For my Savannah friends, I’ll admit the word “daiquiri” evokes a vision of River Street’s Wet Willies and their dozens of whirling slushie machines. Little did I know that in reality, a true daiquiri is a classic and balanced cocktail driven by a traditional Caribbean rhyme – “One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.” The Aku Aku is a classic tropical play on the daiquiri, created by Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron as a direct, riff-style adaptation of Don the Beachcomber’s famous 1930s cocktail, the Missionary’s Downfall itself a daiquiri variant. Trader Vic officially first published the recipe in his 1972 Bartender’s Guide, swapping out honey and lemon for demerara and Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice,
I made this drink on November 7th, 2020 when it became clear that Joe Biden had the electoral votes to become the 46th President of the United States. My homemade peach cognac serves as a reflection of my native state’s contribution to this outcome.
Created in Italy out of a tradition of bitter aperitifs meant for sipping before dinner, The Negroni cocktail typically uses gin as the base spirit. Here we swap in boubon to significant effect.
This is a bitter take on the Mai Tai. The drink combines three key ingredients for balance: Cynar, an artichoke-based Italian amaro, funky overproof Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, and bartender’s ketchup (aka St-Germain) to make a very balanced bittersweet version of the classic.
