The Zombie
Three rums. Citrus. Spice. A name that comes with a warning label.
Created by Donn Beach at Don the Beachcomber in 1934, the Zombie became one of tiki’s legendary high-octane drinks. The tricky part is that Donn changed the recipe over the years, so there isn’t one universally accepted version.
What you’ll need
- 1½ oz aged Jamaican rum
- 1½ oz gold rum
- 1 oz 151-proof Demerara rum
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz falernum
- ⅓ oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon syrup
- 1 tsp grenadine
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 3 dashes absinthe
- Crushed ice
- Fresh mint
How to make it
1. Add everything except the ice to a blender.
The Zombie has a long ingredient list. That’s part of the fun.
2. Add crushed ice.
Use roughly one small scoop.
3. Blend briefly.
Blend just long enough to combine and chill the drink.
4. Pour into a chilled Collins or Zombie glass.
Don’t overthink it.
5. Garnish dramatically.
Add a big bouquet of fresh mint.
6. Serve with a straw.
And maybe don’t schedule a chainsaw demonstration afterward.
The recipe above follows an interpretation of the early Don Beach version. Modern versions can differ substantially.
The Mai Tai
The classic. The gateway drug. The drink most likely to make you start buying orgeat.
The original Mai Tai is generally credited to Trader Vic, who created it in 1944. The original was considerably drier and more rum-forward than many of the pineapple-heavy versions that became popular later.
What you’ll need
- 2 oz aged rum
- ½ oz dry curaçao
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice
- ⅓ oz orgeat
- ¼ oz rich simple syrup
- ½ oz dark rum, optional
- Mint
- Lime shell
- Crushed ice
How to make it
1. Fill your shaker with ice.
Add the aged rum, curaçao, lime juice, orgeat and rich simple syrup.
2. Shake hard.
Give everything a good shake until thoroughly chilled.
3. Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
The more crushed ice, the better the tiki aesthetic.
4. Strain into the glass.
Pour the cocktail over the crushed ice.
5. Add the dark rum.
Float it gently over the top if you’re using it.
6. Garnish.
Add a spent lime shell and a generous sprig of mint.
Tiki tip: Don’t turn this into a pineapple juice bomb. A classic Mai Tai is all about rum, lime, orange and almond.
Jungle Bird
Tropical fruit meets bitter Campari.
The Jungle Bird is a particularly fun tiki drink because it doesn’t hide the bitterness. It was created at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in 1973 and combines dark rum, pineapple and lime with bitter red liqueur.
What you’ll need
- 1½ oz dark rum
- ½ oz Campari
- 1½ oz pineapple juice
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz rich simple syrup
- Pineapple wedge
- Maraschino cherry
- Crushed ice
How to make it
1. Add everything except the garnish to a shaker.
Rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice and syrup.
2. Add ice.
Shake until cold.
3. Fill an old-fashioned glass with crushed ice.
A big mound of crushed ice works beautifully here.
4. Strain over the ice.
Let that gorgeous ruby-orange color do its thing.
5. Garnish.
Add a pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry.
6. Serve.
A straw is optional, but this is PDXotica, so I say embrace the straw.
Painkiller
Creamy. Tropical. Dangerously easy to drink.
The Painkiller originated at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands during the 1970s and combines rum, pineapple, orange and cream of coconut. Pusser’s later trademarked the name.
What you’ll need
- 2 oz navy-strength rum
- 4 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz fresh orange juice
- 1 oz cream of coconut
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Pineapple wedge
- Crushed ice
How to make it
1. Add everything except the nutmeg and garnish to a shaker.
Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cream of coconut.
2. Add ice.
Shake vigorously for about 10–15 seconds.
3. Fill a tiki mug or hurricane glass with crushed ice.
Pile it up.
4. Strain the drink over the ice.
The coconut should give the drink a silky texture.
5. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top.
This is not the time for a tiny dusting. Let that nutmeg announce itself.
6. Garnish with pineapple.
Add a pineapple wedge and serve with a straw.
Navy Grog
Three rums, grapefruit, lime and honey. Strong enough to make the name feel appropriate.
The Navy Grog is associated with Don the Beachcomber’s early tiki repertoire and is built around a blend of three rums, citrus and honey syrup.
What you’ll need
- 1 oz dark Jamaican rum
- 1 oz gold Demerara rum
- 1 oz white rum
- ¾ oz fresh grapefruit juice
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz honey syrup
- ¾ oz club soda
- Mint
- Lime wheel
- Crushed ice
First, make the honey syrup
Mix equal parts honey and warm water until smooth.
Let it cool before using.
How to make the drink
1. Add the three rums to a shaker.
This is where the Navy Grog gets its depth.
2. Add grapefruit juice, lime juice and honey syrup.
Then add the club soda.
3. Fill the shaker with crushed ice.
Shake until thoroughly chilled.
4. Strain into a chilled rocks glass.
Fill the glass with fresh crushed ice.
5. Garnish.
Add a mint sprig and lime wheel.
6. Add a straw.
Then enjoy your tiny tropical naval vessel.
Three Dots and a Dash
A WWII-era tiki classic with a garnish that is literally Morse code.
Created by Donn Beach during World War II, the name refers to the Morse-code symbol for V, meaning victory. The traditional garnish represents the name: three cherries are the dots and a piece of pineapple is the dash.
What you’ll need
- 1½ oz aged rhum agricole
- ½ oz blended aged rum
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz fresh orange juice
- ½ oz honey syrup
- ¼ oz falernum
- ¼ oz allspice dram
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 3 maraschino cherries
- Pineapple chunk or pineapple frond
- Crushed ice
How to make it
1. Add all ingredients to a shaker.
Don’t add the garnish yet. Obviously.
2. Fill with crushed ice.
Shake until the shaker gets properly frosty.
3. Pour into a tiki mug or tall glass.
A traditional tiki mug is particularly good here.
4. Don’t strain away all that glorious ice.
A dirty-dump style pour works beautifully.
5. Make the garnish.
Skewer three cherries and a pineapple chunk.
Three dots. One dash.
6. Place the garnish on top.
Congratulations. You have turned Morse code into a cocktail.
Saturn
The oddball of the group. It’s tiki, but there’s no rum.
The Saturn swaps the usual rum base for gin and combines it with passion fruit, lemon, orgeat and falernum. Its signature garnish is a lemon peel wrapped around a cherry, creating a tiny planetary orbit.
What you’ll need
- 2½ oz London dry gin
- ½ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz passion fruit syrup
- ½ oz orgeat
- ½ oz falernum
- Crushed ice
- 1 maraschino cherry
- Lemon peel
How to make it
1. Add the gin, lemon juice, passion fruit syrup, orgeat and falernum to a shaker.
Five ingredients. No rum required.
2. Add crushed ice.
Shake until cold.
3. Pour into a chilled sling or tiki glass.
Keep the crushed ice.
4. Make the Saturn garnish.
Cut a thick lemon peel into a wheel or ring.
Thread a cherry through it so the lemon peel looks like a ring around a planet.
5. Place it across the rim.
Now you’ve got a cocktail with its own tiny solar system.
