Go Tropical with Tiki Cocktail Recipes

Tiki cocktails, inspired by Polynesian and South Pacific cultures, have been in the bar scene since the 1930s, when Don (Donn) Beach opened the first Tiki bar in Hollywood called Don the Beachcomber. The bar, inspired by Donn's travels, featured tropical cocktails often made from rum. 

Today, Tiki cocktials can include fruity flavors and elaborate garnishes, and they are often served in ceramic mugs. Mai Tais, Zombies, Painkillers, and Piña Coladas can all be included in the Tiki cocktail category.

They also make for great warm weather sippers thanks to their incorporation of tropical fruits and flavors like pineapple, lime, and coconut.

We've rounded up a collection of Tiki cocktail recipes to add to your spring and summer cocktail menus.

Classic Daiquiri

Ingredients:

2 Parts Diplomático Planas

1 Part Fresh Lime Juice

0.75 Part Sugar Syrup

Lime wheel

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker.
2. Fill with ice, shake vigorously, and strain into Coupe glass.
3. Garnish with lime wheel.

Mango Painkiller

Ingredients:

0.75 oz Havana Club Anejo Blanco
1 oz Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
Barspoon Smith & Cross Overproof Rum 
1 oz Mango Puree
.75 oz Coconut Cream 
.5 oz Pineapple Juice 
.25 oz Orange Juice

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to blender, ice last.
2. Blend for 10 seconds.
3. Pour into solo glass w/ koozie.
4. Garnish w/ 1-pina leaf, 1/2 orange wheel
& long wide-mouth black straw.

Classic Jungle Bird

Ingredients:

1.5 Parts Diplomático Mantuano

0.5 Part Bitter Italian Apperitif

1.5 Parts Pineapple Juice

0.5 Part Fresh Lime Juice

0.5 Part Sugar Syrup

Pineapple Fronds

Directions: 

1. Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake together to combine/chill.
2. Strain into a Double Old Fashioned Rocks glass filled with a large rock of ice.
3. Garnish with pineapple fronds.

Kona Kooler

Ingredients:
2 oz cold brew
1.5 oz plantation dark rum
1 oz bols creme de cacao
.5 tsp coconut creme Coco Real

Garnish: Italian Espresso Powder

Directions:

1. Shake hard.
2. Dirty dump into a Pele Utu Chimney or other Collins glass.

What's Next

Ingredients:

1 oz Big Easy Whiskey
1 oz Aged Rum
0.75 oz Bourbon Vanilla Tea Infused Fino Sherry
0.5 oz Banana Oleo
0.25 oz Orgeat
0.25 oz Lemon Juice
Dropper Vanilla Extract
Plantain chips & Nutmeg Garnish

Directions:

1. Prep fino sherry by cold steeping bourbon vanilla tea for 2 to 24 hours depending on desired taste.
2. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
3. Shake and the pour over ice.
4. Garnish with a plantain chip and nutmeg.

The Jungle Beast 

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Kraken Black Spiced Rum​

1.5 oz Pineapple Juice​

3/4 oz Italian Bitter Liqueur​

.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice​

.5 oz Simple Syrup

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a Tiki glass filled with viciously crushed ice.
2. Garnish with palm leaves and pineapple. 

Tai Tiki

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Cuban rum

1/2 oz. Monin Almond (Orgeat) Syrup

1/2 oz. Monin Blood Orange Purée

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

3/4 oz. dark rum floater

Garnish: Edible flower(s), Lime slice

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker in the order listed, except floater.
2. Cap and shake vigorously.
3. Strain into serving glass filled with ice.
4. Gently pour floater on top.
5. Garnish.

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