“The Kahuna Barrel was me trying to figure out what my Rum Barrel would be,” says Richard of the countless variations of the tiki classic, sometimes known as a Rum Keg, typically consisting of tropical juices, sweetener and, of course, rum. “I think the Mai-Kai’s Rum Barrel is the best,” he says. “They have all sorts of weird little idiosyncrasies about how they make drinks; they have very specific Florida orange juice, a very specific rum blend and a lot of building this drink was trying to emulate those flavors,” he says. Calamansi and orange juice replicate the specific tang of Florida orange, while the rums (Appleton Reserve, Coruba Dark, Hamilton 151) are blended to mimic the extinct Kohala Bay.
Kahuna Barrel
Garret Richard, Existing Conditions | New York
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 ounce Appleton Estate Reserve Blend
- 1 ounce Coruba Dark Rum
- 1/2 ounce Hamilton 151 Demerara Rum
- 3/4 ounce honey syrup (3:1, orange blossom honey:water)
- 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
- 1/2 ounce orange juice
- 1/4 ounce lime juice
- 1/4 ounce passion fruit purée
- 1/4 ounce calamansi purée
- 1/2 teaspoon demerara syrup (see Editor's Note)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 8 ounces crushed ice
Garnish: lime wedge shell
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and flash blend.
- Pour into a tiki mug over 4 ounces of crushed ice.
- Garnish with a lime wedge shell.
Editor's Note
Demerara Syrup:
2 parts demerara sugar
1 part water
Measure the ingredients by weight then combine in a medium saucepan. Briefly blend with a hand blender to get the mixture started. Place over medium heat, stirring until sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool. Skim off the top layer and keep refrigerated.