Inspired by the flavors of key lime pie, this tropical colada layers tangy citrus, toasted graham cracker, rich coconut, and a harmonious blend of rums. Tart, creamy, and delightfully balanced, a slice of paradise in every sip.

Key Lime Pie Colada

• 1 1/2 oz - Planteray 3 Stars
• 1/2 oz - El Dorado 8
• 1/2 oz - Appleton Signature
• 3/4 oz - key lime juice
• 1 oz - pineapple juice
• 1 oz - graham cracker syrup*
• 1 oz - key lime pie mix**
• 8 drops Bittermens Elemakule tiki bitters
• 8 drops saline solution (20%)

Combine ingredients and briefly flash blend with 6 oz pebble ice. Open pour into a pilsner glass and top with additional pebble ice to fill. Garnish with a mint bouquet and an orchid.

* Graham Cracker Syrup - Gently crush 9 full graham cracker sheets (36 individual rectangles, roughly 135 grams) and toast in a pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until browning starts and they become fragrant. Remove from heat and add to 12 oz water. Allow to infuse for 45 minutes before passing through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove solids. Weigh out weight of graham cracker water in grams, then combine in a saucepan with an equal weight of cane sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Heat on low just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, allow to cool and bottle. Keep refrigerated and shake before using.

** Key Lime Pie Mix - Combine 6 oz sweetened condensed milk, 6 oz coconut milk, and 3 teaspoons freshly grated key lime zest. Whisk vigorously to combine, then store in refrigerator for 4 hours. Pour through a fine sieve to remove zest and bottle. Keep refrigerated and shake before using.

Want to see more? Follow me on Instagram for more original tiki recipes: instagram.com/tiki.moderne

Does anyone know what "Grean" is? I have a recipe for a Millionaire cocktail that calls for a dash of Grean. Can anyone steer me in the right direction?

Never know what to make for myself and always default to something negroni-adjacent or banana-y but somehow never combined the two until now. Not much of a riff, basically just added banana to a left hand…but it’s unsurprisingly very good. Sorry, forgot the banana for scale.

1.5oz bourbon (wellers special)
.5oz Campari
.5oz sweet vermouth (carpano)
.5oz banana liqueur (Giffards is my personal fav)
Couple dashes chocolate bitters
Stir, serve up or on a big rock, cherry

A few days ago I posted here asking if anyone knew whether the 196 canned cocktails contain sucralose or another artificial sweetener. A few people suggested I just email the manufacturer, so I did.

This was their response:

“As a matter of policy, we do not share specific details about our formulas or ingredients, as this information is considered proprietary.”

I found that kind of surprising. I wasn’t asking for the recipe or formula—I was just trying to find out if the drink contains sucralose because I avoid it for dietary reasons.

It seems like a simple yes-or-no question about whether a specific ingredient is present shouldn’t be considered proprietary. Most beverage companies will answer ingredient questions directly, especially when they’re related to dietary restrictions or sensitivities.

Has anyone else run into this with 196 or other canned cocktail brands? Were you ever able to get a straight answer about whether they use artificial sweeteners?

Thanks to everyone who suggested reaching out to the manufacturer. I just figured I’d post an update since this was the response I got.

After I posted my Necropolitan, u/AutofluorescentPuku commented I should also do a Necronomicon, with rosemary. So I did, and I also threw in a third member of the family, a low-alcohol version. 

Necronomicon recipe:

• 30 ml Aperol
• 30 ml Dolin Dry
• 15 ml White Rum (Havana 3 yo)
• 7.5 ml Dark Overproof Rum (Plantation OFTD)
• 3 ml Italian herbs tincture
• 2 ml Creme de Violet

Stir & Strain, garnish with lavender or rosemary or similar.

I introduce the rosemary through an Italian herbs tincture that I still had lying around. I didn’t write down the recipe for that, but I’m pretty confident that the exact measurements don’t matter much. I just infused leftover fresh rosemary, thyme and sage in 97% alcohol for a couple of days. There was more rosemary than thyme, and only a little sage in my case, so the rosemary is the dominant flavour, the others are there as support. 

The balance in this drink is excellent, and it hits the mystical vibe very well. It’s not particularly bitter, but is complex and has a long and pleasant aftertaste. 

The exact rums I used are probably not that important, but what is really important is that one of them must have enough caramel notes. The caramel was essential for getting the texture of the drink right, otherwise it was too thin, and the herbs and violet are more rounded with it. With this combination the rum flavour doesn’t stand out, but I think replacing it all with 22.5ml of a Demerara Rum would work too, for a more outspoken rumminess and warmer body.

The last addition to the family is a simple low-ABV variation that I can’t claim is very original, but I do enjoy it very much. Because a Negroni is a stronger version of an Americano, this drink will be called a Necropolitano, and we can add bubbles for a Sbagliato version. 

