How to make the Jet Pilot Cocktail

Steve Crane created the Jet Pilot Cocktail in the late 1950s at his Polynesian-themed Restaurant in Hollywood, USA. It's a simple riff off Donn the Beachcombers' 1941 recipe, the Test Pilot. And in many camps, this is actually the ultimate Tiki Cocktail, not the Mai Tai.

Jet Pilot Cocktail Recipe;

(The categories below refer to Martin Cate's Smugglers Cove Tiki Cocktail Book)

• 15ml ODK 100% Lime Juice

• 15ml Grapefruit Juice

• 15ml Monin Cinnamon Syrup

• 15ml JDT Velvet Falernum

• 1 Dash Herbastura (50:50 Blend of Tarquins Pastis and Ms Betters Aromatic Bitters)

• 30ml Black Blended (5) - Skipper

• 22.5ml Blended Aged (3) - Plantation Barbados 5yo

• 22.5ml Black Blended OP (6) - Plantation OFTD

Add all the ingredients to a Mixing Tin with 12oz of Crushed Ice and Flash Blend for 5-10 seconds!

I use a Buffalo Spindle Blender

Jet Pilot Cocktail Results

As you'll see from the video, I wasn't 100% happy with this cocktail and thought it could do with some work for my personal palate. So, in my breakdown show, I set about testing the Rum and actually swapping the Cinnamon Syrup, too.

Test 1

First, I swapped out the Cinnamon Syrup with Monin's Winter Spice Syrup, which has Chilli, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Clove. I LOVE this Syrup, and I thought it worked really well. Going forward, for my Palate, I will use the Monin Winter Spice Syrup.

But for the purposes of this test, I will carry on using the Cinnamon Syrup.

Test 2

The next Swap I did was for the Overproof Rum. Category 6 in Smugglers Cove. Instead of my favourite Plantation OFTD, I swapped it out for the Pussers Select Aged 151. It was a very tough call. Remember, in the UK, we don't get the likes of Hamilton 151. We are very limited with Dememra Overproof Rums.

The resulting change was negligible, but I think I preferred the Plantation OFTD.

Test 3

Now it's the turn of the Black Blended Rum and Skipper Rum. Category 5 in Smugglers Cove.

The 3 Rums I chose to play with were the Plantation OD, Goslings and the Worthy Park 109 from Jamaica.

With a little tweaking of the recipe, because the Worthy Park 109 is a lot Stronger, The Jamaican Dark Rum romped it.

Test 4

The final category of Rums to get tested were the Blended Aged Rums, Caterogry 3 in Smugglers Cove.

I chose to swap the Plantation Barbados 5yo with El Dorado 12yo, Appleton 12yo, Chairman's Reserve Legacy, and the R L Seale 10yo Rum.

Overall, I preferred the more tropical notes from the Barbados Rum over the Jamaica, Guyana and St Lucia. But, I still preferred the Plantation Barbados 5yo in the Cocktail over the RL Seale 10yo.

The final recipe that I shall be using for me personally going forward;

• 15ml ODK 100% Lime Juice

• 15ml Grapefruit Juice

• 15ml Monin's Winter Spice Syrup

• 15ml JDT Velvet Falernum

• 1 Dash Herbastura (50:50 Blend of Tarquins Pastis and Ms Betters Aromatic Bitters)

• 22.5ml Black Blended (5) - Worthy Park 109

• 22.5ml Blended Aged (3) - Plantation Barbados 5yo

• 22.5ml Black Blended OP (6) - Plantation OFTD