On my just-completed nine-day Caribbean sailing aboard the glorious Celebrity Equinox, I got to spend two afternoons with two of the ship's top mixologists — both of whom were kind enough to share some of their favorite tiki cocktail recipes.
The first bartender, Daniil Razinkov of Russia, regaled us at the World Class Bar on board with the backstories of these three classic drinks and his own twist on each recipe. Given Cruiseable's tradition of sharing our favorite drink recipes from the mixologists we meet on tropical sailings (see below), let's begin with these three great tiki cocktail recipes you can make at home ... or clip and save for your next sailing. No paper umbrellas required.
Knickerbocker
Tiki drinks, featuring fresh fruits, are a grand tradition on any cruise to the Caribbean, Polynesia or the Mexican Riviera. This classic cocktail took its name from the original nickname for New Yorkers, back when New York used to be New Amsterdam. “We can consider the Knickerbocker the ancestor of all tiki drinks,” Razinkov said. “It dates to 1862. But it's still just as good today. Aged rum, fresh raspberries, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice ... This drink offers a nice balance between sweet and sour tastes. It appeals to women and gentlemen who prefer lighter, fruity cocktails.”
Ingredients
1.5 oz aged rum (e.g., 23-year-old Zacapa)
1 oz of raspberry puree
¾ oz lime juice
¾ oz orange liqueur (Cointreau)
½ oz simple syrup
1 dash tiki bitters (optional)
Recipe
- Add the ingredients to a shaker cup and shake
- Pour into a rock glass
- Add ice cubes
- Garnish with mint sprigs, a single raspberry and lemon zest
La Republica (twist on El Presidente)
“El Presidente was born in Cuba in the 1910s and became very popular in Florida in the 1930s,” Razinkov said. While tiki drinks are sometimes thought of as fruity and maybe a tad frivolous, the El Presidente is considered an aristocratic cocktail. The original El Presidente consists of rum, grenadine, orange liqueur and dry vermouth, but this cocktail's twist is the use of Cocchi Americano (an Italian aperitif wine) and Sherry Oloroso (a dry fortified wine from Spain) in place of vermouth, plus the grapefruit and thyme cordial, which elevates it to something special.
Ingredients
1.5 oz gold rum (Brugal anejo)
¾ oz Cocchi Americano
½ oz Sherry Oloroso
¾ oz orange liqueur (Cointreau)
¾ oz grapefruit & thyme cordial
¼ homemade grenadine syrup
Recipe
- Add the ingredients to a large cup and stir (don't shake)
- Pour into a tulip glass
- Add an ice ball
- Garnish with orange peel and thyme
QB Cooler
“This is a true tiki drink. QB Cooler was invented by Don the Beachcomber in the 1930s,” Razinkov said of Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt), an American adventurer and World War II vet who was the founding father of tiki culture. QB refers not to quarterbacks but to “Quiet Birdmen,” a secret society of former pilots of the First World War that counted Charles Lindbergh among its members. As for the drink? It's a mix of juices, rum and Falernum — and it's super potent, along the lines of a Long Island iced tea.
Ingredients
1 oz gold rum
½ oz light (white) rum
½ oz dark rum
1 oz Falernum (a Caribbean syrup liqueur or infusion consisting of rum, spices, ginger, pineapple, lime peels, almonds, peppers)
1 oz orange juice
½ oz simple syrup
½ oz ginger syrup
½ oz lime juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
Top with club soda
Recipe
- Add the ingredients to a shaker cup and shake
- Pour into a highball glass
- Add ice cubes, top with crushed ice
- Garnish with bamboo leaf, orange wedge & anise star
