Laka’s Nectar
Spice and smoke, ginger and mezcal, rounded out with a homemade agave and rum syrup. Through this refreshing highball experience, we help you raise tribute to Laka the patron goddess of song and dance, and bring you one drink closer to channelling your inner hula.
Servings 1
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Joven (un-aged) Mezcal
- 3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 oz Rhum Agricole-Agave Cordial - we show you how to make this below
- 1 oz Ginger Beer
- 1 Lime Wheel
- 1 Edible Flower - such as Hibiscus
Method
- Pour all ingredients into a shaker, adding enough ice to show above the surface of the liquid.
- Shake vigorously for around 15 seconds, strain and pour into a Collins glass or Tiki mug filled with ice cubes.
- Top with ginger beer, stir and garnish with your wheel of lime and your edible flower (if available).
Notes
For the Rhum Agricole-Agave Cordial:
As well as being the Goddess of Song and Dance, Laka is also known as the Goddess of the Wild Woods and the Forest. Thought to be the light that nourishes plant life, it is her reproductive energy that is said to help the forest grow.
With a particular attachment to the Lama tree, Maile Vine, and the a’ali’i - many of the leaves and flowers from these plants are to be found in Lei making - worn in traditional hula dances and used to decorate the hula altars. Then, once the last dance is finished, the altar is taken apart and the leaves are released into the ocean in honour of Laka.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Agave Nectar Syrup
- 1/2 cup of Water
- 2 oz Rhum Agricole (see below if you've none available)
Method
- Add your agave syrup and water to a saucepan, simmer for 5 mins (without boiling), stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Then stir in your Rhum Agricole and decant into a sterilised bottle.
- It will keep refrigerated for 2-4 weeks - possibly longer depending on how well you’ve sterilised your container. Shake bottle before using.
Substitutes
- No Rhum Agricole? Seagram’s Smooth White Brazilian Rum would work in a pinch - and it’s a lot cheaper. Barbancourt White could also be used, as could a Cachaca such as Velho Barreiro. All of which impart the earthy, grassy notes that are noticeable in an Agricole.
- All out of Agave? Its main role in this drink is as a sweetener, but the darker grades of Agave also have a very distinct flavour. You could replace it with simple syrup, but you might want to experiment with adding a little honey or maple syrup into the mix to bring a little more depth.
Laka, Goddess of Hula
Her name meaning "gentle" and "to attract”, Laka is often credited with creating Hula on the island of Moloka’i. She is the inspiration a person thinks of when they dance, helping them take their performance to another level. Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui says that Laka “...is dancing through the dancer.” That the term “hoʻoulu ʻia” is a “surge of strength and control that gets a job finished. That turns an acceptable bit of work into a superior one.”
As well as being the Goddess of Song and Dance, Laka is also known as the Goddess of the Wild Woods and the Forest. Thought to be the light that nourishes plant life, it is her reproductive energy that is said to help the forest grow.
With a particular attachment to the Lama tree, Maile Vine, and the a’ali’i - many of the leaves and flowers from these plants are to be found in Lei making - worn in traditional hula dances and used to decorate the hula altars. Then, once the last dance is finished, the altar is taken apart and the leaves are released into the ocean in honour of Laka.