Thirsty Thursday goes Tiki

I hosted Happy Hour at home on Thursday for a bunch of ladies.

a tiki-tacular good time!

The evening was so much fun it has been decided this will be a yearly event, if not more often.  I had originally scheduled it during a bitter cold snap, but the day turned out so warm and lovely, we had the patio door open and the fan on.

I seeded a Pandora station and we listened to vintage tiki-type music while discussing cocktails, movies, books, and what the evening’s best dish was (all of it).  I made four cocktails that I had pre-batched and made detailed instructions on what the guests needed to do to keep their glasses full.  This enabled I actually got to enjoy the evening and not just play bartender.

I made the original Mai Tai, Zombie, Black River Punch, and the Tall Blue Drink.  In order for the ladies to consume a little bit of everything, I made the cocktail size a little smaller than normal.  The hit of the evening was the Blue Drink, which ran out first, quickly followed by the Mai Tai.  I have a friend moving this weekend and tomorrow night I’ll be delivering dinner and a wine bottle of Black River Punch.  I’m learning whatever I dislike (sweet) is what the ladies like best.

The Tall Blue Drink is originally from The Great Tiki Drink book, but of course I had to make some modifications. Here is the drink as it was enjoyed at my happy hour.

Lula’s Blue Drink
1 ¼ oz white rum
1 oz coconut syrup
1 oz blue curacao
1 oz pineapple juice
3 oz sour mix
Dash of Elemakule Tiki bitters
Top with coconut La Croix
Garnish with maraschino cherry and umbrella

The original recipe called for the drink to be built in a highball glass, but I used Coco Real in a squeeze bottle.  If you have ever used coconut cream, you know that would have been near impossible.  I made it in a cocktail shaker then poured into the highball and topped with soda.  It made the drink frothy and pretty.

The Mai Tai and Black River punch were my favorites; stronger than the blue drink and much less fruity.  I made one small modification to the Black River Punch with the addition of 3/4 oz pineapple juice.  This was my drink of choice for the evening.

Since we are having a beautiful spring weekend, I have all the windows open and am enjoying the frogs serenade me.  I hope you enjoy your weekend and a little liquid sunshine!

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