Autumn and I have recently been tinkering around the bar, trying to create some new cocktails.  Although we’ve come up with some amazing rum-based drinks recently, we thought we would switch things up and try our hand at the lesser-used alcohol of the tiki world:  Tequila.

We asked ourselves, “how can we tikify a margarita, while still staying true to its roots”?  

We ended up landing on a drink we call “El Escondite”.  It contains the basic ingredients of a Margarita (tequila, orange, lime), plus some tropical additions (fresh orange and pineapple juices, Liquor 43, and honey simple syrup).

The following post provides the necessary ingredients and steps for making this drink at home.  Let us know what you think in the comments - cheers!

Recipe/ Instructions:

Glassware: Any Glass

Ingredients:

• 1 oz lime juice
• ½ oz honey simple syrup
• 1 oz orange juice
• ½ oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz Liquor 43
• 2 oz Blanco Tequila
• 3-4 dashes Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters

Cocktail Steps:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake with ice for 10 seconds.  Strain into a glass with crushed ice, and add bitters (optional step)

Garnish:
Garnish with a salt rim and lime wedge
 
Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score - 4.5

“El Escondite” is a refreshing take on a standard margarita, while adding layers of complexity and tropical flavors (and still staying true to recipe).

It’s an especially good replacement for those of you who are not huge fans of the flavor of tequila (full disclosure: I’m one of those people), because the fresh juices and honey help mask the alcohol just a tad.

Next time you are serving up a round of margaritas, surprise and delight your guests with this unique twist!   Cheers!

Do you ever get the “lime in the coconut” song stuck in your head out of nowhere?  We do.  A lot.  For too often in fact...  If you don’t know what we’re talking about, check out the song “Coconut” by Harry Nilsson here or watch the video directly below:

​This song gets stuck in our head so often that it finally inspired us to create a tiki drink in its honor:  the Ode to Harry Nilsson

And just like the song, this drink might just be one of our favorites here at Wayward Spirits - using lime and coconut (obviously), allspice dram, pineapple juice and multiple rums.

The following post provides the necessary ingredients and steps for making this drink at home.  Let us know that you think in the comments - cheers!

Recipe/ Instructions:

Glassware: Any Glass

Ingredients:

• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz coconut syrup (we use Torani Puremade Coconut Syrup)
• ¼ oz allspice dram (we use St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram)
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz blended lightly aged rum (we use Mount Gay Eclipse)
• 1 oz blended black rum (we use Bacardi Black)
• 3-4 dashes El Guapo Polynesian Kiss Bitters (optional)

Cocktail Steps:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake with ice for 10 seconds.  Strain into a glass with crushed ice, and add bitters (optional step)

Garnish:
Garnish with a lime wedge
 
Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score - 5

The Ode to Harry Nilsson is so good that it might be just as addictive as the song.  To summarize: It’s quintessentially tropical, light yet substantial, and flat out tasty.

It’s certainly a crowd pleaser, and sure to appeal to almost any self-proclaimed tiki fans (and even fence sitters who don’t usually go for tiki cocktails...).

Give the drink a try, and let us know that you think!  Pro tip: play the Coconut song by Harry Nilsson while drinking it for the full experience!

Keeping with the fall-themed tiki recipes we have recently been posting, we present another Wayward Spirits original cocktail:  “The Phoenix”

The Phoenix strikes a unique balance between bitter and sweet -- blending guava, citrus, cinnamon, Campari and Rhum Agricole.  The results is a light-yet-complex tiki cocktail that tastes like a distant cousin of the Jungle Bird.

The following post provides the inspiration for the drink, necessary ingredients and steps for making it at home.  

Let us know what you think in the comments - cheers!

Inspiration for The Phoenix

The Phoenix was created by Wayward Spirits founder John Enoch after soaking up some sun pool-side in Los Angeles. 

When choosing between bitter and sweet cocktails, John has always leaned slightly more towards bitter - often opting for Campari, Aperol, or Gin-based cocktails in summer time. 

Recipe/ Instructions:

Glassware: Collins glass

Ingredients:

• 2½ oz Bundaberg Guava Soda
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz cinnamon syrup
• 1 oz Campari
• 1½ oz Rhum Agricole Vieux (we use Rhum Clement Rum VSOP)
• 5-6 dashes orange bitters

Cocktail Steps:
Combine all ingredients in a collins glass with crushed or chipped ice.  Swizzle with a bar spoon or swizzle stick.  Add orange bitters.

Garnish:
Garnish with a pineapple frond or lemon wedge.
 
Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score – 5

"The Phoenix" is tiki’s answer to the Aperol Spritz or Negroni -- balancing all of the major tasting preferences: bitter, sweet, fruity, citrusy, savory, boozy and complex.  

It’s also a fantastic drink for friends or family members who say they are not a fan of traditional tiki drinks (i.e. they imagine overly-sweetened resort drinks or poorly made Mai Tais).

Give the drink a try, and let us know that you think!  It’s an especially tasty cocktail for those warm fall days that still feel like summer.