Take Gin To The Tropics With A Classic Hawaiian Cocktail

Tropical and tiki drinks may have their differences – the former tend to be simpler, while the latter are more complex and call for ingredients such as falernum – but one thing they usually have in common is that both tend to be made with rum. Perhaps this stems from conflating the Caribbean (where rum originates) with the South Seas, but it might also be because rum is a fairly sweet type of booze that pairs well with fruity flavors such as the pineapple, orange, and coconut of the summery Painkiller cocktail or the orange and lime of Trader Vic's original Mai Tai. There are, however, a few exceptions to the "all rum, all the time" rule, such as the bourbon-based Halekulani and Port Light. Yet another tropical drink made without rum is the Royal Hawaiian, which uses gin.

The Royal Hawaiian was concocted in 1948 at Waikiki Beach's Moana Hotel (no relation to the 2016 Disney movie of the same name). It was later adopted as a house drink by the Princess Kaiulani Hotel, which opened right across the road in 1955. Both hotels are still in existence, now doing business as the Moana Surfrider and the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. 

The beachfront bar at either establishment would be an ideal spot to sip a Royal Hawaiian while gazing out at the crashing surf, but this might be out of reach for most of us. You can, however, recreate the drink (if not the experience) by mixing 1 ½ ounces each of gin and pineapple juice, then stirring in a tablespoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of orgeat and shaking over ice.

The Royal Hawaiian belongs to a select few tiki or tropical-style drinks made with gin instead of rum. One of the most celebrated is the Saturn, a long-forgotten '60s cocktail rediscovered during the tiki revival. Despite the lack of rum, the cocktail's other ingredients couldn't be more tiki if they tried: falernum, orgeat, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice. There's also the Army & Navy, made with gin, lemon juice, bitters, and orgeat, as well as the Rangoon gimlet, which is just a standard gimlet (gin, lime juice, and simple syrup) that earned its tiki cred thanks to the name and the addition of bitters.

A few famous drinks, including the Singapore Sling and Suffering Bastard, use gin along with other types of booze. The former mixes it with Benedictine, orange liqueur, cherry liqueur, pineapple juice, lime juice, bitters, and club soda, while the latter combines it with brandy, lime juice, bitters, and ginger beer. 

Honorable mention also goes to the Fog Cutter, a drink created by tiki daddy Vic Bergeron. While rum is the primary spirit, the drink also includes gin along with Cognac or brandy, sherry, lemon juice, orange juice, and orgeat.