The WAITIKI 7: New Sounds of Exotica

by Randy Wong

This is my version of the Trader Vic Myrtle Bank Punch, inspired by Jeff Berry’s Hell In The Pacific.

3/4 oz aged rhum agricole (Rhum Neisson eleve)
3/4 oz 80-proof demerara rum (Lemon Hart 80)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
1/4 oz falernum (John D. Taylor Velvet)
1/4 oz allspice dram
1/4 oz fresh grenadine
1/4 oz simple syrup

Shake and double strain over crushed ice. Serve in a double old-fashioned glass (or Rum Barrel-style tiki mug) and garnish with a lime wheel.

Drink up with us at the last Tiki Sunday, tomorrow (11/8) at our favorite watering hole, Drink (348 Congress St., Boston). John Gertsen, Sam Treadway, Misty Kalkofen, and others will be serving up some of our favorite tiki cocktails—like the Zombie, Natatorium, Helen The Pacific, Jet Pilot, Wai Tai, and others. Enjoy some great exotica and the company of friends like us!

We’re finally posting a recipe for a cocktail Sam Treadway concocted for us back in June at Drink Fort Point. Story behind this one: Randy challenged Sam to make a gin drink that combines espresso beans and black peppercorns. The result was smooth and creamy—but with the subtle kick of black pepper. A classy drink, not to be trifled with.

The Gin Wong

Muddle espresso beans & black pepper
1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
1/4 oz cherry heering
1/4 oz benedictine
1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
1/2 oz cream
1 1/2 oz Aviator gin

Shake & double strain.

The recipe initially used Beefeater, but was refined this November with the use of Aviator gin. It’s a much better match, too, given that Gin Wong is an aviator.

Our friends at the stellar mixology pad DRINK (348 Congress St., Boston, MA) are helping us celebrate the release of our new CD. This Sunday, 8/23, DRINK will be serving tiki cocktails off the famed WAITIKI International Drink Menu, as well as spinning choice hits of classic and modern exotica. The party starts at 4 p.m.. As a ‘thank you’ to those who purchase (or have already bought) copies of the CD, John Gertsen will serve a specially-concocted “Adventures in Paradise” punch. This is a no-host event.