Tikis Fit For A Polynesian King

Todd Thrasher takes you through The Majestic's new lineup

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Wisdom of Pele

This was the second Todd ever tried (after the mai tai). He keeps the recipe (fueled by Gosling's, Cruzan, El Dorado Demerara, Falernum, 151 in the middle) mostly true to its origins at tiki mecca Don's The Beachcomber (opened by a former bootlegger in the '30s), tweaking things only slightly by using booze with a proof that's actually legal in VA. He also advises "do not take your straw and drink the fire".
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Zombie Punch

Using the original recipe pulled from the 1937 notebook of a Beachcomber’s waiter, this is one of the strongest tikis out there, with a combo of Gosling's/Myers/El Dorado Demerara/Falernum all ready to eat your brains. It's set off with the classic "Don's Mix", only now starting to be rediscovered by deep-cut tiki circles.
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Nui Nui

Dryer and bitter...er than the rest, this one's made according to the law of Jeff "Beachbum" Berry (widely considered tiki's modern messiah), whom Todd met in New Orleans. Its origins, though, lie in a rum/pimento dram/vanilla syrup drink from the '30s called the "Pupule", despite it rendering drinkers incapable of learning anything.
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Bora Bora Cooler

Pulled from one of Todd's "bartending bibles" (Jeff Thomas' seminal work The Bon-Vivant’s Companion), it's got a beautiful pool-water hue courtesy of blue Curaçao, and was widely served at Beachcomber-rival Trader Vic's in the '40s. Todd would like to add that he's not opening another bar unless paid with "a dock in Bora Bora".
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Pupu Platter

After four drinks that strong, you'll probably need this tray of pan-Asian finger food (spicy scallion ginger chicken wings, shrimp toast on housemade baguette, peanut satay chicken skewers). So get down to the Majestic and forget your troubles, then down those drinks and forget everything else.
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