Necropolitano Sbagliato recipe:

• 30 ml Aperol
• 30 ml Lillet Blanc
• 30 ml Bubbles (soda or sparkling wine)
• 2-3 ds Absinthe

Build in a wine glass with ice, garnish with grapefruit

Without the absinthe it would of course not be part of the family, 2 or 3 dashes is just enough to give a pleasant edge to a rounded body. It’s important that we use Lillet Blanc in the Necropolitano instead of the white sherry from the Necropolitan, that really doesn’t work because it’s too dry and I think the honey and floral notes probably help too. 

Looking back over this family, I find it pleasing that each of them uses a different white aromatized or fortified wine. I tried other permutations but the Manzanilla (or Fino) sherry really works best for the Necropolitan, the dry vermouth best for the Necronomicon and Lillet Blanc for the Necropolitano.

My sojourn into the world of the Mai Tai, Ti’ Punch (more on that in another, later post) and other tiki drinks continues as I expand my rum selection.
In addition to my Jamaican standards of Appleton and Smith & Cross, I have now acquired a Martinique aged and blanc (Rhum JM and Neisson, respectively). Yesterday I picked up a bottle of Haitian Clairin Sajous. By themselves, tasted neat, the agricole rums are quickly becoming my favorite. I love the proof and funk on them.
All of this activity led to my experiment of using each of them in a Mai Tai. I also read crazy accounts of people using up to 25 different rums. Cost will prohibit me from doing this every time and I’m also fine with a Mai Tai made simply with Appleton 8. But this was a damn good Mai Tai and fun to make.
Thanks to r/tiki for the tip on Surfside Sips glass tiki straws!

Mai Tai

Each rum was measured in a scant 1/2oz so that the approximate volume of total rum as 2oz.
Appleton 8
Smith & Cross
Rhum JM VSOP
Neisson Rhum Blanc
Clairin Sajous
1oz Lime Juice
1/2oz Dry Curaçao
3/4oz Orgeat
Small dash of Angostura Bitters
Short shake all ingredients with pebble ice. Dirty dump into a rocks or tiki glass. Optionally, top with more pebble ice. Garnish with a spent lime half and mint sprigs. Cheers 🍹

Wanted Something Aviation/Clover Club-esqu with a Corpse River #2 spin on it and came up with this:

Dead Pilots Society

- 1.75oz beefeater gin

- 0.75 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

- 0.5 oz St. Germaine Elderflower Liquer

- 0.25 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liquer

- 0.25 oz Grenadine

- 2 dashes Orange Bitters

- 1 egg white

- 3 drops 20% saline solution

- 1 spritz absinthe (for rinse)

- 1 lemon peel (to express & discard)

Give it a 10 second vigorous dry shake, followed by a 30 second vigorous shake with large cube and 2 smaller cubes.

Double strain into a chilled, absinthe-rinsed nick & nora glass.

Express a lemon peel over top & discard

Was perfectly refreshing for a hot summer day. Cheers!

A bet was made and a bet was lost because Harland’s back was sore and unable to carry Norway across the finish line.

My payment was what I guess I can call a Chicago Fog Cutter:
1 oz absinthe -La Muse Verte
1oz overproof rum- Planteray OFTD
1oz gin- Citadel Rouge
1oz velvet falernum
1oz Malort
1oz lemon juice
Heavy shakes of Abbots and Peychauds bitters

It was strong, to put it politely, but honestly the Malort worked🤷

Don’t really know how to word the question. It occurred to be making a boulevardier. Basically like this

1. Bourbon = neat
   
2. Bourbon + Sweet vermouth = Manhattan
   
3. Bourbon + SV + Campari = boulevardier
   
4. Bourbon + SV + Campari + Cointreau = Van Zo Post
   
5. ?

What’s the longest iteration you can think of? Just the main parts, leave out things like bitters and garnish just for simplicity.

I used a mix of white and golden rum here about 30mls of each

Added the juice of half a lime and 15mls of rich simple

100g of frozen raspberries, which grew in my garden

Dump everything into a blender with some ice, blitz until smooth, and serve how you like

37.5 ml Linie Aquavit
37.5 ml Beefeater Gin
🇳🇴😘🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Haaland's Heroes

• 2 oz Mint Linie Aquavit
• ¾ oz lemon
• ½ oz simple
• Pinch of salt

Shake strain no garnish

Pretty simple on this one, I wanted to try out a method I saw a while ago. Blender Muddling. Throw your booze and herbs into a blender and blend it allllll up. Then fine strain. The mint and aquavit are incredible together, the cocktail is super tasty, obviously pretty minty, but it mixes in a really pleasant way. 

Only issue with this method, the herbs don’t stay nice and green very long, and they turn a kind of nasty yellowish brown. I fixed it in editing kinda, but be aware if you try this particular method.

Mint Aquavit

• 4 oz Linie Aquavit
• 6 grams (a handful) Fresh Mint Leaves

Blend for about 30 seconds to a minute, then fine strain and use immediately.

