Tag Archives: tiki drinks

Mai Tai

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One could argue that tiki time isn’t limited to just the summer, and one would be right. However, there’s something about summer sunshine that makes a tropical drink with a pineapple spear or tiny umbrella the logical choice. Let’s get tiki!

The Mai Tai is one of the most well-known of the tiki drinks. It’s a bit complicated, with several types of rum and an almond syrup known as orgeat, but once you’re sipping one life becomes quite simple.

You can make your own orgeat, or buy it. It’s easy to make. But if you do buy it, make sure you get one made with real almonds. (Small Hand Foods and Okole Maluna are two good ones.)

Mai Tai
3/4 ounce light rum
3/4 ounce gold rum
1/2 ounce dark rum
1 ounce triple sec
1/2 ounce orgeat
1/2 ounce lime juice

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for about 15 seconds. Strain into ice-filled old fashioned glass. (Some people prefer to float the dark rum on top rather than shaking it in.) Garnish with pineapple chunk and sprig of mint.

*If you just don’t have those three different types of rum on hand, you could do one ounce each of light and dark rum instead.

Photo by Jackson Stakeman

Planter’s Punch

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Every May we seem to have a heat wave here in Sonoma County. And while it seems to be good for my vegetable garden, I’m wilting like a delicate flower over here. Time for some punch!

Planter’s Punch is one of those fabulous tiki drinks where no two recipes are the same. Some have a bunch of fruit juice and syrups; others are more focused on rum, lime, and sugar. I like it in the middle, with a little bit of sweetness but not an avalanche of fruit flavors.

My version uses homemade grenadine (which is very easy to make and has a more complex sweet and tart flavor … but if you don’t want to make it yourself, be sure to buy real pomegranate grenadine and not neon red corn syrup mistakenly called grenadine). Feel free to add orange or pineapple juice if you want something a little lighter and more fruity.

Planter’s Punch

3 ounces dark rum (Jamaican rum will do the trick!)
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce DIY grenadine
3/4 ounce lime juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters

Pour all ingredients into a Collins or tall glass. Add crushed ice and stir, then top off with a little more crushed ice. Garnish creatively! It’s a tiki drink, after all.

Photo by Jackson Stakeman