10 Essential Tiki Cocktail Ingredients for Home

Watch this before you make any tiki cocktail at home. I've heard from so many people how intimidating it can be to start making tiki cocktails at home. The big question is always what to buy? There are so many rums and syrups... Here's a video to get you on the right track.
Check out our guide to the 10 essential ingredients you need to make delicious Tiki cocktails! Elevate your mixology game and impress your guests with these must-have ingredients. Perfect for any party or summer gathering.
BUY Breezeway matches here: bit.ly/breezeway_store
BUY straws from Surfside Sips (ENTER coupon code BREEZEWAY): bit.ly/SurfsideSips
BUY bar tools from A Bar Above (ENTER coupon code BREEZEWAY):
bit.ly/aBarAbove
JOIN our PATREON account: bit.ly/breezewaycocktailhour
SUBSCRIBE to our channel! / thehulagirls​​​​
Follow Spike on IG @thehulagirls
WORK with Spike on a brand deal: [e-mail]
Theme music by the Black Flamingos, courtesy of Hi-Tide Recordings
hitideshop.com

[@darrenandtinasale1502]

Wouldn’t it be great to have Beachbum berry on the show? His books and app are amazing for Tiki cocktail recipes. I use them all the time. I’m sure you’re on the case Spike.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

We've discussed it in the past, but dates haven't lined up yet.

[@jmgarcia61]

Let's road trip to New Orleans.

[@nickmorton8998]

Trader Joe’s also has very good pineapple juice in small cans so you don’t have to buy the big carton. 🍍👍

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Thanks for the tip!

[@marcgonzalez5503]

What about the mint?!? Totally top 10 must have

[@mattmathai]

Great list and video. Thanks. Betraying my tropical roots, i'd put in a vote for cream of coconut.

[@daledulski5176]

Great list! What about Coconut Cream? Needed for a Painkiller, love it!

[@richardshelby-dunn5826]

You should please please do a follow up video to this that has 5 tiki drinks you can make with these ingredients.

[@dougg2091]

Great starter list for a home tiki coctail list. As for the syrups: Be aware that honey begins to spoil as soon as you add water, so it has maybe a 2 week shelf life. Save money by making your own grenadine and orgeat. Here's recipes I use: Grenadine: 1C Pomegranate Juice (POM is best) + 1C Granulated Sugar + 1/4 tsp Rose Water (Cold mix to disolve) Orgeat: 1C Unsweetend Almond Milk (Trader Joe's) + 1C Granulated Sugar (Heat to disolve), then add 1/4 oz Almond Extract + 3/4 tsp Orange Flower Water + 1/4 tsp Rose Water.

[@ultimatemaitai]

That’s a pretty great list. Denizen 3 would be another good White Rum option and Mount Gay Eclipse would be another mainstream gold rum option. Totally agree with these 10, and the bonus item.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

I have a bottle of Denizen 3 and I've never tried it! Thanks for the reminder.

[@georgetellado1401]

I’ve been buying some El Dorado 3 and really like it too…also a big Denizen fan

[@davidgulick6517]

Could have used an episode like this when I first started. Would have saved me a lot of money.

[@kylefromsodak8466]

And here we tiki!!!🎉🎉🎉

[@georgetellado1401]

Great top ten…I would then add Cinnamon syrup and demerara syrup as the next must haves, then Fassionola

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

I was a bartender for ten years. Angostura Bitters is spot on.

[@RadioActiveTiki]

Thanks for another episode Spike 🙏

[@BigDaddyBDBoD]

Happy St. Patrick's Day from BD's Backstage Tiki Lounge! Cheers... Love this show!

[@stevebikes995]

Great video.

[@gregz2408]

My mom, when she was making annual trips to Jamaica, some 20 to 30 years ago, would regularly bring me back special rum and drink related treats. One year she brought me back something I had never heard of before, and that was the Wray and Nephew allspice dram. This was long before I got into Tiki drinks and I had no idea what it was supposed to be used for, but I thought it was delicious. I would add a splash to my run and Cokes and it would add that special touch. I still have the bottle and have just fairly recently discovered what I can use it in 🍹

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Very cool!

