Tiki and Tropical Cocktail Recipes

These cocktails will transport you to the beach any time of year

With swizzle sticks, mini umbrellas, and generous amounts of rum, tiki drinks are a fun way to get a buzz when the weather is warm. Popularized in the mid-twentieth century by bars like Trader Vic's, the tiki craze went through somewhat of a decline but is now making a comeback. There's something to be said for going to a gaudy, over-the-top tiki bar on a beach, but you can also make great tiki drinks at home.

One classic tiki drink is the Mai Tai, which though it's associated with Hawaii, it was actually created in San Francisco. Our version mixes dark rum with grassy rhum agricole, along with orange Curaçao, orgeat, lime juice, and simple syrup to make a fruity. Our recipe for the Dragon 88 Mai Tai starts similarly but adds amber rum and citrusy Velvet Falernum to make an even boozier drink.

Another tiki classic is the daiquiri. While a traditional daiquiri is a simple mix of white rum, lime juice, and simple syrup, we have festival variations packed with blackberries, pineapple, strawberries, bananas, mango, and even heavy cream.

Of course, there's more to tropical drinking than rum-packed tiki drinks. Few things taste better on the beach than a frozen margarita. We have a traditional lime version, as well as a vibrantly colored twist made with pickly pear.

If you prefer a rocks drink to a frozen one, try our Ho'opono Potion. It’s a bracing, complex cocktail made with cucumber, tequila, fresh lime juice, and Aperol. Or, for another tequila drink, the Soul Train mixes tequila with lime and grapefruit juice and, for a unique kick, a cardamom simple syrup.

Find all these recipes and more in our collection of tropical cocktail recipes!

Tequila and cardamom is an unexpected combination, but it works beautifully with the help of lime and grapefruit juice.

Leo Robitschek of Eleven Madison Park crafted this cocktail in honor of our 21st birthday, inspired by SAVEUR's global influence. "While your average 21-year-old is spending their birthday getting a little too familiar with Jagermeister and Miller High-Life—not that there's anything wrong with that—SAVEUR has already been around the world," he says. "She’s sampled the best, and is hungry for more. Here, a perfect blend of some lesser-seen players: spicy rye, robust and savory-spiced velvet falernum, ancient and unapologetically vegetal green Chartreuse, and Linie aquavit, a spirit that, amazingly enough, has actually sailed around the world, aging in oak sherry casks to the rhythm of the rolling waves. Coconut, lime, and pineapple tie the package together; a somewhat more civilized yet totally delicious way to celebrate one’s twenty-first year."

This sophisticated take on a banana daiquiri combines Giffard Crème de Banane du Brezil, a banana liqueur made from macerated bananas, with two types of rum and a homemade banana syrup to make a deeply flavored drink that's not too sweet.

Puréed cacao pulp meets cachaça in this unexpected sipper. Tart lemon provides a burst of freshness, while a splash of sparkling wine adds lift.

Sweet champagne, muddled pineapple, and warming rye whiskey form the basis for this pre-Prohibition era cocktail.

This take on the piña colada owes its silky texture to Coco Lopéz, a mixture of sugarcane and coconut cream.

Canned frozen limeade intensifies the citrus flavor of this slushy Mexican libation.

Cinnamon adds warm spice to this frosty treat made with puréed pineapple.

Agricole rum, made from fresh sugarcane, adds rich flavor to a fruity frozen drink.

This fruity frozen daiquiri becomes dessert-like with the addition of heavy cream.

A poolside classic, this blended coconut cooler is heightened with a splash of aromatic bitters.

The prickly pear cactus thrives in the deserts of the American Southwest; its bulbous red fruit is prized for many Mexican and Tex-Mex preparations. This legendary margarita, which takes its distinctive flavor from the fruit, comes from bartender Ruben Bernal at Las Canarias restaurant in San Antonio, Texas.

Homemade sour mix adds fresh tang to a sweet combination of vodka and Kahlua.

This refresher combines pineapple and mango juices with coconut and spiced rums.

