Tiki Griki

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 30 ml Aged Blended Rum
- 30 ml Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur
- 10 ml Coconut Rum Liqueur (Malibu)
- 30 ml Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- 15 ml Cinnamon Simple Syrup
- 10 ml White Creme de Cacao
- 10 ml Fresh Lime Juice

GARNISH:
- Grapefruit Wheel
- Sprig of Mint
- Twist of Lime
- Cinnamon Stick

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled. (Alternatively flash blend with crushed ice.)
• Strain over fresh crushed ice into a cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a grapefruit wheel, mint sprig and a cinnamon stick.

This is my third entry / attempt for this year’s Mr. Black cocktail challenge.

I will be honest here, I looked through a bunch of tiki recipes, trying to find out if something like this has already been made. Unfortunately, I am not an expert in this field, so if this creation of mine reminds you of any other tiki cocktail, I can only apologize and assure you that it is just a coincidence and it was not intentional.

I approached this cocktail in a slightly different manner than the others. Essentially, it was an attempt to pair different tropical flavours with coffee and see what happens. The end result was a tasty surprise in a tiki style glass.

Coconut, cinnamon and cacao complement cold brew coffee liqueur notes by playing off of each other. Sweet molasses notes of aged rum also integrate themselves nicely in this mix. To balance the sweetness and add a bit of bitterness, I used a healthy dose of grapefruit juice with just a bit of lime to add some extra zingy freshness. For the garnish in a true tiki style, I have used cocktail ingredients to represent and emphasize aromas and tastes used in the cocktail.

All in all, I hope that this humble invention of mine honours the legacy of tiki and will be a small addition to it.