Panorama Punch

Seattle probably isn’t the first place you think of when someone starts talking about tropical drinks.

During the middle of the twentieth century, the Polynesian Pop movement that was usually just referred to as “Tiki” was in full-bloom across the USA. Seattle was not spared from the light of Tiki torches, rattan furniture, or rum-based libations with fun names. And when the 1962 World’s Fair came to Seattle, locals and tourists were treated to some fantastic drinks high in the famous Space Needle. One of those drinks was named the Panorama Punch.

Of course, in true Tiki style, there are different reports on how the drink was made. According to an old Trader Vic’s guide, the drink was made with rum, Cointreau, gin, and grenadine. Jeff “Beachbum” Berry reports that the recipe was actually concocted with rum, simple syrup, cranberry, orange, and lime juices, and blended with crushed ice for two people. The secretive nature of Tiki cocktail culture means that the absolute truth is probably out of reach (but also probably favors the Bum).

Panorama Punch 
1 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaican Rum

1 oz Clement VSOP Rhum Agricole 
2 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Cranberry Juice 
1/2 oz Lime Juice 
2/3 oz Orgeat

Shake with crushed ice and pour into a goblet. Garnish with mint. 

When we introduced Tiki Tuesdays at 320 Main, one of the drinks we were most excited to bring to the bar was our take on the Panorama Punch. It proved to be so popular that Jason and Dave put it on the regular menu so that you can sip the delectable drink any day of the week.

As noted in Beachbum’s BeachbumBerry Remixed, the Western Guest Magazine said the Panorama Punch, “...is especially good for toasting the 21st Century or just about anything.”

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

 

The Old Cuban

“It’s like a Mojito, only turned up to eleven!”

This was the reaction I got from the first person I ever handed an Old Cuban. It’s not entirely incorrect.

At the famous Pegu Club in New York, Audrey Saunders forged a reputation for brilliance and cocktail program excellence that is hard to even contemplate matching. There is a reputation of exactness and consistency that is well earned - and this comes through in the excellence of this cocktail.

The recipe calls for aged rum, lime juice, mint, bitters, and champagne, and it is as brilliant as it appears inevitable. If the Mojito is a drink for beach parties, the Old Cuban is one for elegant soirees on your yacht.

Old Cuban

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum (Santa Teresa Claro)

3/4 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Simple Syrup

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

6 Mint Leaves

Champagne

Add all but champagne to a shaker. Muddle mint. Shake with ice. Strain into chilled coupe glass and top with champagne.

In New York, Audrey and her crew make the Old Cuban with Bacardi 8. At 320 Main, we’ve gone with Santa Teresa Claro - a lightly aged rum from Venezuela that many people say is the closest rum you’ll find in the US to Havana Club from Cuba. Pegu Club also garnishes with a sugar-coated vanilla bean whereas we opted for a simple mint leaf.

Refined and refreshing at the same time, the Old Cuban takes the Mojito’s combination of tart, sweet, and effervescence and adds character through the age of the rum, the complexity of the bitters, and the style of champagne.

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

Bridget 75

In 1898 the French army adopted a new field gun (we’d probably just call it a canon) that is widely considered to be the first modern artillery piece. The Materiel de 75mm Mle 1897, which saw extensive use in World War I by the Allied Forces, was commonly referred to as the “French 75” by English speakers. On October 23, 1917, the first artillery shells fired by the US Army in World War I were fired by a French 75 that the soldiers had named “Bridget.”

What does this have to do with drinking?

In 1915 a Scottish barman named Harry MacElhone was running The New York Bar (later called Harry’s New York Bar) in Paris. It was there that MacElhone named a new cocktail consisting of gin, lemon juice, sugar, and champagne on his menu the French 75.

Bridget 75
¾ oz Bonded Applejack
¾ oz Gin
¾ oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Champagne

Combine all but champagne in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe and top with champagne.

