Bourbon

Polynesian Paralysis

Name: Polynesian Paralysis
Yield: 1 servings

Glass: Tiki Mug

Donn Beach's okolehao-based tiki bowl, with bourbon as the standard substitute for the ti-root spirit.

bourbon tiki tropical mid-century blended hawaiian orgeat group-serve

Ingredients

fresh lemon juice (0.75 oz)
fresh orange juice (3 oz)
fresh pineapple juice (3 oz)
rich sugar syrup (0.5 oz)
orgeat syrup (1 oz)
okolehao (3 oz)
gardenia (1)

Built on okolehao, the native Hawaiian spirit distilled from ti root.¹ Bourbon (Maker's Mark recommended) is the standard substitute when okolehao is unavailable.² The Grog Log spec (p. 64) calls for 3 oz orange juice, 3 oz unsweetened pineapple juice, 1 oz sweet & sour, ½ oz orgeat, and 3 oz okolehao (or Martinique rum). The file's measurement bill below substitutes 0.75 oz lemon juice + 0.5 oz sugar syrup for the "sweet & sour" component and runs the orgeat at 1 oz (double the Grog Log). The serving size remains Tiki Bowl-sized for sharing.²

Brand recommendations. Best: Hawaiian Shochu Company Okolehao if obtainable, otherwise Maker's Mark or Four Roses Small Batch as the bourbon substitute, Small Hand Foods orgeat. Economical: Maker's Mark or Buffalo Trace bourbon as the substitute, BG Reynolds orgeat or homemade.

Instructions

Add fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, fresh pineapple juice, rich sugar syrup, orgeat syrup, and okolehao to a blender.
Add 12 oz of crushed ice and flash blend up to 10 seconds.
Gated pour (with the ice) into a tiki bowl or large tiki mug.
Garnish with a gardenia.

Sources

"Okolehao." https://www.bamboosams.com/post/okolehao-polynesia-paralysis (accessed 2026-05-03), background on the native Hawaiian ti-root spirit and its use in the Polynesian Paralysis bowl. ↩
Berry, Beachbum Berry's Grog Log (1998), Polynesian Paralysis entry (p. 64), the source spec this file follows, including the Tiki Bowl-sized serving and the Maker's Mark bourbon substitute when okolehao is unavailable. ↩