Macadamia, Cinnamon, Orange, Rum

I visited my parents' house last weekend, and it was my great pleasure to mix drinks for my family while I was there. My father's home bar puts mine to shame, of course, but the majority of his collection consists of whisk(e)ys which are too fine to mix. As such, it was an excellent venue for creativity. I made an orange oleo saccharum, because they did not have any syrups, and I wanted something which would be versatile and unusual. A good oleo saccharum is really nothing more than a citrus syrup, but it is much better than any other type of citrus syrup that one could make, on account of its high oil content.As I was searching the bar for spirits to pair with it, I spied a bottle of the now defunct Hawaiian Macadamia nut liqueur, Adamia, and I knew that I could put it to good use. I live in an old building in the city, and my appliances are old if they even exist, but my parents enjoy all the luxury of modern suburban kitchen accoutrements, including a refrigerator that makes crushed ice. Though I do not mind crushing ice with a mallet and Lewis bag, I was immediately drawn to the simple convenience of holding the glass underneath the ice dispenser and pressing "crush".Glass of crushed ice firmly in hand, I resolved to make something tiki, and the next thing I needed was rum. Fortunately, my father had a bottle of Dogfish Head's Brown Honey Rum, which is probably the most unusual rum I have had the pleasure of tasting. It greets the palate with a strong honey flavor which is loud and clear even underneath lime juice, macadamia nut liqueur, and orange oleo saccharum. Dogfish Head also makes some of the weirdest (and most delicious) beers on the market, so it's no surprise that they would also make very unusual rums and gin. Now I'm hoping they get around to doing an amaro.

Tkach Tiki Delux1.5 oz Dogfish Head Brown Honey Rum1 oz Macadamia Nut Liqueur (Adamia).75 oz Lime Juice.5 oz Orange Oleo SaccharumShake over ice and then pour over crushed ice. Break a cinnamon stick in half and insert it into the ice. Spear a lime wheel with one of the cinnamon sticks.

When you use high quality ingredients, tiki drinks practically make themselves. The crushed ice will add extra dilution to the drink once it reaches the glass, on account of its high ratio of surface area to volume. As such, a little more sugar is needed to make the drink pop. Depending on the rum you use, you'll need to adjust your proportions a bit to make sure that the liqueur, the rum, and the lime are in balance. It's not always going to be exactly the same, but the key is that each flavor in the drink is strongly salient.And please, do not neglect the cinnamon garnish. The crushed ice will totally dull any nose that you might otherwise get on the drink, and half the value of crushed ice is that it can be used to lodge various spices and herbs. Of all the different drink formats, crushed ice provides the most maneuverability in creating your drink's aroma. The smell of cinnamon combined with the nutty liqueur was positively paradisaical. It is important to break the cinnamon stick, and leave the broken side sticking out, as this will release the most fragrant oil.