As Fall has eventually found its way to Sunny Southern California, 320 Main decided to take the drink that took Paris and, eventually, New York and other points West by storm, and give it a bit of an American twist and Fall flavor. A little bit of apple goes a long way to making this refreshing drink feel at home among cooler temperatures and red and orange leaves.

Notes:
● It is often debated whether the French 75 originally called for gin or - as many people know it - with Cognac. While there are some notable references to the drink being made with cognac, the earliest references all seem to point to gin as the original base-spirit.
● Noted cocktail historian (yes, that’s an actual job that your guidance counselor hid from you) David Wondrich has pointed out that the combination of gin, citrus, sugar, and champagne can actually be traced back as far as 1867, when Charles Dickens encountered it during his travels to America (though Dickens specifically mentions Old Tom gin, which would have had a different flavor).

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time, runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

Jason Schiffer Original: The Detroiter

“Do I want a beer or a cocktail?”

This is a question I hear a lot when people sit down at the bar. It's an age-old debate among people who want a refreshing drink. Do you want the sour or bitter notes of a cocktail or perhaps the hoppy refreshment of an ice cold beer. Sometimes though, you don't have to make a decision between the two.

People familiar with 320 Main's cocktail list will likely already be acquainted with the Michigander, Jason's Applejack sour with a dose of Cynar Amaro and honey syrup. It's sour, bitter, sweet, and strong – everything you could want in a cocktail.

What customers might not know is that no drink ever remains unchanged for long. Every drink is merely a gateway – a starting point for creating a new drink. You would be hard-pressed to find a cocktail that no bartender had ever looked at and thought, “I wonder what would happen if I tweaked it just so.”

One day, Jason decided that he wanted to perform such an exercise, and chose as his inspiration the idea of beer cocktails. Beer cocktails are not terribly new, you can find them in a lot of bars with a large beer presence. Jason recognized the potential of enhancing the already popular Michigander with the qualities of a good beer and the Detroiter was born.



Detroiter
3/4 oz. Bonded Apple Brandy
1 oz Cynar
3/4 oz. Lemon
3/4 oz. Honey Syrup
2 oz Stone IPA

Add all ingredients to the shaker and shake hard without ice to flatten the beer. Add ice and shake again for about 10 seconds. Strain over fresh ice in an Old Fashioned Glass and top with fresh IPA. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

The deep, rich and sour flavors of the Michigander pair beautifully with the astringent and herbal notes of the IPA. Apple, hops, honey, and a bit of a smokiness all come through and leave you thinking of the leaves of autumn and warm fire places on cold days.

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time, runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

Tiki Tuesdays

BBQ pork belly and pineapple sandwich

Being a classic cocktail bar is serious business. Why else would it seem like any bar or restaurant that’s adhering to the tenants of classical mixology is decorated in browns and blacks with bartenders featuring collared shirts and various styles of facial hair?

Of course the entire point of having a cocktail is to have a good time – to escape from the rigors of the day and find just a little piece of zen. It’s about letting your hair down, taking off your jacket or loosening your tie, unbuttoning your collar, and enjoying life.

Even stuffy classical bartenders like to let down their hair from time to time. That’s why 320 Main has made it a habit to host occasional Tiki Nights, complete with guest bartenders, DJ’s, and special hot dogs a few times per year.

Unfortunately, “a few times a year” doesn’t seem to slake the thirst of our patrons when it comes to tropical tinctures with rum and coconut cream. The most common refrain we hear after finishing a Tiki event is, “When are you having another one? You guys need to do this more.” 

Three Dots & A Dash

Message received.

Now you can tropically tipple every Tuesday night, as 320 Main has introduced Tiki Tuesdays.

Every Tuesday night we roll up the red carpet and replace it with a bamboo mat and a special menu with $8 drink specials including the Three Dots & A Dash, Planter’s Punch, and Navy Grog. If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, you can hack your way through the jungle to find Painkillers, Martin Cate’s famed Pampanito, or even a Zombie if you’re feeling particularly brave.

