Born in the 1930s, the tiki movement contributed amazing creations to the craft of mixology. The challenge we face today is in recognizing that tiki’s positive contributions are often overshadowed by the misuse of religious symbolism, ignorance of indigenous people, and a generally colonialist view of the entire Pacific Rim. Recent movements like “Doom Tiki” that replace exploitative imagery with death-metal, rockabilly or even just sci-fi themes are early steps toward fixing what’s broken. Enjoy the drinks, but know your history. Read on for a great Tropical Cocktail, The Captain’s Grog.
For this drink from the Death & Company bars, I used one of my absolute favorite rums, St. Lucia’s Chairman’s Reserve Forgotten Casks aged rum. It’s a great sipper and mixer.
This tasty tiki drink comes from Latitude 29, a popular tiki joint in New Orleans. It starts with a mix of rums, adds spice and vanilla from the Spanish Licor 43 and is rounded out with three different juices.
