Testicular Navigator

testicular-navigator

Today we’re once again making a slight detour to the world of Tiki. And indeed it is a crisscross detour since different sugar cane distillates from different parts of the world are used in today’s cocktail. The recipe is one of my own and it is really an aromatic voyage of exploration. And if you’re wondering about the unusual name of this cocktail, you’ll find out what it’s all about below. But do not worry, no one will be hurt.

The Testicular Navigator consists of a combination of different clear sugar cane distillates. Although not all of them are clear from the very beginning and have undergone a charcoal color filtration that took away the color of a former cask maturation. But anyway, the color thing is another question of its own when it comes to Tiki cocktails because often you don’t see any colour at all due to the opaque Tiki mugs. This, of course, does not have to be the case, you could also use a regular glass or, for example, a glass Tiki mug as I used it for the Wisdom of Pelé cocktail. But nevertheless, I also like beautiful opaque Tikimugs and I like to use them for flair and traditional reasons. However, the Testicular Navigator contains a whole series of ingredients which harmonize perfectly with each other, as I think. As a “basis” I opted for the Tiki Lovers White Rum 50% ABV (that’s the one that was charcoal filtered), then there is also Indonesian Batavia Arrak and Haitian Clairin Sajous. Finally, the drink still contains an extremely potent but optional Nicaraguan Overproof Rum (the one I used comes at 64% ABV.) which is served in a burning volcano in the empty half of a passion fruit ontop of the drink, thereby certainly marking the highlight of the drink’s presentation. Here it is up to you to decide whether you want to add the overproof rum into your drink or leave it be. It can add that last touch of complexity to the drink but it also will finally make the cocktail the only one you should have on that evening.

In addition to the named spirits I also used the inside of a passion fruit, clementine juice, lime juice, demerara-sugar syrup, falernum and fresh mint. A truly exotic and multi-faceted cocktail that will definitely stand out of the ordinary.

testicular-navigator

Oh, there is still the question why the cocktail is called Testicular Navigator? In fact, the name has a meaning respectively a historical sense because – as it is quite uncontroversial in scientific research – the old Polynesians used a very elusive navigation method while cruising through the vast oceanic space: the navigators on the catamaran-like ships sat on a specially made seat in the center of the boat, which allowed them to dip only the most sensitive part of their body into the water. In this way, they were able to perceive even the finest wave movements on the surface of the water and thereby deduce the direction of close landmasses. This is not a joke. If you like, you can check it yourself (and, of course, by this I mean the substance of this anecdote, not the navigation itself). And since my cocktail uses ingredients from different parts of the world with a lot of ocean in between and since you should not take the Polynesian-inspired Tiki genre too seriously, et voilà: the Testicular Navigator.

(After having had this cocktail, however, you definitely should not control any vehicle, no matter what part of the body you’re going to use.)

Recipe:

4.25 cl Tiki Lovers White Rum (50% vol.)
2 cl Batavia Arrak
1 cl Clairin Sajous
1 Passion fruit
2 cl of lime juice
1.5 cl of clementine juice
two sprigs of mint
0.75 cl Falernum
1.5 cl Demerara sugar syrup

0.25 cl Nicaragua Overproof Rum (or another Overproof Rum)

Preparation: First halve the passion fruit and spoon out the inside of both halves into your shaker together with mint and all the other ingredients except for the overproof rum. Keep one passion fruit half at the side. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously. Double strain into a Tiki mug filled with crushed ice. Finally, carefully pour the Overproof Rum in one of the empty passion fruit halves, place it on top of the drink and light it (take care not to ignite the rest of the garnish or the straw).

Glass: Tiki mug

Garnish: Mint

testicular-navigator

testicular-navigator

Buying sources: The ingredients will usually make it necessary to visit a specialized trader or to order online.

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