Jet Pilot
Entry 4 — A Father’s Day spice bomb that broke the five-point scale.
The most Father’s Day of Father’s Day drinks: a Steve Crane/Luau descendant of the Zombie, with citrus, spice, three rums, and a dash of Herbstura. It was poured into double old-fashioned glasses and then taken to the deck for sunset, because even a Jet Pilot occasionally enjoys a scenic layover.
The Build
- Fresh lime juice
- Fresh grapefruit juice
- Homeade Cinnamon Syrup
- John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum
- Hamilton 86 Demerara rum
- Chairman’s Reserve rum
- Planteray OFTD Rum
- Dash of Herbstura
Add everything to a drink-mixer tin with 12 oz crushed ice and 4–6 agitator cubes. Flash-blend and open-pour with a gated finish into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish wih a cinnamon stick and enjoy what it does as the drink dilutes.
Jeff’s Thoughts
This is my favorite tiki drink. The opening is a cinnamon-and-overproof slap, followed by juicy grapefruit, lingering rum, and the herbal finish of Herbsaint and Angostura in the Herbstura. Falernum and cinnamon turn the middle into Christmas cake or rum cake; grapefruit bitterness keeps the baking spice from becoming dessert. The cinnamon stick slowly dissolves and infuses the drink as the ice melts, so it gets better rather than merely diluted. I called it the best tiki drink even if it is not the ultimate tropical cocktail, then rated it 6.5 on a five-point scale. The spreadsheet has been forced to use 5.0, but the mathematical misconduct remains in the permanent record. All hail Steve Crane, father of the Luau and the third man of tiki. Next rum experiment: Coruba and Appleton 12.
Stasi’s Thoughts
I appreciate any drink Jeff makes, and I like the grapefruit here. What I taste most is nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. That isn’t my favorite kind of tiki profile, so I’m at 3.5.
The Ratings