Cardamom-lemongrass syrup lends a bit of Thai spice to a fresh cocktail made with rum and coconut.

Happy hour tastes like paradise with this bracing cocktail of cucumber, tequila, fresh lime juice, and a touch of bitter Aperol.

This neon-hued curaçao punch features vodka, pineapple juice, and sour mix.

This creative drink is a citrusy marriage of cognac and Hawaiian vodka sweetened with passion fruit syrup.

Invented circa 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at Singapore's Raffles Hotel, this sweet drink has become a beachside classic on beaches worldwide.

Like an adult version of Hawaiian Punch, this cocktail is a balance of sweet liqueurs, fruit juices, and red wine.

Tuaca, a vanilla citrus liqueur, and vanilla vodka transform pineapple juice into a dessert-like cocktail.

This twist on a mojito combines pineapple- and coconut-infused rum with fresh pineapple and mint for a fruity, vacation-inspired drink.

The flavors of ruby port and cognac grow even more profound when fired up in this orange juice-laced drink.

With its deep, sweet mango flavor offset by coconut rum and bright lime juice, slushy frozen daiquiris are perfect for any beachside getaway.

This heady tropical cocktail gets its earthy undertones from creme de cacao.

This alternative to rum and Coke uses lighter, brighter grapefruit soda to let the bold character of a pot-distilled English-style rum shine through.

Benjamin Jones of Clement rum distillery in Martinique shared his recipe for this cool, bracing cocktail, his country's national drink.

This contemporary tiki cocktail contains a bright mix of fresh fruit juice, syrups, and rums.

Clear, unaged white whiskey stars in this potent, tropical-inspired punch.

The King Family Fortune invokes the tropics with pineapple juice, grenadine, and vanilla vodka.

Dark or white rum may be substituted for any of the rums in this recipe from LA's Tiki-Ti bar.

Made with the South American grape brandy that's popular in Chile and Peru, the pisco sour makes for a salty, sweet, tart, and beautiful sorbet.

This simple drink is nothing more than demerara rum, lime juice, and simple syrup.

We based this rum cocktail on one from Ray Buhen's Tiki-Ti, a Los Angeles bar that opened in 1961.

Made with the South American spirit pisco, the Snake Eyes Cocktail has a tropical edge thanks to passion fruit and mango, and ends with an unexpected kick—muddled jalapeño lends it some serious fire.

This tart, spiced cocktail, the winner of our 2011 Home Cook Challenge Cocktail contest, was inspired by a cocktail that winner Mo Lyon sampled at Seattle's now-closed Licorous. It's Thai-inspired flavors pair beautifully with Southeast Asian food; it's also perfect on its own as an afternoon sipper.

In 1971 Mariano Martinez figured out how to make frozen margaritas from a soft serve ice cream machine—the rest is history. We recommend using Herradura Silver Tequila for this refreshing variation.

Penny De Los Santos

Punch Romaine, a rum-spiked shaved-ice palate cleanser served to first class passengers during the fateful last dinner aboard the Titanic on April 14th, 1912, was based on a recipe from famed French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier, who championed alcoholic shaved ices during the early twentieth century. The original recipe, essentially a granita, is updated here as a drinkable, citrusy cocktail poured over an iceberg of crushed ice.

Recipes

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10 Essential and Popular Rum Tiki Cocktails

Explore Recipes for Your Next Tiki Party

Tiki cocktails are a ton of fun and just one part of the larger tiki scene. It may be a little more underground than it was in its heyday of the 1940's and 50's, yet it's still alive and well.

Tiki parties remain a popular theme for many and the drinks below are the most popular cocktail for such an occasion. First, however, let us take a look at what goes into a tiki cocktail.

What Is a Tiki Cocktail?

There is no real definition of what makes a drink worthy of the 'tiki' . MORE category. However, there are some characteristics found in almost every tiki cocktail.

Rum, and lots of it. Most tiki cocktails include at least one rum , though many combine up to three different styles of the sweet liquor.

