The Cocktail Scientist
THE CHIEF LAPU LAPU
INTRODUCTION
The Chief Lapu Lapu is a delicious cocktail that has been admired by Tiki loyalists for decades and has lately become increasingly popular on menus across the globe. The cocktail which ironically is very easy to make despite having a complex and rich flavor profile, did not garner the immediate fame like its cousins, the Zombie and the Mai Tai. Only in recent years with the re-emergence of the Tiki culture has the Chief Lapu Lapu started growing in popularity. But an underlying growing theme to the Chief Lapu Lapu is that it celebrates multiculturism, as the cocktail’s name pays homage to a famous warrior chief and very likely was invented centuries later by a bartender from the same heritage.
The Chief Lapulapu
MATERIALS & METHODS
The Chief Lapu Lapu recipe (1)
Test tubes of Cocktail Scientist 2
Ingredients:
- Light Rum – 1.5 oz (45 mL)
- Dark (Jamaican) Rum – 1.5 oz (45 mL)
- Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice – 3 oz (90 mL)
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice – 2 oz (60 mL)
- Passion Fruit Syrup – 1.0 oz (30 mL)
- Simple Syrup – 1.0 oz (30 mL)
- Crushed Ice – 12.0 oz
- Garnish: Pineapple Leaves
- Garnish: Orange Slice
- Garnish: Cinnamon Stick (optional)
Directions:
- First, add crushed ice to a cocktail shaker.
- Next add all ingredients to the ice filled cocktail shaker.
- Shake the cocktail vigorously for 10 – 15 seconds.
- After shaking the cocktail, slowly pour the contents unstrained into a large cocktail glass, or Tiki mug.
- Finally, add the pineapple leaves garnish in a formation where the leaves look like a crown, and add the remaining garnish(es) to the cocktail glass.
Enjoy!
DISCUSSION
Historical Origin
To truly understand the Chief Lapu Lapu cocktail one needs to understand the historical significance of the warrior chief the cocktail is named after. Lapulapu, or Lapu-Lapu, whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, is best known for his efforts at the Battle of Mactan that happened at dawn on April 27, 1521 (2). On this date, Chief Lapulapu and his warriors defeated the forces of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in what is now known as the Philippines. Today, Filipino culture hails Si Lapulapu as the first Filipino to resist colonial rule, an independence that was not entirely gained until July 4th, 1946, from the United States (3). And although the cocktail is named “Chief Lapu Lapu”, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ National Quincentennial Committee, tasked with handling preparations for the 500th anniversary commemoration of Magellan’s arrival, stated that “Lapulapu” without the hyphen is the correct spelling of the Mactan ruler’s name (4).
Fast forward to the 1940’s and the “Lapu-Lapu” cocktail first appeared on The Tropics bar and restaurant menu in Beverly Hills, California. The Tropics later eventually became the famous Tiki restaurant and bar known as The Luau, which was owned and operated by Lana Turner’s husband, Steven Crane (5). Like most iconic rum cocktails, the origin, and the inventory of the Chief Lapu Lapu cocktail is murky. It has long been speculated that one of the Filipino bartenders that worked at Don the Beachcomber created the cocktail in respect to the warrior chief. During this time-period, there was an influx of Filipino immigrants, many of whom found their way into the hospitality industry and behind the bar and popularizing Don the Beach’s tropical drinks. The cocktail inventor would have had to know his/her way around exotic drinks, how to prepare them, and would have been well versed in the legend of Chief Lapu Lapu.
Flavor Profile
If a cocktail could be judged by its cover, the Chief Lapu Lapu fruit forward ingredient list makes it very attractive right out of the gate. First time drinkers, right before their first sip, are seemingly lured into the drink largely in part due to the hefty presence of multifarious esters which are responsible for the drink’s fruity aroma. Never disappointing, these same esters are responsible for sweetness and the fruity taste of the cocktail as well.
