M-One - A 007 Tiki Drink Made with Scotch Whisky & Tangerine Juice

Here’s how to make the M-One, the tiki cocktail from the 60’s made for a James Bond themed bar in London with Scotch, Orange Liqueur, Tangerine Juice, Aromatic Bitters and a Dried Pineapple and Mint Sprig for garnish. It’s a tikified Sidecar for a secret agent or a spying bastard.

In the books, Bond never drank rum or sours and he looked down his nose at those who did, so he and tiki would not get along. Besides he had adventure and affairs in exotic lands in his day-to-day life, he didn’t need to drink out of a pineapple to imagine it. But he was a big fan of whisk(e)y in the books, so that part of this drink would at least be up his alley.

In the 50’s and 60’s, Bond and Tiki were pop culture contemporaries and shared some similar qualities on the surface, but beyond that, they couldn’t be more different. While Bond wasn’t always dressed in a tuxedo, his mindset certainly was. His imperviousness to cultures and people he met came through in his remote, judgmental, superior attitude. Tiki culture is about letting go of yourself, putting on a loose fitting, short sleeved shirt with a loud pattern on it, embracing the unknown or little known, sharing a space and possibly bowls with fellow travelers, and appreciating the contextless artifacts of other cultures.

This drink, the M-One, was of course rediscovered by Beachbum Berry from the private notebook of the once legendary bartender, Joe Scialom, the man most famous for creating the tiki classic, the Suffering Bastard and its siblings the Dying Bastard and Dead Bastard. Berry writes extensively about the life and times of Scialom in his book, Potions of the Caribbean. Definitely a fascinating tale.

Scialom, after being jailed in his native Egypt for being suspected of being a spy, he was exiled from Egypt. He started working for Conrad Hilton, who was aggressively expanding his hotel empire and needed the best of everything, including the bar. Scialom was put in charge of the three bars at the Habana Hilton, but only months after it opened, Castro conquered Havana and Scialom had to flee his second revolution in two years.

Scialom bounced around setting up bars in Hiltons for several years until in 1964, at the London Hilton, he had to design a bar called a James Bond themed bar that was opened around the release of the film, Goldfinger, called the 007 Room, which is where this drink comes from.

The name is a bit of a head scratcher. There doesn’t seem to be any obvious connections between it and Bond. But in terms of making the drink, Berry recommends using a Scotch with a little smoke to it and I concur. I also make it with 1/4 oz more Scotch than the Scialom recipe calls for.

The citrus in this one pretty uncommon in cocktails, but it really, really, makes this drink. Tangerine is bright, sweet, tart and mildly acidic. It’s hard to substitute and once you’ve had it in a Scotch drink, you’ll realize they were meant for each other. You’ll want to sub tangerine juice into your next Blood & Sand and you’ll wonder how the drink was ever made with OJ. The real secret is to juice it fresh, after a couple of days the juice gives the drink a harsh and bitter quality that spoils the drink.

It’s surprising how well this drink bridges the divide between the land of 007 and the land of tiki, but it does and it somehow works. However, I contend that in homage to Scialom’s most famous drink, this one should’ve called, the Spying Bastard. Cheers!
Recipe:
1.5 oz (45ml) Scotch (lightly peated)
0.75 oz (20 ml) Orange Liqueur
2 oz (60ml) Tangerine Juice
1 dash Aromatic Bitters
garnish dried pineapple, mint (optional)

Shake with ice cubes. Strain over ice into a double old-fashioned glass. Add garnish and straw.
Music:
Retro Adventures 2 by Jonatan Järpehag
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in this Episode:

Great King Street Glasgow Blend (@Compass Box Whisky Co.)
http://bit.ly/2t5a0ic

Combier Orange Liqueur
http://bit.ly/2gHhqnp

Angostura Bitters
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Potions of the Caribbean by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
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House of Hilton by Jerry Oppenheimer (https://amzn.to/2XC63N3)

Bond books by Ian Fleming:
Dr. No (https://amzn.to/2xAO531)
Live & Let Die (https://amzn.to/2XCf8dv)
Octopussy and The Living Daylights (https://amzn.to/2xGwwhQ)
You Only Live Twice (https://amzn.to/2xF0enr)
Casino Royale (https://amzn.to/2JqG9ry)
Bar Tools:

Double Old Fashioned Glass
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Cocktail Pick
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Japanese Style Jigger (Gunmetal Black)
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Hawthorne Strainer- Gunmetal Black
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Usagi Cobbler Shaker
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Bamboo Straw
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Citrus Juicer (Lemon)
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Cuisinart Citrus Juicer
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Cutting Board
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Small Knife
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