{"id":2993,"date":"2012-03-05T04:20:01","date_gmt":"2012-03-05T09:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/?p=2993"},"modified":"2024-10-01T21:51:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T01:51:42","slug":"mai-kai-cocktail-review-double-your-pleasure-with-the-exotic-and-delicious-zula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/2012\/03\/05\/mai-kai-cocktail-review-double-your-pleasure-with-the-exotic-and-delicious-zula\/","title":{"rendered":"Mai-Kai cocktail review: Double your pleasure with the exotic and delicious Zula #1 (and #2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated April 2024<\/em>
\nSee below:<\/B> Our Zula reviews<\/A> | Ancestor recipe<\/A> | Tribute recipes, video<\/A> | Zula on social media<\/a> UPDATED<\/B><\/FONT>
\nRelated:<\/B> Mai-Kai cocktail guide<\/A><\/p>\n

The mysterious Zula #1 is easily one of the most curious (and deliciously distinctive) cocktails on The Mai-Kai’s tropical drink menu. And, as usual, it has a fascinating back-story.<\/p>\n

\"Zula<\/a>
Zula #1 (left) and Zula #2, February 2012. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cocktail’s flavors are just as exotic as its origins, which both took us years to figure out. The pineapple-forward taste is unlike any other you’ll find at The Mai-Kai.<\/p>\n

But there’s another secret about Zula #1 that not many guests may be aware of: It shares its name (and flavor profile) with a secret off-menu sister drink, the smaller and sweeter Zula #2. But it wasn’t always that mysterious.<\/p>\n

If you look back at older menus, you’ll find both drinks. On The Mai-Kai’s original 1956-57 cocktail menu,<\/a> there’s “Zula No. 1” in a tall glass and “Zula No. 2” in a stemmed coupe similar to other lost classics<\/a> such as Liquid Gold<\/A>.<\/p>\n

Long-stemmed glassware was extremely popular in the 1950s. You’ll find a dozen cocktails on early menus using the elegant coupe glass, which faded from use at The Mai-Kai but made a big comeback at craft cocktail bars in the early 21st century.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Mai-Kai’s original cocktail menu, circa 1957.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By 1979, when the menu had been arranged in its now-familiar “mild,” “medium” and “strong” groupings, the names had changed slightly to Zula #1<\/a> (strong) and Zula #2<\/a> (mild), but the coupe glass endured. We’ve seen menus from the ’80s that still feature Zula #2. But by the 1990s it was gone, never to be seen on a menu again.<\/p>\n

What many didn’t realize as the years went by, however, is that you could still order the milder Zula. By the time I started bellying up to the bar in the 2000s, it was a distant memory. I finally discovered it while researching the history of Zula #1 for this cocktail guide.<\/p>\n

If you order it today, it will be served in a short, flared rocks glass also used for the Shark Bite<\/a>, Oh So Deadly<\/A> and Mai-Kai Special<\/A>.<\/p>\n

\"Zula<\/a>
Is this the source of the name \u201cZula\u201d? While doing research for Hulaween 2016, we discovered a vintage Betty Boop clip from 1937 called “Zula Hula.” Click on the image to watch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I give credit to Tiki Central friends<\/a> for helping track down the drink’s origins. As we know now, a majority of the vintage cocktails served at South Florida’s Polynesian palace (32 at last count)<\/a> can be traced back to drinks created by tropical drink godfather Donn Beach (aka Don the Beachcomber).<\/a><\/p>\n

Most are relatively easy to figure out. Some (Rum Julep<\/A>, 151 Swizzle<\/A>) have the exact same name, while others are obvious tweaks (Cobra’s Fang to Cobra’s Kiss<\/a>, Don’s Pearl to Hidden Pearl<\/A>).<\/p>\n

