The Story Behind The Tiki Bonfire

I love tiki cocktails, but balancing their flavors can be tricky. After visiting some tiki bars in San Francisco, I decided to play around with a drink of my own, swapping out different ingredients until I found the right mix.

The orange juice, grenadine, and pineapple syrup are all base flavors here, and the lime juice gives it a nice citrusy jolt. I couldn't help but add some overproof rum at the end to give it a great tiki effect.

Ingredients

2 ounces white rum
½ ounce overproof rum
½ ounce Angostura bitters
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce lime juice
¾ ounce grenadine
½ ounce Monin pineapple syrup
½ lemon, hollowed out, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine white rum, orange juice, lime juice, and pineapple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake hard to chill and combine.
Pour grenadine in a tiki glass over fresh ice.
Strain concoction over fresh ice and grenadine.
Float Angostura bitters on top.
Garnish with half of a lemon.
Pour overproof rum into lemon, and light with a torch for a dramatic effect.