Donn Day Afternoon - How to Make an Easy Tiki Beer Drink (Smuggler's Cove Recipe)
Here’s how to make the Donn Day Afternoon, a Tiki beer cocktail inspired by Don the Beachcomber, the Zombie and Dog Day Afternoon. It was created by Martin Cate, the tiki guru behind Smuggler’s Cove, the bar and the book. It’s made with AOC Martinique Rhum Agricole Blanc, Stiegl-Radler Grapefruit Beer, Homemade Cinnamon Syrup, Lime Juice and a Grapefruit Twist.
This drink was created in 2015 by Martin Cate for his book. While writing the book with his wife, Cate wanted to come up with some original recipes to feature in the book. This one checked off several boxes for Cate at once. It was a beer cocktail, it’s designed for day-drinking, it’s easy to make, it’s tasty and it’s tiki as hell.
The flavors are really familiar to the tiki palate, but they are presented in a fresh and exciting way. The base of the drink is a striking rhum agricole blanc, but the heart of the drink the combination of grapefruit, lime and cinnamon, which is flavor profile at the center of Donn Beach’s 1934 Zombie, only re-imagined in this easy-to-make beer cocktail.
The drink’s name is a pun of the film Dog Day Afternoon, in which the sweltering heat is almost another character. Cate wanted a name that was a nod to Donn Beach, the creator of tiki culture, and the type of weather that this drink works best in. The drink is exotic and exhilarating, and it really hits the spot on a hot day.
The grapefruit beer, the radler, is excellent on its own on a day like that, but it’s made even more exciting in this drink. A radler is almost like a German mimosa. It’s a blend of citrus juice and beer that’s meant to be drank in the morning, particularly if you’re fighting off a hangover. Cate prefers the grapefruit radler from Stiegl, the amazing Austrian brewery responsible for some of my favorite beers. It can be made with other grapefruit radlers if you can’t find Stiegl, but finding Stiegl is worth the effort.
The base spirit, the AOC Martinique rhum agricole blanc, Cate is a little more particular about. In a pinch, you can make it with an aged rhum agricole (ambré, élevé sous bois or vieux), but the harder edged, powerful flavor of the unaged blanc is the spirit the drink was designed for and the one that will really give it the best results.
Also, the cinnamon syrup is a must. I tried making it with rich simple the first time I made it and it was not a good substitute. You really need that big hit of spice to help tie the whole package together. Cinnamon syrup is really easy to make. Besides, you need it to make a Zombie, so you have no excuse not to make it.
It’s a rare sight to see a tiki drink with easy measurements and an easy build. It’s kind of impressive, just on that fact alone that it works so well. But most importantly, it’s a great drink, one that is easy, refreshing and certainly a crowd pleaser, particularly on a poolside Sunday Funday. Okole Maluna!
Recipe:
2 oz (60 ml) AOC Martinique Rhum Agricole Blanc
4 oz (120 ml) Grapefruit Radler (Stiegl preferred)
0.5 oz (15 ml) Cinnamon Syrup
0.5 oz (15 ml) Lime
garnish Grapefruit twist
Build in an Old Fashioned glass over ice cubes. Stir the rhum, cinnamon and lime. Pour radler in the glass last. Garnish with a grapefruit twist. Serve with straw (optional).
Music:
Cara a Cara Pt. 3 by Martin Carlberg
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in this Episode:
Rhum J.M Blanc
http://bit.ly/2VoPGCu
Stiegl-Radler Grapefruit Beer
http://bit.ly/2JlFqJp
Cinnamon Syrup
• How to Make Cinnamon Syrup - a Blend ...
Smuggler’s Cove by Martin Cate & Rebecca Cate
https://amzn.to/2Q4a4rj
Bar Tools:
Double Old Fashioned Glass
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Leopold Jigger
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Muddler Barspoon
http://bit.ly/2UAeHiy
Bamboo Straws
https://amzn.to/2tvPlCC
Fine Mesh Strainer
https://amzn.to/2BWZKhl
Citrus Juicer (Lime)
http://amzn.to/1YKJ4u1
Cuisinart Citrus Juicer
http://amzn.to/2ujQkFf
Cutting Board
http://amzn.to/1QgQTSW
Small Knife
https://amzn.to/2xD8XXz