And because nobody likes tropical getaways without great food, you can pair your cocktails with some delectable dishes from our kitchen. Enjoy BBQ Pork Belly and Pineapple Sandwich or other tropically-inspired specials from our head chef, James Wilschke. 

So now every Tuesday be sure to join us pau hana¹ as we say ‘Okole maluna!²

<sup>1 “After Work”

2 “Cheers!”</sup>

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time, runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

Three Dots & A Dash

As World War II drew to a close, folks back home in the USA were ecstatic. Evil had been vanquished and their boys (and girls) were coming home. 

This excitement wasn't lost on people like Don The Beachcomber. Don had actually served in the US Army during the war. The War Department, aware of his success running one of the most famous chains of restaurants and bars in the world, put him to work setting up and managing rest and relaxation centers for GI's at the front. Don even received two medals – the Purple Heart and the Bronze star for his work in aiding fatigued combat units in Europe.

Upon the war's end, Don returned home and immediately decided to commemorate the allied victory in the war in the a way only he could – with a drink.

Three Dots & A Dash a la 320 Main
1 1/2 oz Amber Martinician Rum
1/2 oz Demerara Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Honey Mix
1/4 oz Pimento Dram
1/4 oz Falernum
1 dash Angostura Bitters
5 oz Crushed Ice
1/2 oz Water

Combine all in a mixing tin and shake vigorously until the tin is ice-cold. Pour into a chimney glass and top with fresh crushed ice. Garnish with three cherries and a pineapple spear.

The garnish is the thing with this drink. The three cherries and the pineapple spear represent the three dots and the dash of the name of this drink – which also happens to be the code for the letter “V” in Morse Code and was used to signify “VICTORY!”

Don's original recipe calls for the use of a blender to make this drink. We don't have blenders at 320 Main, so we've cut back on the crushed ice a tad and added some water to give the drink its proper dilution without requiring your bartender to shake your drink for over a minute.

This is especially important for Tuesdays.

Why are Tuesdays so special? Because 320 Main is going tropical every week with Tiki Tuesdays! 

Every Tuesday night you can enjoy a selection of tropical libations from our bartenders for only $8, including the Three Dots & A Dash, Planter's Punch, and Navy Grog.

So be sure to come on in and lose yourself in the tropical paradise of 320 Main every Tuesday night, starting September 25th!

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time, runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

The Daiquiri #3

320 Main Daiquiri #3

The Daiquiri may be the most basic, most common, and most frequently abused cocktail in the world. Starting as a simple mix of rum, lime, and sugar, the drink these days is often thought of as something served out of alcoholic slush machines. In earlier times the simple Daiquiri was a drink that captured the imagination of bartenders and the American public. 

In Havana during American Prohibition, a man named Constantino Ribalaigua Vert was tending bar at La Florida. Constantino, better known as El Constante Grande or “The Big Constante” (way cooler than “The Big Lebowski”), built an empire around the beguiling Daiquiri. 

La Florida

In addition to making hand-shaken Daiquiris in numbers so great that he hired boys from all over the city to stand in long lines shaking the drinks almost non-stop, Constante began blending the Daiquiris and making multiple variations to appeal to the ever-growing throngs of Americans flooding his bar every night.

The Daiquiri #3 was one of the most popular versions to grace the menu. Starting with the normal recipe, Constante added Maraschino liqueur and fresh grapefruit juice to the standard lime juice, sugar, and rum. This was usually shaken but, just as often, blended and served in a goblet.

Daiquiri #3

2 oz White Rum

1 oz Lime Juice

.75 oz Simple Syrup

1 tsp Grapefruit Juice

1 tsp Maraschino

Shake with ice and a lime hull and strain over crushed ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a lime wedge.

Ernest and Mary Hemingway at La Florida with Spencer Tracy.

This drink was popular not just among the regular barfolk, but also one of the favorite drinks of one of the most well-known writers of all time: Ernest Hemingway.

