Mele Kalikimaka and happy holidays from Wayward Spirits! Between servings of mulled wine, we’ve been experimenting with a few new tiki cocktails this holiday season, and have a real beaut to share with you this week: the Tropical Holiday.

This drink incorporates some of our favorite tropical flavors: lime, mango, passion fruit, and velvet falernum. Additionally, the pairing of aged Puerto Rican and overproof rums give this drink a boozy base that really compliments the Caribbean-inspired ingredients.

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: Zombie or Collins glass

Ingredients:

• 1 oz lime juice
• 1½ oz mango juice (we used Trader Joe's brand)
• ½ oz passion fruit syrup
• ¾ oz Velvet Falernum (we used John D. Taylor's)
• 1½ oz blended aged rum (we used Bacardi Reserva Ocho)
• ¾ oz black blended overproof rum (we used Plantation O.F.T.D)
• 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 5 dashes of El Guapo bitters (optional).

Garnish:
Garnish with a lime wedge or peel on a cocktail pick.

Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score - 5

Maybe it’s the holidays talking, but this drink was just the right thing for a night by the Christmas tree and fireplace.

The flavors are quintessentially tiki, and this Caribbean-inspired cocktail will help you truly embrace the holiday spirit and enjoy time with friends and loved ones.

Overall, I would not change a thing about it. But if you are feeling extra spontaneous this time of year, try substituting a funky Jamaican rum (in lieu of Bacardi).

Cheers, and happy holidays from our family to yours!

Happy holidays my fellow tikiphiles! It’s been some time since my last post - in all honesty, work has been kicking my butt recently, so every ounce of energy I've had at the end of each day has been put into making drinks (rather than writing about them).

But fear not - I’m on a sixteen-day hiatus from my desk job, which means that I’ll be hitting the sauce and sharing recipes like it’s my business (because for the moment, it basically is)

This week’s recipe is called Something Tequila (from the book Easy Tiki), and it may give you some much needed respite from those heavy holiday nogs or mulled wines that you’ve been drinking for the past month.

This drink has many of my go-to staples: pineapple juice, passion fruit, orange juice, citrus.... and TEQUILA. Yes, I’m on a bit of tequila kick right now, but this drink is bonkers good and worth a try!

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: Double Old Fashioned (or any glass)

Ingredients:

• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• ½ oz passion fruit syrup
• 3 oz tequila - preferably Añejo (we used Casamigos Reposado)
• Bittermens Elemakule Tiki 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 5-6 dashed of tiki bitters.

Garnish:
Garnish with a lime wedge or peel on a cocktail pick.

Wayward Spirits Rating:
Overall Score - 4.5

The book Easy Tiki says that this drink was created by John Bernard (from Porco Lounge and Tiki Room in Cleveland) because customers kept asking him, “do you make margaritas? Could you make me something tequila?”

I’m sure glad they did, because this drink tastes like a hybrid between a Margarita and a Rum Barrel, which is a delicious and unique way to incorporate tequila into your tiki repertoire.

Overall, this is a fantastic drink and a great change of pace during the holiday season. Give it a try, and let us know what you think. Cheers!