Stock up on tropical fruits. In true tropical style, tiki drinks include fruit juices and many recipes include more than one. When it's tiki time, be sure to have a good supply of fruits like pineapple , orange , passion fruit, guava, and coconut .

The flavor is often dominated by fruit and that helps hide the heavy taste of alcohol. This is perfect for drinkers who prefer less alcohol flavor, and yet, that also makes them slightly more dangerous. They end up tasting so good that a person can almost forget how potent they really are .

Layers of flavor. Those first two characteristics are an indication that these drinks are anything but boring or simple. The tiki cocktail will often have four or more ingredients that create a great depth to the drink's flavor. Tiki drinks are among the most interesting and delicious taste experiences you'll have.

Spices make an appearance. Though not a requirement in a tiki cocktail, you will find that many have an ingredient that adds just a touch of spice. Pimento dram , spiced rum, and spices like nutmeg can be found in a number of tiki recipes.

Many ways to make one drink. For one reason or another, tiki cocktails are the most likely drink recipes to have multiple variations. Almost every drink on this list has had ingredients added, subtracted, and substituted multiple times over the years. Some barely resemble what we accept as the original recipe.

Why is that? One theory is that the recipes were often kept secret for so long that bartenders began interpreting what may be in them. There is so much going on in these drinks that it can be difficult to pinpoint each ingredient, so they gave it their best guess.

More Rum Cocktails to Explore

The Mai Tai is the ultimate tiki cocktail and it is the creation of Victor Bergeron, one of the founders of the tiki bar scene. His famous bar, Trader Vic's, is home to the original Mai Tai and it is a very fine drink.

You Will Need: dark and light rums, lime juice, orange curacao, orgeat syrup, simple syrup

Over the years, the Mai Tai has taken on a much fruitier taste than Bergeron intended. The original recipe is actually quite dry compared to many of the modern interpretations, one of . MORE which includes pineapple and orange juices with grenadine.

Donn Beach of the famous Donn the Beachcomber bar was Bergeron's rival in the early tiki days and the Zombie is one of his original recipes. It is also one of the most complex recipes you will find.

This particular recipe is Dale DeGroff's interpretation and a personal favorite.

You Will Need: light and dark rums, orange curacao, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, passion fruit puree or syrup, grenadine, bitters

There is also an option of floating 151-proof rum on top of the finished . MORE drink. And, if you're interested, Donn also takes credit for the famous Zombie Punch.

The Zombie may also win the prize for the most recipe variations and you have to be careful because a few are simply too strong to enjoy. It may be that some people took the name too literally and created monstrosities out of what is a very tasty cocktail.

The Hurricane was and still is the signature cocktail of New Orleans' Pat O'Briens bar and it was first created around 1940. You can still get the same great taste at any of the famous bar's locations in the U.S.

You Will Need: light and dark rums, passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup, grenadine

It is one of the tastiest tiki cocktails and the fruity combination is hard to resist. The only problem you may have is finding pure passion fruit juice, but your search . MORE will be rewarded on the first sip.

The two tiki giants mentioned above have both taken credit for this modernized Navy Grog cocktail. Yet, neither can claim to have invented the Navy Grog because it was the name given to the daily rum ration of British sailors in the 1700's.

You Will Need: light, dark, and demerara rums, lime juice, grapefruit juice, honey, club soda

Rum and lime juice are the only ingredients that everyone can seem to agree on when it comes to the Navy Grog. Yet, one thing's for sure, you will need to . MORE have a good supply of rum to mix up any of these recipes.

Creators of tropical cocktails just cannot seem to agree on ingredients and the Rum Runner is another example of a great drink with many recipes. No matter how you make it, it is a fun one.

You Will Need: light and dark rums, banana liqueur, blackberry liquor, orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine

That list is only from one Rum Runner recipe. Others include the spices of falernum instead of sweet grenadine or they may skip either of the juices. In general, a Rum Runner should have rum, banana, . MORE and blackberry, but this is not always the case either.

The Bahama Mama brings coffee into the mix via a liqueur (commonly Kahlua) and goes straight for the bottles of dark and over-proof rum. It also tends to be heavy on the pineapple and the entire mix comes together in true boozy tropical perfection.

