There’s only one place to go for the best tiki cocktails in the city and that’s The Liars Club. So, we went down last week and tried as many of their cocktails as we could lay our hands on.
Here are our favourites…
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Zombie
People who know Ben Brown and his penchant for extra-strong drinks may be concerned to see the notoriously strong Zombie at only number 5 on this list. Has he lost his edge? Is he now a lightweight? Shall I stop being friends with him? Well, no of course not. To all questions. Of course, the Zombie is one of my favourite tiki cocktails, with its mix of six (yes SIX) rums, orange, guava, pineapple and apple – all with added fire. It’s just that there are 4 better ones down here…
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Double Shot Coconut Latte
People who know Ben Brown and his hatred of all things coffee related may be concerned to see this coffee/caffeine cocktail here on this list. Even beating a Zombie of all things! Well, first of all – I do indeed despise coffee, coffee-related drinks and even coffee-related products. But this cocktail doesn’t have any of that bitterness – it’s a mix of Blackwell’s Rum, creme de cacao, coconut milk, cream and a little bit of coffee at the end. It’s how I imagine a Starbucks would taste if I was in charge – creamy, sweet and full of booze.
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Piña Colada
People who know Ben Brown and his love of all things coconut will not be surprised by the inclusion of this absolute tiki classic and probably one of the most famous cocktails in the world. Thanks to Robert Holmes and his love of catchy tunes, everyone knows the Piña Colada – but not many people know that it’s actually a very difficult cocktail to get right. Invented in the 50’s, the secret to a good Piña Colada is high-quality ingredients and to keep things simple. 2 types of rum, coconut milk and cream and pineapple. That’s it.
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Strawberry Daiquiri
People who know Ben Brown and his tendency to see things through to the bitter end will realise that opening each paragraph like this is not only frustrating for the reader but also difficult for the writer. This next cocktail, and nearly, very nearly right up there with the best tiki drink in the city, is the humble Daiquiri. Again, much like the Piña Colada you need to keep things simple and high quality and of course The Liars Club keep this up. It’s the best daiquiri in the city BAR NONE with even the frozen iteration being easily the best for miles.
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The 1934
People who know Ben Brown and his love for extra-strong drinks will also know that he likes to keep people on their toes every now and then. With the Zombie in at number 5 you’d have thought he had gone mad – well that’s not the case. This city’s BEST tiki cocktail is this – The 1934 – a recipe that closely resembles the original Zombie recipe before it got bastardised by thousands of bad bartenders over the years. It includes Falernum, a clove and lime infused liqueur which is perfect for the winter months – as well as a dash of absinthe. This drink is what every Zombie should strive to be.