Matt Hungerford is general manager of Dandan Restaurant and beverage director for the JVR Restaurant Group in Milwaukee.
The Golden Pineapple is a take on your more traditional Tiki cocktails. Very bright and citrusy while still having some more savory elements to it. The Tiki gold rum has some slight pineapple and coconut flavors, so that really got the ball moving when it comes to the direction we went with.
The Ancho Reyes, a chili liquor, adds some very slight spice and smoke. The shrub works well with the lime juice to ramp up the acidity to help balance the sweetness of the drink.
The inspiration for this drink came about after a local cocktail competition held at Turner Music Hall called the Tiki Takedown. Apparently the crowd also enjoyed it and we took home the “Golden Pineapple,” which is where the name comes from. The trophy still sits on the back bar at Dandan.
The Pineapple shrub is essentially a simple syrup that is mixed with Champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar is also fine to use. The vinegar adds another layer of acid that helps counter balance the sweetness from the syrup. I also add in a bit of pineapple juice to reinforce the pineapple flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Cutwater Bali Hai Tiki Gold rum
- ¾ oz. Pineapple shrub
- ¾ oz. Fresh-squeezed lime juice
- ½ oz. Ancho Reyes Chile liqueur
- ¼ oz. Orgeat
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake.
- Pour over a Collins or Zombie glass on fresh ice.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge/cherry pick and a pineapple leaf.
