Magical World of Tiki Cocktails

Learn the origins of tiki bars and get the recipe for a delicious mai tai.
Tiki cocktails are hand-crafted beverages that can be found in kitschy bars across the United States.

The vets who were coming back from the Pacific Theater after World War II would stop in Hawaii on their way to the mainland. Don the Beachcomber decided to open a bar that would appeal to these vets. He used lots of rum, because it was the cheapest alcohol available after Prohibition.

Rum is the most versatile spirit in the world, because there are no rules for creating it. It’s distilled sugar. It can be made from sugar cane or molasses.

There are different kinds of rums to consider when crafting your own tiki cocktail. A light rum is unaged, right out of the still and watered down. (All liquor is watered down to reach the proof listed on the bottle.) Aged rum or dark rum gets color and flavor from the barrels it’s aged in, similar to wine and whiskey. Spiced rum came about by adding flavor to dull rum. Now, distillers are creating spiced rum on purpose.

Any craft cocktail requires the jigger. You need to measure all the ingredients like a chef. Tiki drinks are layered drinks.

The mai tai was invented in 1941 by Vic Bergeron of Trader Vic’s in Oakland, California. “Mai tai” is Tahitian for "the very best.” It’s not an overly sweet drink, much like a mojito.

RECIPE:
  • juice of one lime, about an ounce
  • one ounce of Martinique rum (floral flavor)
  • one ounce of Jamaican rum
  • 1/2 ounce of orange curaçao
  • 1/2 ounce of orgeat syrup
  • 1/4 ounce simple syrup

Mix in shaker. Pour over crushed ice. Smack a mint sprig and use as garnish.

If you’re visiting a tiki bar for the first time, start with the mai tai. That tells you what rums they’re using and how they make their drinks. If the mai tai is too sweet, the rest of the drinks may follow suit.

Listen in as mixologist Dr. Shocker joins Dr. Mike to talk tiki cocktails.

Additional Info

  • Segment Number: 2
  • Audio File: code_delicious/1630cd3b.mp3
  • Featured Speaker: Dr. Shocker, mixologist
  • Guest Twitter Account: @dr_shocker
  • Guest Bio: Dr. ShockerDr. Shocker has been a promoter and performer around Ventura County since the early nineties. He has created such hits as the TooMuchCoffeeCast and Burlesque Jambortease. He has also worked with such great venues as the Rocket Fuel, Billy O’s, Karma Lounge, Ventura Theater and the Ban Dar. He continues to bring great shows to the area while traveling both in and out of California to perform or work amazing events like Tiki Oasis, Burlesque Hall of Fame, Tease-O-Rama and Mondo Lounge Atomic Frolic.

    Dr. Shocker is also a tikiphile who collects all things tiki. He began his obsession after a visit to the now defunct Venus Lounge in Las Vegas. Since then he can be found at many of the finer tiki establishments around the West Coast and rubbing elbows with the tiki elite at Tiki Oasis in San Diego. While learning about how proper Polynesian drinks are made Dr. Shocker began an obsession with learning how cocktails were supposed to be made before the age of “sweet drinks.” He collects vintage cocktail guides in attempts to learn some of the earliest recipes as opposed to the popular concoctions known today.
  • Length (mins): 20
  • Waiver Received: Yes
  • Host: Dr. Mike Fenster