You Will Need: dark and 151-proof rums, coffee liqueur, coconut liqueur, lemon juice, pineapple juice

If you like, there is a second Bahama Mama recipe that features coconut rum and cuts the pineapple while adding orange juice. It is also a fruity . MORE delight and is fun to toss into the blender.

Painkiller recipes do not vary as much as the other tiki cocktails. You're pretty safe in stocking from this ingredient list because any variations are just a matter of changing proportions.

You Will Need: navy rum (or dark), pineapple juice, cream of coconut, orange juice, nutmeg

Is the nutmeg essential? Absolutely! Without it, you're looking at something similar to a Pina Colada, which is a great drink in its own right. Yet, if you're looking to go from 'tropical' to . MORE 'tiki,' then you will not want to forget that touch of spice.

The Scorpion is a potent mixed drink and for the first time, brandy makes an appearance. It should not be that surprising because brandy had been mixed with tropical and citrus fruits long before the tiki scene was even a dream.

You Will Need: rum, gin, brandy, white wine, lemon juice, orange juice, orgeat

As is the case with many tiki cocktails, drinkers who mix up a round of Scorpions often go too far with the booze. This kind of thinking often leads to absurd drunkenness, nasty hangovers, and . MORE other sorts of craziness.

With three spirits, this is already a strong drink, so don't burn it by overpouring . Instead, appreciate it for the delicious tropical drink that it is and enjoy the fact that you can remember it the next day.

The Blue Hawaiian is a bit more mellow than other tiki cocktails and it is a beautiful shade of blue. This is the ultimate poolside cocktail and you will find that it is very easy to shake up.

You Will Need: rum, blue curacao, creme de coconut, pineapple juice

You may notice that it looks a lot like a Pina Colada and you would be right. Adding the blue curacao gives the Blue Hawaiian its signature color and, just like the colada, you can blend this beauty up as well.

The Beachcomber is the lightest of these tiki cocktails and it is the only drink not served in a tall glass. It is much more a rum sour than the typical tiki drink, yet it's fun and super easy and you'll love it all the same.

You Will Need: light rum, triple sec, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, simple syrup

By the name, you might think that Donn the Beachcomber created this one, but the recipe is actually attributed to Trader Vic's. It's an odd twist and one that might not be . MORE entirely true, but we do love to debate our bar trivia!

How Did the Tiki Bar Begin?

Ernest Raymond Beaumont Grant (aka Donn Beach) opened the first tiki bar in the 1930's on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. The bar was the now famous Don the Beachcomber and was decorated with items from the South Pacific. Beach developed a cocktail menu that celebrated the many styles of rum he had tasted over the years in elaborate, very secret recipes.

Around that same time, Victor Bergeron transformed his Oakland, California saloon Hinky Dinks into Trader Vic's after touring the South Seas. At his new tropical-themed bar, Bergeron created rum drinks in the same fashion and with the same prestige as Beach and the two became rivals as well as the pioneers of the tiki culture. Both bars expanded into chains and continue to operate today.

Post World War II, the interest in South Pacific culture blossomed and the tiki boom took off. Soon, tiki bars popped up all over the country, each attempting to outshine one another with lavish tiki decor, mammoth bowls of cocktails, and, of course, tiny umbrellas and lots of rum in every drink.

The tiki craze has slowed a bit in recent decades, though there are still plenty of tiki bars and many more tiki-themed parties to be found.

TIKI CULTURE

Kool Cars, Tiki Bars & Movie Stars.

Tiki Culture, With A Retro Twist

The Swingin’ Tiki & Retro Lifestyle Lounge

Tiki Cocktails!

Tiki Cocktail Recipes for Jetsetters, Swingers and Tikiphiles a Go Go

Hey kats and kittens!

Here’s a list of all the Tiki cocktail concoctions that I’ve collected for Tiki Lounge Talk. Each one has a little description of what’s in it. They’re in no particular order, because who needs order at a Tiki party? There are plenty, and more to come so come on in, pull up drink and get fabulous, baby. It’s time for some swingin’ Tiki drinks!

