Tiki drink
StyleA tiki drink is a rum-based cocktail from 1930s California bars, built with citrus, syrup and crushed ice.
Also called: tiki cocktail
- First tiki bar
- Don the Beachcomber, Hollywood, 1933
- Trader Vic's
- Oakland, renamed in 1936
- Bestselling classics at top bars, 2026
- Zombie 18th, Mai Tai 24th (Drinks International)
- Formula
- 2 oz (60 ml) rum, often a blend, 0.75 to 1 oz (22 to 30 ml) lime juice, 0.5 oz (15 ml) liqueur such as curaçao, 0.5 oz (15 ml) syrup such as orgeat or falernum, shaken and served over crushed ice
What tiki drink means
The change in a tiki drink is layers of flavor. Instead of one spirit and a little citrus, the recipe stacks rum, lime, a liqueur such as orange curaçao, and a sweet syrup like orgeat or falernum. The rum is often a blend, which gives the drink more depth than a single bottle would.
The style started in 1933 at Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood. Ernest Gantt opened the bar, and he later called himself Donn Beach. Victor Bergeron's Trader Vic's in Oakland followed. You will meet tiki drinks on menus under names like the Mai Tai, the Zombie and the Navy Grog. Drinks International's 2026 list of bestselling classics at the world's best bars put the Zombie 18th and the Mai Tai 24th.
It sounds right that tiki drinks come from Polynesia. They do not. Bars in 1930s California invented them, and the Polynesian look is decor that the bars added around the drinks. If a menu says tiki, expect rum, citrus and a sweet syrup rather than one particular island recipe.
How to make a tiki drink
You shake a tiki drink with ice, then pour it over crushed ice in a tiki mug or a tall glass.
- 1.Measure 2 oz (60 ml) of rum into a shaker, and use two or more rums for more depth.
- 2.Add 0.75 to 1 oz (22 to 30 ml) lime juice, 0.5 oz (15 ml) orange curaçao and 0.5 oz (15 ml) orgeat or falernum.
- 3.Shake hard with ice until the shaker feels cold.
- 4.Fill a tiki mug or tall glass with crushed ice, then strain the drink over it.
- 5.Garnish big with mint, citrus, pineapple or a cocktail umbrella.
Tiki drink compared
- PunchTiki drinks grew out of Caribbean rum punches such as Planter's Punch, then stacked several rums, syrups and spices on top.
- Frozen cocktailSome tiki drinks are blended, but most are shaken and poured over crushed ice. A frozen cocktail is always blended.
Examples
- Mai Tai
- Zombie
- Navy Grog
- Test Pilot
- Fog Cutter
- Scorpion Bowl
- Jungle Bird
- Blue Hawaii
Related terms
Ingredients
Put it to use in your next drink
Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.