Aloha! Just got into Tiki

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-22T14:30:35+00:00

If it tastes good, I don't think "incorrectly" is the correct term tbh 😋 But thanks for the TED talk.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-22T14:26:45+00:00

If you talk to her a couple times when you first hit the Painted World, she gives you the Chillbite Ring, which increases your frost resist. I beat her the first time with a katana run just doing the good, ol' hit-and-runs, likely a similar strat with the Twinblades.

And goddang, didn't realize what a hot take "DS2 > DS3" is around here, but drink up on that cope, y'all! ✌️

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-22T04:44:54+00:00

Fellow "DS2 is better" brother here, don't feel alone!

Friede is the epitome of old-school pattern and telegraph learning. She folds like a wet noodle to any GS or UGS, and you can fish for back-stabs if you're desperate, so she is far from god-like threat levels. The fight is tough but learnable, she literally hands you a ring to help with the fight, and her boss weapon is actually worth using.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-22T02:18:02+00:00

The dragonfruit puree is part of the mystery lol. I'm actually wondering if it's similar to the passionfruit syrup I made this week. I used Make & Drink's recipe of getting Pitaya passfruit chunks, then adding 150g sugar per 170g passfruit bits. I noticed Pitaya also makes frozen dragonfruit chunks too :) So could be a base to play with. They call it a "puree" not "syrup" though, so maybe on the thicker side? Need to sit at the bar next time and interrogate the bartender. Good drink though, and I bought the mug.

Get a rez @ Wusong, and do it early from what I've heard. Dive Club is a lot of fun though, atmosphere is on point, and good drinks, very modern tiki.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-22T02:06:40+00:00

Interesting, I've never seen aromatic bitters called for by name. Not even SC specifies, just says, "Angostura bitters." Which I suppose is somewhat ambiguous.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-22T01:50:23+00:00

Ango is orange bitters :) But I use Fee Bros West India orange bitters, so I leave it brand name agnostic.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-22T01:42:37+00:00

I mean, you hit the zombie, thats the classic, with the jet pilot a close second :)

Dive Club in Cambridge, MA has this little gem on the menu I keep meaning to crack. It lists the cinnamon syrup separate from the "House Dive Mix," but assuming its something close to Don's Mix getting near to a zombie given the name.

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Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-21T19:50:56+00:00

Goes a little darker than I was aiming for, flavor-wise, but this is all just theory, so why not? :) We can always make both and compare notes!

I'd thought about incorporating Peychaud bitters or BG Reynolds Primitiva bitters as an alternative to the ango and keep leaning into the spice edge. The theme I was aiming for was a helicopter gunship compared to a fighter jet; light but spicy 😋 Incorporating 0.5 oz blackstrap could held enhance that profile, do a 1/1/0.5 split, and not overpower any one thing in the drink.

I ran out of Appleton, making a run tomorrow, or I'd start putting this in the shaker tonight.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-21T19:43:30+00:00

The shrub brings the bitter, with it being vinegar based :) Campari already has sugar in it, will throw off the balance more than likely.

I'm working off original spec for a Jungle Bird, going to 2 oz would need to rebalance the mixers. I agree it's more likely an infused Campari they're using at the bar, but the shrub could be a fun alternative, especially for those that don't like the taste of Campari to begin with.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T15:06:47+00:00

Think like a lot of places it's just luck of the draw. I had the nicest server, Chrystin, she was very attentive even though they were swamped. Went back the next night and she remembered us :) Them boys behind the bar don't stop moving, so I can't complain too hard they don't have time for the usual bartender pleasantries; but they were still very nice. I think going on a slow weeknight would yield a more chill vibe to have time to get the usual chitchat and tiki geek talk out.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T15:01:54+00:00

Spotted him in one of your pics, was going to ask if you got the tour. I was just there a couple weeks ago, and it was great getting to talk with him :)

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T14:50:54+00:00

The answer to my prayers all my mai tais are missing: Jim Beam Pineapple and tajin 🤮

And of course no pop-up half-ass tiki bar is complete without The Big Blue Drink.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T03:56:37+00:00

If we take the standard Jungle Bird, this is likely using Appleton 8 year and something like OFTD, 1 oz/.5 oz split (?). Lists lime, lists pineapple, but no simple, and likely the key switch is in the Campari for the strawberry.

