The tiki cocktail craze began in the 1930s but really took off in the 1950s and 1960s, resulting in Polynesian-themed restaurants and bars with bamboo decor and coloured lanterns popping up across North America. The Mai Tai, Piña Colada and Bahama Mama entered the cocktail canon, which can still be found on many bar menus today.
In recent years, tiki cocktail bars have had a revival, with the Shameful Tiki Room in Toronto and Le Mal Nécessaire in Montreal. This cocktail is an iteration of Trader Vic’s Punch meets Rum Runner, meant for a hot day.
Where We Ate: A Field Guide to Canada’s Restaurants, Past and Present, Gabby Peyton, Appetite by Random House
RUM BREEZE
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces (45 ml) blackstrap rum
- 1½ ounces (45 ml) light rum
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) pineapple juice
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lime juice freshly squeezed
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) demerara syrup (see below)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) orgeat syrup or grenadine
- Brandied cherry or pine- apple wedge for garnish
SYRUP
- 1 cup (250 ml) demerara or turbinado sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. The shaker should be cold to the touch.
- Strain into a stubby glass filled with crushed ice.
- Garnish with a skewered brandied cherry or a pineapple wedge.
- Demerara Simple Syrup
- Put the demerara sugar and water in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes, and the mixture has thickened ever so slightly.
- Remove the syrup from the heat and let cool completely.
- Store in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Notes
Excerpted from Where We Ate: A Field Guide to Canada’s Restaurants, Past and Present by Gabby Peyton. Copyright © 2023 Gabby Peyton. Recipe photography credits: Gabby Peyton. Published in Canada by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.