However, nothing in Beach’s vast repertoire seemed to resemble the Zula. Or so we thought. It was actually right there under our nose since 2007 in Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari<\/I><\/a>: Penang Afrididi. Don’t ask us how the names relate, but the flavor profile is indeed remarkably similar. The clincher: There are two versions of Don the Beachcomber’s original, known as Penang Afrididi #1 and Penang Afrididi #2.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So the next time you’re at The Mai-Kai and want to impress your friends, order Zula #2, the retired classic that never really retired and dates back to one of Don the Beachcomber’s original menus in the 1930s. <\/a><\/p>\n

**************************<\/strong><\/div>\n

The official menu description<\/FONT><\/I><\/p>\n

\"Zula\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ZULA #1<\/b>
<\/p>\n

A tasty concoction flavored with special syrups, herbsaint and pineapple.<\/p>\n

Okole Maluna Society review and rating<\/B><\/p>\n

Size:<\/B> Medium<\/p>\n

Potency:<\/B> Strong<\/p>\n

Flavor profile:<\/B> Pineapple, mint, hints of anise and a slight rum kick.<\/p>\n

Review:<\/B> One of the most distinctive of The Mai-Kai’s cocktails. A prominent zing of anise mixes nicely with the pineapple juice, plus hints of a few other exotic flavors, such as falernum. Zula #2 is richer and sweeter than #1, full of the same bold and exotic flavors. We give both the same rating, but you may prefer #2 if you like milder, sweeter drinks.<\/p>\n

\"Zula<\/a>
Zula #2 as it appeared on the 1979 cocktail menu.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rating:<\/B> 3 1\/2 out of 5 stars
\n(see how it ranks)<\/a><\/p>\n

Ancestry:<\/B> Zula dates back to The Mai-Kai’s opening in 1956, when there were two versions of the drink on the menu (see above). It’s a direct descendant of Don the Beachcomber’s Penang Afrididi, which had the same flavor profile and also featured two versions (see below).<\/p>\n

Bilge:<\/B> Herbsaint (from New Orleans) is a brand name of an anise-flavored liqueur considered a less-expensive alternative to Pernod, which itself was created in France as an alternative to absinthe when that controversial spirit was banned early in the 20th century. Donn Beach used Pernod in small doses to dimensionalize drinks, and Mariano Licudine followed suit at The Mai-Kai. Some prefer Herbsaint and consider its flavor more earthy and mixable. Author and bar owner Martin Cate uses it extensively at Smuggler’s Cove<\/a> in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Agree or disagree? Share your reviews and comments below!<\/a><\/B>
\n

<\/div> <\/a><\/p>\n
**************************<\/strong><\/div>\n
\"Penang<\/a>
Penang Afrididi #1 by The Atomic Grog. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward, March 2012)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ANCESTOR RECIPE
\nPenang Afrididi #1<\/strong>
\n(From Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari<\/I><\/a>)<\/p>\n

    \n
  • 1\/4 ounce fresh lime juice<\/li>\n
  • 1\/2 ounce unsweetened pineapple juice<\/li>\n
  • 1\/2 ounce orange juice<\/li>\n
  • 1\/2 ounce passion fruit syrup<\/li>\n
  • 1 1\/2 ounces white Puerto Rican rum<\/li>\n
  • 1 1\/2 ounces amber Virgin Islands rum<\/li>\n
  • 6 drops (1\/8 teaspoon) Pernod<\/li>\n
  • 6 ounces (3\/4 cup) crushed ice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Put everything in a blender, saving ice for last. Blend at high speed for no more than 5 seconds. Pour into a tall glass. Add more ice to fill.<\/p>\n

    As served at Don the Beachcomber’s Cabaret Restaurant in the International Marketplace in Honolulu, circa 1958. It was created by Donn Beach in Hollywood around 1937, Berry says. To make a Penang Afrididi #2, simply cut every ingredient in half, blend as above, and strain into a cocktail glass.<\/p>\n

