Five Drinks for Your Cocktail Mug Collection

To commemorate the release of our fifth exclusive cocktail mug, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite cocktails for serving in these elaborate vessels. Many of these are variations of what’s commonly been called “tiki” drinks, a term we’ve intentionally avoided for some time, due to the racism and cultural appropriation that have been part of tiki culture since it was first introduced by “a few white guys in California in the 1930s.” 

All of the following cocktail recipes (as well as any syrups with which they’re made) can be found in our latest book, Death & Co Welcome Home. Like most drinks of this style, they call for crushed ice, which you can make at home by filling a clean towel or canvas bag with ice cubes and smashing them with a wooden mallet, rolling pin, or small saucepan. 

Iguanero
Matthew Belanger, 2018
1 ounce Nuestra Soledad Lachigui mezcal
½ ounce El Dorado 3-year rum
½ ounce Avuá Prata cachaça
½ ounce green Chartreuse
1 ounce Kiwi Syrup (see Death & Co Welcome Home)
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
Garnish: 2 kiwi slices

Short shake all the ingredients with ice for about 5 seconds, then strain into a
tulip glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with the kiwi slices and serve with a straw.

King Ghidora
Matthew Belanger, 2016
1 ounce Yamazaki 12-year whisky
1 ounce Banks 7 Golden Age rum
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce Cane Sugar Syrup (see Death & Co Welcome Home)
½ ounce Perfect Purée papaya purée
1 teaspoon Marie Brizard white crème de cacao
1 dash Dale DeGroff’s pimento bitters
Garnish: 1 parasol

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and whip, shaking with a few pieces of crushed ice, just until incorporated. Dump into a double old-fashioned glass and fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with the parasol and serve with a straw.

Bad Sneakers
Tyson Buhler, 2018
1½ ounces Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky
1 ounce Donn’s Mix #1 (see Death & Co Welcome Home)
½ ounce Coco López
½ ounce fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Kalani Ron de Coco coconut liqueur
1 teaspoon Laphroaig 10-year scotch
Garnish: Toasted coconut flakes and grapefruit zest

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and whip, shaking with a few pieces of crushed ice, just until incorporated, then dump into a double old-fashioned glass and fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with the toasted coconut flakes, grate some grapefruit zest over the drink, and serve with a straw.

Hawaii Five-O
Matthew Belanger, 2017
1½ ounces Tanqueray gin
½ ounce Rhum JM VSOP
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce Orgeat Works Macadamia Nut Syrup
¼ ounce Passion Fruit Syrup* (see Death & Co Welcome Home)
1 teaspoon Trader Vic’s macadamia nut liqueur
2 dashes Bittermens hopped grapefruit bitters
Garnish: 1 mint bouquet and nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and whip, shaking with a few pieces of crushed ice, just until incorporated. Dump into a double old-fashioned glass and fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with the mint bouquet and grate some nutmeg over the top of the drink. Serve with a straw.

Flying Guillotine
Matthew Belanger, 2017
1 ounce Dupont Calvados Hors d’Age
½ ounce El Dorado 15-year rum
½ ounce Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof rum
1 teaspoon Don’s Spices (see Death & Co Welcome Home)
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce Demerara Syrup (see Death & Co Welcome Home)
½ ounce Perfect Purée guava purée
2 dashes absinthe
1 dash Angostura bitters
Garnish: 1 orchid flower

Shake all the ingredients with ice, then strain into a collins glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with the orchid and serve with a straw.