Tiki in December – The Waikikian

My fourth and final cocktail this week is the Waikikian.  In flipping through Grog Log, this recipe stood out as sounding quite delicious.  After looking a little more carefully and mixing up my first one, I recognized why this cocktail sounded so tasty.  The recipe is very similar to the Mai Tai, which I absolutely love.  There are differences though, and this cocktail is distinct enough that it’s definitely worth giving a try.

Waikikian

The Waikikian is a sweet, but nicely balanced, cocktail.  Interestingly, the lemon in this drink isn’t as overwhelming as it was in some of the other recipes.  Rather, it acted as a perfect foil for the sweetness of the orgeat and curacao.  In blending this drink, I’ve decided that I definitely need a newer and better blender.  Mine doesn’t do well with ice at all.  That said, I don’t think my lack of an awesome blender really hindered this drink much.  In fact, if you don’t have a blender at all, simply use some cracked ice and you’ll end up with an equally good cocktail.

Enough about blender woes, back to the flavor.  Like the Mai Tai, you get an interesting twist from the orgeat.  It’s nutty and sweet but the flavor is quite subtle so you most notice it lingering in the background.  One ingredient that I definitely think is essential to this cocktail is the curacao.  You can really taste the brandy base and I think using triple sec wouldn’t be as delicious.  Overall I really enjoyed this drink and if you’re a Mai Tai fan then you should definitely give it a go.

Waikikian (Grog Log)
1 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Curacao
3/4 oz Orgeat
1 1/2 oz Light Rum
1 1/2 oz Dark Rum
1) Combine everything but the dark rum in a blender
2) Add ice and blend
3) Pour into a double old fashioned glass
4) Float the dark rum

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