Happy first day of fall from Wayward Spirits!  To kick off one of our favorite seasons, we present a new fall-themed cocktail: the Tropic of Virgo.

This drink was created by Wayward Spirits founder John Enoch, and inspired by his girlfriend Autumn.  Autumn is the founder of CoffeeMate, a coffee blog based in LA, where she writes coffee and coffee shop reviews, product reviews, industry thought pieces, and more.  Check out her blog here.

The Tropic of Virgo incorporates some of our favorite autumn tasting notes:  cold brew coffee, coconut, allspice, and orange.  The result is a tiki-themed cocktail that is a bit heavier and richer than usual, while still maintaining a tropical flavor profile.

Inspiration for the Tropic of Virgo

​The Tropic of Virgo was inspired by the short period of time between summer and autumn, when the weather begins to turn cold, and summery tiki cocktails feel somewhat out of season.

For months, John and Autumn looked for ways to join the world of tiki and coffee, both being heavily influenced by tropical climates, cultures and flavors.

We chose to name the drink the Tropic of Virgo because:

1. Essentially all of the world’s coffee is grown between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
2. September 22nd is the final day of the Virgo zodiac sign, and is the first day of fall.

Recipe/ Instructions:

Glassware:  Brandy Snifter

Ingredients:

• 2 oz cold brew concentrate (we use Lucky Jack Cold Brew Concentrate)
• 1 oz coconut syrup (we use Torani Puremade Coconut Syrup)
• ½ oz allspice dram (we use St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram)
• ½ oz dry curaçao (we use Pierre Ferrand)
• 1½ oz blended aged rum (we use El Dorado 8 year rum)
• ½ oz black blended overproof Rum (we use Plantation O.F.T.D)
• Orange bitters (5-6 dashes)
• Ground nutmeg (for garnish)

Cocktail Steps:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake for 10 seconds.  Pour over crushed ice, and top off with additional ice until the glass is full.  Add bitters.

Garnish:
Garnish with grated nutmeg and a dehydrated orange wheel.
 
Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score – 4.5

The Tropic of Virgo is truly the perfect fall-themed tiki drink, combining autumn flavors (coffee and allspice) with tropical tastes (orange, coconut, and rum).  

If you are looking to make your Halloween or Thanksgiving holidays feel a bit more tropical this year, the Tropic of Virgo might be just the drink for you.  Plus, it’s a nice in between if you can’t decide between a night cap or post-dinner coffee.

​The only reason this drink falls shy of the full 5-star rating is because it is a bit rich, and hard to drink more than one or two at a time.

Ahoy tiki aficionados!  John here, following up on my previous post where we began featuring our favorite drink recipes from our recent trip to Palm Springs. 

As a second installment to this series, we’ll be reviewing the Après-Ski Swizzle from Easy Tiki.  This drink was a nice change of pace from the Mai Tais and Zombies we enjoyed on our getaway and utilizes one of my all-time favorite cocktail ingredients:  green Chartreuse.  If you are looking for a unique twist on a tiki cocktail, look no further than the Après-Ski Swizzle.

The following feature will provide the origins of the drink, necessary ingredients, and steps for making it at home.  Cheers!
 
Après-Ski Swizzle - Brief History:

The Après-Ski Swizzle was created by Nathan Hazard from the Coconut Club in Los Angeles. 

According to Easy Tiki, “Nathan Hazard’s Après-Ski Swizzle reads like tiki on vacation in the alps.  The familiar tropical flavors are all there – rum, orgeat, pineapple, lime – joined by the 130 botanicals that make up Chartreuse’s signature profile.”
 
Recipe/ Instructions:

Glassware:  Any glass (but Easy Tiki calls for a tiki mug or Zombie glass)

Ingredients:

• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz orgeat
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• ¾ oz green Chartreuse
• 1½ oz lightly aged Barbados rum (we used Mount Gay Eclipse)

Cocktail Steps:
Combine all ingredients in a glass and top with crushed ice until full.  Swizzle with a swizzle stick or barspoon for ten seconds until chilled.

Garnish:
Garnish as you see fit.  We recommend a dried orange slice and flower (but a pineapple wedge is also a popular choice)
 
Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score – 4.5

The Après-Ski Swizzle is a tasty and refreshing take on the swizzle.  It has the tried-and-true flavor profile of a tiki drink (with lime, orgeat, and rum), while introducing the unique complexity of green Chartreuse.

As a huge Chartreuse fan, this drink was easily one of my favorite drinks of the trip.  However, the botanicals do tend to overpower the other ingredients, so try scaling up the other flavors to make the drink feel “more tiki” if you’re looking for a more tropical taste.

Give the drink a try and let us know what you think in the comments!  Cheers!

Aloha fellow tiki enthusiasts!  John here, finally getting back to the swing of things and sharing some of our favorite drink recipes from our week away in Palm Springs!

We dabbled with over 20 recipes on our trip, and the Siboney from Easy Tiki was one our favorites.  It’s relatively simple to make, and contains heavy flavors of pineapple, passion fruit, and lime.  This was especially refreshing in the 115-degree weather we were having on our trip.

The following feature will provide the history of the drink, necessary ingredients, and steps for making it at home.  Cheers!

Siboney - Brief History:

The Siboney first appeared in Rum Cookery & Drinkery, published by Trader Vic’s in 1974.  Easy Tiki features an adaptation of the drink created by Antonio Martinez from Bootlegger Tiki in Palm Springs (one of the reasons we chose this recipe for our trip – see our guide to Palm Springs here).

This adaptation of the Siboney is a bit more rum-forward than the original recipe and amplifies the pineapple flavors through the use of Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy pineapple rum.

Recipe/ Instructions:

Glassware:  Collins or Double Old Fashioned (but the Easy Tiki recipe calls for a coupe glass)

Ingredients:

• ¾ oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• ½ oz passion fruit syrup (we used Torani)
• ½ oz Demerara syrup (see below for Demerara syrup recipe)
• 1½ oz aged Jamaican rum (we used Smith & Cross)
• ½ oz Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum

Demerara syrup recipe (if needed):

1. 2 cups water, 1 cup Demerara sugar, 3 cups granulated sugar
2. Bring water to boil in a saucepan over high heat.
3. Add Demerara sugar and stir with whisk until dissolved (about 1 minute)
4. Add granulated sugar and stir with whisk until dissolved (about 1 minute)
5. Remove from heat and let cool – store in a sealed contain in the refrigerator for up to several weeks

​
Cocktail Steps:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake over ice for 10 seconds.  Strain into a glass over crushed ice and garnish.

Garnish:
Garnish with a half-lime “island” and cocktail umbrella.
 
Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score – 5

The Siboney is a delicious and well-rounded cocktail.  Nice and boozy, while bursting with tropical flavors of pineapple and passion fruit.  It is especially refreshing for hot days, and very easy to make.

Try adding El Guapo Polynesian Kiss bitters to give it a small bit of “spice” that is lacking.  Otherwise, this drink is close to perfect as-is.  Cheers!