Doctor Funk - How to Make the Only Classic Tiki Cocktail with a Polynesian Origin
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Here's how to make the Tiki drink, Dr. Funk, which is made with Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum, Absinthe, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, Grenadine, Rich Simple Syrup, Soda Water and, optionally, Mint for garnish. This is Smuggler's Cover version (more or less), but it is the only Tiki cocktail that was actually imported from Polynesia.
Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt) was a rum runner during Prohibition and a world-traveler who spent time in the Caribbean and the South Pacific. It was during his time in Polynesia that he discovered a drink, a local favorite known as Dr. Funk.
The drink was created by and named after a German-born physician, Doctor Bernard Funk, who spent 31 years in the South Pacific practicing medicine. The original drink bearing Funk’s namesake was a bold, tart concoction made with Absinthe, Grenadine, Lime Juice and Soda Water.
In 1933 when Donn opened the first Tiki bar, Don the Beachcomber, the Dr. Funk was on the menu. However, Donn adapted it. He lowered the Absinthe and added Light Rum to help fortify it.
Donn’s exotic bar served cuisine that was fairly exotic to the early 20th Century American palate, (Americanized) Chinese food. He hired a Chinese-American head chef and started a trend that continued in Tiki bars for decades. The whole Tiki bar experience was almost entirely fusion. It was a mix of faux-Polynesian, faux-Caribbean and faux-Asian that became it’s own thing.
This fusion, along with a couple other factors, lead to the Dr. Funk being renamed, depending on where it was served. It became Dr. Funk of Tahiti, Dr. Fong, Dr. Wong and Dr. Sam Tee. Some of the names evoked the imagery of a contemporary cinematic supervillain, Dr. Fu Manchu and the drink was commonly served in the iconic Fu Manchu Tiki mug.
I deviated from this, but kept the spirit of pop-culture fusion alive by serving this drink in a David Lo Pan mug from Boo Tiki. Jeff Wehenkel’s company, Boo Tiki, makes pop-horror-themed Tiki mugs and Lo Pan, the supervillain from Big Trouble in Little China, fits right in. It’s the perfect setting because Tiki cocktails, while sometimes exasperating to make, are really fun and are designed as escapism.
Vic Bergeron, who founded Trader Vic’s, tweaked Donn's Dr. Funk. He split the citrus, added a little sugar and swapped out the light rum for a dark Jamaican rum. This switch in the base spirit really helps balance the powerful anise flavor of the absinthe.
But like all the predecessors, Vic’s was still on the tart side. Decades later that was addressed by Martin Cate, founder of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco. Cate took Vic’s recipe and swapped out the sugar for rich simple syrup. He dialed up the level of sweetness so that it matched the level of tartness, thus achieving a better equilibrium. It may not have had a whole lot of resemblance to the doctor’s original drink, what Cate did was create the most evenly balanced version of the Tiki classic. One that’s sure to really shake the pillars of heaven. Okole Maluna!
Recipe:
2.5 oz Dark Jamaican rum
0.25 oz Absinthe
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Lime Juice
0.25 oz Grenadine
0.5 oz Rich Simple Syrup
1 oz Soda Water
garnish Mint Sprig (optional)
Add all liquid ingredients except Soda Water into a shaker. Add 12 oz of crushed ice and 3-4 ice cubes. Shake. Stir in Soda Water. Pour unstrained into Tiki Mug or Double Old Fashioned Glass. Garnish with Mint or Pineapple Fronds. Serve with straw.
Music:
Far Away 2 by Peter Sandberg
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in this Episode:
Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum
bit.ly/2nEaBl0
Copper & Kings Absinthe Blanche
bit.ly/2pTFT8b
David Lo Pan Mug by Boo Tiki
bit.ly/2otOVr8
Smuggler's Cove by Martin & Rebecca Cate
amzn.to/2pEXt0m
Denizen Merchant's Reserve
bit.ly/2oTPDif
Bar Tools:
Double Old Fashioned Glass
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OXO SteeL Double Jigger
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Fine Mesh Strainer
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OXO SteeL Cocktail Shaker
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iSi Soda Siphon
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Citrus Juicer (Lime)
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Citrus Juicer (Lemon)
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Cutting Board
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Small Knife
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Lewis Bag & Ice Mallet
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Do you have Doctor Funk's own original rum-free recipe for this drink? Where did you find it?
