PiscOasis
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Hard to believe it, but we’re now up to Drink #8 of 10 in the @catanpisco and @settlersofcatan collaboration. Today’s drink is distinctly tropical and inspired by the Desert Hex in the board game. I envisioned something absolutely refreshing and thirst-quenching, which wasn’t hard to imagine given the current weather/heat.
Grains of Sand
It’s amazing how much a few tweaks can change a drink. When I’m coming up with a new recipe, I try to be honest with myself. If it sucks, what went wrong? Is the balance right? If it’s awesome, what was the magic element? This drink started off… just okay. It didn’t “pop”. The awesome flavored vodka got lost. Somewhat counterintuitively, it needed more rum “character”— aged rum and a funky overproof rum instead of white rum and rhum agricole. Just tweaking the base made this one really worth the shake.
Need A Vacation
Okay, we’re getting to that point in winter when a vacation sounds really nice. Not that I have to deal with any snow or anything😆 But regardless, this is a great tropical-leaning old fashioned that’s hard not to like. It’s admittedly a riff on myself (“Still on Vacation”, 5/18/22), but if you still haven’t tried it, a little bit of pineapple juice in a stirred drink is incredible. Yeah yeah all you purists out there, I didn’t come up with the concept but I’m happy to debate its merits.
Cosmic Harmony
I know flavored vodkas often get a bad rep, but like with any spirit, there is a wide spectrum of quality out there. I want a vodka that is still clean and not overly sweet, with authentic flavor representation. The lychee, coconut, and jasmine vodka that the folks at @chakravodkas kindly sent me fits that order nicely. It has a ton of depth and the three flavors represented are in perfect harmony.
Jaiquiri
Two words: jackfruit daiquiri. Combining words is a big part of my pun repertoire, probably my wife’s favorite type (jk it’s definitely not). But this drink is more than just a clever word play, it’s a fabulous daiquiri that celebrates jackfruit— which is a delicious fruit with a healthy dose of tropical/banana and an almost floral-like quality. It’s also versatile and can be used as a meat substitute!
Royal J
Vacation MacGyver, pt. 1
Today I'm continuing Highball Happy Hour with a summer-y, tropical-leaning, and absolutely crushable drink featuring the one-and-only Jaisalmer Gin. The recipe for this one came about during a recent vacation. It's a funny thing about being the self-elected vacation bartender-- when you're used to a very... expansive bar at home, it's a big change to suddenly have very limited options. But as I always say, constraint is the catalyst of creativity, so here is the first of two drinks I created with what I had on hand.
Mr. Rice Guy
So far my #sponsored content with @JaisalmerGin includes riffs on a gin & tonic and a martini. Both fun, easy, and delicious. Let’s keep the fun and delicious part but turn up the complexity with a gin-based tiki delight featuring an unusual cocktail player: rice. Please refer to my post on 5/20 for a discussion of the infusion.
Still On Vacation
Last week you saw a pre-vacation drink: something super tropical to get into the mood for the beach. This is the drink to have once you're back from vacation-- something boozy to sip while relaxing on the couch, with enough tropical-ness to keep those vacation vibes going for a *little* bit longer.
Beach Wisdom
I’ve been enjoying some much-needed time at the beach this week. To get into the mood, I threw together this recipe and tried to bring as much tropical goodness as I could into one glass. In case you’re wondering, I had the coconut cachaça sitting in my fridge, but it’s really easy to make if you have coconut oil.