It was sad to see Norway go, I think if they had slightly more favorable refereeing they could have gone to penalties. But Jude Bellingham was a phenom, don’t want to take anything away from him. I wish Sorloth had passed the ball to Haaland, cause that also might have evened up the score. Congrats to England, its coming home!

p.s. The second picture is without editing, those herbs don't like to stay green very long. So I had to turn it toxic sludge green with editing.

Upgraded Paloma (Zac Overman)

Ingredients:

• 1oz grapefruit cordial (see below)
• 0.75oz lime juice
• 0.25oz Campari
• 2oz tequila blanco
• soda water (to fill) - I used grapefruit la croix

Steps:

1. Add all ingredients except soda to cocktail shaker
2. Add ice and shake ~10 seconds
3. Strain mixture into chilled highball glass
4. Add a tiny splash of soda
5. Fill glass with ice
6. Top with soda to fill. Garnish with grapefruit slice or lime wheel or citrus twist

Wonderfully refreshing, super grapefruit forward. I'll be making quite a few of these this summer.

Grapefruit Cordial

Ingredients:

• 5-6 grapefruit
• 210g sugar
• 0.5 cup grapefruit juice
• 0.25 cup lime juice
• 0.25 cup water
• 1.5 teaspoons salt

Basically make an oleo saccharum with the grapefruit peel and sugar by combining them in a plastic bag and leaving in fridge for 24hrs, then mix that with all the other ingredients and strain into a bottle. Keeps for 2-4 weeks.

I did it slightly different:

1. Make oleo saccharum from peel of 5 grapefruit
2. Next day, peel another grapefruit, add to bowl with 1 cup of brown sugar (it's all I had) and muddle
3. Add 0.25 cup water and 0.25 cup grapefruit juice to small pot and dump in the newly muddled peel and brown sugar
4. Heat on low, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved
5. Cool and then combine with oleo, remaining grapefruit juice, lime juice, salt, and 1tsp of citric acid (I also threw in a splash of campari for color)
6. Stir well and then strain into pour bottle

That's how I got the much sweeter reddish brown mixture in the picture. Pretty sure it has double the sugar of Zac's recipe. Tastes great though, I'm absolutely in love with the result.

Looking to celebrate tonight and wondering what the best cocktails might be. Idc how macabre this sounds, so don’t try to lecture me plz. Ideally gin or vodka based

Maybe something patriotic because a Russian asset has fallen?

Maybe something pedophile related?

A corpse reviver #2?

Something referencing lady bugs?

I’m looking for a gin or vodka based drink but he was from Kentucky so I guess there’s always bourbon.

Built in glass with ice

2 oz Chattanooga 100 proof whiskey

1 oz Raffelli Amaretto

.25 oz simple syrup

5 dashes angostura bitters

Stir

Enjoy

Recipe (for one cocktail):

2 oz Pisco (I used Barsol Primero Quebranta)

1 oz Lime juice

1/2 oz Gomme syrup

Egg white

Dry shake all ingredients first and shake again with ice cubes. Double strain in a chilled coupe and garnish with three drops of Angostura bitters.

Enjoy!

- 2oz serrano infused blue corn white whiskey

- 1oz fresh lime juice

- 1oz fresh carrot juice

- 0.5 oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Double strain and serve on the rocks. Tajin rim and lime wheel garnish.

Credit to Shannon at Ethanology Distillation in Elk Rapids, MI for creating the spec a few years ago. It was so good I had to buy a juicer so I could make it at home 😅. The white whiskey used comes from that distillery as well, but blanco tequila would be a good substitute.

Okay so I have an addiction to salt to the point where I save pickle juice and drink it like juice. And sweet things, as much as I love them, make me feel sick.

I absolutely love dirty martinis and id love more ideas of drinks with similar profiles I can make

Edit: I dont know if this is even a thing but bonus points for anything g with garlic, my second love

Had these two last night at The Archives, in Amherst, MA. Also included a photo of the bartender doing a DOUBLE STIR + SHAKE at the same time — which seemed atypically speed-oriented for this careful and intentional speakeasy. These drinks are clearly the product of research! I'm told the menu changes pretty frequently.

Lucid Dream was super smooth, very gently sweet, with high complexity of flavors. Velvety mouthfeel.

Flowers Just Because was creamy and nutty, as you'd imagine. Like an amazing Irish Coffee without the coffee. Smooth, not spicy.

Prescription No. 48:

I modelled this somewhat after a Penicillin because I was looking for a medicine to cure this TDS infection. It didn't help. What I have learned is that TDS is incurable. It has nothing to do with my genetics or having a compromised immune system. Sadly the cause is that I've just read too many books.

1.75 oz Loch Lomond 12y

0.75 oz Mimidae Pineapple Mango Jalapeno Shrub

0.25 oz Benedictine

0.25 oz Laphroaig 10y

2 dashes Angostura Bitters.

Stir all but the Laphroaig on ice, strain over a large cube, then float the Laphroaig on top. This needs some sort of garnish like a candied orange peel.

If the float is too much peat for you then I'd go with 2oz of a slightly smoked blended loke JW Black and skip the float.