Test pilot (cocktail)
{{short description|Type of cocktail}}
The test pilot cocktail is a vintage tiki drink invented by Donn Beach. Beach was known for changing his recipes over time,{{cite web |title=Jet Pilot soars over its ancestors |url=http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/02/07/mai-kai-cocktail-review-jet-pilot-soars-over-its-ancestors-with-flying-colors/ |website=slammie.com |date=7 February 2012 |accessdate=19 February 2019}} and multiple versions of the test pilot attributed to both him and others make the cocktail one of his more frequently imitated and varied tiki drinks.{{cite book |last1=Berry |first1=Jeff |title=Beachbum Berry Remixed |date=2010 |publisher=Club Tiki Press |location=San Jose|page=96 }} Test pilot recipes call for multiple rums and typically include the use of falernum syrup and lime juice. The more popular also include Pernod (pastis/absinthe) and bitters.
Test pilot versions
A recipe from a Don the Beachcomber drink guide calls for 1 oz of Lemon Hart Demerara 151 proof rum and 3/4 oz each of Jamaican dark rum, Puerto Rican dark rum, lime juice, grape juice, and honey. Two dashes each of bitters and grenadine should also be added, then flash blended with cracked ice and served in a double old fashioned glass.{{cite book |last1=Bitner |first1=Arnold |title=Hawai'i Tropical Rum Drinks by Don the Beaschcomber |date=2001 |publisher=Mutual Publishing |location=Honolulu|page=47}} The date of the recipe's origin and when and where it was served is not mentioned.
Another version that Jeff Berry attributes to Donn Beach from circa 1941 while less strong is still very potent and calls for 1 1/2 oz of Jamaican dark rum, 3/4 oz of Puerto Rican light rum, 3 teaspoons of Cointreau, 1/8 a teaspoon of Pernod, a 1/2 oz of both lime juice and falernum syrup, and a dash of bitters.{{cite book |last1=Berry |first1=Jeff |title=Beachbum Berry Remixed |date=2010 |publisher=Club Tiki Press |location=San Jose|page=96 }} The use of Pernod and bitters was employed by Beach as one of his signature combinations, and some cocktail enthusiasts feel it is a pivotal part of the recipe.{{cite web |title=Test Pilot |url=http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2006/08/01/test-pilot/ |website=cocktailchronicles.com |date=August 2006 |accessdate=19 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Classic Tiki - The Jet Pilot |url=https://cold-glass.com/2016/06/05/classic-tiki-the-jet-pilot/ |website=cold-glass.com |date=5 June 2016 |accessdate=19 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Test Pilot Tiki Drink Recipe |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/04/test-pilot-tiki-drink-recipe.html |website=seriouseats.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}} Several additional cocktail recipe references choose to highlight this version.{{cite web |title=Test Pilot Cocktail Recipe |url=https://tuxedono2.com/test-pilot-cocktail-recipe |website=tuxedono2.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Test Pilot |url=https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/test-pilot |website=myrecipes.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Test Pilot Recipe |url=https://www.supercall.com/recipe/test-pilot-recipe |website=supercall.com |date=9 August 2016 |accessdate=19 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Test Pilot |url=https://kindredcocktails.com/cocktail/test-pilot |website=kindredcocktails.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}}
A Trader Vic test pilot version listed in his 1972 revised drink guide switches the lime juice for lemon and jettisons the Pernod and bitters, calling only for 1 3/4 oz dark Jamaican rum, 3/4 oz light Puerto Rican rum, 1/4 oz of Cointreau, 1/4 oz falernum, and 1/4 oz lemon juice.{{cite book |last1=Vic |first1=Trader |title=Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide, Revised |date=1972 |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City, NY |edition=revised|page=186}} Difford's Guide chose to highlight the Trader Vic's version.{{cite web |title=Test Pilot |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1940/test-pilot |website=diffordsguide.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}}
The Jet Pilot
Some Beachcomber and Trader Vic competitors named their versions as the Jet Pilot, including at The Luau restaurant and the Mai-Kai.{{cite web |title=Pilot Tiki Cocktails |url=https://blog.distiller.com/pilot-tiki-cocktails/ |website=blog.distiller.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Classic Tiki - The Jet Pilot |url=https://cold-glass.com/2016/06/05/classic-tiki-the-jet-pilot/ |website=cold-glass.com |date=5 June 2016 |accessdate=19 February 2019}} The Jet Pilot was similar to Beach's 1941 version but was slightly spicier with the addition of stronger rum, grapefruit juice, and cinnamon syrup.{{cite web |title=Tiki Classics Jet Pilot |url=http://cocktailchem.blogspot.com/2011/12/tiki-classics-jet-pilot.html |website=cocktailchem.blogspot.com |date=6 December 2011 |accessdate=19 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Jet Pilot Cocktail Recipe |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/jet-pilot-cocktail-recipe-760532 |website=thespruceeats.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}}
Impact on tiki culture
Beyond the Jet Pilot, other aviation themed tiki cocktails include the similarly named Ace Pilot, Don Beach's Q.B. Cooler, and Trader Vic's PB2Y (named after the Navy's Coronado plane).
A tiki bar named Test Pilot operates in Santa Barbara, California, that serves a test pilot cocktail, described as having a flavor profile of "house rum blend, clove, citrus, bitters, [and] absinthe foam".{{cite web |title=Test Pilot |url=http://www.testpilotcocktails.com/ |website=testpilotcocktails.com |accessdate=19 February 2019}}