Rum & other spirits

Rum

Two rums with the same colour can taste nothing alike. Pick a style, then a bottle, to see which recipes it can cover.

Gin

A juniper-led spirit. Its botanical character works especially well with citrus, passion fruit, orgeat, and other tropical ingredients.

In the recipes here, this is a base spirit.

Used in Notes of Adventure, Saturn. Browse all

• Botanical gin

  Gin that leans on citrus, floral, or other botanicals alongside or ahead of juniper.

  2 drinks

  Example: Tanqueray No. Ten

• London dry gin

  Juniper-forward gin distilled with botanicals and bottled without added sugar.

  2 drinks

  Example: Beefeater London Dry Gin

• Navy strength gin

  Gin bottled near 57% ABV, the traditional British navy strength. The extra alcohol helps the botanicals carry through juice and syrup.

  2 drinks

• Plymouth-style gin

  A softer, slightly earthier gin style than a typical London dry.

  2 drinks

  Example: Plymouth Gin

Whiskey

Oak-aged grain spirit. In tropical drinks it adds vanilla, caramel, and spice that sit well with allspice dram, cinnamon syrup, citrus, and pineapple.

In the recipes here, this is a base spirit.

Used in Shipwreck on the Rocks, Spiced Island, Temple of the Forbidden Rye. Browse all

• Bourbon

  American whiskey made with a majority of corn and aged in new charred oak. Sweet grain, vanilla, and caramel.

  2 drinks

  Example: Buffalo Trace Bourbon

  • High-proof bourbon

    Bourbon bottled well above the usual 40% ABV. Strength is separate from mash bill, so one bottle can be both bourbon and high-proof.

    2 drinks

    Example: Wild Turkey 101

• Rye whiskey

  American whiskey with a majority of rye in the mash. Drier and spicier than bourbon.

  1 drink

  • Bottled-in-bond rye

    Rye from one distillery and one season, aged at least four years and bottled at 50% ABV. A reliable spicy rye at a known strength.

    1 drink

    Example: Rittenhouse Rye

Agave spirits

Spirits distilled from agave. They bring vegetal, earthy, mineral, and sometimes smoky notes that contrast with tropical fruit, syrups, and bitter ingredients.

In the recipes here, this is a base spirit.

Used in Rosita's Margarita, Safe Travels, Tiki La Casita. Browse all

• Blanco tequila

  Unaged tequila. Bright, peppery, and vegetal.

  Example: Espolòn Blanco

• Mezcal

  Agave spirit, often from roasted agave, with smoke, mineral, and vegetal notes. Distinct from tequila.

  1 drink

  Example: Del Maguey Vida

• Reposado tequila

  Tequila rested in oak, usually for a few months. Still agave-forward, with light vanilla and spice.

  3 drinks

  Example: Ocho Reposado

Brandy & grape spirits

Brandy and Cognac have deep roots in classic tiki and pair with citrus, nut syrups, and warm spice. Pisco is a lighter, brighter grape spirit.

• Brandy

  Grape spirit aged in oak. Broader than Cognac, which is one regional brandy.

  • Cognac

    Brandy from the Cognac region of France. A common grape spirit in classic tiki.

    Example: Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac

• Pisco

  An unaged grape spirit from Peru or Chile. Brighter and less oaky than Cognac.

  Example: Macchu Pisco

Vodka

A neutral spirit. Used as a base when a recipe names vodka and no flavor.

In the recipes here, this is a base spirit.

Used in Ginger’s Pear-adise, Nile River Sunset, Old Kungaloosh, Piranha Pool, Tahitian Torch. Browse all

• Pear vodka

  Vodka flavored with pear.

  4 drinks

• Strawberry vodka

  Vodka flavored with strawberry.

  4 drinks

Absinthe

An anise-flavored spirit, recorded when a recipe names it.

In the recipes here, this is a base spirit.

