It’s officially that time of year. Despite the nutty weather—which has kept me in short sleeves thus far—there is one sure sign that winter is here: the Tiki-Ti is closed for the holidays. Every year the Mikes close their doors and head West to Hawaii for the holiday season, leaving the rest of us to cook and deal with our families stone cold sober.Well, leaving most of us to do so anyway. When the well runs dry, it’s Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log to the rescue!

2 oz dark Jamaican rum1 oz light Puerto Rican rum½ oz fresh lime juice½ oz fresh orange juice¼ oz passion fruit syrup1/8 tsp Pernoddash AngosturaBlend with 12 ounces crushed ice for five seconds and pour into a double old-fashioned glass. Fill will more crushed ice and garnish with a sprig of mint.  

This drink, like so many of its ilk, is purported to be yet another child of the Don the Beachcomber-Trader Vic Mai Tai Supremacy Battle. For those who don’t know, the creator of the Mai Tai was disputed betwixt the two men, each claiming to have birthed the banner drink of the tiki craze. In the end the general consensus rules Vic the winner, but this is one of the drinks that has variously been claimed to be Don’s Mai Tai (yet another being the Suffering Bastard—though not the bourbon version).The Q.B. Cooler is good—strong, complex with the earthy, anise notes of Pernod that Don was very fond of. In general I’m a Don the Beachcomber kind of girl, as I find Vic’s drinks to be sweeter and more cloying, but it’s no real surprise that the Mai Tai gained eternal fame while the Q.B. is known only to those of us who frequent the Ti (where you’ll find this as the Q.B. Kula) or the Bum’s books. Not one I’d make all the time, but it’s plenty strong so one is really all you need.