We won't quite call it a "comeback," but the tiki theme is certainly having a moment. And it's come a long way since Disneyland's infamous Enchanted Tiki Room first opened up in the '60s.
"History always repeats itself," Tidal magazine's food and entertainment editor Caroline Hwang told us of the Polynesian motif. "I've been seeing it everywhere...from this month's huge Tiki Oasis convention in San Diego to The Spare Room's monthly tiki night with guest bartenders." Plus, West Hollywood's newest bar, E.P. & L.P., has also jumped on the bandwagon by inviting guest bartenders from Lost Lake, the Chicago bar that sparked the city's tiki revival. Inspired by the resurgence, Hwang set out to capture the tiki essence in cocktail form, with four delicious — but decidedly grown-up — recipes.
"We wanted to make the tiki drink a little more glamorous and evocative of Old Hollywood, instead of the kitchy, flowery drink from the '60s and '70s that it's known for," Hwang explains. After developing the recipes, she needed a couple more people to help bring her vision to life: photographer Joyce Lee and one of our own R29 contributors, prop stylist Peter Dolkas. The result? Four rad, artsy shots of our cocktails du jour.
Scroll down to peek at the gallery-worthy photos — and get working on these recipes, stat.
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There's Always Money In The Banana Stand
Serves 1
"This drink has the bitter component, with the use of Cappelletti to offset the sweetness," Hwang says. Ingredients
2 oz dark rum
1 oz white rum
1/2 oz macadamia orgeat
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 oz coconut cream
1 tsp Falernum syrup
1/2 oz Cappelletti
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz lime juice
Ice cubes
Mint leaves
1 Luxardo maraschino cherry
1 orange Instructions
1. Place white rum, orgeat, frozen banana, coconut cream, and Falernum with ice cubes into a blender.
2. Blend well and pour into a tall collins glass filled halfway with crushed ice.
3. Pour in orange juice, lime juice, and Cappelletti. Top off with dark rum.
4. Garnish with an orange wedge, mint leaves, a Luxardo maraschino cherry, and a swizzle stick.
Serves 1
"This drink has the bitter component, with the use of Cappelletti to offset the sweetness," Hwang says. Ingredients
2 oz dark rum
1 oz white rum
1/2 oz macadamia orgeat
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 oz coconut cream
1 tsp Falernum syrup
1/2 oz Cappelletti
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz lime juice
Ice cubes
Mint leaves
1 Luxardo maraschino cherry
1 orange Instructions
1. Place white rum, orgeat, frozen banana, coconut cream, and Falernum with ice cubes into a blender.
2. Blend well and pour into a tall collins glass filled halfway with crushed ice.
3. Pour in orange juice, lime juice, and Cappelletti. Top off with dark rum.
4. Garnish with an orange wedge, mint leaves, a Luxardo maraschino cherry, and a swizzle stick.
Zombie
Serves 1
"This is a classic tiki drink that gained popularity during the 1939 World's Fair. It is quite boozy, with four different rums, so impose the bartender rule of a two-Zombie limit," suggests Hwang.
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Jamaican rum or white rum
1 1/2 oz gold Puerto Rican rum or gold rum
1 oz Demerara rum or dark rum
1/2 oz 151-proof rum
1/2 oz Falernum syrup
3/4 oz lime juice
2 tsp white grapefruit juice
1/4 oz pomegranate molasses
1 tsp cinnamon syrup
1 dash angostura bitters
Ice cubes
6 oz crushed ice
Mint leaves
1 Orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients except the 151-proof rum and crushed ice into a shaker and shake until cold, about 10 seconds.
2. Fill crushed ice into a tall hurricane or collins glass. Strain the cocktail into the glass and float the 151-proof rum on top. (If you feel adventurous, you can put the 151-proof rum in a spent lime shell and take a match to it and it will burn.)
4. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, orange peel, and mint.
Serves 1
"This is a classic tiki drink that gained popularity during the 1939 World's Fair. It is quite boozy, with four different rums, so impose the bartender rule of a two-Zombie limit," suggests Hwang.
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Jamaican rum or white rum
1 1/2 oz gold Puerto Rican rum or gold rum
1 oz Demerara rum or dark rum
1/2 oz 151-proof rum
1/2 oz Falernum syrup
3/4 oz lime juice
2 tsp white grapefruit juice
1/4 oz pomegranate molasses
1 tsp cinnamon syrup
1 dash angostura bitters
Ice cubes
6 oz crushed ice
Mint leaves
1 Orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients except the 151-proof rum and crushed ice into a shaker and shake until cold, about 10 seconds.
2. Fill crushed ice into a tall hurricane or collins glass. Strain the cocktail into the glass and float the 151-proof rum on top. (If you feel adventurous, you can put the 151-proof rum in a spent lime shell and take a match to it and it will burn.)
4. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, orange peel, and mint.
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Ti Punch
Serves 1
"Ti Punch literally means 'small punch' — it's one of the easier tiki cocktails to make, but is equally refreshing and delicious," Hwang says.
Ingredients
2 oz agricole rum
1 oz grapefruit juice
1/4 oz maraschino
Mint leaves
1 lime
1 Luxardo maraschino cherry Instructions
1. Place all ingredients into a shaker and shake until cold, about 10 seconds.
2. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with mint, lime wheel, a lime twist, and a cherry.
Serves 1
"Ti Punch literally means 'small punch' — it's one of the easier tiki cocktails to make, but is equally refreshing and delicious," Hwang says.
Ingredients
2 oz agricole rum
1 oz grapefruit juice
1/4 oz maraschino
Mint leaves
1 lime
1 Luxardo maraschino cherry Instructions
1. Place all ingredients into a shaker and shake until cold, about 10 seconds.
2. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with mint, lime wheel, a lime twist, and a cherry.
Chi Chi
Serves 1
"This is the piña colada’s sister — the vodka version. It's creamy and tropical: all the essentials," adds Hwang. Ingredients
2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz coconut cream
1 tsp allspice dram
1 dash angostura bitters
Ice cubes
1 pineapple spear
Pineapple leaves
1 Luxardo maraschino cherry
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients except angostura bitters into a blender.
2. Blend well and pour into a hurricane or collins glass.
3. Top with a dash of angostura bitters. Garnish with a pineapple spear, pineapple leaves, and a maraschino cherry.
Serves 1
"This is the piña colada’s sister — the vodka version. It's creamy and tropical: all the essentials," adds Hwang. Ingredients
2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz coconut cream
1 tsp allspice dram
1 dash angostura bitters
Ice cubes
1 pineapple spear
Pineapple leaves
1 Luxardo maraschino cherry
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients except angostura bitters into a blender.
2. Blend well and pour into a hurricane or collins glass.
3. Top with a dash of angostura bitters. Garnish with a pineapple spear, pineapple leaves, and a maraschino cherry.