Cafe Provencal‘s Louis Gunthersmith: Jungle Bird
“One of my favorites is the Jungle Bird. I first tried it at a bar near the Moulin Rouge in Paris, and have never forgotten the way it tasted, a great simple tiki drink with a nice bitter finish. It’s the drink that introduced me to Campari for the first time.”
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Atomic by Jamo‘s Randi Kranz: Jungle Bird
“I’m a sucker for a Jungle Bird too, but I would swap out Campari for Bordigo bitter, and, of course, fit in rhum with an H,” says Kranz, referring to Rhum Agricole, a style of rum from the Martinique Isles made from sugar cane juice with a pronounced vegetal, grassy note.
New Society‘s Mackenzie Hellem: Trinidad Sour
“Nothing beats the spiced, bittersweet, creamy mouth feel of a Trinidad sour. I like that it’s a more unique build than a lot of other classic drinks, which makes it fun to play around and riff on.”
Good Company‘s Jiana West: The Saturn
“It’s a really balanced tropical cocktail, which is important to me because most of them tend to lean pretty sweet for my taste. Not only is it balanced, but it also showcases the versatility of gin, as that probably isn’t a spirit associated with tiki/tropical cocktails.”
The Vandy‘s Parker Allen: For Pete’s Sake
“It’s a Pisco-based drink, which I love. The version I make uses a hibiscus-infused rum, which has some mind-blowing flavor notes. The color of the drink is so pretty, and the tartness of the hibiscus adds an unexpected but yummy depth of flavor.”
Retreat Gastropub‘s Kevin Wichlin: The Mr. Bali Hai
“I love Mr. Bali Hai! The blend of coffee liqueur, pineapple, and rum are stellar. I feel like it flies under the radar.”
Platypus‘ Meredith Barry: The Mai Tai
“The Mai Tai is a bright and creamy cocktail with notes of almond, marzipan, and deep orange liqueur flavors. It blends dark and unaged rums, balanced by the tartness of lime. This classic daisy build, with slight variations, is what truly gives the Mai Tai its longevity and makes it stand out among other tropical cocktails. It’s also arguably the one cocktail in this category worth splurging on high-quality ingredients.”
Planter’s House‘s Jamie Kilgore: The Ankle Breaker (see recipe below)
“When we do our annual Tiki Party, we replace the simple syrup with Big O. Tiki drinks are so enticing and exciting, but they’re often wildly changed on modern menus, resulting often in just juicy tasting pineapple-y and sweet drinks. The Ankle Breaker is easy to execute, hard to mess up, and always enjoyable.”
Ingredients
- 1 oz. overproof rum (consider Planteray OFTD)
- 1 oz. lemon
- 1 oz. cherry herring
- .5 oz. simple syrup
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaking tin.
- Shake vigorously.
- Strain over crushed ice.