(Don’t forget to have plenty of ice!)

Click Here for “How To Have An Atomic Age Cocktail Party”!

Tiki Drink No. 1: The Mai Tai (rums & stuff)

The Sweet Caroline TLT Original! (Midori & amaretto)

Banana Sling TLT Original! (spiced rum, amaretto, banana liquor)

Dracula’s Blood Martini -& a movie (Vodka & juices)

Tom & Jerry (warm rum & brandy)

Very Merry Cocoa (hot cocoa, vodka, Kahluha, Irish Cream)

Zombies! (rum and lots of other stuff)

And some groovy sites to find even more Tiki drinks…

The OFFICIAL Murder Mystery of Tikiphiles!

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Now Available Online! Murder Behind The Closet Door, The Wildwood Paranormal Murder Mystery is a Retro-Noir-style ghost story set in 1979 & 1938 Wildwood and Ocean City on the New Jersey Shore. A great read for swingin' retro lovers! Written by yours truly, "Tiki Chris" Pinto

Tiki Cocktail Party

Shamelessly kitschy, a successful island-themed cocktail party deserves only the finest cuisine and libations. From candy-colored drinks to a tasty grilled shrimp recipe, here are terrific recipes for a Tiki party.

Maiden Name

"Who doesn't like coconut?" asks Ivy Mix of Leyenda in Brooklyn. "I mean, come on, I love pina coladas, but I always want a little more." She gives her version an extra flavor boost with passion fruit syrup, spices and the sugarcane spirit cachaca.

Caribbean Fairy

"This is seriously the friendliest absinthe drink I've ever had!" says Houston bar impresario Bobby Heugel. "Everyone loves it despite strong opinions on licorice flavors." He serves this creamy but not-too-rich cocktail in young coconut shells and encourages scraping up the coconut flesh with a spoon.

Imperial Bulldog

Imperial Bulldog is the first drink that Jane Danger created with Austin Hennelly, her partner at Mother of Pearl in New York City. She admires his cheeky finishing touches, like the miniature bottle of Underberg bitters inverted in the glass. As the ice melts, the bottle slowly empties into the drink.

Punky Monkey

Mixologist Joaquin Simo named this tiki-style cocktail after his fiancée, Rhea, whom he calls Monkey ("Punky when she's being a smarty-pants," he says). The powerful cardamom flavor is a nod to her love of Indian spices.

Indianapolis bartender Ryan Puckett combines his penchant for tiki cocktails with a childhood favorite, orange soda floats; the result is this tropical orange-cream soda. "I'd make orange soda floats with my grandma, so that flavor pairing is something I've always loved," he says.

Spiced Buttery Rum

Try this rich and luscious buttered rum, from Chicago tiki revivalist Paul McGee of Lost Lake in Chicago, in all of your favorite rum cocktails.

Tiki Snack Mix

This irresistible mix of soy-and-honey-glazed peanuts, bacon, and chewy glazed pineapple is the perfect complement to tiki cocktails, combining Polynesian-inspired flavors in every bite.

Gone Native

London dry gin and Pimm's No. 1 (a gin-based English aperitif) provide the foundation for this cocktail. The guava and other juices give it a tiki-esque feel, says Angus Winchester.

As the story goes, Ernest Beaumont-Gantt created this potent drink in the 1930s and named it for its mind-altering effect after a friend consumed three of them. This lower-proof version is made with Velvet Falernum, an almond-and-lime-flavored liqueur that's a key ingredient in many tiki drinks.

Fog Cutter

The Fog Cutter is a classic concoction from the legendary Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron. Forbidden Island owner Martin Cate not only serves the tiki drink, at his bar, he's also the registered owner of California license plate FGCUTTR.

Grilled Shrimp with Citrus-Sambal-Oelek Dressing

Nothing says tiki party quite like bright mixed drinks and seafood. For the latter, this grilled shrimp recipe fits the bill perfectly.