[@bonniebordahoffecker4390]

♥️♥️♥️ bitters!

[@arcaneteresa]

Great list! Was glad to see bitters made it in at the end 😊

[@lesleyboulant4053]

I have learned so much from your videos. I set up a micro tiki bar for Christmas

[@shezasmitty2461]

new subscriber. your tiki bar is beautiful!

[@chiarafilippi752]

this video was sooooooo useful. thanks!!😍

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jonperry2215]

I really thought your bonus ingredient was gonna be Ice!

[@benpenman]

Agreed! Ice is the unsung hero of tiki cocktails.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

That's actually a great idea... if I could go back and redo it, I think that would make for a good subject!

[@waffleman8289]

Trader Joe’s fresh tangerine juice 10/10 recommend. Great in place of OJ in painkillers. Really makes the drink sing.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Good to know!

[@BallisticBBQ]

Another fantastic video Sensei-Spike! As soon as my son moves out, Tiki Bar goes in! Cheers brother!

[@mohrstephen]

Demerara sugar syrup 2:1 (sub turbinado cane sugar if unable to source Demerara sugar)

[@r___n___]

Plantation rums are great for it's price. Plantation 3 stars, OD, Stigin's fancy, and OFTD

[@f2343]

Dude I love these last two videos you made, keep more content like this coming! I always enjoy other people’s opinions when it comes to Tiki 😊

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Thanks! Will do!

[@matthagmann]

Great episode! Miss hearing Black Flamingos in the background

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Yeah, the reason why I eliminated that is because if I want to re-cut these videos, I'll have a chopped up song in all of the shorts or reels... it's annoying to have to bend to all of the different formats.

[@LunarWind59]

Too late for naming our first-born, but we were already subscribed anyway. 🙂 My wife and I saw your live "pre-release" show for the first time last night, and really enjoyed it. Well, except her horror and dismay that I was making my smart-alec remarks using her moniker. Social media foul! And now I gotta get an Instagram login. Time marches on. Anyway, enjoyed this show, and miss the bloopers. 🙂

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

😂

[@object85]

That's so weird I stumbled upon your video. I wasn't going to go and buy all that allspice stuff cuz I don't know if I'm going to like it but the one thing I did. Bought a juicer and I knew that the base element of a good drink is the flavor and makes it so fresh. From sure that over time I'll end up buying those odds and ends😂

[@kencooper6831]

Got to have my Orange Curaçao liqueur for my Mai Tai

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Oh, that's right! I left that out too!

[@deakniles7759]

Good video Bacardi 8 has been my go to rum for many years. It's one that's always in the liquor stores in my area.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

It's so good!

[@liamrogers2152]

Angostura Bitters are amazing and a much have for Trinidad sours, you'll go through your bottles fast tho

[@wyldebill4178]

Target usually carries white grapefruit juice

[@scotthatlestad2548]

I think the citrus could have been combined into one and add fassionola is place of one of them. Great episode!

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

The citrus was one collective ingredient in the list 👌

[@Dolbee49277]

Get your passion fruit syrup by making your own. The answer is go to your local Mexican market and buy Goya Passionfruit Pulp

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Ive done that in the past... for whatever reason, none of the Mexican markets by me carry the passion fruit pulp (Or at least the last time I checked was like five years ago)!

[@benandrovich112]

Great video Spike! First off, awesome list and even better shirt today. That could be my favorite shirt! Need to find one. Second, I thought the bonus ingredient would’ve been MINT!!! You can’t skimp the mint! But maybe mint is a given? Great video, good fun and now I’m thirsty.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Hahaha... it totally could have been Mint!

[@Dayman.]

Great list, I especially like yhe simple boil down into 3 rums. Living in a country where alcohol is very heavily taxed (havana club 3 costs about $75 per liter) it can save me a lot to only buy a handful. Also good to have specific recommendations on what's versatile enough to go in a lot of cocktails. As for angostura bitters, yes, use them. They are basically the pepper of cocktails, they elevate almost everything in the roght amount.