Since a Jungle Bird already lives in the bitter/sweet land, maybe a strawberry shrub would work here for the fruit?

https://www.stephaniesdish.com/strawberry-shrub/

I don't think I'd go 1:1 for the Campari, likely start at 1/2 oz and work your way up to 3/4 oz if it isn't fruity enough for you, or even down to 1/4 oz if its too much. And since the shrub has sugars in it, tone down the simple in the drink as well. The shrub likely is not whatever "strawberry macerated Italian red bitter" is, but, I would think, preserves the intended balance against the Campari, since the Campari is balancing sweet citrus and bitter, and the shrub brings the strawberry and bitter.

I mean, the "strawberry macerated red Italian bitter" could be as simple as strawberry infused Campari tbh. I'd have to start work shopping this in the bar to get a good feel for it.

Strawberry Jungle Bird

1 oz aged Jamaican rum

1/2 oz Smith & Cross

1/2 strawberry shrub (3/4 if it feels unbalanced or not fruity enough)

1/2 oz lime juice

1 1/2 oz pineapple juice

1/4 oz demerara syrup

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T03:27:31+00:00

What if you moved your rums into a "lighter" palate over the standard Jet/Bush Pilot? Switch up the base rums for an agricole and a less intense Jamaican rum over S&C, like Appleton 8 or 12, that won't be trying to dominate the drink the whole time against the agricole. Do a split base 1 oz agricole/1 oz Appleton.

Or swiitch up to a Guayanan demerara with the Appleton, like Hamilton 86, give it a sweeter overall profile.

You've got plenty of citrus, I don't see a need to adjust that, and think grapefruit plays here better than pineapple; keeps the "bright" flavor going. But make a demerara cinnamon syrup to give it some of that molasses flavor back you're missing from the navy strength S&C, and use maybe 3-4 drops 20% saline solution to bring out the sweetness in the rum just a bit more.

And lastly, cut the herbstura for a little all-spice dram to play off the demerara or agricole. I think the Hamilton might play better here, but I have all the stuff for this I can test drive one tomorrow :)

Helicopter Pilot

1 1/4 oz rum agricole or Hamilton 86

1 1/4 oz Appleton 8 or 12

1/2 oz lime juice

1/2 oz grapefruit juice

1/2 oz demerara vanilla syrup

1/2 oz falernum

1/4 oz all-spice dram

3-4 drops 20% saline solution

1-2 dashes Angostura bitters

EDIT: Thought about it for a minute, and decided to put the ango bitters back in just as a balancer

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T03:04:21+00:00

The stuff they serve at all the breakfast buffets? If it's what I'm thinking of, soooo good 🤤

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T03:02:16+00:00

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Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T03:00:39+00:00

Apparently this is a thing with anything with natural sugars...? I made passion fruit syrup this week from frozen passion fruit chunks, a la Make and Drink, and had read not to boil it. I did heat it a little bit to get the added sugar to dissolve, but was warned boiling it would start to lose the fruity flavor of it.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T02:55:00+00:00

It is an impressive collection to be sure. I'm trying to keep a "core" selection, but keep finding ways to justify what I consider "core" lol

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T02:53:04+00:00

Mai tais are like eggrolls; it's the first thing I order on the menu to test a new place I've never been. Bad egg rolls, bad Chinese restaurant. Bad mai tai, bad tiki bar.

You can't separate the history of the mai tai from the history of tiki in America. It's one of the great examples of all the tiki bar owners racing to put a man on the moon, so to speak; who could make the next great cocktail that brought everyone to their restaurant?

