Monkey Suit

Another Tiki from the hands of yours truly, a pairing of fresh banana and coffee brandy that should please even the most sophisticated primates. The bass note in this one is Cruzan Black Strap, a hint of tobacco for this smoking jacket.



Monkey Suit

• 1 1/2 oz Mount Gay Eclipse Barbados rum
• 1/2 oz Cruzan Black Strap rum
• 1/2 oz Firelit Coffee Liqueur
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters

Blend with 1 cup crushed ice for 30 seconds. Pour into a large fancy glass or mug. Banana chunk, cherry.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Secrets of the Sea

One day, he was found in the Palais-Royal, leading a lobster at the end of a blue ribbon (because, he said, it does not bark, and knows the secrets of the sea). —Arthur Symonds, of Gérard de Nerval

Brugal Añejo has a touch of the ocean, of salt and iodine. While this drink would not be out of place in a tiki bar, it seems more Atlantic than Pacific.



Secrets of the Sea

• 2 oz Brugal Añejo
• 1/2 oz Firelit coffee liqueur
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1/2 tsp Malibu

Shake with ice cubes and pour unstrained into a double old fashioned. Garnish with a cherry and an orange.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Firelit Coffee Liqueur

St. George Distillery’s Firelit is truly coffee brandy in the sense that it is a coffee-flavored, brandy-based liqueur, and a fairly dry one at that. There are no vanilla or cacao notes. Sampled side by side with Kahlúa, it’s clear that Firelit would be strange in a White Russian. Simply put, it tastes like brewed coffee—at first, anyway. It’s got the strong vegetal note of a plain black iced coffee but with the warmth of brandy under it. This liqueur has obvious applications in after dinner drinks and tropical fantasy items like Mr. Bali Hai, but it also makes me think of the all-too-neglected category of Brunch Cocktails for Serious Drinkers. Yeah, let’s have some gin with that French toast.



All Lit Up

• 2 oz Junípero gin
• 1 oz medium sherry
• 1/4 oz Firelit
• 2 dashes chocolate bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Good any time of day except maybe before dinner. Coffee before dinner just seems weird. Hm—during dinner?



Mr. Bali Hai

• 1 1/2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz sugar syrup
• 3/4 oz coffee brandy
• 1 1/2 oz light Puerto Rican rum
• 1 oz dark Jamaican rum

Shake with crushed ice. Pour into a Mr. Bali Hai mug. Or if you’re like me and pathetic enough not to have the desired mug, a large snifter or something will be fine.
SOURCE: JEFF “BEACHBUM” BERRY, BEACHBUM BERRY REMIXED

While I still prefer Kahlúa in my cocoa, Firelit is more successful for Mr. Bali Hai. I tried the updated instructions in Beachbum Berry Remixed, and the drier quality of the Firelit is exactly right. It also works a little better visually with this recipe.