rum | Modern Tiki

Tiki Tasting: Stolen Overproof Rum

Overproof rum is one of the most important ingredients in a tiki-phile's rum collection. Overproof rum is powerful - both in alcohol content and flavor - and it can make or break a drink by balancing out sweeter, fruitier ingredients or simply punching up the volume on the booze. We have a…

Tiki Tasting: The Cane Mill Rum, 8 year

When we're shopping for rum, we are always on the lookout for something new to add to our collection. Since rums are so unique, you never know (ok, sometimes you know) when you will stumble upon one that will bring your Rum Barrel to the next level. The Cane Mill…

After the Luau

The other day, we made a caramelized pineapple syrup by cooking chunks of pineapple on the stovetop with a little bit of sugar, then combining that with more sugar and water to make it into a usable syrup. The syrup was good, but after a little bit of experimentation, we decided that adding some…

Queen’s Park Swizzle

The Queen's Park Swizzle is a classic tiki drink beloved by Trader Vic and many other tiki-philes that followed. The cocktail is said to have originated at the Queen’s Park Hotel in Trinidad in the 1920s. The cocktail is made by muddling mint with sugar or simple syrup, then adding…

Boo Loo

The Boo Loo is a tiki drink with a fun-to-say name - and a name that can get quite difficult to say after you've had one or two! It's a drink that those who frequently reference the Grog Log will be familiar with, but it's also on the menu at the…

Modern Missionary

The Missionary's Downfall is a classic tiki drink that is one of our favorites, especially in hot weather. Invented in 1948 by Don the Beachcomber, the cocktail combines fresh pineapple, mint leaves, peach brandy, lime juice and rum (of course) with ice and blends it all together. The resulting drink…

Pineapple Plantation

We have a bottle of Frangelico in our bar that doesn't get used all that much. The sweet liqueur is made with hazelnut, vanilla and cocoa, giving it a unique and dessert-like flavor. Most of the drinks that it is used in are dessert cocktails, in fact (so many flavored…

Trinidad via Kingston

Angostura bitters - and bitters in general - are used a dash or three at a time to add a little extra punch to a cocktail. Bitters don't need to be used a few drops at a time, however, and you can use a lot more of the highly infused spirits if…

Passion Fruit Daiquiri

Passion fruit is one of our favorite fruits when it comes to drinks with a tropical touch. The fresh fruit is incredibly floral, with a unique sweet-tart flavor that can be difficult to describe, though it is impossible to forget. Most bars don't use fresh passion fruit juice. It's labor…

Blue Bird

The Jungle Bird is a great example of a tiki drink that isn't particularly sweet. There are other tiki drinks that aren't fruit forward, of course, but the Jungle Bird is a particularly good example because it uses a generous amount of Campari, a bitter Italian aperitif that gives the…