Today was the perfect day to reconnect with my Filipino roots as I got a chance to toast with a couple fellow pinoy bartenders live today on Instagram hosted by @liquor with my boy Channing Centeno, bar manager of Otis, representing the bar community and our peeps during #pinoyhour.
We got a chance to tune in with Ben Rojo of Black Emporer in the East Village as he made for us a Manila Old Fashioned with Don Papa Rum. Seeing the boys in action in different parts of New York City opening up slowly was indeed refreshing. I definitely felt the warm weather vibes along with a new beginning ahead. It was a nice Sunday surprise that made me want to create something special in honor of Tiki and Filipino bartenders of all time. Seeing the magic from our strong Filipino community of bartenders from around the world prompted me to create the Quaran-Tiki Ti, it's a part of my quarantine series of recipes as I have definitely used up all the fresh fruit from our fridge but its mainly to pay homage to Ray Buhen. I opened up my Don the Beachcomber book and went on a little virtual trip to the islands which I needed so badly.
As I was getting lost in an original Beachcomber menu my mouth was salivating from seeing the Duck Mandarin and Shrimp Chungking entrees as I could just imagine those dishes sizzling and crackling through a busy dining room.
I then thought to myself, could we be experiencing a modern day "Tiki" escapism here that we can all benefit from because of quarantine life? Whatever it is, I'm feeling it. And if there are some of you who are new to Tiki, stay tuned. This is exactly what rebirth is looking and seeming like. The whole concept of adapting and recalibrating after times of a pandemic is similar to post war trends. Nevertheless, I could spend hours reading about Trader Vic aka Victor Jules Bergeron Jr. and Donn Beach.
I then read about the famous Filipino bartenders of the 1930's and 1940's serving the fabulous stars in Hollywood as this time the bar culture was very new.
It was these bartenders from the Philippines who were employed to work in the fancy hotels and high end night clubs in Los Angeles that paved the way for Phil-Am's to stray away from domestic and field related jobs. Bartenders like Ray Buhen, who worked alongside with Don the Beachcomber, shared their island touch by introducing the use of exotic fruits and fresh juices. Ray Buhen was a part of the original staff when Don the Beachcomber opened its first location in Hollywood during this time before his many establishments sprung up. I could go on and on but first things first, here's the recipe I promised.
In honor of Tiki Ti and Ray Buhen, here is a recipe that I hope you will enjoy. The beauty of Tiki is to have a lot of ingredients but to maintain a lovely balance of flavors.
The Quaran-Tiki Ti
1 1/2 oz. Plantation Pineapple Rum
1/2 oz. Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry
1/2 oz. Pierre Ferrand 10 Generation Cognac
1/4 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz. Pineau des Charentes
3/4 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/4 oz. Merlet Cassis Infusion
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
1 oz. of coconut milk
1 1/4 oz. orange juice
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. honey
Muddled raspberry
Muddled watermelon
Shake all the ingredients in a tin
Double strain over fresh ice
A drink like this calls for an umbrella but a watermelon garnish works just fine!
Tagay~! (bottoms up in Tagalog)
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