[@stephaneauplain5254]

The bonus could have been herbstura which seems pretty specific to Donn's recipes.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Totally

[@craigrainbird969]

@@BreezewayCocktailHourI think you’re up to the 20 essential ingredients now😂

[@user-ws8fq3hq6u]

I make my own all spice dram for pennies on the dollar. It does take curing time, but well worth it! I use a recipe I found on line.

[@BritInvLvr]

Grenadine is easy to make yourself, like simple syrup.

[@bigzheilman]

Great List and Great information I appreciate you doing this video since I know nothing (yet!) Do you have any information or maybe a video I haven't found about storing these ingredients, what needs to be refrigerated, and what can be kept in a cabinet, and how long these home made items will last? TIA and thanks again for making these videos!

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Not yet, but that's a great idea!

[@lawrencespies8674]

I always have Barenjagers Honey liqueur on hand. When A cocktail calls for honey syrup I use he honey liqueur instead. The honey syrup I make/have made... I use Round Rock Honey's Orange Cinnamon Honey(Valencia orange oil and pure cinnamon leaf oil to give a wonderful burst of natural orange & cinnamon flavor)

[@Lawlzinator]

Good list Hate that I can't get white grapefruit fruit or the juice where I live, so I have to settle for ruby

[@rhorto01]

I've been making my own passionfruit syrup by making a simple syrup (1 cup) and throwing that in a blender with frozen passionfruit pieces (1/4 cup or so.) Works great. Keeps in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Shake well before using. Also, Dole pineapple juice works ok, but it can vary wildly in its sweetness. Best to taste it first and see if it is too tart. If so add a bar spoon or two of simple. Trader Joe's pineapple juice in cans is more consistent in its sweetness levels. Good stuff.

[@rdcartoon1022]

LOL! You forgot mint. Great show!

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Hahaha...

[@TrinketTro11]

My diy grenadine is really going to die in the fridge while I'm into the tiki culture and cocktails, surprisingly 🤔

[@DanielBrice7f58a6]

John D Taylor's Falernum. A subtle flavor of ginger and lime, and a thick mouthfeel of snot.

[@daneflanigan]

New to the channel, I loved the list! Depending on where you live - some of the syrups can be made from scratch as well.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Absolutely. Glad you found us here!

[@sffoto1969]

For those of us without a white grapefruit tree, pickings’ are slim in the markets. I’ve had to settle on small cans. 😢 been using the “no sugar added” Ocean Spray.

[@tonidupuy7383]

We bought a few bottles of the no sugar added...and about to freeze in smaller portions because it won't last much longer.

[@goozman101]

Recently, I've been getting into bitters and Amaros. I was thinking of experimenting with the classic mai tai and seeing how Amaro can be incorporated. Let's see...

[@camel1117]

goozman101, I would be interested in what you come up with. I too have started getting into Amaro's and while off topic to Spikes page I do like Montenegro in a Manhattan.

[@Jmerideth]

Thanks for the video. Would you be able to list the top 5-10 drinks you would make that exclusively use these ingredients?

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Great idea! 1 - Mara-Amu 2 - Daiquiri 3 - Big Bamboo 4 - Chief Lapu Lapu 5 - Hawaiian Eye 6 - Hurricane 7 - Planter's Punch 8 - Siboney 9 - Trader Vic's Grog 10 - Vicious Virgin *all of these can be found on the Beachbum Berry Total Tiki app!

[@scottgoyette3154]

I’m going to plant a citrus grove lol

[@timpeterson8720]

I’ve been fortunate to experience the Philippine rhum Tanduay dark. Have you tried ?

[@alho9231]

I think you mean to say use cartons of pressed juice as opposed to juice from concentrate.

