Rum

Pi-Yi

Name: Pi-Yi
Yield: 1 servings

Glass: Tiki Mug

A two-rum tropical blend traditionally served inside a hollowed-out small pineapple.

rum tiki tropical mid-century blended pineapple passion-fruit

Ingredients

fresh lime juice (0.75 oz)
passion fruit juice (1 oz)
fresh pineapple juice (3 oz)
rich honey syrup (0.5 oz)
falernum (1 dash)
Angostura bitters (2 dashes)
fassionola (0.5 oz)
gold Puerto Rican rum (1 oz)
dark Jamaican rum (1 oz)
small pineapple (1)
mint sprig (1)

Attribution is disputed: Trader Vic is sometimes credited (1950s), but Beachbum Berry's research traces the drink back to Don the Beachcomber, originally a Cuban-rum spec on a postcard, later adjusted post-embargo.¹ Both bars served versions; what follows is Berry's Donn Beach reconstruction.² The authentic presentation is in a hollowed-out small pineapple. Fassionola brand matters here too, Jonathan English Hibiscus Hurricane or BG Reynolds give the intended profile, and pomegranate grenadine is an acceptable substitute when neither is on hand.

Brand recommendations. Best: Don Q Anejo or Bacardi 8 for the gold Puerto Rican, Smith & Cross or Hamilton Pot Still Black for the dark Jamaican, BG Reynolds Fassionola, Velvet Falernum (Velier), Funkin or Perfect Puree passion fruit. Economical: Bacardi Gold for the Puerto Rican, Coruba or Appleton Signature for the Jamaican, Yacht Club Fassionola, John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, Ceres or Goya passion fruit nectar.

Instructions

Add fresh lime juice, passion fruit juice, fresh pineapple juice, rich honey syrup, falernum, Angostura bitters, fassionola, gold Puerto Rican rum, and dark Jamaican rum to a blender.

Add 6 oz of crushed ice and flash blend at high speed for no more than 5 seconds.
Pour unstrained into a hollowed-out small pineapple (traditional) or large tiki mug.
Garnish with a mint sprig.

Sources

Berry, Beachbum Berry Remixed (2010), Pi-Yi entry, traces the drink to Don the Beachcomber via a postcard-era Cuban-rum spec and notes both bars served versions; the source for this file's reconstruction. ↩
"Pi-Yi." Vintage American Cocktails. https://vintageamericancocktails.com/pi-yi/ (accessed 2026-05-03), published spec for the Pi-Yi name. The URL's spec is leaner (1 oz pineapple, 0.5 oz passion fruit syrup, 1 oz white rum + 2/3 oz gold rum, no fassionola or falernum); the file's heavier 3 oz pineapple, fassionola, falernum, and dark Jamaican rum follow Berry's Remixed reconstruction rather than this URL. ↩