A Fiery Tiki Classic: The Tortuga Cocktail

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In weeks past, we’ve discussed quite thoroughly the contributions of Tiki legends Donn Beach and Trader Vic. A few weeks ago, we broke down the evolution of Donn’s most infamous creation - the Zombie. Though Vic had no shortage of his own original drinks, the Zombie, with its storied potency, was one he felt merited a specific answer. Pulling from the influences of legendary Cuban bartender Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, Vic built a large format Tiki punch of his own and named it the Tortuga.

 Tracing the lineage of inputs to Donn Beach and Trader Vic’s drink syntheses provides some interesting background. Both drew heavily from the work of bartenders whose drinks they tasted while travelling internationally. Trader Vic was especially influenced by the exceptional mixing talents of Constantino Ribalaigua Vert, the lead bartender at the famed Floridita bar in Havana during its Prohibition era height. Constante was immensely influential to the evolution of rum cocktails, essentially bringing the daiquiri to its most perfected levels, and his techniques show through in various points of Vic’s canon. In this instance, Vic’s Tortuga drew specifically on Constante’s combination of sweet vermouth and chocolate liqueur in a daiquiri format, from his La Florida cocktail. An unexpected pairing, Trader Vic knew that it could function effectively thanks to the groundwork Constante had laid in Havana.

The Tortuga was clearly intended as an answer to Donn’s Zombie, leastwise an answer to the call for the category of tall, potent Tiki punches that the Zombie created. As with a Zombie, Vic used a 151 Demerara rum, the heavy richness sublimely complementing the chocolate liqueur and vermouth. He blended this with Havana Club 123 Proof, an overproof Cuban rum of the past sadly unavailable today. This necessitates the use of a substitute, and Ron del Barilito’s recently released Santa Ana overproof steps in ideally. Coming from the beloved Puerto Rican heritage brand, this cask strength rum shares the same stylistic basis as the Havana Club 123 would have - a higher proof, lightly aged, predominantly column still rum with mild barrel notes and a rounded sweetness.

In the wake of the Zombie, many potent punches came to answer Tiki drinkers’ thirst for the dangerous and dramatic. Trader Vic’s Tortuga did just that, with a recipe in the tradition of Constante’s work in Prohibition-era Cuba. The vermouth, chocolate, and orange balance on the foundation of a multi-juice sour makes for an intriguing profile quite unique, even within the expanse of Tiki mixing. Stop by BayTowne to get a bottle of Ron del Barrilito’s new Santa Ana and some high quality liqueurs to try out Trader Vic’s Tortuga!

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