Tiki cocktails had a glorious heyday in the 1940’s and 50’s, but fell out of fashion into a campy, joke-version of themselves after that. But the cocktail renaissance of the last fifteen years or so is rescuing tiki-style drinks
and coming back to their original roots: lots of flavors layered together in a balanced and complex way, and fresh, creative ingredients. Here are recipes for ten classic tiki cocktails, mostly from the 1940’s Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber days, revitalized and updated for the modern cocktail palate.
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The Jungle Bird
Cooking at NY Times
Recipe: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016228-jungle-bird
Jungle Birds deserve at least the reputation of Mai Tais, and are starting to get it. Simple but layered, this version uses bold blackstrap rum for extra oomph.
Key Elements:
- Blackstrap Rum
- Pineapple
The Bermuda Rum Swizzle
Liquor.com
Recipe: http://www.liquor.com/recipes/bermuda-rum-swizzle/#gs.904t4rI
Ultimately, tiki is about rum, and nothing brings it out like the Bermuda Rum Swizzle. This version blends two rums to highlight it.
Key Elements:
- Rum
- Pineapple juice
- Apple juice
The Ancient Mariner
Serious Eats
The Ancient Mariner includes a spicy and unexpected allspice dram to blend and counterpoint all that refreshing fruit flavor.
Key Elements:
- Allspice dram
- Rum
- Lime juice
- Grapefruit juice
The Scorpion
Kitchen Riffs
Recipe: http://www.kitchenriffs.com/2013/08/the-scorpion-cocktail.html
The Scorpion, which combines rum and brandy with orange juice and slightly-bitter orgeat, works just as well as an individual cocktail or served in bowls for a crowd.
Key Elements:
- Fresh-squeezed orange juice
- Brandy
- Orgeat syrup
The Missionary’s Downfall
Killingtime.com
Recipe: http://www.killingtime.com/Pegu/2012/02/20/mixology-monday-tiki-the-missionarys-downfall/
Everyone who’s had a mojito knows that citrus and mint are a winning combination. This Missionary’s Downfall recipe throws in some apricot brandy and honey for extra warmth and smoothness.
Key Elements:
- Apricot brandy
- Mint leaves
The Zombie
Beachbum Berry
http://beachbumberry.com/recipe-zombie.html
Zombies suffered a lot under the tiki-as-camp period, and tended to involve whatever was behind the bar. Beachbum Berry has reconstructed the original version for a more sophisticated (but still very strong!) drink.
Key Elements:
- Grenadine
- Prenod
- Lemon Hart Demerara rum
- Falernum
The Quetzal
Sage Atelier
https://sageatelier.com/2013/06/21/friday-at-five-quetzal-cocktail/
A little less well-known than the other cocktails listed here, Quetzals take a simple citrus-and-rum base and add maple syrup for a unique blend of flavors.
Key Elements:
- Cinnamon syrup
- Grapefruit juice
- Mezcal
The Painkiller
Shutterbean
Recipe: http://www.shutterbean.com/2014/the-painkiller-cocktail/
The addition of coconut cream in the Painkiller makes for the smoothest possible drinking—maybe too smooth…
Key Elements:
- Dark rum
- Pineapple juice
- Orange Juice
- Ice
- Nutmeg
The Fog Cutter
Cold-glass.com
Recipe: https://cold-glass.com/2014/07/26/lemonade-with-an-attitude-the-fog-cutter/Fog Cutter
Don’t fear the multiple liquors. The Fog Cutter combines rum, gin, and brandy into a surprisingly (and dangerously) smooth and subtle cocktail.
Key Elements:
- Gin
- Brandy
- Rum
- Orgeat syrup
- Lemon juice
- Orange juice
The Test Pilot
Serious Eats
Recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/04/test-pilot-tiki-drink-recipe.html
The Test Pilot doesn’t go for too much citrus or flashiness, instead going for a very much non-tacky blend of Angostura bitters and Pernod for a balanced and complex drink.
Key Elements:
- Angostura bitters
- Pernod
- Jamaican rum
- Cointreau
