane byproducts. (Vodka, by com-parison, can be made from grain, such as sorghum, corn, rice, rye or wheat, or potatoes, fruits or just plain sugar.)

Almost all rum is aged in charred oak barrels that previously held bourbon or whiskey. Used barrels cost less than new, and they help give rum its trade-mark honey color.

Cachaa is a Brazilian spirit made from fermented sugar cane juice and distilled to between 38% and 48% ABV. By Brazilian de!nition, rum is a spirit made from fermented molasses, so the two spirits are not the same in that country. However, according to the standards used by the US, cachaa is identi!ed as rum.

Spirits made from sugar cane juice in the French islands are distilled to a low distillation purity, resulting in a

heavier and greener tasting spirit. Spirits from fermented molasses are generally distilled to a higher purity.

In Colonial America, the disrepu-table Triangle Trade "ourished. #is was a system of trade that took rum and goods manufactured in New England to the west coast of Africa where it was exchanged for slaves. #e slaves were taken to the West Indies where they were sold for molasses and money. #e molasses was sent to New England to make rum and start the system of trade all over again.

Rhum agricole, a variant of rum made in the French West Indies, is made from freshly squeezed sugar cane juice that is distilled to 70% ABV. Mar-tinique rum distillers have adopted the AOC Martinique Rhum Agricole mark, which is similar to the AOC mark for Cognac or Champagne.

Railean Rum is produced in San Leon, which is located between Hous-ton and Galveston. Owner/founder Kelly Ralean makes several kinds of rum: Railean White Rum is distilled multiple times to produce a pure, smooth product. It is a milder kind of rum. Her dark rums are distilled just once to leave in more "avor and aged in

new (not used) American oak barrels. Railean Reserve XO Rum is a blend. #ere is also a small cask rum (think: single barrel bourbon) and spice rums.

Overproof rum such as the 151 proof rums often used for "ambd drinks or to literally add a punch to cocktails in the Caribbean are not widely consumed in the United States. Most rums consumed in the US are 80 to 100 proof.

WHERE DOES THE WORD TIKI COME FROM?

According to the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, Tiki was the !rst man. Like Adam, if you will. He found the !rst woman, Marikoriko, and they became parents of Hine-kkau-ataata. Tiki became the name of a large wooden carving or totem in humanoid form. Tikis are found in most Central Eastern Polynesian cultures, including Tahiti, Hawaii and the Cook Islands.

Sanctuary Bar at Triniti 2815 South Shepherd, 713-527-9090, sanctuaribar.com

Recipes courtesy of Laurie Sheddan Harvey

REGINALDS SOUTHERN MAI TAI*1 oz. Wild Turkey oz. pecan orgeat syrup (recipe below) oz. dry Curaao oz. lime juice 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

METHOD: Shake all ingredients together. Double strain into cup and garnish.

REGINALDS MAI TAI CAYENNE PECAN ORGEAT SYRUP cup coarsely ground pecans cup water

cup almond milk1 cup sugarpinch cayenne pepper20 drops orange blossom water (look

for it at Central Market or PhoeniciaSpecialty Foods)

pinch of cayenne pepper

METHOD: In a small saucepan, bring the pecans and water to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow water to cool to room temperature. Strain pecans from water and discard the pecans. In the saucepan, add almond milk and sugar to pecan water. Bring to a slow simmer and stir until sugar has dis-solved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add orange blossom water and cayenne. Bottle and enjoy in

your Mai Tai, on ice cream or in your co&ee. Store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

APPLE A DAY*1 oz. Sailor Jerry oz. calvados oz. spice syrup oz. lemon juice oz. pineapple juice1 oz. good-quality bottled or fresh

apple juice1 dash Angostura Bitters

METHOD: Swizzle all ingredients with crushed ice. Garnish.

*Cocktails pictured on the My Table cover. Southern Mai Tai also seen on page 36.

Tiki Twists

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Moving Sidewalk306 Main, movingsidewalkbar.com

Recipe courtesy of Alex Gregg

RICKY TI1 oz. Rhum Agricole (Alex prefers

Rhum JM) oz. lime juice oz. pure cane sorghum syrup or

Sirop JMclub soda

METHOD: Combine rum, lime juice and syrup, top with club soda and garnish with a slice of lime. Feel too easy? At Moving Sidewalk, Gregg makes his own house barrel-aged cane syrup by reducing fresh sugarcane juice and allowing it to age for nearly two years. We substituted in the sorghum syrup to keep it a little more timely for you.

Boheme307 Fairview, 713-529-1099,barboheme.com

Recipe courtesy of Hal Brock

LA COQUETA1 oz. Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum oz. Galliano LAutentico oz. lime juice oz.grapefruit juice oz.simple syrupAngostura Bitters

METHOD: Combine rum, Galliano, juices and simple syrup and swizzle vigorously with crushed ice. Top with four dashes Angostura Bitters. Garnish with a lemon wheel and cinnamon stick.

Batanga908 Congress Ave., 713-224-9500, batangahouston.com

Recipe courtesy of Ianne Fastho!

3-HOUR TOUR 3 oz. Myers Original Dark Rum1 oz. orange juice1 oz. pineapple juice3 oz. coconut water4 dashes Angostura Bitters splash of club soda

METHOD: Combine all liquids together in a glass and stir, using fresh juices if possible. Serve chilled in a fresh whole young coconut and garnish with an orange slice, cherries and pineapple tidbits or leaves. (If served over ice, cut the recipe in half.)

3-HOUR TOUR

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