Honolulu No.2– Recipe from the ‘Old Waldorf Bar Guide’

One-third Italian Vermuth 

One-third French Vermuth 

One-third Whiskey 

Frappe

This week is Hawaii week.

There have been three Honolulu cocktails eyeing me up for over 8 months now, and I’ve decided to do all three in the same week, on the week that Hawaii achieved its statehood as the 50^th and final state. All three are quite different, and in reality, worthy of different names, but them’s the breaks.

Hawaii has a strange place in my psyche, I’ve never been, and its only really been recently that it’s become more interesting as a destination, and is making me wonder why if you lived in the states that you wouldn’t move to this island paradise and while away the time near beaches and the great outdoors, a friend of mine once said that paradise can be lonely if you’re single, Hawaii seems to shirk this by being big enough to avoid this feeling.

Hawaii has had a strange history, it seemed to be a Pacific paradise, then started leaning towards USA for support, first as a protectorate and later as a full state. It had an indigenous population very similar in origin and style to all the other pacific islands, although a lot less warlike than New Zealand.

I went for this drink first as it was pretty close to a Manhattan, although I find the Waldorf’s habit of shaking these drinks a little odd, I was always taught never shake a dark spirit drink like this, and to be honest something about it just doesn’t work for me. The drink is ok, it would be better withy more whiskey and no shake, but then it really would just be a Manhattan. I have no idea why this drink would get such a moniker, maybe its shaken as it will cool the drink down more for a hot tropical afternoon, I suspect though it’s just a name.