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Menehune Juice

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (143)
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
2 fl oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
1/2 fl oz Cointreau L'Unique triple sec liqueur
1/4 fl oz Monin Almond (Orgeat) Syrup
3/4 fl oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1/4 fl oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water) 65.0°Brix

How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Double old-fashioned

Prepare

  1. Select a DOUBLE OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of lime wedge, mint sprigs & stirrer (preferably a Menehune stirrer).

Method

  1. SHAKE all ingredients.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. Garnish with lime wedge, mint sprigs bouquet and stirrer.
  2. Serve with a straw.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 7/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Menehune Juice contains 212 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.7 standard drinks
  • 19.61% alc./vol. (39.22° proof)
  • 23.7 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

  • Orgeat (almond) sugar syrup (2:1) — Nuts
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History

Adapted from a recipe in Victor Bergeron's 1947-72 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide.

You can't see or talk to a menehune until you drink some Menehune Juice. So drink some.
MENEHUNE JUICE
1 lime
½ ounce orange curaçao
¼ ounce rock candy syrup
¼ ounce orgeat syrup
2 ounces Trader Vic light Puerto Rican rum
Squeeze lime juice over shaved ice in a mai tai (double old fashioned) glass; save one shell. Add remaining ingredients and enough shaved ice to fill glass. Hand shake. Decorate with one spent lime shell, fresh mint, and a menehune.

Victor Bergeron, 1972

Review

Slightly sweet and strong. According to Vic, "One sip and you may see a Menehune."

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Comments & Discussion

Loïc Pierre
Found it excellent. In addition to the havana club 3 yeara, I added a dash of Smith and Cross, it colored everything but I was happy with it.
score: 1
james I
Not a fan of sweet Tiki. I was curious about Vic’s cocktails, this was a blast from the past. Dad the Major and fam were stationed at Schofield Barracks on Oahu. I was 12 left at 16. I saw plenty of menehunes (the equivalent of an Irish leprechaun). I wasn’t of legal drinking age, it was the early 70’s, with plenty of substances making meme- hunes appear often. Hawaii has changed since the 70’s We’ve destroyed the islands through greed and tourism. Love the juice with just orgeat though.
score: 1
Colin Rempel
absolutely delicious. Great balance.
score: 1
Nathalie O Flynn Premium Member
Came across this one randomly, searching for a few cocktails ahead of the holidays. I will definitely make this but use my Mai Tai mugs and add a monkey decoration (from my large tiki collection which I am permitted to take home from my local Tiki bar, if only they knew how many boxes of them I have now lmao)
score: 1
Nathalie O Flynn Premium Member
Sipping this right now. Followed the advice of another discerning drinker and added only Orgeat syrup (15ml). Instead of a monkey, added a little cork Mexican man from my collection
score: 2
Jose Cruz
i cant help myself, i just wont add simple syrup to any tiki drinks that uses orgeat, i just double up on orgeat instead of sugar syrup. we making tiki drinks or daiquiri rifts eh Vic ;)
score: 7
Chris Dimal
Wow! I used Havana Club 3 and the balance was wonderful! The almond of the orgeat, the slight ester of the rum and the subtle orange essence of the Triple Sec and of course, the sourness of the lime combined so well. I would drink so many of these to see a Menehune if needed.
score: 2
John Hinojos Premium Member
Having multiple original Tiki cocktail recipes along with a collection of vintage tiki glasses, this was what I was expecting. Many of the original Tiki drinks used light rum to accent the flavours of the other mixers. This is a very nice tiki drink. Not the best or the booziest, but very nice.
score: 4
Nicola Adams
Ok, it’s light rum instead of dark rum, but with otherwise identical ingredients, albeit in fractionally different quantities, this is so similar to a Mai Tai I don’t think it qualifies to be called anything else. At least I know I’ll like it however, the Mai Tai’s a fabulous drink.
score: 2
John Hinojos Premium Member
A Mai Tai must always be made with aged gold or dark rum. Like other tiki drinks, many of them originally used white rum as it was easier to get than the darker rums.
score: 3
G. M. Genovese Premium Member
Ok, can I retract/amend my previous comment, haha?... I did make this again and by the color and potency of the second shake, I may have been short an oz or two of rum on the first attempt... Even with my error and subsequent fix, the ratio of the supporting ingredients is on point! Still an excellent sip.
score: 3
G. M. Genovese Premium Member
First time trying this now, coincidentally (because I'm messing with my orgeat tonight using DG recipes) after just learning about it from a YT video on a Tiki cocktail channel moments ago... I used Hamilton New York (aka West Indies) Blend and Giffard Orgeat... This tastes like a child's fruit punch juice box drink. One of the more dangerously approachable, fun(?) Tiki-esque drinks I've tried. I might want another, hmm...
score: 1