Legend tells us that one day the famed writer walked into La Florida while Constante was setting up for the evening service and asked if he could use the restroom. When he re-emerged, he asked if he could try one of the Daiquiris (believed to be the #3) already lining the bar.

Upon finishing the drink, Hemingway declared it delicious and became so taken with the drink in the blended variation that in the La Florida Bar Guides written by Constante there appears a drink with the same recipe as the Daiquiri #3 – but specifying that it should be blended – named the E. Hemingway Special.

At 320 Main, we may not have a blender, but we can still make you a Daiquiri #3 so good that you'll see why Papa Hemingway frequented La Florida enough to earn a bronze statue in the bar in his favorite spot.

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare  runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

The Flaming Mai Tai

Flaming Mai Tai, 12"x16" oil on linen

Check out our friend Matt Talbert's newest piece Flaming Mai Tai. Talbert and Rumdood met up to experiment with Tiki garnishes and came up with this half lime shell with flaming Lemonhart 151 rum. It really takes the Mai Tai presentation to a whole other level. 

For me it instantly brings back memories of Hawaii, beautiful sunsets, and sand between my toes.

- Matt Talbert

The Mai Tai

320 Main's Mai Tai

When one thinks of Tiki, they think of sailing around the South Pacific, sipping drinks out of pineapples or coconuts, and lounging around white, sandy beaches whilst the breeze gently presses its way through the palms overhead. Here at 320 Main we may not have the coconuts and pineapples, but we still have the beach and, more importantly, we have the Mai Tai – the King of Tiki Drinks.

The Mai Tai was created in 1944 by Victor Bergeron – better known as Trader Vic (yes, that Trader Vic). By that time, Trader Vic's had locations in Oakland and Seattle, modeled after successful Polynesian Palaces like Don The Beachcomber's.

Vic Bergeron a.k.a Trader Vic

To create the Mai Tai, Vic combined Jamaican rum, curaçao, lime juice, rock candy syrup, and orgeat – an almond syrup created in France. The drink – full of flavors funky, tart, and just enough sweetness – proved so delicious and became so popular that Vic's restaurants eventually depleted the entire world supply of the Wray & Nephew 17 Year Old rum (you can occasionally find bottles in private collections for as little as $56,000 today). Vic was forced to try to recreate the rum's distinctive flavor by combining other Jamaican rum with rum from Martinique.

Mai Tai

.75 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum

.75 oz Rhum Clément VSOP

.75 oz House-Made Mai Tai Mix*

.75 oz Lime Juice

* Clément Creole Shrubb, house-made orgeat, and rich simple syrup

Shake with crushed ice and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime shell and fresh mint.

320 Main may not be the beating heart of Faux Polynesian Faire, but we can't help but tip our straw hats to Trader Vic and what may be his greatest creation and an experience that is sure to make you proclaim, “Mai tai roa ae!”*

*”Out of this world – the best!” in Tahitian

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time, runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

The Crippled Creek

After a week of ridiculous winds and rain in Southern California, the forecast is finally looking up. Way up. Like, 70-and-80-degrees-without-a-thundercloud-in-sight up. The kind of "endless summer" we live in Orange County for. No one is more excited than Jason Schiffer and 320 Main that summer weather is back, and to welcome it properly they are introducing a brand new original drink: The Crippled Creek. 

The Crippled Creek has melon and citrus flavors as well as an overall savory quality that makes this drink unique and perfect for summer dining. Most people are surprised when they find out its unique ingredients. Cucumber, lemon and pomegranate are some of the more easily guessed at flavors of this drink when tasted. But what is that great savory quality of the Crippled Creek? That round funkiness that hugs the more recognizable fruitiness? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you: it's dijon mustard. How Jason managed to make a drink out of cucumbers and mustard taste tangy, fresh, and fruity is all a part of the magic of 320 Main. 

