Easy Tiki Cocktails and Simple Tiki Drinks

Mele Kalikimaka...is the thing you say on a beautiful Hawaiian Christmas day...hopefully with a delicious Painkiller cocktail in your hand. As the warm breeze caresses your sunbaked skin, there a few things better than an ice cold tiki cocktail in your hand. Whether its a hurricane at Pat O'Briens (we actually don't like Pat O's hurricane...but they did invent it) or a PK3 (Painkiller3) at Monty's Raw Bar in Coconut Grove, there something special about a cocktail in a tiki mug. We want the cocktail experience to be easy for you. So we broke down some easy tiki cocktails that you can make at home or the nearest beach.

Our favorite simple tiki drinks :

1. Painkiller cocktail

2. The Hurricane

3. Mai Tai

4. Jungle Bird

How to Make a Painkiller Cocktail

Perhaps the most sentimental cocktail to us on this list. The Painkiller cocktail is the ultimate tropical drink and relatively easy one to make at that. The Painkiller, as its so aptly named, is called that because after one of these cocktails...you'll be feeling so good that the last thing you think about is pain. We recommend you order a painkiller cocktail with dark rum.

Painkiller Recipe

Ingredients :

• 2 ounces Dark Rum

• 4 ounces pineapple juice

• 1 ounces orange juice

• 1 ounces coconut creme

• Grated Nutmeg

• Pineapple Wedge

Directions :

1. Fill a shaker with ice.

2. Add the dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut to the shaker.

3. Shake vigorously until the ingredients are well combined.

4. Strain the mixture into a tall glass or tiki mug filled with crushed ice.

5. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a pineapple wedge.

Recommended Bar to Order : Monty's Raw Bar

How to Make a Hurricane

The Hurricane or Ourugan (as the true Nola locals call it) is a classic tiki cocktail. While the original was created by Pat O'Briens in Nola...we actually find their Hurricane to be overly sweet and headache inducing. But we do always think it's important to try the original to give you an idea. The Hurricane is a fruit juice heavy cocktail, so it's the perfect balance for a warm tropical location, especially since warm location have the best access to fresh fruits.

Hurricane Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Ounces Light Rum

• 2 Ounces Dark Rum

• 2 Ounces Passion Fruit Juice

• 1 Ounces Fresh Orange juice

• 1/2 Ounces Fresh Lime juice

• 1 tbsp grenadine

• 1 tbsp simple syrup...May not need this, depends on how sweet

• Orange slice and cherry, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Add both the light and dark rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, grenadine, and simple syrup to the shaker.

3. Shake well until the ingredients are well combined.

4. Strain the mixture into a hurricane glass or tiki mug filled with crushed ice.

5. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

How to Make a Jungle Bird

The Jungle Bird is an interesting cocktail, combining campari (a traditional italian liqueur) with fresh fruit juices and Jamaican rum. The cocktail origins began in the 1980's in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia at the local Hilton. The drink was a smashing success and became one of the most popular tiki drinks. This classic tiki drink is the perfect combination of fresh squeezed fruit juices with just enough alcohol to give you the perfect beach buzz.

Jungle Bird Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces dark rum

• 3/4 oz Campari

• 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice

• 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice

• 1/2 oz simple syrup (depending on how sweet)

• Pineapple wedge and cherry, for garnish

Directions:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice

2. Add the dark rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, and simple syrup to the shaker

3. Shake vigorously

4. Strain the cocktail into a tiki mug filled with ice

5. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry.

How to Make a Pina Colada

Perhaps one of the most classic tiki drinks. It even has a song written about it...something about the rain and drinking Pina Colada's. This delicious coconut flavored staple is a must order at any bar. From Jaco beach to your own beach campout. It's a relatively simple cocktail or tiki drinks to make. We enjoy our Pina Colada's with a rum floater. It just gives it that extra kick. The key to this tiki cocktail is the amount of ice. The more ice in the blender, the thicker the Pina Colada.

Piña Colada Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces White Rum

• 2 ounces Pineapple Juice

• 2 ounces Coconut Cream

• 1 cup crushed ice

• Pineapple Wedge and Cherry

Instructions:

1. Add the white rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream, and crushed ice to a blender

2. Blend until the mixture is smooth or your desired consistency

3. Pour the mixture into a tiki mug or highball glass

4. Garnish with fresh fruit

What Defines a Tiki Cocktail or Tropical Drink?

The key to the perfect tiki cocktail or tiki drink is the use of fresh juices like freshly squeezed orange juice or pineapple juice. These are the ultimate tropical flavors to blend with a white rum or dark. Most tropical drinks use a dark rum since that is what's available across the caribbean and other tropical locations.

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