Technicolor cocktails served in fishbowls often mark the first step on a path that stumbles toward debauchery. There’s a way to enjoy tiki drinks without committing to a crippling hangover, though. The secret lies in selecting ingredients for their flavor, rather than their intoxicating properties — for example, mixing aperitifs with nutty syrups, rather than using cloyingly sweet juices (namely, pineapple) to mask the burn of overproof rum.
From Claire Sprouse, award-winning bartender and beverage director of buzzy, all-day Williamsburg eatery Sunday in Brooklyn, comes a refreshingly palatable, low-ABV tiki cocktail. Lacking in rum but overflowing with notes of coconut and almond, it’s a low-impact, transportive drink that (almost) confounds the din of city traffic with the rush of crashing waves.
Golden Nugget
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients:
3/4 ounce orange juice
3/4 ounce coconut purée
3/4 ounce Falernum
3/4 ounce Avua Cachaça
3/4 ounce Lo-Fi Sweet Vermouth
Crushed ice
Coconut flakes
Paper umbrella or tropical swizzle stick (optional)
Preparation:
1. Pour the first five ingredients into a shaker with crushed ice. Shake to combine, then pour into a glass.
2. Top with a pinch of coconut flakes and a paper umbrella (optional but encouraged).