Yeah, it was in a book from 1921 called, Mystic Isles of the South Seas (bit.ly/2jzU15e), which was about 10 years after the real Funk died. Here's the quote, "it was made of a portion of absinthe, a dash of grenadine,-a syrup of the pomegranate fruit,-the juice of two limes, and half a pint of siphon water".
In other words:
1.5 oz Absinthe (maybe 1 oz)
1 tsp Grenadine
2 oz Lime Juice
8 oz Soda Water
It was super tart. I'm sure it could work with some adjustments (more grenadine, less lime). But you're not gonna beat the Smuggler's recipe. It's marvelous.
Here's a great academic paper on the real Dr. Funk, if you're interested (bit.ly/2KGTsD3).
Thanks for the recipe! It will be interesting to try, even if the Smuggler's Cove version is the best. When drinks are on the sweet-bitter or sweet-dry spectrum, I tend to prefer them on the sweet side, but when drinks are on the sweet-tart spectrum, I tend to like them really tart, though maybe not quite that tart. Thanks for the paper too, it looks like a great read for when I have a little more time
I think my favorite part of your videos is all the history that you add to them it's not just a drink recipe video
Yeah, luckily this one had an wild, intricate story and that it was uncovered in parts by different folks. I had to source a lot of stuff to get to the bottom of this one. Haha. Cheers!
This looks great! Always appreciate the history behind the drinks as well. Thank you!
Glad you dig it. This one, like the Mai Tai, luckily has a long, complicated, interesting story. If only all drinks had this much backstory. Haha. Cheers!
God I love this history in this one. And that mug!
Thanks! Yeah, the Lo Pan mug is pretty bad ass, right?
In terms of the history, I kept finding details that I had to include like the real Funk, and creator of what would become this drink, being married to the daughter of a Pirate. There was just a really wild backstory on this one.
One of the most professional youtubers around. Really appreciate it!
Cheers! Thanks for the love.
All your videos are great. Just recently discovered you. Thanks for the great library to explore!
haha just randomly came across your channel and I honestly wouldn't able to think of anything more fitting for a tiki drink all around! The mysterious voice in the background, the camera shots, the on-point details along with the mug. Definitely subscribing :) well done my friend!
Cheers! Glad you liked it so well.
That's a fantastic mug.
Yeah, huh? I love it. Cheers!
Love the big trouble in little china mug. This looks like a fun drink to do! My girlfriend just ordered me a new tiki mug from Kahuna Kevin as an early birthday present - I can't wait to get it and try something out in it, perhaps the Dr. Funk! It looks really refreshing. Always appreciate your videos!
Chinese mugs don't come with green eyes!
Right on, you nailed this one man! rock on Dr Funk!
Cheers! Glad you dug it.
Fabulous learning the history of our tiki culture. So many restaurant names make sense now. 🍍🌴
Thanks. Glad you hear you liked this one. Cheers!
Going to try making this drink this evening after the kid goes to bed. Thanks for the video!
So glad I found your channel! :) Great info. I was always super intimidated by tiki drinks, but this sounds worth a try.
Great. Glad you liked it. Yeah, Tiki drinks can be pretty advanced. Lots of different rums, odd-ball juices, esoteric liqueurs, mugs. Plus sometimes there's no standard recipe. Tiki is a lot of fun, but some times it requires some dedication. This one, isn't too bad. Rum and Absinthe. Okay. Lemon, Lime. Easy. Rich simple. Okay. Grenadine. Standard. Soda Water. Easy. Anyway, give this one a go, let me know what you think. Cheers!
great that you are doing Tiki Cocktails. I like to see your take on them :)
Glad you dig them. Tiki can get pretty involved and advanced in terms of techniques, the amount of rums you have to have on hand and specialized equipment like Tiki mugs, swizzles, leles, blenders, etc. They are fun, but not always the easiest for the casual home bar. Cheers!
Love that each video has different encouragements for crushing ice. So great!
Haha. Glad you dig it. Always fun to mess around with that.
I love that Tiki mug!
China is here, Mr. Burton!
I made this with Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum because it's the only rum I have at the moment. It really went well with the absinthe
Wow. I bet that would be pretty crazy, but I'll have to give it a try. I bet it could work.
Please keep up with the tiki cocktails!
Will do! Glad you like them.
As always, entertaining and enlightening, I love your videos.
Excellent! Glad you like them. Cheers!
love your vids! best cocktails vids on youtube
Thank you! I appreciate that.
