A Moment of Tiki episodes 46 & 47: Bamboo Redux & Kingston Negroni Shootout

My apologies for being lax in my postings. I've fallen a bit behind, but am catching up now by sharing the two most recent episode of A Moment of Tiki. First up is Episode 47: Kingston Negroni Shootout.

The Negroni is one of the most popular cocktails in the world, but isn't tiki. The Kingston Negroni, however, which uses Smith & Cross rum instead of gin, arguably is a tiki cocktail (or at least tiki adjacent). That got me to thinking (as these things often do) that Smith & Cross was wildly popular because it was the most ester-filled, hogo-laden Jamaican rum readily available in the U.S. at the time. In the years since, we have been blessed with an array of even more potent potables from that Caribbean nation. Might some of the newer, funkier rums make for an even better Kingston Negroni? At the very least, a shootout incorporating a selection of four pungent Jamaican rums would highlight the nuances that separate them from each other and offer deeper understanding of their roles in cocktail creation. So that's exactly what I did. FOR SCIENCE!

Way back in episode 1 of A Moment of Tiki I discussed how I torch bamboo that I've harvested myself. Since then, I've learned that bamboo mites are a serious problem in some parts of the U.S. where bamboo grows naturally, and flame treating at home normally doesn't get the bamboo hot enough to kill all the mites or their eggs. Fortunately, folks in Asia have been using bamboo for centuries and have devised methods to kill these insects and ward off infestation by soaking the bamboo in a solution of borax and boric acid. A bonus of this is that the treatment makes bamboo toxic to other wood-boring insects such as the dreaded powder post beetle and termites. It also offers some protection from mold and fungus. I explore all of this in Episode 46:

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