Mr. Bali Hai

Another recipe saved from extinction and brought to light by the great Beachbum Berry. Some tropical drinks are outstanding for their masterful synthesis of sought-after ingredients. Mr. Bali Hai is not one of those drinks, but it’s distinctive and conjures an era. It was formerly served at the Bali Hai restaurant in San Diego, where it came in the Mr. Bali Hai mug.

I was intrigued by the combination of coffee, pineapple and lemon, which sounded kooky but interesting, and it is. This drink has lots of personality. The recipe calls for Hiram Walker coffee brandy. I had Kahlúa so I went with that instead. It also calls for sweet & sour, and I used a mixture of 2 parts lemon juice to 1 part simple syrup. I recommend doing as the recipe suggests and putting it in a ceramic mug, or at least in colored glass. Otherwise it looks a lot like cola.



Mr. Bali Hai

• 1 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 oz sweet & sour
• 1/2 oz Hiram Walker coffee brandy (Kahlúa)
• 3/4 oz while Puerto Rican rum
• 1 oz Myers’s rum

Shake with large scoop of crushed ice (about a cup plus some to fill) and pour into a Mr. Bali Hai mug or other large tiki mug.

Source: Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Intoxica!