Used in Test Pilot. Browse all

Liqueur

Sweetened, flavored spirits used as modifiers, grouped by flavor.

In the recipes here, this is a modifier rather than a base spirit.

Falernum stays with the syrups, because both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions are used.

Used in Ginger’s Pear-adise, HippopotoMai-Tai, Jungle Bird, Ka-Blue-ie!, Mai Tai, Nautilus, Nile River Sunset, Old Kungaloosh, Polynesian Pearl, Rosita's Margarita, Spiced Island, Temple of the Forbidden Rye, Test Pilot, Three Dots and a Dash. Browse all

• Apricot liqueur

  A sweet apricot liqueur.

  1 drink

• Bitter liqueurs

  Bitter aperitif liqueurs. Distinct from bitters, which are used by the dash.

  Common tiki use: A bitter modifier, poured by the measure rather than by the dash.

  2 drinks

  • Amaro Montenegro

    A bottled amaro. Kept as the named product rather than a generic bitter.

    1 drink

  • Red bitter aperitivo

    Bitter, bright red Italian-style aperitif liqueur.

    1 drink

    Example: Campari

• Crème de pêche

  A peach liqueur.

  1 drink

• Melon liqueur

  A sweet melon liqueur.

  1 drink

• Orange liqueur

  Sweetened orange spirits. Curaçao is richer and rounder; triple sec is clearer, brighter, and drier.

  Common tiki use: A small orange modifier in rum sours.

  6 drinks

  • Blue curaçao

    Orange curaçao colored blue. The color is the point of the call.

    1 drink

  • Grand Marnier

    A cognac-based orange liqueur. Kept separate from curaçao and triple sec.

    1 drink

  • Orange curaçao

    Orange liqueur traditionally flavored with bitter orange peel, often on a brandy or rum base. Richer and less sharp than most triple secs.

    3 drinks

    If you don't have it: Triple sec

    Example: Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

  • Triple sec

    Clear orange liqueur on a neutral base; brighter and drier than curaçao.

    1 drink

    Can stand in for Orange curaçao

• RumChata

  A dairy liqueur sold as RumChata.

  1 drink

• Spice liqueurs

  Potent spice liqueurs, used in small amounts rather than as the base of a drink.

  Common tiki use: A small measure of spice in tiki drinks that already have rum and citrus.

  4 drinks

  • Allspice dram

    Rum-based liqueur flavored with allspice berries. Potent; used in small amounts.

    3 drinks

  • Ginger liqueur

    A sweet ginger liqueur. Not fresh ginger and not ginger beer.

    1 drink

Bitters

Concentrated aromatic tinctures used by the dash, not as a base spirit.

In the recipes here, this is a dash modifier rather than a base spirit.

Used in Angolada, Hala Kahiki, Planter's Punch, Queen's Park Swizzle, Safari Swizzle, Tangaroa Cooler, Test Pilot, Three Dots and a Dash. Browse all

• Aromatic bitters

  Spiced, gentian-based bitters of the kind most classic recipes call for by brand.

  Common tiki use: The usual dash of spice in punches and swizzles.

  7 drinks

  Example: Angostura Aromatic Bitters

• Grapefruit bitters

  Grapefruit-peel bitters, used by the dash.

  Common tiki use: A drier citrus edge in drinks that already use grapefruit, or when orange bitters would be too sweet.

• Orange bitters

  Orange-peel bitters. A few dashes add dried citrus aroma.

  Common tiki use: A dash of dried orange peel without the sweetness of an orange liqueur.

  1 drink

• Peychaud's-style bitters

  Anise- and floral-leaning bitters, lighter than Angostura-style aromatic bitters.

  Common tiki use: A lighter, anise-leaning dash when aromatic bitters would be too spiced.

  1 drink

• Specialty bitters

  Other bitters — spice, tropical fruit, or tiki blends — used by the dash when a recipe names them.

  Common tiki use: A named dash of spice, fruit, or a tiki blend when a recipe calls for it.