In the mid-century heyday of tiki bars, California and Hawaii got most of the action. But the Florida Keys had the beachfront Holiday Isle hotel in Islamorada and its open-air bar, the Hapi Hula Hut, later renamed Tiki Bar. In the early 1970s, bar manager John Elber needed to clear out some old bottles for new inventory, so tossed a bunch of random stuff into a blender: Meyers rum, banana liqueur, blackberry brandy, and grenadine. He dubbed the gloriously tropical result the Rum Runner after the Keys’s history of liquor smuggling, and the cocktail soon became just as beloved and notorious. Today, Tiki Bar still serves them up by the score, shaken or frozen.
Drinks
Rum Runner: A Cocktail for Florida
A tropical drink that brings the beach to you
Ingredients
-
2 cups ice
1 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. orange juice
1 oz. blackberry brandy or liqueur
1 oz. banana liqueur
1 oz. light rum
1 oz. dark or aged rum
Splash of grenadine
Orange slice, for garnish
Preparation
(Frozen) Fill blender with ice. Add all liquid ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve in a hurricane glass. Garnish with orange slice.
Related Stories:
Recipe
The Return of a Legendary Rye
A fabled whiskey makes a fanfared return
Recipe
A Gin Swizzle to Make You Kiss the Bartender
Pucker up to the subtly sweet-and-sour Mistle-Toe-Up, from the tropics-themed New Orleans eatery Mister Mao
Recipe
Ziggy’s Punch, a Taste of the Islands in Tampa
A West Indies–inspired punch from the new Tampa EDITION, the city’s first five-star hotel
Trending Stories:
20
Slideshow
Recipes
Best Southern Soup Recipes
A roundup of classic and modern dishes to celebrate the season—from gumbo to bisque and everything in between
Travel
Five Unique State Park Stays in the South
From cozy Texas cabins to a yurt in Virginia, these lodging options show how state parks have been upping their games
Food & Drink
Southern Kitchen Essentials According to Nathalie Dupree
In her downsizing move from Charleston to Raleigh, the celebrated Southern chef got down to the basics