The drink that EVERYONE loved

Having now hosted a few tiki gatherings, I've discovered that there are a select few cocktails that every single person at our gatherings enjoyed drinking. Some drinks might be too strong for some, or too sweet or sour, but these seem to be just right for everyone.

At first, it was Barbados Rum Punch. But then we discovered the SC Aku Aku, based on the Missionary's Downfall. So far, this is the single drink that everyone loves, regardless of their background or what they normally drink, and they even ask for seconds (and thirds).

So...out of curiosity, what other drinks have you made for your guests that were immensely enjoyed by all?

Painkillers are always a crowd pleaser and you can't go wrong with a well made Mai Tai. At a party a couple years ago I had a menu of four items I was mixing to order (Mai Tai, 151 Swizzle, Painkiller, and I think Fogcutter), plus a pre-batched punch (Rum Barrel). The next day three people texted me asking how I made that Mai Tai. I gave them all the recipe and ingredient list and they're all hardcore obsessed home bartenders now because of that drink. I don't imagine if it was pre-batched it would have triggered the same response. So depending on recipe, ingredients and execution your mileage may vary, but it was a clear winner among all the guests.

As far as a party punch, I've been making Mai Kai rum barrels, batched up according to number of guests for a decade now and they never disappoint.

Yep, Mai Tais and Painkillers do the trick every time. The Saturn also is a consistent party favourite amongst my guests, and a super easy cocktail to whip up when entertaining large crowds.

Thanks! I've had a few decent Mai Tai drinks at bars before, but they weren't consistent and I'm not sure which recipe they had followed. Which do you recommend?

I'll have to try that and the Painkiller at our next party, and I'll look up the Saturn, too.

Cheers,

Jeff

I agree, the Saturn is excellent too.

The "crowd pleaser" Mai Tai I make is:

1/4 oz rich Demerara Syrup
1/2 oz BG Reynolds Orgeat
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacoa
1 oz Appleton Rare Blend
1 oz El Dorado 12 year

All in all, it'll cost you around $100 for the ingredients to make 25 drinks so it's a commitment. I've tried to step down to Appleton Signature or Reserve with El Dorado 5 or 8 and they just don't cut it.

I'll throw a vote in for the Miehana, Kevin Kidney's tribute to the orange groves of Anaheim. With orange, pineapple, lime, and coconut it hits a lot of "mainstream" flavors that most people enjoy as an entry to tropical cocktails. Be sure to use Kōloa coconut rum.

If your crowd is already a group of experienced cocktail drinkers, feel free to go right to the 2070 Swizzle. :)

kevin

A nice spin on the Mai Tai I found in Martin Cate's book, especially when serving many guests, is to take your favorite Mai Tai recipe, divide each ingredient by thirds, and multiply it by each serving you plan on. Then, for each serving, pour 1.5 oz of the batch and use sparkling white wine to fill it our for each serving. The batch will only last the night though, as after a few hours the citrus will start to lose its punch.

I will add Paul McGee's "Lost Lake" cocktail to the list. Two things though:

1. It uses a lot of ingredients and is not suited to a larger gathering.
2. Try it shaken and served with crushed ice as originally specified, then try it shaken with ice cubes and strained into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Two completely different outcomes. Which do you prefer? My guests have preferred the strained version over the iced version because the ingredient flavors are more pronounced and it's a nice sipper which doesn't get diluted by ice.

I'm party trained.

The "West Indian Planter's Punch" from POTC (which I believe goes by the name "Plantocracy Punch" on Latitude 29's menu) always gets a good reaction even from people who don't drink much, plus it's inherently designed to be batched.

Hi-ho! Long time lurker (like, all the way back to the very early 00's) but first time poster (a kiddo got in the way of my tiki time).

We recently had some friends over for cocktails and Pu-Pus, and the BIG winner was the Scorpion, with the '44 Mai Tai coming in a very close second. The Zombie was an "also ran" 3rd,
and one of my custom made punches came in tied with the Zombie.

Although, to be fair, the Mai Tai was (deservedly) served first, and after that everybody was in a great mood, so I'm not sure how scientific this data really is. :)