A Brief Trip To Aja
"Sharing the things we know and love with those of my kind, libations, sensations that stagger the mind..."
We made it, fam. The calendar official says 2021. I’m not saying things will magically be better (it’s gonna take a while), but woof, 2020. What a year. Of course, 2021 has got some stuff in store, I’m sure as well. I turn 40 this month, one of the Millennials to do so first and I’m not really feeling a lot of existential thoughts about that, but I am sad the pandemic has robbed us all of those kinds of fun celebrations of milestones, those reasons to bring people together. I had a whole plan. But realistically, I still have a whole plan too…it’s just at a time to be determined.
But this is not a place for dwelling, this is a place for fun thoughts and fun drinks. I hope you enjoyed your New Year’s responsibly, and with that in mind, let’s look talk about something that might help you enjoy the rest of January (responsibly, of course).
I started this with a Steely Dan drink, and really a whole ridiculous tweet convinced me this was a good idea:
Well, you, reader, you called my bluff, and I gave you a Steely Dan drink, but I certainly haven’t given you a list. So how about another addition to the canon of Steely Dan tiki?
Aja is my favorite Steely Dan record. It’s been a steady opinion of mine over the years. As I’ve gotten older I’ve started to appreciate their entire catalog more and more, but I still think it’s the best album of theirs from start (the wonderful “Black Cow”) to its impeccable finish (“Josie” is still just such a firecracker). But if I think of one of the first Steely Dan songs I probably ever really knew, it’s gotta be “Deacon Blues”.
You know, it’s a weird song! (they are all weird songs, reader) I have always had a bit of a love affair with hyperliterate art, from my deep Aldous Huxley collection to, well, artists like Steely Dan. I respect that it’s not for everyone. But it is for me. What are they singing about? I’m still not always sure. And I’m definitely old enough to get it now, just still not sure because there’s a lot of obtuse references to unpack sometimes.
But it’s also another song that name checks a specific liquor, so it’s something to build around. In this case, Scotch whiskey. Now you might be asking yourself, scotch in a tiki drink? And I am here to tell you yes! This isn’t even the first drink I’ve done here that’s featured scotch, and we’re gonna bring along some similar friends. A nice, deep peaty scotch does wonders when paired with beautiful tropical and citrusy flavors that usually show up in tiki, and it actually does some real wonders with Chartreuse and cinnamon syrup if you really must know. Anyway, let’s grab a few bottles and citrus fruits and get to work:
1 oz orange juice
.5 oz lemon juice
.5 oz blue curaçao (yes, the electric blue stuff)
.5 oz cinnamon syrup
.25 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1.25 oz Laphroig 10 (or your favorite peaty mixing scotch)
1 oz J Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum (any other white overproof Jamaican should work fine)
Squeeze out that fresh juice, measure everything up, and throw some ice in the tin. Shake like a rambler or a wild gambler. Strain into a Hurricane glass or a tiki mug of equivalent size (15-16 oz). Top that with fresh crushed ice. The essence of true romance, I tell ya. There you go, you got yourself a Deacon Blues.
This is Trader Jane’s, a periodic newsletter about drinks (mostly tiki) and other fun writing. Follow me on Substack for something once or twice a week (that’s the goal for now at least), and follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more timely updates on my beverages (and for lots of other things of course!)
And, as with any good drink, feel free to share (responsibly, of course)