Rum
Aku-Aku
Stardust-era Polynesian-pop blender drink, peach liqueur, mint, and pineapple over rum, served in a custom moai mug.
Ingredients
- fresh lime juice (0.75 oz)
- fresh pineapple juice (1 oz)
- demerara gum syrup (0.5 oz)
- fresh mint sprig (1)
- peach liqueur (0.5 oz)
- light Puerto Rican rum (1.5 oz)
- crushed ice (0.75 cup)
- pineapple wedge (1)
Instructions
- In a blender combine fresh lime juice, fresh pineapple juice, demerara gum syrup, a fresh mint sprig, peach liqueur, light Puerto Rican rum, and crushed ice.
- Flash-blend on high for .
- Pour unstrained into a chilled moai tiki mug or a footed pilsner for home bars.
- Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a pineapple wedge.
Sources
- Kirsten, The Book of Tiki (2000), Stardust Aku-Aku venue entry, documents the room's January 1960 opening (the broader Stardust Resort opened in 1958), the moai entrance, and the custom Polynesian-Pop ceramic mug program. The cocktail's specific origin at the Stardust is not documented in any primary source; the drink first appears under that name in Vic's 1972 Bartender's Guide, Revised. ↩
- Bergeron, Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, Revised (1972), p. 141, the canonical published spec calling for a half pineapple slice (muddled / blended) and 1 oz light rum. ↩
- Difford's Guide, "Aku Aku." https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/513/aku-aku (accessed 2026-05-03), Difford's published spec calls for 1 oz light rum and 1.5 oz pineapple juice (pineapple juice rather than a muddled half slice). The file's 1.5 oz rum is a heavier pour than either Difford's or the Vic 1972 reference. ↩