tiki Archives - Cocktail Wonk

Is “Minimalist Tiki” an Oxymoron?

Tiki drinks, by their very nature, lends themselves to excess. Why use one rum when you can use three? A tasteful, simple lime wedge garnish? That simply won’t do! Not when you can layer together pineapple fronds, mint, a swizzle stick, and perhaps a flaming lime shell for good measure.

Indeed, short of molecular mixology, Tiki drinks may be the most complicated style of cocktails you can make. So, what were my wife Carrie and I thinking when we named our book Minimalist Tiki?

Your Guide To Winning $2500 with Minimalist Tiki

As you may have seen recently, Reàl Ingredients has generously agreed to supply the prize money for a fun little contest involving our book, Minimalist Tiki.

In brief, thirteen bartenders and ten bars are featured in the book, along with their recipes that follow the Minimalist Tiki ethos – about 100 recipes in total.

The Six Essential Tiki Rum Categories

Newcomers to Tiki bartending quickly face an uncomfortable question: Just how many rums do I need? With so many recipes calling for Lemon Hart this, Real McCoy that, and DonQ something else, it quickly becomes overwhelming.

Can You (Ever) Use Too Much Angostura Bitters?

“Hey Matt, I think I found a bug in your book,” began a recent message from my friend, Mike. ”The Trinidadi Issues recipes calls for 1.5 ounces of Angostura bitters…seems like that can’t be right (?)”

I chuckled. Mike wasn’t the first person who’d messaged me about this recipe, certain they’d found a typo.

Minimalist Tiki – The Book! For Sale Now!

Day in and day out, one of the most popular post here at Cocktail Wonk is Minimalist Tiki: What you truly need to make the classics at home.

At long last, I’ve finally heeded Mrs. Wonk’s wisdom that this article was a book needed to be written. Without further ado, we’re pleased to announce THE BOOK!

Minimalist Tiki: A Cocktail Wonk Look at Classic Libations and the Modern Tiki Vanguard

Minimalist Tiki is a hefty, no-compromises book—hardcover and in full, glorious color, with more than 300 pages of geeking out, photos and recipes. It weighs over 3 pounds! We hope it will sit proudly alongside the books that inspired it.

The Cocktail Wonk Top Ten Stories of 2018

It’s an annual Cocktail Wonk tradition to holistically examine the last twelve month’s writings and pick the ten stories most deserving of highlighting and after-the-fact commentary.