"Mango never worked as a drink ingredient for me," says Jeff Berry. "It just wasn't interesting." Then an 80-year-old ex-tiki-bartender recommended adding almond extract to help bring out the fruit's flavor. Berry tried using amaretto and it did the trick.

10 Tiki Cocktails to Kick Off Summer

Posted on Jun 14, 2013

We know, we know; it’s already too hot outside—and now that the summer is officially starting, it’s only going to get worse. While we unfortunately can’t do anything about the heat, we can suggest a few tiki cocktails to make the steamy weather more bearable.

During the 1940s and ‘50s, tropical tiki drinks were a sensation, cooling down sweltering adults across the country. You can thank Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt of Los Angeles bar Don the Beachcomber and Victor Bergeron of the Trader Vic chain for popularizing these refreshing sippers.

But the last few decades have not been kind to tiki. The classic recipes for these elixirs were cheapened with sugary ingredients and become synonymous with terrible bars on cruise ships and Bourbon Street. Fortunately, there has been a recent revival, with neo-tiki bars popping up around the country and using real cream of coconut, fresh juices and homemade grenadine.

So stop suffering and kick off the summer by fixing these 10 tantalizing tiki cocktails—you’ll be glad you did. Cheers!

Painkiller

Even if you can’t make it to the British Virgin Islands this summer, this delightfully chilly mix of Pusser’s Rum, orange juice, pineapple juice and cream of coconut will make you feel like you’re there. Take two and call us in the morning.

Bermuda Rum Swizzle

Having a party? Then whip up this deliciously frothy pitcher cocktail that calls for two types of rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine and a few dashes of Angostura Bitters for depth. It just may be your new favorite summer recipe.

Rum Rangoon

After a few sips of this Banks 5-Island Rum-based concoction, you’d swear its creator, award-winning mixologist and Liquor.com advisory board member Jim Meehan, was from some exotic locale. Though he actually hails from Wisconsin, the cocktail is no less impressive.

Batida Rosa

This simple tipple from all-star Portland, Ore., bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler is packed with flavor and features the Brazilian sugar-cane spirit cachaça. But the secret to the recipe is his home-made grenadine. Fortunately, we got him to share his formula for that, too.

The Quetzal

Tiki is all about being imaginative, and this cocktail certainly fits the bill. It includes familiar tropical ingredients like lime juice, pineapple and the Guatemalan Zacapa 23 Rum, along with an unexpected hit of maple syrup sweetness. We swear the combination works.

Traditional Mai Tai

Were you expecting a giant, neon-colored monstrosity? Fear not; this is the classic Mai Tai, from San Francisco’s resident tiki expert Martin Cate. It’s a smooth mixture of rum, orange Curaçao, orgeat syrup, rock candy syrup and lime juice. You’ll never try another recipe for the drink.

Singapore Sling

One sip of this exotic elixir and you’ll be swept away to the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, where it was invented in the early 20th century. (Our recipe is adapted from The Gentleman’s Companion by Charles H. Baker, Jr..) It calls for herbal gin and Bénédictine, plus cherry brandy, soda and lime.

Banana Nut Bay

When it comes to mixology, the banana is often overlooked. (The frozen Daiquiri, of course, being the exception.) But if you’re feeling a little more adventurous this summer, try this creamy tropical libation from mixologist Vena Edmonds. This fruity drink mixes rum, crème de banane, Castries Peanut Rum Crème Liqueur, cream of coconut and pineapple juice. You really can’t get much more tropical than that.

Don Julio Colada

We’re not embarrassed to admit that we like a well-made blender drink. You’ll no doubt agree after you taste this tequila twist on the classic Piña Colada. It showcases Don Julio Reposado Tequila, which works surprisingly well with the standard cream of coconut, pineapple juice and fresh lime juice.

Wilson Smash

Love pineapple? You’ll like this drink from San Francisco bartender Brandon Josie that calls for a special caramelized-pineapple syrup that is not only delicious but also simple to make.

