Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: Gone Phishing

No, that isn’t a typo in the title of this post, consider it more of an announcement from the site gods. Because WordPress is offering this capability, DFO is exploring rolling out Multifactor Authentication to log into the site. I’m not sure if MFA will be restricted to just posters or everyone, but it something that is being investigated. Would it be a giant pain in the ass to have to authenticate to get in here and make dick jokes? Maybe, but it’s a necessary step to make sure bots and other nefarious actors don’t get in here and ruin our fun little corner of the Internet. Testing MFA will commence shortly, and the results will determine the width of the rollout and the implementation timeline. Also, while I have you, don’t re-use passwords. I know it’s easy to do it, but these days, it’s an easy way to get into every account you have and that could make for a really, really shitty day. Personally I use Lastpass as a password manager but even they have had some…issues in the past and I’m thinking about changing from them to another option, of which there are plenty.

I won’t bore you with more IT safety measures because I’m sure most of you (myself included) just finished annual security awareness training and don’t need to hear the same stuff from some rando internet amateur bartender. To sum up: MFA is coming to DFO, don’t reuse passwords, don’t click random shit on the internet. This concludes the Very Special Episode portion of Cocktail of the Week.

Now, why the phishing title? Well it just so happens that this week’s drink is named after the state fish of Hawaii: The humuhumunukunukuapua’a. Yes that is real, and no, don’t make me attempt to pronounce it. Now you nay be thinking “isn’t this just. Surfliner but with gin?” and you would be correct. However I think changing the base would be enough to make this something just different enough to warrant the name change. Plus it’s good to have options if A) you don’t like one of the two base spirits, or B) if you happen to be out of one of the two base spirits.

Humuhumunukunukuapua’a

.5 oz. Almond Orgeat Syrup
2 oz. gin
.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
.75 oz. fresh pineapple juice
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled rocks glass Garnish with an orchid

Very neutral nose. I don’t really get much or anything at all, just like the Surfliner. I am somewhat surprised at that, especially since nothing in there would cover both the gin and the lemon but yet I get neither.

As to the taste, this is fantastic. It’s light, well balanced and just boozy enough that it doesn’t hit you all at once. A classic well made tiki drink. It starts out slightly sour, but not so much that it takes over and kills the palate. In fact fairly quickly the orgeat sweetness comes in and knocks the sour back to restore balance. But just the sweetness though. I can’t pick up the almond that is usually prevalent in the orgeat, but despite that the syrup does its job well. It also adds body to the drink just like it does in the Surfliner. Speaking of items just like the Surfliner, the gin is basically tasteless here. Which I don’t hate. With the other flavors going on, excessive gin notes would be a little…distracting and out of place. But the two ounces is right in my wheelhouse. It finishes the same way it starts. Slightly sour but very refreshing, and extremely drinkable

This is definitely on the summer drink shortlist along with the Surfliner, and will be making many more of them both in the coming warm months. It was actually a nice reminder of when I was in Hawaii and really makes me want to go back. One day…

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)