Two Yaka Hula Hickey Dula cocktails in Martini glasses in front of a ceramic R2D2.

Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail

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Yep, that's the name. The Yaka Hula Hickey Dula is essentially a Rum and pineapple Martini. Simple and easy to make, you can whip these up faster than you can say Yaka Hula Hickey Dula and impress your friends with a great cocktail that's actually quite simple to make.
This drink is one of many that highlights the versatility of the Martini formula. Combine a base spirit with Vermouth and then go from there. The Pineapple Juice here adds a tropical note, which, of course, goes well with Rum.
Although tropical, these drink is tasty at any time. Don't just reserve it for a tropical evening.
Total Time 4 minutes
Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

  • 45 mL Dark Rum
  • 45 mL Dry Vermouth
  • 45 mL Pineapple Juice

Instructions

  • Put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until very cold.
  • Strain into a cocktail glass.
  • Enjoy.

Notes

Make sure you use good Rum and fresh Pineapple Juice to ensure you get the best quality drink that you can. This will ensure great tropical vibes and plenty of great flavours.
Other than all of that, there's not a lot of information on this cocktail. From the name you want it to be a crazy Tiki drink, but, at only three ingredients, it's a very simple one. Of course Tiki cocktails aren't always complex, but they do tend to have more ingredients than other styles.
So we'll call this drink "tropical" but we won't call it Tiki. Will it go well with other tropical cocktails, sure, but it really lacks the history and elaborate aspects to go with Tiki. But really, who cares. It tastes good and that's all that matters.

What We Think About When We Think About the Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail

Other than the mouth full of a name, there’s a lot to say about the recipe for the Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail. All in all, despite the crazy name, it’s actually quite a simple cocktail recipe at only three ingredients. But that’s part of the charm. Crazy name, simple recipe.

Does shaking more than one cocktail at once work?

It does! You may be able to shake two or maybe three cocktails at the same time. Any more and you won’t be able to get a good vigorous shake going. And without a good and vigorous shake, you won’t get a great cocktail! The texture will be off and the dilution won’t be right.

What happens if I don’t serve this cocktail right away?

You won’t get as good a cocktail, that’s what will happen! You may be tempted to make a few of these in advance so everything is ready when your guests arrive, for example. But it’s better to make your guests wait for something perfect rather than give them something sub-par immediately.

Is there a good time to drink the Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail?

Because of its tropical vibe, it definitely calls for a tropical setting! Although it’s probably not really a Hawaiian cocktail recipe, the name has a strong Hawaiian feeling to it. So do you drink this cocktail in Hawaii or do you save it for the mainland? We’re going to say drink it in Hawaii. Don’t try to be all Hawaiian about it, as it’s kind of phony, but, if you’re on vacation at a resort on the islands, perhaps it’s a fun drink to order; just don’t worry about being inauthentic!

Enjoy this cocktail at an overly lavish Hawaiian resort, possibly on the North Shore, looking out over the endless Pacific Ocean. Hopefully the Pineapple Juice in the cocktail is fresh and from local pineapples, as that will make the drink even better.

Is the Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail Strong?

It’s not too bad, really. There’s a nice portion of Rum in there and another good portion of Dry Vermouth, but it’s within similar levels for other cocktail recipes, so it’s about a medium strength cocktail recipe, maybe on the slightly stronger side of medium.

The good thing is that the Pineapple Juice can add a good amount of sourness to the drink, and there’s not much in there to sweeten things up and take the edge off. This means you (hopefully) enjoy this drink a little bit more slowly. Take your time and savor it!

What’s good music to listen to while drinking a Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail?

While we still say this drink is far from authentic Hawaiian, keep up the charade and enjoy a Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail with some Hawaiian music. If you want to be a bit cheesy, play what they play at the airport or a resort. Maybe it’s not the most authentic stuff out there, but it goes well either way.

We’re starting to feel bad about roasting this recipe for not being authentic Hawaiian. Sure, it’s going for the vibe of it, but it also feels disingenuous to go on about Hawaii when it’s probably from the mainland. So we say lean into it, keep up the silliness of the drink and embrace it! 

This is a cocktail made with Dark Rum, so here’s more recipes for you!

If you’re looking for more cocktail recipes with Dark Rum, or just Rum in general, take a look at our suggestions below:

All Dark Rum cocktail recipes: the main spirit for the Yaka Hula Hickey Dula Cocktail is Dark Rum, so rake a look at our other recipes with Dark Rum if you’re keen for more.

All Rum cocktail recipes: we also have plenty of cocktail recipes that are made with Rum (regardless of style). If you’re having a Rum night, maybe you’ll get some ideas!

Top 10 Rum cocktail recipes: these are our favourite Rum based cocktail recipes. Of course this is just our opinion, so feel free to disagree with us. Or maybe find something you like?

Top 15 three ingredient cocktail recipes: when you find a nice cocktail recipes with only a few ingredients, it becomes an easy go to. Here’s a few more three ingredient cocktail recipes for you to try.

One Response

  1. 2 stars
    Not bad, not great. I’m not a fan of dry vermouth so many that was the problem for me. There’s no way to fix this cocktail to be suited to my taste.

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