To Serve Man
Bourbon

Halekulani Cocktail

Glass
Coupe

A rare bourbon-based tiki drink born at Waikiki's House Without a Key, balancing citrus and demerara.

bourbon whiskey tiki hawaiian mid-century shaken
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Ingredients

  • fresh lemon juice (0.5 oz)
  • fresh orange juice (0.5 oz)
  • fresh pineapple juice (0.5 oz)
  • demerara syrup (0.25 oz)
  • grenadine (0.5 tsp)
  • Angostura bitters (1 dash)
  • bourbon (2 oz)
  • edible flower
  • pineapple wedge

Instructions

  1. Combine fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, fresh pineapple juice, demerara syrup, grenadine, Angostura bitters, and bourbon in a shaker with cracked ice.
  2. Shake for 8-12 seconds and double-strain into a chilled coupe.
  3. Garnish with an edible flower or pineapple wedge.

Sources

  1. Cate & Cate, Smuggler's Cove (2016), Halekulani Cocktail entry (p. 61), credits the House Without a Key lounge at the Halekulani Hotel, Waikiki, c. 1930s as the origin venue and documents the bourbon-citrus-grenadine-Angostura template. ↩
  2. "Halekulani Cocktail." Kindred Cocktails. https://kindredcocktails.com/cocktail/halekulani-cocktail (accessed 2026-05-03), attributes the drink to House Without a Key, c. 1930, and gives the canonical 1.5 oz bourbon spec drawn from Smuggler's Cove. ↩
  3. "Halekulani Cocktail." Subtle Tiki. https://subtletiki.com/halekulani-cocktail/ (accessed 2026-05-03), published spec the file follows for the 2 oz bourbon pour. ↩