Hurricane Hayward says that the Mai Kai uses key limes and so theirs is more tart and intense than Parisian limes. Which might explain why I've never made a good one at home but the one at the Mai Tai was amazing.
Garret's reinterpretations are fantastic. I like both of his Derby Daiquiri recipes (frozen and strained), but IMHO neither compares to the original at The Mai-Kai. So I came up with a hybrid that I posted along with an updated review and deep dive into the cocktail's history on The Atomic Grog blog. Simple Standard Derby Daiquiri * 1/2 ounce orange juice acid adjusted to lime * 1/2 ounce rich (2:1) simple syrup * 2 ounces lightly aged and filtered Spanish-style rum Shake or pulse blend with 1 cup of crushed ice for 5 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass with an optional ice shell. You can also make a traditional Derby Daiquiri by blending with 1 cup of crushed ice for 15 seconds or until smooth. Pour into a small goblet or stemmed glass. I like this version not only for its simplicity, but also for its clean and crisp flavor profile. The rum is more prominent than the classic, but the concentrated sour orange juice combines with the rich simple syrup to provide intense flavors and balance. The result is a straightforward Daiquiri not far from Mariano Licudine's original vision.
Garret Richard is amazing. I came across his wizardry before he published Tropical Standard and raced out to buy his book when it was released. He elevates cocktails. I am a fan. He showcases next level expertise; but it comes at a cost. Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Sandalwood Powder, Tomr's Tonic Syrup, etc. Financial cost certainly, plus a greater allocation of storage space to stock your modern ingredients and more crowded refrigerator to keep your advanced potions fresh for a week or two. Most times, Garret's spec is worth the effort. So with that said, I could use your insights Derek. Is it worth the expense ($24 Amazon) and space to go out and get Bittermen's Orange Cream Citrate Bitters? Can I get an elevated Garret Richard Derby Daiquiri by making the Orange Syrup (x-Bittermen's and mix in a little vanilla extract)?
If you shop around you should be able to find it shipped for under $20. Is it still worth it? Considering it’s something you can keep and use for years, I think so. BUT, you’d want to have multiple cocktails to use it in. Something I’ll address eventually. I don’t think you can sub this with anything else. It’s that unique. But I do think you can make a great Derby Daiquiri using just the orange syrup.
It’s a 4:1 water to salt ratio by weight. The solution makes it easier to dose out consistently as opposed a “pinch” and easy to use if your hands are wet.
The Orange Syrup recipe makes little sense to me. I thought the issue with orange juice in craft cocktails is that it is too sweet and does not have enough balancing acidity. Here, you ADD sugar to make more sweet, then only add 1g of citric acid? His acid-adjusted grapefruit juice (for Navy Grog) is only 100mL grapefruit juice (much less sweet than OJ) and 4g citric acid.
It's something explained better in the book. The original recipe uses orange juice, lime juice and simple syrup. If you acid-adjust orange juice then you don't have lime flavor and this is meant to be like the original. So The main idea is to combine the orange juice and simple syrup into one ingredient which results in less dilution than if used separately. It's like people that use white sugar + lime juice in a Daiquiri. You are correct that citric acid doesn't play a large role in acid levels. It does increase it, but not significantly. I assume it's mainly for preservation. I'm sure an alternative could be using orange juice plus white sugar but you have to get them incorporated which might be challenging to do per drink. Also, one of the big concepts of the book is sugar adjusting to specific brix levels, and the syrup is 50 brix which equals a 1-1 simple. Because it's 50 brix syrup it's something you could use in other cocktails by subbing out simple syrup and you'll know the sweetness will be exactly the same.
@@makeanddrink we made last night ( I prepped the ingredients yesterday). We tried this using Bacardi Gold and a Barbados Gold and ended with coconut components (although it wasn't coconut rum, probably getting from the cask). Anyway- we guessed that NO one was drinking one of these in Maryland in January and celebrated with a whole bunch of them in Nick and Nora glasses
