FEBRUARY 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 67
CHILD
TREME’S THE WILD TIKI NOD
By CJ ARLOTTA
When reviewing the cocktail menu
at a jazz club, you might not expect
to find a tiki cocktail on the list, but
maybe you should.
The Wild Child is just such a beachy
South Pacific-themed gem of a beverage
that jumps out from the cocktail list at
Treme, a blues and jazz club in downtown
Islip named for the New Orleans
neighborhood where jazz originated,
with a Nawlins ambiance to match.
“I wanted something ‘tiki’ on the
cocktail menu,” says Josh Thompson,
owner of Treme, which serves
up Cajun-style tapas with a side of
sweet tunes. “Something that we
could pay homage to Trader Vic and
Donn Beach with. Both of these gentlemen
were considered pioneers in
tiki culture.”
To capture the culture in a glass,
Thompson did his best to stay true
to such cocktails of the past by
incorporating traditional ingredients
into The Wild Child, which he
named after nothing in particular.
Naming cocktails isn’t something
he enjoys as much as say, his club’s
epic Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party,
which falls on Feb. 25 this year and
features the Slap Yo’ Mama Jazz
Brigade.
The mixture consists of falernum,
lime juice, orgeat, cream of
coconut, silver Jamaican rum, and
raspberry puree.
“We do make our own orgeat syrup
and raspberry puree,” Thompson
says. “This cocktail starts
with a light coating of
raspberry puree on the
bottom of the glass. Then
we combine the ingredients, shake,
and strain over
crushed ice.
Garnish with
a flower and
add a pinch
of coconut
shavings
over the top.”
Even though guests are oftentimes
a “little intimidated by the ingredients”
at first, he says, they typically
end up changing their minds after
learning how the drink’s components
work together to deliver an
excotic beverage bursting with
tropical flavor.
“The guests have really enjoyed
this cocktail,” he says.
“Some people come by just for
The Wild Child. I really enjoy
watching someone try it for the
first time. It’s always love at
first sight. Quite often someone
sees the drink from across the
bar and wants to order one.”
Treme is located at 553 Main St. in
Islip. It can be reached at 631-
277-2008 or tremeislip.com
MAIN DISH
Treme owner Josh Thompson pours The Wild Child.
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