Shark's Tooth
Strobist Info: Godox AD200 with a 26-inch octo-softbox camera left and slightly behind and above the subject. Small white V-flat directly camera right of the subject.
This is the Shark's Tooth, a tiki cocktail created by Don The Beachcomber in the 1960's. A cursory amount of googling tiki cocktails usually yields infuriating amount of misinformation. Much of this is caused by lack of diligence and work ethic, but there is deeper layer. Because of the immense popularity of polynesian restaurants and their rum cocktails from the 1930's and onward (tiki is term invented much later), copycat cocktails were rampant and many weren't trying to be particularly accurate. Oftentimes, a tiki cocktail has two surviving versions, one by Donn Beach and the other by Trader Vic (sometimes even more, like the Mai Tai).
Unintentionally, I'm slightly adding to that confusion by making a simplified version of Donn Beach's version (Trader Vic's is boring, #sorrynotsorry). The original Donn Beach version is a blended cocktail where the Jamaican rum is reserved to be drizzled on top and then served without a straw. I typically prefer more homogeneous cocktails, so my serve is a streamlined version. This drink brings a lot of the standard-issue tropical ingredients, but the fun twist is the 'bloody' use of maraschino cherry syrup. That small touch brings a unique kind of richness that pairs beautifully with the rest of the tropical components.
1 oz aged Barbados rum
1 oz aged Jamaican rum
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz pineapple juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
1 tsp Luxardo maraschino cherry syrup (see note)
1 dash Angostura (optional)
Combine all of the ingredients into a shaker tin. Add ice and shake vigorously until arctic cold. Double-strain into a chilled rocks glass over pebble ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and pineapple fronds.
Note: This ingredient is critical so don't substitute with inferior cherries. Trader Vic's version uses grenadine, which is... fine I guess.
© Chase Hoffman Photography. All rights reserved.
Shark's Tooth
Strobist Info: Godox AD200 with a 26-inch octo-softbox camera left and slightly behind and above the subject. Small white V-flat directly camera right of the subject.
This is the Shark's Tooth, a tiki cocktail created by Don The Beachcomber in the 1960's. A cursory amount of googling tiki cocktails usually yields infuriating amount of misinformation. Much of this is caused by lack of diligence and work ethic, but there is deeper layer. Because of the immense popularity of polynesian restaurants and their rum cocktails from the 1930's and onward (tiki is term invented much later), copycat cocktails were rampant and many weren't trying to be particularly accurate. Oftentimes, a tiki cocktail has two surviving versions, one by Donn Beach and the other by Trader Vic (sometimes even more, like the Mai Tai).
Unintentionally, I'm slightly adding to that confusion by making a simplified version of Donn Beach's version (Trader Vic's is boring, #sorrynotsorry). The original Donn Beach version is a blended cocktail where the Jamaican rum is reserved to be drizzled on top and then served without a straw. I typically prefer more homogeneous cocktails, so my serve is a streamlined version. This drink brings a lot of the standard-issue tropical ingredients, but the fun twist is the 'bloody' use of maraschino cherry syrup. That small touch brings a unique kind of richness that pairs beautifully with the rest of the tropical components.
1 oz aged Barbados rum
1 oz aged Jamaican rum
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz pineapple juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
1 tsp Luxardo maraschino cherry syrup (see note)
1 dash Angostura (optional)
Combine all of the ingredients into a shaker tin. Add ice and shake vigorously until arctic cold. Double-strain into a chilled rocks glass over pebble ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and pineapple fronds.
Note: This ingredient is critical so don't substitute with inferior cherries. Trader Vic's version uses grenadine, which is... fine I guess.
© Chase Hoffman Photography. All rights reserved.