“‘Tis an ill wind that blows no good.” he said apropos of nothing. I had barely noticed the onshore breeze, so I looked him up and down, trying to decide whether or not it was gonna be worth the trouble to engage him, before shooting back, “You’re gonna need to unpack that fella.” The old man turned to me slowly, clearly surprised to have someone answer his rambles. I didn’t miss a beat, though. “Seriously, What are you trying to say there?” He did not answer immediately. “Is it some sort of warning? Are you saying that this wind is ill because it brings no good to any of us? And, if so, how can you know that?” I was answered with a blank stare. Unabashed, I followed on “Or are you saying that even an ill wind, which this one may or may not be, brings some good to someone somewhere, a la Henry VI? And, if so shouldn’t you thrown an “indeed” in there somewhere? You know, “‘Tis an ill wind, indeed, that blows no good.” I wasn’t messing with him, I was genuinely curious, that phrase had always bothered me. After a moment, he looked down and under his breath answered, “I passed gas, please pardon me.” Well, what the hell was I suppose to do with that? So, in the spirit of asking the question when you know you should just walk away, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the tiki classic, Tradewinds.
This drink comes to us from the shores of beautiful Jamaica where it originated as a resort drink served poolside in the 70’s. As a younger monkey I recall having something remarkably similar to this at the Hotel Americana’s outdoor lounge, which I am pretty sure was called Tradewinds, that would be a pointer toward its origination, if I had any confidence in my memory, which I don’t. This drink would have been lost to time, like so many of these resort drinks from the end of the first Tiki period, if not for Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, who recorded this one as a large format punch in his Beachbum Berry- Remixed. We are making a single serving here, but this one is excellent served in a punch bowl as well.
This is pretty classic tiki, so we are going to flash blend this one, using an old milkshake machine. Grab your tin and pop in 1 1/2 ounces of coconut cream, 1 ounce of black blended rum, I chose Hamilton Pot Still Black; 1 ounce of lightly aged rum, I opted for Appleton Signature; 1 ounce of apricot liqueur, I went with Luxardo and 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Grab your bar spoon and give this a good stir to the beat of Harry Belafonte singing “Jamaica Farewell“. This step is important to incorporate the coconut since it will clump together if it gets too cold before you mix it. With that mixed, tis in 12 ounces or so of crushed ice and 3-4 big cubes to help with agitation. Flash blend, I usually go for 10-15 seconds or more, moving the cup around to get good aeration into the drink before open pouring into something fancy, like this awesome handmade copper tiki mug from Prince of Scots- Legends of Hawaii Collection. I was not familiar with them till my brother gave me these mugs and now I want everything they make, especially that Celtic Knot strainer and their Julep Cup. Pop in a glass bamboo straw from Surfside Sips and garnish with a paper umbrella that found the tradewinds a little too strong in a lemon wedge.
Wow! That is seriously lovely. Great rums paired with citrus and coconut always work, but that apricot just sings right through this one giving it a unique and wonderful flavor that I did not expect. It’s got a great texture and soft mouthfeel from the aeration but I just keep coming back to the apricot top note. So very good and isn’t it gorgeous in that frosted copper tiki mug? Seriously, that is a thing of beauty. We need an extra category of drinks here on Monkeybrad.com, a “best of” or “do not miss” because this unassuming little drink from the end of tiki would definitely make the list.
I love surprises like this. We did not even have this drink on the list. We were actually looking for a different drink to make in a different mug when the wife found this one and insisted we try it since we had all the ingredients close to hand. I still nearly skipped it since I figured it was a Piña Colada with the pineapple and lemon switched, but that apricot liqueur completely changes things to make something new and wonderful. It was an inspired choice made by some resort bartender back in the 70’s, who’s name has been lost to time. Thank goodness Mr. Berry had the foresight to record this one, so we would have this little Jamaican treasure to share with friends, on a long forgotten beach where old men make casual remarks on the wind. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.
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