Mai Tai, Stuft Shirt

The most common fruit juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; pure citric acid. Lemon juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

A tropical fruit, used in many tropical cocktails for its sweet flavor and yellow color. You can either juice a real pineapple, buy pineapple canned in juice (not syrup) or buy pineapple juice in a container.

A citrus juice used in many cocktails, both for its sweet and tart taste and its color. Orange juice, unlike lemon and lime, can be kept fresh for days. In a blind taste test, most people liked day-old orange juice.

A commonly used syrup made from pomegranate juice, characterized by a flavour that is both tart and sweet, and by a deep red colour. Coming from the French spelling of pomegranate, 'grenade.' To make it yourself (don't buy it premade) combine 100% pomegranate juice (like the Pom Wonderful brand) with equal parts sugar by mass. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

A sweet wine often served with dessert.

Produced at the traditional sugarcane farms and distilleries of Jamaica, these molasses-based rums are beloved for their funky notes of tropical fruit. These can be bottled as a blend of pot and column-still rums (e.g., Appleton Signature) or as 100% pot still (e.g., Smith & Cross). Many recipes specifically call for Smith & Cross, which is elevated in both ABV and funky flavors. These rums are usually aged between 5 and 12 years, often in the tropical climate of Jamaica.

Although a nebulous term, gold rum most often refers to molasses-based rums influenced by moderate aging (3-8 years). Flavor profiles vary. Unless noted otherwise, recipes usually call for something on the lighter end of the spectrum so that other ingredients can shine through.

A high proof (>57.5% ABV) dark/black rum, either single origin from Guyana or a multi-origin blend with a large Guyanese component. These rums add a rich, high-alcohol punch to tiki cocktails. The classic example is Lemon Hart 151, but more modern options include Hamilton 151 and Planteray OFTD (69% ABV).

Aromatic plants used in cocktails as a garnish or muddled into the liquor to add a light fresh taste. Common in the Mint Julep.

A tropical plant with a tart yellow fruit. Most often used in tiki cocktails and fizzes.