Rum
The Chief Lapu Lapu is a strong rum drink that can be greater than 15% alcohol by volume depending on the proof of the rums that are used. The first rum traditionally used in the architecture of the Chief Lapu Lapu is a light rum, which is 80-proof and is of the low congener variety. The use of a light rum of this sort allows the other ingredients, specifically the fruitful ingredients, to present themselves further because low congener rums lack impactful esters.The second rum frequently used when making the Chief Lapu Lapu cocktail is a heavy dark Jamaican rum which is at least 80-proof. Rums from Jamaica are considered full body in nature. The molasses used in their manufacture is fermented in large casks called puncheons and distilled in pot stills. The fermentation process gives Jamaican rums their title of “Jamaican funk” as a descriptor for the rum and its wild quantity and combination or esters found in every bottle.
Additional Ingredients
Passion Fruit Syrup
Adding passion fruit syrup is like adding tropical treasure to a cocktail. Passion fruit which is sweet and tart and in nature comes from a climbing vine with beautiful flowers. The name, passion fruit, originated from Christian missionaries who gave the vine its name when they observed that parts of the flowers illustrated the crucifixion of Christ, and they called it the “flower of the five wounds.” (6)
Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio of sugar (sucrose) to water. Its consistency is that of molasses. The predominant use case for utilizing simple syrup is that it balances the sourness of many cocktails as well as masking the presence of alcohol.
Orange Juice
Orange juice is a very popular mixer in cocktails because it contains acids, sugars, and phenolic compounds. The pH of orange juice traditionally falls between 3 and 4, as it contains citric, malic, and ascorbic acids. Orange juice typically tastes sweet and delectable because of the natural sugars found in oranges which balances with the acids that are present.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is known for its pronounced sour taste and is a popular additive to cocktails. With a pH of 2, lemon juice is much lower in pH than orange juice. The citric acid which is present in the juice is the contributing factor to the sourness.
NUTRITION
Less in calories than a traditional Mai Tai, but only because the alcohol is diluted with more cocktail ingredient volume, the Chief Lapu Lapu is a wonderful cocktail that is big enough to be enjoyed by two. Depending on proof of the rums, if a higher proof rum were chosen, it can be expected that calorie count and ABV would go up as well.
NUTRITION FACTS
(Amount Per 1 Fl oz in a 10.0 Fl oz Cocktail)
Calories: 45.1
Total Fat: 0.0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 0 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 6.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Sugar: 5.9 g
ABV: 15 % + (rum proof dependent)
CONCLUSION
Tropical and Tiki in nature, the Chief Lapu Lapu cocktail is more than just an enchanting drink, it is a symbol of one of the Philippine’s greatest iconic figures. The use of two rums, the creative garnishing, the simple but attractive and tasteful ingredient list, and its place in Tiki cocktail lore all contribute to the drink’s popularity and strengthen its destined rising permanence along side the Mai Tai and the Zombie as all-time rum cocktail favorites.
REFERENCES
- Berry, J. (2013). Beach Bum Berry Remixed. Slg Publishing.
- Lapulapu. (2021, May 31). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapulapu#cite_note-weighsin-2
- Limos, M.A. (2019). Why the Philippines’ Independence Day is on June 12, Not July 4. Esquire Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/why-philippines-independence-day-is-on-june-12-a00293-20190607-lfrm
- ABS-CBN News (May 1, 2019). “It’s Lapulapu: Gov’t committee weighs in on correct spelling of Filipino hero’s name”. ABS-CBN News. Manila: ABS-CBN Corporation.
- Martinos, A. (2009). The Luau in Beverly Hills. Steven Crane’s Tiki Oasis on Rodeo Drive. Retrieved from: http://martinostimemachine.blogspot.com/2009/09/this-1959-magazine-movie-screen-year.html
- Rachel’s Orhard. (2020). What is Passion Fruit? Retrieved from: https://www.rachelsorchard.com/passion-fruit/
