Pensacola

 Aah, the jungles of Florida. Wait! Pensacola is a populous beach town! But those beaches...

Aside from my confusion, the Penacola is actually a pretty straightforward beach drink. I'm going to say beach drink rather than tiki, because it relies more on a handful of fruit juices and a splash of a commercial passion fruit liqueur that only existed for two years back in the early '90s.

I still think of the '90s as Florida's heyday. Like that was the hot spot to vacation for like...everyone. There was the South Beach diet, snowbirds, botched elections. Anyway. this cocktail is as pink as a flamingo, and pretty tart. I'd say the La Grande Passion is not optional, but since it is hard to come by, you might do just as well with apricot brandy or maybe a pineapple liqueur. Don't pass this one up just because it looks basic. This is a must do if you happen to have guava nectar and rum.

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Vitae Platinum used)
• 1/2 oz. guava nectar
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. La Grande Passion (Homemade DIY LGP used)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

 

 

Frozen Guava Daiquiri

 

At first glance, I'm thinking, "Just what we need. Another flavor of Daiquiri." But guava is a far better fruit in a Daiquiri than the strawberry. Taste it and you will see that there is more acid in guava and the flavor is a little unrecognizable but agreeably tropical. That's a good thing. You don't want your Daiquiri tasting like a New England farmer's market. It's a Caribbean drink, after all!

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Plantation 3 Stars used)
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. guava nectar
• 1 tsp. creme de bananes (1/2 oz. MurLarkey banana whiskey and 1 tsp. sugar used)

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a deep champagne glass (stemless wine glass used).

Beachcomber (Non-Alcoholic)

Like the Polynesian Sweet and Sour, the Beachcomber is a great tropical mocktail that really fools you into thinking that it is an alcoholic treat. That happens because  the lime tang is sweetened by raspberry syrup and thick guava nectar. The drink doesn't call for a garnish, but I had these plump strawberries on hand when I served these to two minors who visited the restaurant.

• 2 oz. guava nectar
• 1 oz. raspberry syrup
• 2 oz. lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled Collins glass.

Polynesian Sweet and Sour (Non-Alcoholic)

Not a bad tropical mocktail with plenty of tangy flavors. You'll feel like you got the Polynesian Sour, the light rum drink from which this virgin version originates. It is definitely sweet, though. Orange juice and guava nectar are all the sugar that this mocktail needs to balance the lemon juice.

• 2 oz. guava nectar
• 2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. orange juice

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Xanadu (Non-Alcoholic)

Xanadu or Shengdu is the mythical realm in China where Kublai Kahn supposedly created a pleasure palace and stored untold treasures. One could supposedly receive enlightenment by entering there. This is such a good name for a non-alcoholic tiki cocktial.

Key to this drink is awesome falernum, which adds spice as well as sweetness. Guava nectar is also that bit of tropical fruit that is hard to identify and exotic when you taste it. This is a blended drink, and as such, it is entirely possible to combine acids and cream as long as you are careful when adding ingredients to the blender.

• 2 oz. guava nectar
• 2 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. falernum
• 1 oz. half-and-half

Combine all ingredients except half-and-half in a blender with ice and blend to crush ice. Add half-and-half and blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled champagne flute.

Ocho Rios (Revisited)

I wanted to return to the Ocho Rios because I didn't have falernum the first time I made it. I wanted to try it as it was intended and not bastardized and dumbed down like so many tiki drinks often are over time. My own falernum is key here, as is guava nectar. I recommend blending all ingredients except the cream first, then adding the cream and blending again to combine.

• 2 oz. dark rum (Lyon rum used)
• 1 oz. guava nectar
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. falernum
• 1 oz. half-and-half

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice and blend on mix until smooth. Pour into a wine glass.

Mr. Nate's St. Thomas Special

So there's this Mr. Pip's St. Thomas Special drink that has its roots on the island, but as I can tell, isn't really attributed to a real person. Since I'm not a real person either, in that nobody knows who I am, I have my own contribution to St. Thomas Island's cocktail culture.

St. Thomas is all about boat drinks, tiki drinks that are simplified for quick production and consumption. They don't require tiki mugs, and are often served on the beach in plastic cups. I'm at least trying to bring back a little tacky class to this type of cocktail.

This is a dry tiki with more juice than spice than the Mr. Pip's. It is also less desert-like. See what you think.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. guava nectar
• 1/2 oz. sugar syrup
•  mint sprig

 Build drink in a tiki mug full of ice and stir. Garnish with mint sprig.

Polynesian Sour

A pretty good sour as far as sour drinks go, but the Polynesian Sour has the added sweetness of guava nectar rather than plain sugar. This gives it an unmistakable tropical sweetness that, with light rum, means you have a very different drink than your typical Whiskey Sour. For guava nectar, I used Goya brand, which comes as sweetened nectar in cans. You don't have to reduce it from fruit juice. It is pink and thick and gives this drink an obviously pink color that is unique and natural. No fake grenadine here.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. guava nectar

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled sour glass. *Note on glassware: The original recipe according to the New York Bartender's Guide says to strain it into a cocktail (Martini) glass. That's not typical of most sours, and against the grain of how people are drinking them now. Sour drinkers really like their drinks on the rocks in a highball or Old Fashioned glass, which is how I have it pictured above. Polynesian Sour would do equally well in a wine goblet or sour glass, especially if you strained or blended it. But err on the side of making it the way you like rather than according to a formula that no one is happy with.

Ocho Rios

Ocho Rios is named after the touristy town in Jamaica, and is fittingly creamy like so many tropical drinks foisted on tourists. Blended like a creamy smoothie, there's really interesting fruit flavors that remind you that not all tropical drinks require pineapple juice.

Just a note, I intend to make falernum soon. It's an almond syrup that is flavored with lime zest and cloves. Since I have a nutty tasting tamarind syrup that has a citrus zip, I figured the substitution was easy enough. I may revisit this one once I make the falernum, but then again, there are plenty of falernum drinks out there to try.

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. guava nectar (Goya used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. falernum (tamarind syrup used)
• 1 oz. half-and-half

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a champagne flute.