Bourbon

Tropical Itch

Name: Tropical Itch
Yield: 1 servings

Glass: Hurricane

Harry Yee's bourbon-rum-passion fruit punch served with a bamboo back scratcher swizzle.

bourbon rum tiki hawaiian shaken passion-fruit pineapple

Ingredients

fresh lemon juice (0.5 oz)
fresh pineapple juice (1 oz)
passion fruit puree (1 oz)
Angostura bitters (2 dashes)
triple sec (0.5 oz)
bourbon (1 oz)
dark Jamaican rum (1 oz)
151-proof rum (1 oz)
crushed ice (1 cup)
pineapple wedge (1)
maraschino cherry (1)
bamboo back scratcher (1)

Harry Yee created the Tropical Itch at the Hawaiian Village Hotel in 1957, garnished famously with a bamboo back scratcher in place of a swizzle stick.¹ Passion fruit puree is dialed back from the source's 3 oz to 1 oz, the larger pour likely reflects a transcription anomaly and creates an unbalanced drink at full measure.²

Brand recommendations. Best: Buffalo Trace or Wild Turkey 101 for the bourbon, Hamilton 151 Demerara for the overproof, Smith & Cross or Hampden Estate 8 for the dark Jamaican, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao for the triple sec, Perfect Purée or fresh-pressed passion fruit, Angostura aromatic bitters. Economical: Old Forester or Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond for the bourbon, Lemon Hart 151, Coruba or Hamilton Pot Still Black for the dark Jamaican, Cointreau or Combier for the triple sec, Goya frozen passion fruit pulp.

Instructions

In a shaker combine fresh lemon juice, fresh pineapple juice, passion fruit puree, Angostura bitters, triple sec, bourbon, dark Jamaican rum, and 151-proof rum with crushed ice.
Shake well.
Pour unstrained into a tall zombie glass or footed pilsner.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge, a maraschino cherry, and a bamboo back scratcher.

Sources

"Harry Yee." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Yee (accessed 2026-05-03), credits Yee with inventing the Tropical Itch (along with the Blue Hawaii) at the Hawaiian Village Hotel where he was head bartender for over thirty years from 1952; the bamboo back scratcher garnish is his signature substitution for the swizzle stick. ↩
"Tropical Itch." The Grouchy Bartender. https://www.grouchy-bartender.com/cocktails/blog-post-tropical-itch (accessed 2026-05-03), modern reconstruction of Yee's Hawaiian Village spec; the source for this file's measurement bill and the basis for the passion-fruit-puree dial-back. ↩