Tiki drinks

Where tiki comes from

Tiki began in the United States in the 1930s, when bars such as Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood and later Trader Vic's in the San Francisco Bay Area served elaborate rum drinks in a fantasy Polynesian setting. The style built on Caribbean rum punches and sours but added more layers: several rums in one glass, house-made syrups and spice. It faded for a while and returned strongly from the early 2000s onward.

The building blocks

• Rum, often two or three kinds combined, for example a light rum for freshness and a dark or aged rum for depth.
• Fresh lime juice, sometimes with grapefruit, pineapple or orange.
• Sweeteners with character: orgeat (almond syrup), falernum, honey, demerara syrup, passion fruit or cinnamon syrup.
• Accents such as Angostura bitters, pastis or allspice dram, used in small amounts.

Technique and ice

Many tiki drinks are flash blended or shaken with crushed ice and poured unstrained, so the ice becomes part of the drink. If you do not have a blender, shake hard with crushed ice and dump everything into the glass. Crushed ice dilutes quickly, which is intended: these recipes are strong and the water softens them.

Getting it right at home

Start with the Mai Tai or the Jungle Bird. Both need only a few bottles and teach you how rum, lime and syrup interact. Measure carefully, because recipes with five or six ingredients go out of balance fast. Tiki drinks are often strong despite their fruity taste, so serve them in moderate portions.