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The Essential Tiki Drinks You Need To Try Before The Summer Ends

Call it a resurgence. Call it a reinvigoration. Call it the perfect escape. But whatever you do, don’t call it a trend. Tiki is here to stay, and here at Uproxx, we love a good tiki cocktail. That perfect marriage of rum, lime, sugar — with a little dash of pop-Polynesian magic — has popped up in more than a few of our stories, and for good reason: Tiki cocktails are a getaway in a glass. They’re a trip to the tropical island of our dreams — the one so perfect, so ideal, that it only exists in our imagination, and in the play of rums, spices, exotic fruits and liqueurs across our palates. Who doesn’t need an escape every once in awhile?

Before the summer’s through, these are the five tiki drinks you need to check out. New to tiki entirely? Grab your shaker. An old hand at the bar? Meet new spins on treasured classics. Don your Shriner’s-era fez, crush your ice, and harvest your mint. It’s time to say mahalo to your new favorite cocktails!

Cuba Libre — Ray Wyland, Tiki With Ray — Seattle, WA

If there’s anyone that understands the concept of the tiki bar as escape, it’s Seattleite Ray Wyland, whose passion for tiki as a lifestyle has taken him from the world famous bars that started it all, to the home tiki bars of strangers, lovingly crafted in living rooms, basements, and backyard grottos. His exploration of tiki culture — Tiki With Ray — is a labor of love, where he reminds us that, “when you’re heading out to a bar, you’re going out to have a good time and enjoy a drink or two. Maybe sometimes you want to have a little escape. With a Tiki bar, the escape is paramount. A good Tiki bar should create a relaxing mood. When you step into a Tiki bar, the outside world doesn’t exist anymore. The combination of a Tiki cocktail (which usually has two or more shots of alcohol!) with the decor and music creates a unique tone. It’s a tone and feeling that can only be achieved at a Tiki bar.”

So, what’s Ray recommend for the tiki novitiate?

If you want to turn someone on to tiki cocktails, first you have to get them to like and appreciate rum. Rum has gotten a bad reputation over the years. When most people think of rum, they are reminded of their college years back when they had a personal relationship with Sailor Jerry or they drank so much Malibu rum that they could probably own land there! College years…were the worst of times and the best of times!

For most tiki cocktails, rum is the main ingredient. When you start learning that there are many types of rum (and I’m not talking about just gold dark and silver) an entire world is opened up to you!

A good and inexpensive way to start loving rum is with Trader Vic’s. Trader Vic, aka Victor Bergeron opened up one of the first tiki bars and also invented the most popular tiki cocktail…The Mai Tai!

A Mai Tai is an awesome drink but it’s sort of strong (2 ounces of rum!) I want to take things down to an even simpler drink. A rum and Coke or actually a Cuba Libre. This is a great drink for someone just getting into rum. The Trader Vic’s Dark Rum almost has a chocolate taste and the lime gives the drink a certain tang. It’s an easy drink to make but most importantly it introduces you to a key element of tiki.

Fill a highball glass with ice, then pour in the 1.5 oz of Trader Vic’s Dark Rum. Fill the rest of the glass with Coca Cola. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 of a lime into the glass, then toss in the spent shell. Stir it all up and enjoy!

A post shared by SIMONE ALABISO 🎥 Videomaker 📹 (@simonbroz) on Jul 26, 2017 at 4:39am PDT

Tiki Drink Recipes for the Perfect Summer

Posted on June 23, 2015

Ah summer, it’s that time of year where fruity drinks and light cocktails are all we can think about. Well, nothing says summer cocktail like a maraschino cherry and a tiny umbrella in your drink! If you’re like us, then you know that tiki cocktails are the definition of summer and vacation, so even if you’re not lucky enough to be able to take an island vacation this year, you can still fake it with these essential tiki drink recipes!

Classic Tiki Bar Drink Recipes

Let’s be honest with ourselves here, tiki drinks are just an excuse to drink fruit flavored rums and there is nothing wrong with that. This drink nails that perfectly. Mix up this drink recipe, sit back, and relax.

