Tiki Cocktail Party

By Food & Wine
January 10, 2017
Shamelessly kitschy, a successful island-themed cocktail party deserves only the finest cuisine and libations. From candy-colored drinks to a tasty grilled shrimp recipe, here are terrific recipes for a Tiki party.
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Maiden Name

© David Malosh

"Who doesn't like coconut?" asks Ivy Mix of Leyenda in Brooklyn. "I mean, come on, I love pina coladas, but I always want a little more." She gives her version an extra flavor boost with passion fruit syrup, spices and the sugarcane spirit cachaca.

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Caribbean Fairy

© David Malosh

"This is seriously the friendliest absinthe drink I've ever had!" says Houston bar impresario Bobby Heugel. "Everyone loves it despite strong opinions on licorice flavors." He serves this creamy but not-too-rich cocktail in young coconut shells and encourages scraping up the coconut flesh with a spoon.

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Imperial Bulldog

© David Malosh

Imperial Bulldog is the first drink that Jane Danger created with Austin Hennelly, her partner at Mother of Pearl in New York City. She admires his cheeky finishing touches, like the miniature bottle of Underberg bitters inverted in the glass. As the ice melts, the bottle slowly empties into the drink. 

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Punky Monkey

Mixologist Joaquin Simo named this tiki-style cocktail after his fiancée, Rhea, whom he calls Monkey ("Punky when she's being a smarty-pants," he says). The powerful cardamom flavor is a nod to her love of Indian spices.

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Coco Loco

© David Malosh

Indianapolis bartender Ryan Puckett combines his penchant for tiki cocktails with a childhood favorite, orange soda floats; the result is this tropical orange-cream soda. "I'd make orange soda floats with my grandma, so that flavor pairing is something I've always loved," he says.

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Spiced Buttery Rum

© Clayton Hauck

Try this rich and luscious buttered rum, from Chicago tiki revivalist Paul McGee of Lost Lake in Chicago, in all of your favorite rum cocktails.

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Tiki Snack Mix

This irresistible mix of soy-and-honey-glazed peanuts, bacon, and chewy glazed pineapple is the perfect complement to tiki cocktails, combining Polynesian-inspired flavors in every bite.

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Gone Native

London dry gin and Pimm's No. 1 (a gin-based English aperitif) provide the foundation for this cocktail. The guava and other juices give it a tiki-esque feel, says Angus Winchester.

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Zombie

As the story goes, Ernest Beaumont-Gantt created this potent drink in the 1930s and named it for its mind-altering effect after a friend consumed three of them. This lower-proof version is made with Velvet Falernum, an almond-and-lime-flavored liqueur that's a key ingredient in many tiki drinks.

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Fog Cutter

The Fog Cutter is a classic concoction from the legendary Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron. Forbidden Island owner Martin Cate not only serves the tiki drink, at his bar, he's also the registered owner of California license plate FGCUTTR.

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Grilled Shrimp with Citrus-Sambal-Oelek Dressing

Nothing says tiki party quite like bright mixed drinks and seafood. For the latter, this grilled shrimp recipe fits the bill perfectly.

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Tangaroa

"Mango never worked as a drink ingredient for me," says Jeff Berry. "It just wasn't interesting." Then an 80-year-old ex-tiki-bartender recommended adding almond extract to help bring out the fruit's flavor. Berry tried using amaretto and it did the trick.

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Mai Tai

The origin of this classic rum cocktail is one of the great debates in tikidom. Both Ernest Beaumont-Gantt (a.k.a. "Donn Beach," the father of tiki culture) and Trader Vic founder Victor Bergeron lay claim to its invention. This version borrows from Beaumont-Gantt's recipe, which adds dashes of Pernod and Angostura bitters for complexity.

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