Miehana

Miehana post image

It’s been all Jeff “Beachbum” Berry all the time here for the past few days as we celebrate the impending arrival of his newest book, and we’re still rolling with even more fun from J-Triple-B.

The Miehana is one of Jeff’s original Tiki recipes.  A fantastic drink with pretty much the easiest ingredient ratio ever (here’s a hint: use the same amount for all of them), the Miehana combines three fruit juices with three different liquors (two, of course, are rums) to create a drink that is a great tribute to the city down the street from my doorstep.

Miehana

1 oz Coconut Rum
1 oz Gold Virgin Islands Rum
1 oz Grand Marnier
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake all with ice and then pour – do not strain – into a Tiki mug or tall glass.

Naturally the most appropriate chalice for this luscious libation is the eponymous mug for which it was designed (or would that make the drink the eponymous one?), but if you don’t have one then really any Tiki mug will probably do.  I, unfortunately, do not possess one but am accepting donations.

The Miehana was created by Jeff to be served in the mug designed by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily (Kevin also has a blog) for the 1996 exhibit of Polynesian style in the Anaheim Museum.  The so-called “God of the Orange Grove” was named as a tribute to the host city using a technique I like to call “spelling things backwards.”

As I was prepping for JB3 Week here at RumDood.com I spent some time doing intense research of the tippling kind by making a few of Jeff’s originals and asking other cocktailinclined folk which Bum recipe was their favorite.  The popularity contest was easily won by the Miehana with its light fruit flavors anchored nicely with a good rum.

It’s also a drink that can stand up to a little tinkering, so if you want to swap out the Virgin Islands gold rum for something like El Dorado 15 or Smith & Cross, you can do so and get some wonderful results.  Making it also gives you one of the few allowable excuses for owning commercial coconut rum (I kid, I kid…or do I?), though it’s much more fun to make your own.

Question of the Day:

What’s your favorite Jeff Berry original concoction?

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • DJ HawaiianShirt

    March 3, 2010, 08:09

    The big question here is: Which coconut rum does that rum-snob Dood use?

  • Sylvan

    March 3, 2010, 09:07

    My vote goes for the Cruzan Coconut, but I have to admit Malibu is the only other I’ve had. I don’t even know if there are more! Anyway, Jeff’s Coconaut is darn good for parties.

  • Colonel Tiki

    March 3, 2010, 09:13

    Ah, the old magical backwards game. I’d like to bring up the Sorcerer in Fantasia’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice “Yen Sid” as my favorite of the phenomena.

    Also, Matt – Last I checked the Meihana mugs were thick on the ground – I don’t have my finger on the pulse of mug collecting, but are they some kind of rare now?

  • Matt Robold

    March 3, 2010, 10:13

    I used this post as an excuse to try out the Coruba Coconut. It isn’t bad, though I still prefer homemade.

    Colonel: They might be thick on the ground. I can’t confess to having actually conducted a search beyond Google and Ebay, where they seem to be going for over $100 most times. That’s like, 2 bottles of Smith & Cross or 4 bottles of El Dorado 3 Year Old…

  • Pete

    March 3, 2010, 10:41

    Hmmm – nice drink.

    I used Koko Kanu. A full strength, 40%abv rum – not a rum wanna-be like malibu. Had to swap out a golden Puerto Rican rum though for the Virgin Islands one though. I think it works fine though.

  • Tiare

    March 3, 2010, 12:11

    I`ve yet to find a really good coconut rum and need all advice i can get. The best i`ve had may be Cruzan but its not good enough.

  • Stella

    March 3, 2010, 14:09

    I just drink my rum on the rocks with a squeeze of lime, but this drink does sound nice. The mug would be nice to have around too. Maybe it will inspire my orange trees to fruit a bit more.

  • Marleigh

    March 3, 2010, 14:50

    Wait a minute. Coruba makes a coconut rum AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?

    Friend fail. Rumdood is teh fired.

  • Matt Robold

    March 3, 2010, 14:54

    Stella: I was once like you. Rum was only neat or on the rocks. Time and this crazy cocktail community now has me making cocktails most nights and sipping neat rums on special occasions.

    Marleigh: It’s not my fault! The Coruba flavored rums are fairly new and the bottles and labels are bloody awful. The coconut rum isn’t bad though. Next time you, Dan, Niki, and I get together I’ll have to remember to break it out.

  • Colin S

    March 3, 2010, 19:17

    Marti Coconut (Coco Suave) rum is AWESOME, its 82.2 proof so it packs a punch. Its definitely my fav, but the problem is that its almost impossible to find. I got mine at Spec’s Midtown in Houston.

  • FITZMO

    March 4, 2010, 13:14

    How bout a recipe for homemade coconut rum, please?

  • DJ HawaiianShirt

    March 4, 2010, 13:19

    Already on top of it, Fitzmo! This is the only recipe I could find. I’ll be making it and posting about it soon, myself.

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade_Coconut_Rum/

  • Matt Robold

    March 4, 2010, 13:23

    Fitzmo: It’s in the queue, just need to make some more so that I can write it up.

  • Dave

    March 5, 2010, 11:06

    This sounds like a great drink. I am lacking in tiki mugs, but I’ll give this a try tonight nevertheless. Cheers!

    Dave

    P.S. What does Miehana mean? Sounds very tropical. 🙂

  • JasonK

    March 5, 2010, 14:20

    Hi Dave –

    To answer your question, it does sound tropical. Its actually “Anaheim” spelled backwards and Anaheim (or rather Annaheim) means “house by the Santa Ana River” in German making this perhaps the only German influenced Tiki drink!

    jason

  • Kathleen

    March 5, 2010, 20:00

    Hello this is my first visit to your blog. I sooo love it! I’ve never had a miehana. I can’t wait to mix one (haha more 3) up!

  • Dave

    March 11, 2010, 11:28

    Thank you for the enlightenment, JasonK!

    I have been duped! LOL Nevertheless, my Mah EE hanas went over very well last Friday. It isn’t very often that I get to butcher something in Hawaiian (sp?) and English at the same time.

  • Justin

    March 19, 2010, 23:35

    I’ve had the Miehana mug for almost a year and this is the first time I’ve made the drink. Great stuff.