Behind the bar

Favorite drinks

The recipes I keep coming back to.

Mai Tai

Trader Vic's, Oakland, 1944 · Double old fashioned, crushed ice

• 2 oz aged Jamaican rum
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz orange curaçao
• 1/4 oz orgeat
• 1/4 oz rich simple syrup

Shake with crushed ice and pour it all into the glass, unstrained. Garnish with the spent lime shell and a sprig of mint.

Jungle Bird

Aviary Bar, Kuala Lumpur Hilton, 1978 · Double old fashioned, over ice

• 1 1/2 oz blackstrap or dark Jamaican rum
• 3/4 oz Campari
• 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz demerara syrup

Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Painkiller

Soggy Dollar Bar, British Virgin Islands, 1970s · Tiki mug or highball, crushed ice

• 2 oz Pusser's rum
• 4 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz cream of coconut

Shake with ice and pour over crushed ice. Grate fresh nutmeg on top.