There’s something irresistible about a great tiki bar. Whether you’re off in the tropics or here at a local tiki joint, you’re soon overcome by sensations of sun-kissed languor and vacation ease. (Or perhaps that’s simply the mai tais.)
So it’s hardly surprising that the resurgence of tiki bars on the mainland has been accompanied by a flurry of new tiki cocktail books, from Lynn Calvo’s “Tiki With a Twist” (Sterling Epicure, $15) to Coastal Living’s “Beach Cocktails” (Oxmoor House, $25).
We’ve culled five tiki sips (and tips) from a trio of these books to get you in a suitably tropical frame of mind. The Hanalei Bay Breeze, for example, is a Calvo creation. And the Zombie cocktail, she says, is as close to the original Don the Beachcomber version as it’s possible to be without the actual closely-guarded secret recipe.
(Southern California’s Don the Beachcomber and Northern California’s Vic Bergeron, of Trader Vic’s fame, are considered the godfathers of tiki – you’ll find them referenced in all these books.)
Calvo is the woman behind Lynn’s Hula Hut, a tiki bar in Montauk, New York, which got its start as a food truck with a tiki pop-up bar in the Hamptons. Her book includes 75 modern twists on the tiki-drink theme, many made with fresh fruit purees and creative syrups. And her clever garnishes include Drunken Pineapple Wedges: 1/2-inch thick pineapple wedges that are soaked in 1 cup coconut rum, 1 cup spiced rum and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for two to three days). The wedges can be served as is, perched on a glass rim, but Calvo says she also grills them on skewers with coconut-curried shrimp for a memorable party starter. (We’re hoping it’s memorable for its flavor, not its flammability.)
An icy Navy Grog and another Don the Beachcomber libation, the Test Pilot, are featured in Coastal Living’s new “Beach Cocktails” book, which takes readers on a tiki tour of the cocktail world with 125 recipes to suit whichever beach you’re lounging on, whether it’s in Cuba or Cabo. The editors of the magazine, one of Sunset’s sister publications, have thrown some bar snack recipes into the mix, as well.
And siblings Andre and Tenaya Darlington feature a classic, slushy Missionary’s Downfall, another Don the Beachcomber creation, in their “The New Cocktail Hour” (Running Press, $22). The book includes just the right amount of tiki lore, cocktail history and food pairings -mai tai and Pad Thai? Yes, please – to complement its 230 cocktail recipes, some tiki and some not.
Cheers!Missionary’s DownfallServes 2
INGREDIENTS2 ounces light rum, such as Flor de Cana
1 ounce peach brandy or Mathilde Peche
2 ounces honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water, shaken until mixed, then chilled)
1 ounce fresh lime juice1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves, plus a few leaves to garnish
INSTRUCTIONSPuree ingredients in a blender with ice. Pour into a pair of chilled cocktail glasses and garnish with mint.
Excerpted with permission from “The New Cocktail Hour,” by Andre and Tenaya Darlington
Hanalei Bay BreezeServes 2INGREDIENTS
2 ounces coconut rum1 ounce light rum
1 ounce spiced rum4 ounces pineapple juice
4 ounces pomegranate juice1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce dark rum, divided2 cocktail cherries and 2 pineapple wedges, garnish
INSTRUCTIONSIn a large cocktail shaker, combine everything except the dark rum and garnishes. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds. Strain the cocktails into two Collins glasses over ice. Float 1/2 ounce dark rum on each and garnish with cherries, pineapple wedges and paper umbrellas.
Reprinted with permission from “Tiki With A Twist” (c) 2016 by Lynn Calvo, Sterling Epicure.
ZombieServes 1INGREDIENTS11/2 ounces gold Puerto Rican rum
11/2 ounces Jamaican light rum1/4 teaspoon Pernod
1 teaspoon grenadine3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
1 dash Angostura bitters1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1 ounce 151 rum
1 cherry, garnishINSTRUCTIONSIn a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all the ingredients except the 151 rum and garnish. Shake for 5 to 10 seconds, then strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Float the 151 rum on top and garnish with the cherry.
Lynn Calvo, “Tiki With a Twist.”
Test PilotServes 1INGREDIENTS1 cup crushed ice
1/4 cup white rum1/2 ounce falernum syrup
1 tablespoon orange liqueur1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
6 drops Pernod1 dash Angostura bitters
INSTRUCTIONSCombine ingredients in a blender until mostly smooth. Pour into a double old-fashioned glass, adding more crushed ice, if necessary.
Excerpted from “Beach Cocktails” by the Editors of Coastal Living. Copyright (c) 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books.
Navy GrogServes 1INGREDIENTSFinely crushed ice
1 ounce dark rum1 ounce light rum
1 tablespoon ginger-honey or simple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lime juiceINSTRUCTIONS
Firmly pack crushed ice into the bottom of a 7-ounce plastic-lined paper cone. Pour in just enough water to cover ice. Freeze until completely firm, about 8 hours. Tear paper from cone and place frozen cone in a chilled rocks glass. (Or simply pile a little mountain of crushed ice into the glass.) Combine the rums, syrup and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain the mixture over the ice.
Coastal Living, “Beach Cocktails”
Contact Jackie Burrell at jburrell@ bayareanewsgroup.com or 925-977-8568.
