I remember it like it was yesterday: I was 8 years old. The sun was just falling below the line of Gulf grasses surrounding the tiki hut, and I looked down at the frozen drink between my freckled, sunburnt knees. It was pure as snow. After a long day under the hot Mexican sun, vacation could be summed up in one coco-nutty slurp of pina colada. Sure, it was a virgin version, but I was hooked.
The tiki cocktail has honorable roots and is experiencing a major comeback in terms of quality. The initial popularity of tiki drinks is likely tied to Mr. Vic Bergeron, ‘Trader Vic,’ who travelled to Cuba and the Caribbean to find world-class rums and perfect his bartending skills. He also traveled the spice route and fell in love with exotic cooking ingredients still popular today (including morels and green peppercorns); Trader Vic’s island–themed restaurants were among the first fusion eateries in the U.S. His creation of the Trader Vic Mai Tai put him on the map as a forefather of the modern tiki cocktail.
While tiki bars went through a dark period of over-sweetened, pre-mixed beverages, we are now seeing a resurgence that utilizes fresh ingredients and culinary-inspired cocktails. The joke that serving a drink laden with umbrellas and over-the-top fruit garnishes is girly or juvenile is a thing of the past. I say, pull out your blenders! Dust off your Hawaiian shirts! Garnish with a half—heck, a whole banana if you like!
the tiki man cometh
» This cocktail incorporates all my favorite tiki components: a special syrup, rum and fruity juices.
1 oz. Cruzan coconut rum or Malibu
1 oz. Cruzan white rum
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
¾ oz. hibiscus teaz* or water
¾ oz. spiced Orgeat syrup*
1 oz. fresh coconut water
For Hibiscus Tea*
» Steep 2T. dried hibiscus flowers in water for 2-3 minutes. Strain and let cool. Alternatively, Fee Brothers sells quality flower waters.
For Spiced Orgeat Syrup*
» Orgeat is a French almond milk syrup. Boil 2 c. blanched sliced almonds in 4 c. water. Steep overnight at room temp. Boil again, remove almonds, and stir in 4 c. sugar until fully dissolved. Add 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves and let cool. Remove spices. Will keep in sealed container up to one month.
[Jorie Taylor is a certified sommelier and the assistant bar manager at Cielo at the Four Seasons Hotel.]