Tiki cocktails are a world unto themselves, and with their tropical flavors, bright colors, and elaborate garnishes they’re the perfect antidote to a dull, grey winter feeling. While going to a Tiki bar is always a good time, you might also be interested in mixing your favorite Tiki drinks at home. But if you’ve ever looked into the cocktail recipes, you’ll know that they can be complex.
Tiki recipes often call for multiple types of rum, plus fruit juices like pineapple that you might not have on hand. These are all things you can buy from the store, however. Where it can get trickier is with some of the specialty ingredients you see called for, like orgeat syrup or Don’s Mix. But the good news is that while these ingredients might be uncommon, they are easy enough to make at home.
If you’re planning a Tiki party, or if you just want to expand your skillset and your home bar a bit so that you can make more Tiki drinks in future, then it’s helpful to have a recipe on hand for these mixes. This includes Don’s Mix, named after legendary Tiki bartender Don the Beachcomber, which is used in classic versions of the Zombie cocktail and drinks like the Donga Punch.
Similar to orgeat, Don’s Mix is really just a variation on simple syrup that adds cinnamon flavors and grapefruit juice for freshness. You do want to use white grapefruit here though, not red or pink, as you need the sharpness of the white to cut through the sweetness from all that sugar.
How to make Don’s Mix
Ingredients:
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups white grapefruit juice
Method:
First break up the cinnamon sticks. You can do this easily by placing them in a plastic bag or a piece of cheesecloth and hitting them with a hammer or rolling pin — it shouldn’t take too much force to break the sticks into smaller pieces.
Then add the broke cinnamon sticks, sugar, and water to a pan and heat gently on the hob. Stir gently as the mixture is heating, and allow it to come to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes. Don’t let it boil for long though or you’ll end up with caramel or, worse, burnt sugar which has an instantly recognizable and very off putting taste. You only need to heat the mixture and stir it until the sugar is dissolved and the cinnamon infuses its flavor into the mixture.
Now remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool. During this time the cinnamon will continue to release its flavors into the syrup. Once it is cool enough to handle, use cheesecloth or a strainer to strain out the cinnamon pieces from the syrup. Discard the cinnamon and add the grapefruit juice to the syrup mixture.
Your mix should be kept in the fridge when not in use and will last for a few weeks. To extend its life, you can add a shot of alcohol such as neat vodka.