I've made this twice now. The first time I thought the anise flavor overpowered everything else so I cut the absinthe in half. Much better for me the second time, so many flavors working together
Yeah, you either REALLY gotta love Absinthe or use a less overpowering version (like the brand I use in the video). Otherwise, I would probably cut the measurement down too. I made it with a stronger-flavored absinthe the other day and it was a kick in the throat. I should've eased back on the absinthe throttle. Haha.
Distinguished Spirits wellll technically I used Henri Bardouin pastis. It was one third the price so I figured if I hated it it wouldn't be as much loss. Not sure how it compares to real absinthe
I'm sure in that quantity and with all the other flavors, it's going to be pretty similar. Cheers!
Really enjoy your videos. In the past, I used Meyers dark rum for everything. Is it not recommended, do I need to expand my horizons?
You need to make a series with Martin Cate covering all the history of the many many drinks in The Smugglers Cove book
Yeah, man. That'd be fun. That book has about a million drinks, so we wouldn't be short on material. Cheers!
Very nice!!!
Wonderful history to this one. Great episode! Some people make Tiki shots as well. Any chance of doing an overview of this branch of the cocktail scene?
I was thinking about it. There's definitely a lot to cover. We'll see...
awesome idea:) thumbs up❤
I just made the cheapskate version of this drink, using Myers Dark Rum instead of Pot Still Black Rum. Certainly quite inferior to the Hamilton's you used, but it works alright, at least for me. And Myers is really easy to get where I live. Thanks for the recipe!
No worries. Glad you dug it. Cheer!
I'm a bit late to this I know, but I recently discovered your channel and I'm a big fan. What is that map you show of Donn's Travels (circa 1:41 into the video) in the Pacific, it's incredible. Do you know if it's available commercially? If so where could I find it? Keep up the great work!
I'm sure a reprint is on Etsy somewhere. It was the front of the Don the Beachcomber menu for a long time. There are tons of digital versions out there as well.
Glad you liked the video. Cheers!
It would be cool if you proposed some alternatives for Hamilton that we can’t get here in Europe :(
Where can i get mugs like these ? Love it ! Please continue with more Tikis !
Boo Tiki makes them. There's a link in the Description. Check it out.
I definitely have some more Tiki drinks planned. So stay tuned. Cheers!
New drinking game...
'Add that to your shaker' = 1 shot
Don't play that game with the Zombie video, there's like 100 ingredients in that one and it could be deadly. Haha.
Tiki mug or glass? Uhh... obviously the tiki mug! Look at it!
Hahaha. Yeah. If you have this mug, you're right the decision is made for you. But if not, I had to give an alternative.
One more drink to try.
Was this the original recipe from Don.
No. This was the Smuggler's Cove recipe. And if you're asking if Donn invented this drink, he did not. He just modified a drink he was introduced to in Polynesia.
Is that your real voice or do you act it up a bit for the video? Either way, I love listening to you and this is a great video
It's my voice, if that's what you're asking. It's not necessarily my conversational voice, but it's become my narrating voice. Glad you liked the video. Cheers!
I am reminded of a certain you tube channel that is about cooking....
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Hey I know I’m a bit late to the party but I was wondering what would be a good substitute for the Hamilton pot still black rum since I don’t have acces to it where I live. Anyway I love your channel and keep up the great work :)
Any good Jamaican rum will work. Dr. Bird. Appleton. Coruba. Smith & Cross. Or even a good blend. Plantation Barbados 5-year. Plantation Dark.
Distinguished Spirits thank you so much! I just tried it with the Gosling’s and it turned out great but will try it with these as well
Wow
ขอบคุณ!
Not sure if I should be thirsty or offended....
Definitely thirsty.
Why are you offended?
Is that Lo Pan?
ruclips.net/video/LDzdM53j41E/видео.html
It is the past come to haunt you, egg chen
Where on earth did you get the David Lo pan mug??!?????
Boo-Tiki: bit.ly/2otOVr8
They're based in the Bay Area. Awesome, unique, usually horror-themed mugs. Check them out, Mr. Burton!
Is it required to listen to james brown while drinking this?
Either that or George Clinton.
Is this some kind of--
Rum. The darkest rum. My black soul swims in it.
INDEED!
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I'll have you sent to the hell where the only liqueur is deKuyper! It's that simple, understand?
No one has seen David Lo Pan for 20 years
INDEED!
The club soda kinda ruins it. It water downs the shit out of it.
Negative. This recipe is great! Haha. But sounds like you should just leave it out of yours. Cheers!
@@DistinguishedSpirits I'm probably just an alchy. 😎😎😎