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How to make the Shrunken Skull, the mid-century tiki cocktail made with Demerara Rum, Dark Cuban-Style Rum, Lime Juice, Grenadine and, optionally, a lime husk and pomegranate seeds for garnish and served in a skull Tiki mug. It is like an exotic Daiquiri, but is more closely related to Don the Beachcomber’s Skull & Bones.
As far as Tiki drinks are concerned, this one is just about as simple as it gets: four common ingredients in equal parts, cubed ice (not crushed) and garnish optional. And it’s good. Really good. It’s basically a 2:1:1 grenadine Daiquiri (aka Bacardi Cocktail • Bacardi Cocktail - a D... ) on the rocks.
Tiki began with Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt) in the 1930’s in Hollywood at his bar, Don the Beachcomber. Donn served an array of original rum drinks, which were essentially all riffs on Jamaican Punches and Cuban Daiquiris, only made with multiple rums and exotic syrups (grenadine, Falernum, pimento dram, passion fruit, etc.) instead of sugar.
Donn created drinks like the Missionary’s Downfall ( • Missionary's Downfall ... ) which was cross between the Hotel Nacional and a frozen Daiquiri, with a touch of Mojito. It’s a really great drink and one that works with everyone’s palette. However, you’re going to have a hard time convincing your average, Depression-era male that this drink fits in with his fragile conception of his masculinity.
So to counteract this insecurity, Donn took the same, sweet and sour, exotic rum drink templates and changed their branding. He created a line of drinks with names like Skull & Bones, Cobra’s Fang, Test Pilot, Zombie, Navy Grog, Shark’s Tooth, etc. that played better in the male comfort zone. Then to poke the ego with a stick, he offered up a challenge on some drinks of a 2 (or sometimes 3) per person limit, making it seem dangerous to go over that number. The strategy worked and lured in the hard drinkers. It gave them the permission to enjoy the drinks. This tradition was carried on by nearly all of the Tiki bars that came after.
Mariano Licudine was a bartender at Don the Beachcomber for 17 years. He started in southern California, but ended up spending most of is tenure at the Chicago location. He was then poached by developers in Florida to open up and run the bar program at Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale. Licudine’s Mai Kai menu, like a lot of other Tiki bars that integrated drinks from Don the Beachcomber on their menus, changed the name of several Beachcomber classics. Dr. Funk became Dr. Fong, the Pearl Diver became the Deep Sea Diver, the QB Cooler became the KO Cooler, and the Skull & Bones seems to have morphed into the Shrunken Skull. Presumably, just like the names, the recipes on Licudine’s menu were modified slightly as well.
This recipe may be slightly different than what Mai Kai served in the 1950’s, as on their menu, the drink was pictured with an extra shot of rum. Perhaps that was there to make up for the difference in strength between the Skull & Bones (which used 151 Demerara Rum) and the Shrunken Skull (which used 80-90 proof Demerara).
In Polynesia, they ceremonial preserved heads were called mokomokai. The heads would still bare the traditional, carved facial tattoos known as moko. This traditional Polynesian art was the inspiration for the carvings on this Shrunken Skull tiki mug. This mug is made by Shima Ceramics, a ceramist and bartender from The Bay Area who likes to make unique and usually non-traditional Tiki mugs and bowls (link to his site below). Check it out. You’re going to love his stuff! Okole Maluna!
Recipe:
1 oz (30ml) Dark Cuban-style Rum
1 oz (30ml) Demerara Rum
1 oz (30ml) Grenadine
1 oz (30ml) Lime Juice
garnish Lime Husk, Pomegranate Seeds (optional)
Shake with ice cubes. Pour unstrained into a skull mug (or double old-fashioned glass). Add garnish and straw.
Music:
Twist of Mentality by Kikoru
(formerly titled: Twisted Mentality 1 by Magnus Ringblom)
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in this Episode:
Panamá-Pacific Rum 9-Year
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Hamilton Demerara (Guyana) Rum 86 Proof
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Shrunken Skull Tiki Mug (Lime Green) by Shima Ceramics
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Beachbum Berry Remixed by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
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Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari 10th Anniversary Edition by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
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Bar Tools:
Double Old Fashioned Glass
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Cocktail Pick
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Japanese Style Jigger (Gunmetal Black)
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Usagi Cobbler Shaker
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Bamboo Straw
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Citrus Juicer (Lime)
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Cutting Board
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Small Knife
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