A mai tai and a horchata see one another on the street and intertwine. This was the thought process behind our newest tiki beverage. Yeah, it’s been awhile since we’ve had a rum cockatoo on the seasonal side. It’s a good, strong one. I got the idea doing all the reading about the Clover Club over the last couple of days when I got real deep into when egg whites started appearing in drinks. If you didn’t read all about the madness, the Clover Club combined three drinks, an old school mash up if you will. The daisy, the sour, and the flip sans egg yolk.

And the name? Well, it’s from an eighties movie of course. Can you guess which one?

Remember Mr. Lorensax. Anyone? Anyone? Ha. One of the greatest movie scenes of all time. Leave it to Mr. Hughes to give us a good shot at what being a teenager was like and hearing a teacher drone on and on about some random facts no one cared about nor could use in any real life situation aside from maybe being a contestant on Jeopardy! The above scene also catapulted the acting career of Ben Stein, who was actually a real economics teacher at the time.

Or so I thought. From what I gather, he never taught at all. He was a lawyer, who segued his way into comedy, then movies, then television and then into our mainstream consciousness. But wait, there’s more. This guy had one hell of a career. I had no idea. He wrote speeches for both Presidents Nixon and Ford. Weird. I won’t get any deeper than this, but he’s got a few…Let’s say odd opinions on the world and certain subjects in particular. Do your own work here.

The term “Voodoo Economics,” a derogatory term, actually came from the mouth/campaign of George H. W. Bush when he ran against Reagan in 1980. Yup, in 1980 a former actor turned Governor of California ran against the former head of the C.I.A. for the Republican nomination. Then, get this, they merged forces and Bush became vice prez for eight years under Reagan, then he was president for four years (1988-1992), and then eight years later, after Bill Clinton’s reign, Bush’s son, also George, became president for eight years (2000-2008).

Crazy right? You can’t make this shit up.

Anyway, a small histroy lesson I guess. Note: I don’t know much about this or really care but I can glean a little and spout it onto this page for us all. Voodoo Economics later became Reaganomics. In an effort to save the stagnant economy after the 70s, Reagan taxed the rich and corporations less in order to encourage growth. This is called supply side economics. During Reagan’s term it worked, unemployment dipped, disposable income went up, and inflation dropped. However, in the early 90s we went straight back into a recession. Who knows? I sure as hell don’t.

At any rate, the cocktail is damn good and I’m glad I could finally get a tiki quaffer out there but I’m not sure about the name after learning all of this. I think politics and drinking don’t really mix. It’s also a bit depressing to think about the country’s political history.

Maybe I’ll call it the Funk Doctor Spock after Redman. We’ll see.

Voodoo Economics

1 oz. Dark Rum

1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

.5 oz. Almond Amazake Syrup

.5 oz. White Rum

.5 oz. Necto Wray (nectarine infused Wray and Nephew)

.5 oz. Fresh Grapefruit Juice

.25 o. Rhum Agricole

.25 oz. Cinnamon Syrup

Shake, strain, top with Ango.

Garnished with an agrodolce nectarine.