Rum

Headhunter (Kahiki)

Name: Headhunter (Kahiki)
Yield: 1 servings

Glass: Moai Mug

Sandro Conti's Kahiki Supper Club blend of orange, pineapple, soursop, and split rums.

rum tiki tropical mid-century polynesian-pop pineapple blended

Ingredients

fresh orange juice (3 oz)
fresh pineapple juice (3 oz)
guanabana (soursop) juice (1.5 oz)
rock candy syrup (0.5 oz)
orange curaçao (1 oz)
Bacardi white rum (2 oz)
Barbancourt rum (1 oz)
cracked ice (1 cup)
fruit stick (1)
mint sprig (1)

This is Sandro Conti's Kahiki Supper Club recipe as reproduced by Gianni Zottola; the cited URL lists Headhunter among Conti's drinks without explicit Conti-family-sourcing detail.¹ A separate "Headhunter" was created by Mannie "Blackie" Andal at Hawaii Kai NYC around 1962 with a different formulation (papaya, peach, Demerara, 151), these are two distinct drinks sharing a name.² The split of Bacardi white with Barbancourt gives the drink a Haitian-tinged backbone under the tropical juice blend.

Brand recommendations. Best: Bacardi Superior (canonical for Conti's spec) and Barbancourt 5 Star (the Haitian rum the recipe specifies); Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao; Goya or Looza guanábana nectar; B.G. Reynolds rock candy syrup. Economical: Bacardi Superior (already a value pour) and Barbancourt 3 Star; Senior Curaçao of Curaçao; Jumex or Kern's guanábana nectar; homemade rock candy syrup (2:1 sugar to water).

Instructions

In a blender combine fresh orange juice, fresh pineapple juice, guanabana (soursop) juice, rock candy syrup, orange curaçao, Bacardi white rum, and Barbancourt rum.
Add cracked ice and blend briefly until combined.
Pour unstrained into a moai tiki mug or large goblet.
Garnish with a fruit stick and a mint sprig.

Sources

Gianni Zottola, "Kahiki Supper Club tiki bar." https://www.giannizottola.com/2017/05/07/kahiki-supper-club-tiki-bar/ (accessed 2026-05-03), lists Headhunter among Sandro Conti's Kahiki cocktails; the source for this file's measurement bill including the Bacardi white / Barbancourt 5 split. ↩
"Kahiki Supper Club." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahiki_Supper_Club (accessed 2026-05-03), confirms Kahiki opened February 1961 in Columbus, Ohio, and lists "Head Hunter" among the venue cocktails. (The separate Hawaii Kai NYC "Headhunter" by Mannie "Blackie" Andal is documented in Berry's research; the two drinks are unrelated.) ↩