Tropical Tiki: A Light Rum Cocktail

This past weekend Chicago got our second heavy snow of December. Trying to not let our moods dip because of the snow, we decided to drown our snow ridden sorrows in some Tiki cocktails. I recently visited Lost Lake for the first time and was blown away by the fruity drinks that were as tasty as they were beautiful.

The ]”Lost Lake” at Lost Lake Tiki in Chicago.

The Tiki cocktail I made on Sunday night was a play on the Saint Tiki” from The Complete Cocktail Manual. It was originally supposed to be a mocktail but I added light white rum to the mix and thought it was pretty tasty. The unusual thing about this particular tiki cocktail to me was that it called for bitters. While I don’t drink them, I frequently make the classic Old Fashioned for friends. Old Fashioneds are made with bourbon or whiskey, so I had assumed that bitters only paired well with dark liquors. I was wrong.

The Saint Tiki, unaltered:

2 oz orange juice

2 oz pineapple juice

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz Cinnamon Simple Syrup (Simply combine one cup water to one cup fine white sugar with cinnamon sticks in a sauce pan. Let cool.)

2 dashes cocktail bitters

Top with ginger beer

Mint sprig to garnish

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 8-10 seconds. Pour into coup cocktail glass and top with ginger beer and mint leaf.

Saint Tiki With A Twist

2 oz orange juice

2 oz pineapple juice

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz  Simple Syrup (Simply combine one cup water to one cup fine white sugar in a sauce pan. Let cool.)

2 dashes cocktail bitters

2 oz white rum

Top with ginger beer

Mint sprig to garnish

Because I did not have cinnamon sticks at the ready, I simply used regular simple syrup and added 2 oz of rum per cocktail. I topped my cocktail with ginger beer, but I think an orange LaCroix would be tasty and would not give you a strong ginger taste which was a tad overpowering. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 8-10 seconds. Pour into coup cocktail glass and top with ginger beer and mint leaf.

<3 Al