Derby Young didn't invent the Caribou Lou, but it's become his signature drink.
Young, who tends bar at the Boondocks Lounge, says he first heard of the drink in the lyrics of one of his favorite hip-hop acts, the metro Kansas City-based Tech N9ne.
"That's one of the drinks they drink," Young says. "I came to Tucson (from Kansas City, Kan.), and nobody here knew what it was, so I made it my drink."
Music inspires Young in other ways, too. He attends Pima Community College, where he majors in music. And he regularly participates in karaoke at the bar on Mondays.
"I've been in music forever," Young says. "I play viola, bass, violin, sax and trumpet. Now I'm trying to teach myself guitar."
What do you want to do with your music degree?
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"I'd like to go into music production."
What's your fall-back karaoke song?
"Stone Temple Pilots' 'Plush.' "
What was the last concert you went to?
"Daft Punk at the L.A. Coliseum. I have a friend out there who works in production, and we got to go backstage and meet the band."
What goes into a Caribou Lou?
"Malibu coconut rum, Bacardi 151 rum, pineapple juice and a dash of blue curaçao."
Note: Tech N9ne's song "Caribou Lou" doesn't mention blue curaçao. That's Young's contribution. The first verse of Tech N9ne's "Caribou Lou" goes like this:
"Half a bottle of 151 off in a jug / 1 cup of Malibu rum baby that's whassu\n\n Then you fill the rest of the jug with pineapple juice and it's crackin' / The only defect is waking up like what happened."
If you go
• What: Boondocks Lounge.
• Where: 3306 N. First Ave.
• Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m.daily.
• Happy Hour: 3-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays — $2 domestic bottles, $2 well drinks, $1.50 domestic jumbo drafts (smaller than pints, larger than normal drafts).
• Reverse Happy Hour: 11 p.m.- 2 a.m. Mondays-Thursdays — $2 domestic bottles, $2 well drinks, $2 wine, $1.50 domestic jumbo drafts.
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