The Crippled Creek

1 1/2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Pomegranate Molasses 

2 tsp Depaz Cane Syrup 

1/2 barspoon of Dijon Mustard
2 slices of Cucumber
Shake with large cocktail ice
Strain into Old Fashioned glass
Top with crushed ice
Garnish with cucumber slice and celery seed

Jason got the idea from a blog he read by Anvil Bar and Refuge. Anvil owner Bobby Heugel created a whole series of cocktails using his favorite condiment, mustard. The unique ingredient intrigued Jason, and being a natural-born experimenter he set out to concoct his own cocktail incorporating Dijon mustard. After much trial and error and a few final ingredients, the Crippled Creek was born. A drink perfect for summer.

Pairs Well With: The Roasted Bone Marrow or The Prime Rib

March Centerfold: Bone Luge

The Aviation

(The Aviation. Ingredients pictured right.)

The Aviation made its official debut in print around 1916 in a little book called Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin. The original recipe contained an ingredient called creme de violette. This liqueur gave the drink its pale gray and slight lavender hue. Due to its  discontinuation around the 1930's barkeeps began to alter the recipe. Harry Craddock, the legendary American bartender who left Prohibition in the States to tend bar at the Savoy in London where he created and popularized some of the most famous cocktails to date, printed a revised version of the Aviation in his Savoy Cocktail Book. Craddock's version called for 2/3 dry gin, 1/3 lemon juice and two dashes of maraschino, ditching the now defunct creme de violette; a recipe most bartenders would follow from then on. That is until the recent cocktail resurgence in the 1990's when creme de violette made its grand (although limited) return to the market.

The original Aviation recipe as seen in
"Recipes For Mixed Drinks.

One thing 320 Main is all about is serving up the best cockatails out there, which means Jason Schiffer and the gang are constantly changing and honing in their recipes, either via their own trial and error, or by taking cues from fellow members of the craft. Recently some friends introduced Jason to a version of the Aviation cooked up by fellow spirits blogger Jason Wilson of Boozehound. It was love at first sip. Wilson, refines the original recipe down to a tighter formula with more proportional ingredient measurements making it brighter and more well balanced. It was immediately apparent that 320 Main had to adopt Wilson's version.

The Aviation
As Perfected By Jason Wilson

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino

1/4 oz Creme de Violette

"What's great about this cocktail is it is a perfect aperitif. The fresh lemon juice stimulates the appetite with its citric acid while the Maraschino Liqueur dries the back palette." 
- Jason Schiffer

Jason Schiffer @ Good Food/OC Weekly Happy Hour

The Michigander: A Jason Schiffer Original

Don't miss 320 Main's Jason Schiffer and Matt Robold at the upcoming KCRW Good Food/OC Weekly Happy Hour. It's all going down on March 13 at 7:00pm at Memphis At the Santora in downtown Santa Ana. Never heard of this fine event? Well all you need to know is that it involves free giveaways, raffles, and food and drink specials highlighting the fine fare at Memphis AND the fine cocktails of five of Orange County's best bartenders guest bartending too! It's a veritable Taste of OC for cocktail enthusiasts. Leading the festivities will be OC Weekly's Gustavo Arellano and Evan Kleiman of KCRW's Good Food! We know - it sounds too good to be true, but just wait till you hear the real kicker: it's FREE.


In order to keep things as orderly as possible, each Happy Hour attendee in the door will get five tickets, each good for a sample drink from one of the five guest bartenders. The drinks won't be full size, but the portions will be more than enough to give you a taste of the genius of these talented bartenders. Speaking of the drink-slingers, let's run down the night's lineup:


Ricky Yarnall of Broadway By Amar Santana and Memphis
Gabrielle Dion of Broadway By Amar Santana
Our own Jason Schiffer of 320 Main
Matt "RumDood" Robold - another of our finest 320 Main bartenders and SoCal rum expert
and Felicia Chavez of Two 40 South


Jason will be serving up his legendary original cocktail, The Michigander. Grab your favorite guy or gal and head over! It'll be a Happy Hour for the centuries. 


KCRW Good Food/OC Weekly Happy Hour
@Memphis At the Santora
March 13th, 7:00pm