5 Tiki Cocktails You Should Be Ordering

My husband has always pushed me to start a blog. He first had the idea when I moved from Los Angeles to Birmingham, AL, he wanted me to share the cultural differences with my friends back home, especially my non-understanding of the football-obsessed culture. BUT I never took him seriously and now here we are three years later and just getting this bad boy up and going. Anyways, when I told him about the travel blog idea he had SO many great ideas so I asked him to write a post a month and well now its time for his FIRST POST! If you can’t tell, I am his biggest fan and so excited to share this post today.

A little about my husband, Mike, he’s a flannel-wearing geologist by day and a tiki drink loving, budget trip planning expert at night. Seriously, he is the BEST trip planner, our friends are always asking for help finding fun things to do in new cities as well as getting his opinion on rocks and crystals. I saved this post for today because it is our 8 year (!!!!!!!!) dating anniversary, now that we are married are we still allowed to celebrate that??

Now without further ado, Tiki Cocktails….

In 1934, Don the Beachcomber opened the worlds first tiki bar, allowing people to depart their daily routine and escape to the islands with strong rum drinks and Polynesian décor.  Tiki bars went out of fashion in the 60’s but thanks to the rise of craft cocktails, tiki bars have been popping up all over the country. Think less of sugary slushies in a Margaritaville esque atmosphere and more potent, handcrafted cocktails with fresh juices in yes, a Margaritaville esque atmosphere.  Look past the name brand cocktails such as mai tais and hurricanes and try one of these lesser-known classics:

1. Navy Grog.  More overlooked than lesser known.  The Navy Grog combines light and dark rum with lime juice and honey.  A more tart than sweet cocktail, Navy Grog is traditionally served in an old-fashioned glass with a cone of shaved ice.  Next time in Las Vegas, travel off the strip to The Golden Tiki where Navy Grog is the strongest drink on the menu.
2. Fog Cutter.  Created by Trader Vic in the 30’s, the Fog Cutter combines rum, gin and brandy with orgeat, an almond-flavored syrup.  Orange and lemon juice help dilute this cocktail that is typically served in a more traditional Tiki Mug.  Find one at Tiki Ti’s in Hollywood.
3. Lapu Lapu.  If you’ve ever spent time at the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World you may have already had one of these.  This drink is named after Chief Lapu Lapu who led the Mactan people of the modern day Philippines against the invading Spanish conquistadors.  Less potent than most Tiki drinks, this cocktail has rum, fruit juice, and grenadine in a hollowed out pineapple. Find it at the Tonga Hut in downtown Palm Springs.
4. Pearl Diver.  Similar to the Hemingway daiquiri, this drink combines 3 types of rum (light, dark, and overproofed) with lime juice and an orange-flavored liqueur.   The drink is garnished with a lime wheel and served in its namesake glass.  Go grab one at False Idol, a tiki-themed speakeasy in San Diego
5. Three Dots and a Dash.  Named after the morse code for V, this strong cocktail is made with rum, orange, lemon, and spices.  It is also typically garnished with 3 cherries and a pineapple slice (in case you forget the name of the thing you’re drinking.)  The best place to drink one? Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago.

Go Exploring and drink some Tiki Cocktails.