The Secret Tea Ingredient for Tiki Drinks
Whenever I am making drinks for Nick and myself, I always have a mocktail alternative since I do not drink alcohol. However, most mocktail recipes for tiki style drinks are over the top sweet since they are lacking the very important flavor of the rum itself.
So, do your booze-free tiki drinks really need to be that sweet? No. I am here to solve this mocktail problem with three Tiki Tea Drink recipes using my magic ingredient, a special pirate rum tasting tea called The Black Pearl.
This black tea is nutty, oaky, and has a touch of that Tortuga burning aroma from the smoked tea used in the blend. Black Pearl is also a naturally mildly sweet tasting tea and mostly tastes of charred sweet coconut rum. The aroma is strongly reminiscent of the Disney park ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the color is a light golden amber.
Because The Black Pearl Tea taste can mimic rum in a recipe, it is ideal for swapping in rum based tiki drinks. While Jack Sparrow would prefer rum, I think even he would enjoy this tea!
I have created these 3 recipes all with mocktail versions and rum infused counterparts; it is more fun to be able to drink together! Cheers!
The recipes include Stormy Beach, Kraken Killer, and Kraka-Tea Punch
Links to prep ingredient recipes used in these drinks
Double Brewed Strength Pitcher of Black Pearl Tea/Monorail Morning
Tiki Tea Mocktail ‘n’ Cocktail Recipes
Stormy Beach
Inspired by the tiki drink Dark ‘n’ Stormy
If you are not a fan of tiki drinks because they are too sweet, then this is your tiki drink. This fizzy brew has a light aromatic taste, spicy ginger aroma, and oaky nutty notes from the tea. It has a light sandy color and is casual but sophisticated enough for slowly sipping.
The sweet coconut cream foam gently spooned on the top is the real secret to this drink! This stuff is designed as a coffee creamer so it is very sweet; just a little bit goes a long way! It elevates the spice of the drink with the foamy creamy texture. Visually, the white foam resembles white seafoam on a sandy beach.
Ingredients:
Ice
5 Part Double Strength Brewed Black Pearl Tea
½ Part Happy Thoughts Tea Simple Syrup
¼ of a Lime juice
1 Part Ginger Beer
½ Part Coconut Cream Cold Foam
For Boozy option add
½ Part Falernum
1 Part Dark Rum
Directions:
- In a cocktail shaker add ice, tea, syrup, and falernum (alcohol) and shake well
- Using an electric whisk, foam up the coconut creamer in a separate glass
- In your serving glass, layer in some ice and pour over the shaker mixture
- Pour the ginger beer on top
- If adding rum, gently pour on top to layer at this stage
- Gently spoon the foam onto the top of the beverage
- Garnish with a lime slice
Kraken Killer
Inspired by the tiki drink, Painkiller
Kill the stress kraken Jack Sparrow style with a tropical rum drink that is equally fruity as it is strong. The pineapple and coconut come through vibrantly with a light sweetness from the Happy Thoughts green tea syrup. The Black Pearl Tea really shines here with an oaky sweet rum taste.
The secret ingredient here though is the Tiki Cherry! We made these by slightly cooking fresh Rainier Cherries in a simple syrup made from our Tiki Tea, a green tea with pineapple and coconut. And even though this drink is boldly fruity, it is still not overly sweet.
Ingredients:
Ice
4 Part Double Strength Brewed Black Pearl Tea
For Boozy version sub 3 Part Tea and 1 Part Dark Rum
2 Part Pineapple Juice
½ Part Sweet Coconut Creamer
½ Part Happy Thoughts Tea Simple Syrup
¼ of a Lime
¼ part Tiki Tea Syrup from Cocktail Cherry Jar
Dash of Nutmeg
Directions:
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice and all ingredients except the cherry
- Shake well
- Add ice to a tall glass and strain the mix to serve and drop in a cherry
- Garnish with a dash of nutmeg
Kraka-Tea Punch
Inspired by the tiki drink from Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto’s Krakatoa Punch
Some days, you just need something a little sweeter with an extra punch of that ‘something’ special. The answer to that craving is almost always, cinnamon. Since this recipe uses a spiced rum, we needed to replace that taste with one of our teas. Monorail Morning is the perfect choice as a bold black tea with cinnamon, clove, and orange peel.
We also elevated the grenadine by using our homemade syrup steeped with the tart cherry vanilla tea, Chim Chim Cherry. You are going to want to pour a second glass of this!
Ingredients:
Ice
2 Part Double Strength Brewed Black Pearl Tea
2 Part Double Strength Brewed Monorail Morning Tea
1 Part Pineapple Juice
½ Part Orange Juice
½ Part Passion Fruit Juice
½ Part Chim Chim Grenadine
½ Part Almond Syrup (Orgeat)
¼ of a Lime
For Boozy option add
½ Part Spiced Rum
½ Part Dark Rum
Directions:
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice and all ingredients
- Shake well
- Add ice to a tall glass and strain the mix to serve
