A home-made version of the supermarket stand-by, Roses Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice. The original was created back in 1867 by Lachlan Rose it was featured on most British naval vessels of the time as a way to treat scurvy on long sea voyages. It was in turn mixed with so-called Navy-Strength gin, at gin at so high a proof it wouldn’t ruin shipboard barrels of gunpowder should gin stores leak. Popular folklore credits Royal Navy surgeon Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette with adding the lime cordial to rations of gin around the late 19th century.
The Lumière is a modern gin cocktail created by Jen Marshall, beverage director at Brooklyn’s Nitehawk Cinema, Another euqual parts cocktail, it pays homage to the classic Prohibition-era drink the Last Word. The drink
was created as a tribute to the 2011 Oscar-nominated movie Hugo – a Martin Scorcese film set in 1930s Paris. It follows the life of early silent film creator Georges Méliès. It pays tribute to the Lumiere brothers who invented invented the Cinématographe motion picture system and inspired Méliès to become a filmmaker. And to round out it’s inspiration from silent-film days of yore, the color of the cocktail has a pale green tint from the herbacheous Green Chartreus that gives the drink a pale, nearly luminescent color. It’s said that this tone also recalls the mood of early Paris theaters. It’s an elegant floral-herbal riff on the Prohibition-era classic, the Last Word, substituting elderflower liqueur for maraschino
Some of our earliest adventures out of the house during lockdown were a few socially- distanced camping excursions with trusted friends. On one trip, I decided to create Mai Tais for a crowd from a great recipe for various big-batch tiki recipes I found on the Lost Tiki Lounge website. The tricky issue here is that proportions don’t scale linearly, as some ingredients (e.g. bitters or strong syrups like orgeat & ginger) are amplified as they increase. I suggest using 1/2 the amount of these types of ingredients, testing and tasting as you go to avoid going overboard. I break the recipe up into the base (spirits themselves) that we can be mixed well in advance. Next up are the “small but potent” elements like syrup and aromatics which I bottle separately. Finally, there’s the citrus, which ideally you would squeeze to order, but can get away with extracting a few hours ahead of time and bottling on ice until ready to serve. You can use a combination of different of rums here, but the best approximation of the original
Any time in the week leading up to your event, mix “base” ingredients (rum and curacao) in a large container, decant into bottles, and store in the fridge.
Pour “small but potent” ingredients (Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice, orgeat) into a small jug, cover, and place in refrigerator.
On the day of your event, squeeze limes as close to party time possible, bottling juice and storing in the fridge.
Make sure you keep all your squeezed lime halves chilled for garnish.
Ten minutes before guests arrive, take out lime halves, Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice, and pre-mixes, giving the bottles a good shake in the process.
When serving, add 21/2 oz. of your “base” pre-mix, 3/4 oz. of the “small but potent” mix, and 1 oz. of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice.
Add ice and shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds.
Strain into a double old-fashioned glass over crushed ice.
Garnish with a sprig of (bruised) mint and drop in one of the lime halves.