[@adamlepker]

You should have a conversation with a tree expert. I bet you could have them come out and splice in.(for lack of a better word.) orange, grapefruit limbs to grow off of your tree. You might even be able to do all the citrus fruits. I have seen at my local nursery trees that actually have lemons, oranges, and limes, all growing on the same tree

[@nathansinger1171]

Nice breakdown! I wonder if people watching on their phones or computers get the same experience that I do... Those brief, super low bass notes that you add during certain points really hit me in my soul. 😂 Question... I struggle with this when recipes call for honey syrup. Am I just supposed to assume that it's a one to one syrup? I think there are recipes that need a two to one, or even a three to one honey syrup. Syrup. What is the standard?? Thanks.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

I'm at the point where I use 2:1 for just about everything. It really accentuates the honey notes in a drink.

[@nathansinger1171]

@@BreezewayCocktailHourThanks. I appreciate it.

[@SyntheticEvil]

If you haven't tried it yet, throw some dashes of Angostura on some vanilla ice cream!

[@6919wally]

One thing it would be nice to say is that some of the things are simple to make, like grenadine, orgeat, felernum, maybe you could show how they are made.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Totally 👍

[@chriswellsrcdd1254]

How about Clements Creole Shrub

[@wyldeslash2003]

Any chance you can replicate some classics but nonalcoholic?

[@bob___]

Reacting to the comments about juicing pineapple, it's not really that difficult. I recently cut up a pineapple and used some of it in a large hand juicer (the kind Leandro uses) to make pineapple juice for a couple of Blue Hawaiis. The result was like a totally different drink - and so much better that I don't know if I'll ever use canned pineapple juice again (even though I have about ten small cans in the basement).

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

I have squeezed juice in a hand squeezed before too... you're right, it's a totally different flavor. So much more fresh!

[@gregsaunders_]

Better ingredients, better drinks… Papa Dons.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

😂

[@chunkymurps]

Although they are one of the main ingredients, i don't think any of the juices should have been a part of this list as they are a perishable which you're always going to be buying fresh (unless you have your own trees). The Angostura bitters should have definitely taken their place and absinthe should probably have been the bonus ingredient. Also, although it kinda bends the rule by being more than ten ingredients, syrups could all fall under the one category, especially the easier ones you can make at home (simple/honey/cinnamon/grenadine, even coconut). Although you can make your own falernum, orgeat and passionfruit, they're probably the most time consuming to make (in that order) so buying those and having them as separate ingredients on the list makes a little more sense.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Yeah, interesting ideas 👌

[@jamesclarke2813]

Umm….curaçao? You’ll need it just to make a basic ‘44 Mai Tai, so I would have put it instead of the pimiento dram. Great video though! :-)

[@daniel9453]

Hamilton Black > Meyers/Coruba

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Totally

[@jmgarcia61]

TJ has UNpasteurized orange juice, which is 95% as good as fresh squeezed.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Ahhh... I swear I thought that's what I bought! 😂

[@jmgarcia61]

@@BreezewayCocktailHour but the TJ's pineapple juice IS the right one. PS All those juices, if you store them in a Ziploc WITH THE AIR SQUEEZED OUT (oxygen is the enemy) will freeze with no loss of quality.

[@mitchelwb]

Where is this list of 300 cocktails at? I want to get started!

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

The Total Tiki app can get help you itemize the cocktails that you can make using these ingredients.

[@sgtpepper1138]

​@@BreezewayCocktailHoursuch a shame it's only on IOS.

[@craigrainbird969]

I tried to prove the 300 cocktails, all I proved is you wake up on the floor with a sore head wanting to know what happened to your clothes. And why am I in an elevator ?

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Lol

[@DanielBrice7f58a6]

> ...memorial of my dog, Astro. 🥺

[@JWHusby]

I know you had to keep it to 10, but no Absinthe? Also, it broke my heart not see / hear Dr Bird. Other than that, 👍🏻.

[@wfsterling]

:)

[@jjsc3334]

Enjoy your videos, but can't tolerant alcohol.

[@BreezewayCocktailHour]

Well I'm glad you still find them entertaining. Thanks for watching!

[@DanielBrice7f58a6]

Passion fruit syrup tastes like a DUMPSTER. A _very shmexy_ dumpster 😏