Classic Tiki Cocktails

Submitted By: Rene Thompson

When it comes to cocktails, tiki cocktails are some of the classics. Zombies, Rum Runners, Mai Tais and Navy Grog are drinks that were popular during the 1950s and remain extremely popular today. These fruity tropical drinks were, more often than not, invented in tiki bars and exotic lounges where fruit concoctions with a tropical theme were more than fitting.

Trader Vics, which opened in the 1930s as one of the very first tiki bars, is considered one of the great icons of tiki cocktail culture. With the waning of the tiki craze in the 1960s and 1970s, many of these locations closed, making it harder and harder to find an “authentic” tiki cocktail, served in a cauldron or a tiki-mask mug.

Although there was a brief time period during which Tiki cocktails were considered passé, it seems that many Chinese restaurants helped keep the drinks alive. Since many of the restaurants were already serving food that fit the “Polynesian Mold” it seemed only logical that those same restaurants picked up the (Tiki) torch. In recent memory, very astute bartenders have brought about a Tiki renaissance by taking inspiration from Trader Vic's and Don the Beachcomber, a major competitor to Trader Vic's.

The drinks, in all their incarnations from the 1930s to the present day, call to mind summer nights on the beach. Whether you’re on the beach or not is inconsequential, as the drinks are fun and lively regardless of weather or location. Today there are widely varying recipes for each classic tiki drink, reflecting changes made through the years at bars across the country and by well-known tiki bartenders. Signature cocktails are becoming more and more popular, so today it's come to be expected that each establishment will make an attempt to improve on previous recipes. Here are a few classics – perfect for throwing your own luau or serving up at a tiki bar:

The Zombie:

½ oz Crème de Almond
1 oz Light Rum
½ oz 151 Rum
½ oz Triple Sec
1 ½ oz Orange Juice
1 ½ oz Sours Mix
Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and orange slice.

The Mai Tai:

1 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Light Rum
½ oz Triple Sec
¼ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat Syrup
Splash of Simple Syrup (sugar water)
Garnish with pineapple, Maraschino cherry and a wedge of lime.

The Rum Runner:

½ oz Blackberry Brandy
½ oz Banana Liqueur
½ oz Light Rum
½ oz Spiced Rum
2 oz Orange Juice
2 oz Sours Mix
Float a splash of grenadine
Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and orange slice

Navy Grog:

2 oz Dark Rum
¼ oz Lemon Juice
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 whole cloves
1 slice of lemon
1 Sugar cube
Fill to top with hot water.

Whichever drink or drinks you decide to try out, try experimenting with ingredients as well as glassware and garnishes. One of the fun things about tiki cocktails is that they are often served in specialty glasses, often graced by a paper cocktail umbrellas and a cornucopia of fruit. Whatever you decide to do have fun with it.

Published At: Isnare.com