Tiki has a reputation for having complex garnishes. Perhaps no drink so epitomizes this as the Sidewinder’s Fang. Originally made at the Lanai restaurant in San Mateo, California, this drink features a long orange peel wrapped around the inside of an oversized brandy snifter that’s designed to look like a snake. The net result is an incredible looking drink that definitely catches the eye, while also refreshing the imbiber.
Sidewinder’s Fang
The Sidewinder’s Fang is bright, refreshing, pops with tropical fruit flavors. Thanks to the split base of rums, there’s a nice underlying tropical fruit and subtle caramelized, molasses notes. The passionfruit syrup and orange take the lead roles here, showing off their tropical flavors in spades. The lime cranks it up to make it refreshing and the club evens out the entire drink to make it sing.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
The Sidewinder’s Fang’s most difficult element is the garnish. Making the snake requires a bit of finesse, and a steady hand with a y-peeler. Essentially you start a long strip that runs the entire distance of the orange, and then shape the peel (making a head at one side) to finalize the snake shape. The trick is maintaining enough depth that you don’t break the snake while also trying to ensure that the fruit isn’t nicked. To finalize the snake, poke two holes in the head and slide cloves through for eyes.
- Aged Blended Rum – This will be one of the primary drivers for the flavor of the Sidewinder’s Fang. For a more funky version, utilize a Jamaican rum like Appleton Estate Reserve. If you’re looking for something more brown sugar and caramelized, consider Doorly’s X.O. (which we used here) and El Dorado 12. Plantation 20th can add a bit of tropical flavor as well.
- Black Blended Rum – We used Gosling’s here as it’s one of our favorites. Feel free to use Kraken or another black blended rum.
- Lime and Orange Juice – As always, we recommend using fresh squeezed for best results.
- Seltzer – Essentially you’re looking for carbonated water here, so use your favorite brand of Seltzer. Feel free to use club if you already keep it around your house (it will add a slight minerality that should be minimally noticeable).
- Passionfruit Syrup – Passionfruit syrup is called for in several of the tiki classics, so it’s worth pre-planning to make it for all of them. In addition, Funkin syrup works best, and comes in a quantity you’ll want to separate and freeze (but also optimize for usage). We’ve included a link to the Amazon page as we find this is one of the best* and easiest passion fruit juices you can buy.
- How To Make Passionfruit Syrup: Create a rich simple syrup (combine 2 parts sugar to 1 part water). Heat until all sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool. Weigh the rich simple syrup to obtain the final weight. Combine with equal weight passionfruit puree. Bottle and refrigerate for up to 10 days. Leftover passionfruit puree may be frozen for later use.
- Flash Blender – We use a traditional Hamilton Beech (Amazon) flash blender here. This tool is a great investment for other drinks that include egg whites, are tiki drinks, or if you make milkshakes. The best part is they can be had at or under $50 and have common parts and a lineage as mixers.
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