    Berry secured this previously unpublished recipe from the personal notebook of former Don the Beachcomber bartender Dick Santiago, which listed the drink under its original name of Penang Punch. At the Tiki-Ti is Los Angeles<\/a>, opened in 1961 by former Don the Beachcomber bartender Ray Buhen, the menu still includes a vintage version called Penang.<\/p>\n

    \"You<\/a>
    You can still taste a vintage Penang at the Tiki-Ti in Los Angeles. (Tiki-Ti.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Created just four years after the end of Prohibition, Penang Afrididi has all the hallmarks of a 1930s Donn Beach cocktail: Multiple juices and rums, plus Pernod to add some extra pizzazz. It’s simple compared to more complex creations from that era, such as the Zombie<\/A> and Q.B. Cooler<\/a>. Just be sure to use high-quality spirits to get the most out of this rum-heavy concoction.<\/p>\n

    Mai-Kai mixologist Mariano Licudine<\/a> learned his craft working for Donn Beach starting in 1939 in Hollywood, where he would have been familiar with the Penang recipe. Licudine’s genius, however, was not just in duplicating the old cocktails for The Mai-Kai. Teaming up with Mai-Kai owners Bob and Jack Thornton, they actually improved many classics, balancing the bold flavors and making them more accessible to the evolving mid-century palate. (see tribute recipes below).<\/p>\n

    Like many of the recipes published in Beachbum Berry’s books, Penang Afrididi eventually appeared on the menus of some of the Tiki revival’s most celebrated bars. Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach introduced it in 2011,<\/a> while Portland’s Hale Pele featured it on the opening-day menu in 2012.<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"Penang
    Penang Afrididi at Lost Lake in Chicago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Paul McGee created his own distinctive version with orange curacao instead of juice for Lost Lake in Chicago,<\/a> later taking it on the road to Tales of the Cocktail<\/a> in 2015. But, in general, it was more overlooked than others in the Don the Beachcomber canon.<\/p>\n

    November 2023 update<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In 2019, modern mixology wunderkind Garret Richard (best known for his “Exotica” pop-up series in New York City), called out Penang Afrididi as one of Tiki’s overlooked gems in an article on The Rum Reader.<\/a> Richard made several adjustments to Beach’s original similar to Licudine, including the addition of muddled mint, plus more juices and syrups. He cut back on the total amount of rum, but included 151 Demerara to give the drink a great kick.<\/p>\n

    In the article, Richard said the Penang “covers a lot of bases – fruit forward without being too sweet, herbaceous with the absinthe and mint, with rum providing the structure. It\u2019s a big crowd-pleaser.”<\/p>\n

    \"Tropical<\/a><\/div>\n

    Richard remained fascinated with the drink, featuring a retooled version in his groundbreaking 2023 book (written with Ben Schaffer), Tropical Standard<\/em><\/a>. Using the original Penang Punch name, Richard extols the use of mint, praising the method of muddling in the glass used at The Mai-Kai and equally historic Tiki-Ti.<\/p>\n

    “The original Penang Punch didn’t include mint, which was a later innovation in the Mai-Kai’s version, known as the Zula,” Richard and Schaffer wrote. “The mint oil acts to dry out the drink, working in concert with the herbaceous qualities of the absinthe.”<\/p>\n

    Along with the more advanced techniques he introduces in the book, Richard slightly reduces the sugar syrup and adjusts the rums. He recommends 1 1\/2 ounces each of Barbancourt white and English Harbour 5, both 80 proof. These tweaks bring Richard’s latest version even closer to the Zula, a fitting modern tribute to both Don the Beachcomber and The Mai-Kai. <\/a><\/p>\n

    In April 2024, Derek Cole tackled the rich history of the Penang Afrididi, Zula and Penang Punch on his popular Make and Drink show on YouTube.<\/a> He did a fantastic job making and comparing the 1930s original, our tribute recipe, and Richard’s modern version. Click here <\/a>or view the video below:<\/p>\n