Preparation
- Gently press the thin ginger slice in the shaker. Add the remaining ingredients.
- Shake vigorously with plenty of ice.
- Strain through a sieve into a large Tiki glass filled with crushed ice.
- Finish with a garnish: citrus fruits and a dried pineapple slice.
What does it taste like?
First you taste pineapple and passion fruit, sweet and tropical. Right behind it comes the lime, pulling everything toward sourness. Then the liqueurs join in: almond and hazelnut lay down a soft, marzipan-like sweetness beneath it all. The ginger, released during shaking, adds a light tingle of heat. Of the two rums, you taste a smoky note at the finish. The cherry liqueur drops are just a hint. Overall the drink is strong, but the fruit conceals that well. The abundant crushed ice keeps it ice-cold and gradually dilutes it over time.
When does it work best?
A drink for evenings on the terrace and for guests who love sweetness. It tastes like a vacation and drinks dangerously smoothly, even though it contains sixty milliliters of rum. Beginners will handle it well. Anyone who prefers dry drinks will find it too sweet. It doesn't suit a small glass—it needs room and plenty of ice.
What matters
Use a genuinely large glass. Without ice, there's already over two hundred milliliters in the shaker, which would overflow a standard tumbler. Almond and hazelnut liqueurs each have their own distinct flavor; no random sweet liqueur can substitute for them. Press the ginger slice only gently, otherwise the drink turns sharp rather than spicy. Squeeze the lime fresh—it's the counterbalance to all that sweetness.
Where the drink comes from
Diosmel Mendoza Medrano developed the IBA Tiki in Cuba in 2022, in connection with the international cocktail championship. The recipe was created at El Polinesio in the Hotel Habana Libre in Havana. The name honors the International Bartenders Association. Despite the Tiki glass and pineapple, this is not an old Polynesian recipe but a young Cuban creation. That also explains the ingredient list. It draws on two rums and combines them with fruit, nut liqueurs, and ginger. Nine ingredients appear on the list—a lot for a cocktail.