Pirate's Cove

In part two of our look at macadamia nut liqueur, we thought that this winter was so darn cold that a little tiki would be in order. Macadamia nut liqueur rarely would be the main player in a drink; it is far to much of a cloying bully. To feature the liqueur, the multiplicity of ingredients and the acidic backing of a tiki drink can tame the macadamia sweetness to a level that is a more than drinkable - and you can actually have more than one.

Court Martial

In 2011, we decided to create some drink recipes that included macadamia nut liqueur for a Christmas gift exchange. Sweet as sugar cookies with just a hint of earthiness, macadamia nut liqueur makes for a great substitute for simple syrup in many drinks (if you are looking for a syrup substitute without the nuttiness, grab a bottle of Licor 43. Note, though, 43 will have just a bit of herbal citrus in the background). The obvious pairing with macadamia is coffee, so we stayed away from those recipes. I wanted to go classic and emphasize this liqueur's non-sweet properties. The best way to do this is to put a bitter amaro in the mix. Nut liqueurs and amaro are like peanut butter and jelly to Italians. Consider the wonderful combinations of nocino (walnut liqueur), gin, and Compari in a nut-driven negroni. For this recipe, we thought that using a classic American rye would be fun.