Apricot and Coconut Prosecco Punch

If you’ve ever wondered what apricot and coconut would taste like together, the answer is heaven. But, if you don’t want to take our word for it, just grab this Prosecco Punch drink recipe and test it out for yourself!

Just the name of this drink makes you want to abandon all responsibilities and head to the beach doesn’t it? But the rum and raspberry lemonade concoction is really all you need this summer.

A slight twist on a tiki classic, the zombie is a staple in any island themed bar menu. Now mix it up with some tropical fruits and apricot brandy and you’ve got yourself a recipe for summer fun.

As old as the tiki bar itself, this recipe is an original Polynesian bar standard. If you walk into a tiki bar and they can’t make you a Navy Grog, walk right out.

This drink recipe is another classic that can’t be missed. It’s basically gin and all of the fruit juices combined to make a delightfully refreshing cocktail. This Singapore Sling recipe has the classic version and a shortcut, cheater version for you lazy busy people out there.

Oh yes! The Bahama Mama is right up there with the Pina Colada as far as summer drink recipes go, but it’s so under rated! Try out this classic summer drink recipe and you might never go back. Pro Tip: it is perfectly fine to turn up your heat in the middle of winter, put on shorts, and whip up a Bahama Mama to beat the winter blues.

So hit the liquor store, grab your ingredients, and start sipping them on some beach towels! Or, if you’re not the DIY type, you could always drop by your local Howl at the Moon for a tropical, fruity, and delicious beverage. Sometimes, we even serve them in buckets! That’s how much we love summer drinks. If you enter your info below, you could win a Happy Hour party with us which means free admission for you and your friends, free food, a special menu, and more goodies! Just enter below:

Tiki Cocktail Cake

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 18.25-ounce box chocolate cake mix

4 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 16-ounce tub milk chocolate frosting

3/4 cup vanilla frosting

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Dried fruit, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray one 6-inch cake pan and two 1-quart ovenproof bowls with cooking spray. Beat the cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil with a mixer.

Divide the batter evenly among the pan and bowls; bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes for the pan and 35 minutes for the bowls. Cool; unmold.

Trim all 3 cakes to make them level. Hollow out the smaller end of one of the bowl cakes, carving about 1 inch deep. (Leave a thick rim around the edge.)

Put the uncut bowl cake, wider side up, on a cake board or plate. Spread with a layer of chocolate frosting, then position the round cake on top.

Spread the round cake with frosting, then put the other bowl cake on top, carved part up. Freeze the cake about 1 hour (this will make it easier to frost).

Frost the outer rim and inside of the hole with vanilla frosting (an offset spatula works best). Put the remaining vanilla frosting in a resealable plastic bag.

Spread the remaining chocolate frosting over the outside of the cake. Press handfuls of

toasted coconut into the frosting, covering the cake completely.

Microwave the bag of vanilla frosting for 5 seconds (the bag will not melt). Snip off a corner and squeeze the frosting into the top of the cake so it looks like liquid.

Thread dried fruit onto a wooden skewer and insert it into the cake. Add a cocktail umbrella and straw.

Photograph by Kang Kim

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

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Coffee Liqueur Tiki Cocktail

SHARES 165

Want a tropical cocktail that's not mouth-numbingly sweet? How about one that will give you more than one kind of buzz? Enter this rum-cocktail from Kevin Beary at Chicago's Three Dots and a Dash.

Beary combines three types of rum with Madeira and shakes it with coffee liqueur for a hint of bitterness and sweetness. We encourage you to give making your own coffee liqueur a go, but also feel free to use Kahlúa. Poured up in a tiki glass, this drink is great for imagining you're on a beach.

Mr. Bali Hai Cocktails

Ingredients

1 ounce Madeira

1 ounce lemon juice

1 ounce pineapple juice

¼ ounce spiced rum

¼ ounce dark Jamaican rum

3 dashes tiki bitters

Pineapple leaves, for garnish

Coffee beans, for garnish

Directions

In a shaker, add all of the ingredients, except for the garnishes, and shake until well chilled. Pour the contents of the shaker into a tiki glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge, pineapple leaves and coffee beans, then serve.

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