The menu for a luau party should include tasty tropical drinks. Think about island flavors such as pineapple, coconut and rum. It's no coincidence that drinks traditionally served at tiki bars or luaus incorporate these flavors. When mixing up cocktails for your own luau, feel free to deviate a bit from the basic recipes and incorporate your favorite juices to make a signature cocktail of your own.
Mai Tai
A mai tai is a rum-based cocktail invented by Victor Bergen of Trader Vic's restaurant in 1944. He is considered one of the founders of tiki bar culture. Although some people think of a mai tai as a fruity tropical drink, the original recipe calls for only one type of juice: lime. Other recipes include pineapple, guava or orange juice. Many people prefer the original, though.
To make a mai tai you will need 2 oz. of Jamaican rum, 1/2 oz. orgeat syrup (an almond syrup you can find in the mixers section of your liquor store), 1/2 oz. curacao or triple sec, 1/4 oz. simple syrup and the juice from one lime. Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and mix well. Pour into a glass and garnish with a wedge of pineapple or a maraschino cherry.
Blue Hawaiian
This tropical drink is colorful and tasty. Serve it on the rocks or make it as an icy frozen drink. For each drink you'll need to measure out 1 1/2 oz. of vodka, 1/2 oz. blue curacao, 1/4 oz. crème de coconut and 3 to 4 oz. of pineapple juice. If you serve this drink on the rocks, combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Mix well and strain into a hurricane glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish it with a maraschino cherry. To make the blended version, pour all of your ingredients into a blender with a cup of ice. Blend for approximately 20 seconds. If the ice is not crushed, you can blend it for a bit longer. Pour the drink into a hurricane glass and add a garnish.
Blue Hawaii
Not to be confused with the Blue Hawaiian, a Blue Hawaii contains no crème de coconut. The Blue Hawaii was invented by Harry Yee in 1957 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. If you have a long guest list, it's easy to make a large batch of Blue Hawaii to serve in a punch bowl rather than as individual drinks.
To make one drink, combine 3/4 oz. light rum, 3/4 oz. vodka, 1/2 oz. blue curacao, 3 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice and 1 oz. sweet and sour mix with ice. Stir the ingredients or mix them in a cocktail shaker before pouring the drink into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice.
Tags: Blue Hawaii, hurricane glass, into hurricane, into hurricane glass, maraschino cherry, blue curacao
