Surf Liner

The Surf Liner is one of those rare Tiki cocktails that isn't exclusively a Rum cocktail. Instead, it's made with Rye! It's relatively unusual for the Tiki genre, but Whiskey based Tiki cocktails do exist. The Halekulani Cocktail, for example, uses Bourbon.

However, what gives this cocktail recipe the obvious Tiki vibes is the relatively liberal helping of Orgeat and, to a lesser extend, the Peychaud's Bitters. Yes, tropical drinks love using Rum, but the ingredients really work here, with the Rye giving the drink a little bit of spice. Yes, Rum could have been used here, but then this cocktail recipe would become just another concoction of Pineapple Juice, Orgeat, and some booze. Not to diminish the whole Tiki cocktail movement to three ingredients, but things get a bit more fun with the unexpected. Basically, if you like your Tiki drinks but haven't tried a Surf Liner, take this cocktail for a spin as something a little bit different.

Or maybe you already know a Surf Liner and forgot how to make it. Well, here's the recipe.

Total Time 4

Ingredients

60 mL Rye Whiskey
30 mL Pineapple Juice
20 mL Lemon Juice
20 mL Orgeat
2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake everything until it's suitably cold and mixed.
Strain into a Rocks glass filled to the brim with crushed ice.
Garnish with something Tiki like a Pineapple frond.

Notes

The Surf Liner is a relatively modern Tiki creation, coming to us from the San Diego bar Polite Provisions. Tiki is obviously quite alive and well for the creation of new cocktails!

What we love is that the whole Tiki "thing" has evolved over time but has still very much stayed true to itself. Sure, this cocktail recipe doesn't come to us from the glory days of the Tiki movement, but it very much could have.

So maybe you're someone who's just started exploring Tiki. You've had your fare share of Mai Tais and Fog Cutters, and now it's time to see what's become of this marvelous style of cocktail. Try a Surf Liner.

More on the Surf Liner Cocktail

The whole Tiki “thing” started in the U.S.A. around the mid 1900’s, but it’s been getting a bit of a resurgence in recent years. This is why we’re starting to see some more modern Tiki style cocktails like the recipe you see here. “Traditional” Tiki cocktails weren’t exclusively made with Rum, but most of them were! For these two reasons, the Surf Liner is a bit of an outlier: it’s newer and it’s made with Whiskey. But also because of that, it’s a great cocktail to have in any modern Tiki cocktail menu.

Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Does shaking multiple Surf Liners at once still make a good cocktail?

It should. Shaking a few Surf Liners at once is a good way to save some time if you want or need to serve more than one person at once.

When you’re shaking any cocktail though, make sure everything gets mixed together well, the drink is cooled enough, and that you get plenty of air in drink to make sure you get the right mouthfeel in the drink. What this means is don’t overload the shaker.

What happens if I don’t serve the Surf Liner right away?

The cocktail will still be OK, but it won’t be as good as it would have been if you served it fresh. A good cocktail, especially a one like this with fruit juice, relies on being enjoyed promptly and with fresh juices. Do the right thing by the Surf Liner and it will be wonderful.

What’s the best time to have a Surf Liner?

Tiki cocktails are great in warmer weather when you want to enjoy a cold drink with tropical juices and a bit of a kick, and the Surf Liner is no different.

Have this cocktail on a hot day. Ideally, enjoy a Surf Liner by the pool while doing absolutely nothing. This isn’t a cocktail you have to reward yourself for something, it’s a cocktail you have because you deserved it anyway!

Is the Surf Liner a strong cocktail?

It’s a on par with other Tiki cocktails, which means that yes, it can be on the stronger side. A lot of cocktail recipes have about 60 mL of spirit in them, but we often find Tiki cocktails to be particularly dangerous because the alcohol is well disguised. Be careful with a cocktail like this, but enjoy it all the same.

What kind of music should I listen to while having a Surf Liner?

We don’t 100% know where the name for this cocktail comes from , but not there’s a type of train with a similar name (called the Surfliner, one word). Could this train have been an inspiration for the cocktail recipe, or did the inventor have something else in mind?

We’re going to concentrate on the surf part of the name, rather than the train, for the music to go with this cocktail. So in that case, enjoy this cocktail with some Surf Rock. It will be fun!