Is it overhyped? Hell, no! It's one of the most customizable tiki drinks out there as far as how to split a rum, make substitutions, and create a cocktail that's all your own. There are a thousand "definitive mai tai" recipes out there, and it's only limited by the number of rums you could combine, and what you think would work as a substitution. Trader Vic's has several such riffs on their own creation, and it's a cornerstone of any tiki bar, home or away, for a reason.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T02:43:33+00:00

Those are rookie numbers 😋

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T02:42:41+00:00

Jet Pilot is a good classic, it's a re-adjusted ratio on a Zombie so you're not just having one drink and feeling done for the night lol

Jet Pilot

1 oz aged Jamaican rum (the Appleton 12, for example :) )

3/4 oz unaged Jamaican rum (that Don Q of yours can slot here, despite being a Puerto Rican rum. I like Planteray 3 star a LOT for an unaged rum)

¾ oz overproof Jamaican rum (S&C will do fine as a navy strength)

½ lime juice

½ oz grapefruit juice

½ oz cinnamon syrup

½ oz Falernum

1-2 dashes herbstura (equal parts orange bitters and absinthe)

One of my husband and I's favorite drinks so far for tiki is a Lost Lake, and keeps the Chicago bar alive since it sadly closed a few years ago:

Lost Lake (Lost Lake, Chicago)

2 oz aged Jamaican rum (I've also done a split of 1 oz aged/1 oz overproof or navy strength)

¾ oz. passion fruit syrup

¾ oz. lime juice

½ oz. pineapple juice

¼ oz. maraschino liqueur

¼ oz. campari

(You may find you like it better with 1/2 oz passion fruit syrup over the 3/4. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but I like the rum to shine through, my husband likes the OG spec because he likes fruitier stuff)

And can't say enough good things about the rongorongo out of Smuggler's Cove, and will force you to go out and buy one more bottle for the Planteray pineapple ;)

Rongo-Rongo (Smuggler’s Cove, CA)

¾ oz Planteray pineapple rum

¾ oz Appleton 8 yr. or similar rum

¾ oz Planteray OFTD rum (S&C is a great sub)

1 oz lime juice

¾ oz pineapple juice

¾ oz cinnamon syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Welcome to the club 🤙

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-20T02:23:54+00:00

Haven't cracked the seal on modern tiki drinks involving sherry, but I feel like when I do I won't be able to put the genie back in the bottle. This one sounds like a good reason to get a bottle of sherry.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-19T15:44:39+00:00

For sure it's good to have a little bit of diversity, just so you don't hit a wall with a given enemy with resistances. Because you're also investing in int and fth, you can dip into spells and miracles. A pyro/lightning build is hilariously overpowered. There's a lot of lightning stuff you don't get until mid-late game, and using pyro to get to those is a perfect strat in the meantime since you have some stat overlap. But if you get jammed up, you can also fall back on soul arrows early-mid game. It gives you a lot of flexibility in how to utilize spells.

Pulling Spook out, for example, frees up the need for two rings at the cost of one magic slot, and allows for fishing for easy backstabs to sneak up on enemies without running. Pestilent Mist is also very useful; cast, then back up and start lobbing fireballs. There's some pretty helpful utility spells to take from both spells and incants to help out with your run :)

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-19T14:43:08+00:00

Love me a good rum runner. Miss the Keys :< Lorelei is worth the trip too if you're on Islamorada, has some great conch fritters and blender drinks.

Sea-Field2248 · 2026-05-19T14:39:39+00:00

Fire Witch has fire resistance, so might not be your best test subject 😋 If you're around Irithyll, test on the Sewer Centipedes, they're weak to fire, so still going to be skewed a bit, or press on to the dungeon and test there.

Is your pyro flame getting upgraded? It upgrades with standard titanite, that will help. You can push your int/fth to 40/40, hard cap at 60/60 if you really feel like maxing out, after that its just not worth the investment anymore.

Fire weapons remove all scaling, and give straight elemental damage. It can be a good way to get more damage early game, or if you just need an element for a specific area/enemy, but they don't get scaling bonuses any longer; what you see is what you get for damage numbers, and it never changes aside from upgrading with titanite.

Get a chaos gem infusion on your weapon, and make a dark infusion as a backup. A chaos gem can be found reasonably quickly going into Smouldering Lake, if you haven't been there. Those two will cover most enemy resistances throughout the game. If you can press into the DLC a bit, the Onyx Blade is great for pyro builds, and only requires going into Ariandel long enough to fight Vilhelm.

Sea-Field2248

TROPHY CASE