Siren’s Kiss

We would venture to say that most tiki drinks are served with a straw and aren’t meant to be sipped directly from the glass. This is probably a good thing, since you can get a lot more inventive with your garnishes if you don’t have to tilt the mug every time you take a sip. That said, this cocktail is a little bit different because it is rimmed and meant to be drunk straight from the glass so you get a taste of something special along with every sip of rum.

The rim is the secret the Siren’s Kiss, making the cocktail both taste and look good – in fact, it makes up the “lip print” of the siren if you use your imagination a bit! It is made with li hing mui powder. The salty-sweet dried plum powder is incredibly popular in Hawaii and is paired with both sweet and savory items. We pick up a big package when we’re able to and have friends bring it back for us when they go. Here, we rubbed a lemon wedge on a rocks glass and dipped the rim into the powder before pouring in the cocktail. The pink powder is pretty enough to be a garnish in its own right!

This cocktail packs a punch, with a generous pour of Stolen’s Overproof rum and a splash of mezcal making up the base of the drink. The fruity, toffee notes of the rum blend seamlessly with the smoke of the mezcal. Once the spirits are in, the drink gets a dose of passion fruit liqueur, pineapple juice and lime. It’s a good combination on its own, but it really starts to shine when combined with the li hing mui. The salty-sweet powder really contrasts well with the cocktail, bringing out the fruity flavors in the mix without making the drink seem overly sweet. It also allows a subtle smokiness from the mezcal come through the fruit in a subtle and addictive way.

Since we’re using an overproof rum here, this cocktail packs a punch – just as you might expect should you receive a kiss from a real siren one of these days…!

Siren’s Kiss
1 1/2 oz Stolen Overproof Rum
1/2 oz mezcal
1/2 oz passion fruit liqueur
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
Li hing mui powder

Rub a lemon wedge on the rim of a rocks glass and dip in li hing mui powder.
Combine all remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into prepared rocks glass. Garnish with pineapple fronds.