The Honolulu Cocktail

OJ and pineapple liven up this 1930s Hollywood thriller

Peak summer means you need peak refreshment. So we’re looking for cocktails that are lively and juicy.

Like the Honolulu Cocktail, which sports orange, pineapple, and lemon juice. The flavor is sunny and soothing, so it’s perfect for hot summer days.

Cool.

Recipe: The Honolulu Cocktail

Given its name, you might think the Honolulu Cocktail hails from Hawaii. In fact, it originated during the 1930s as a house drink for the famed Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California.

The Honolulu combines dry gin with pineapple, orange, and lemon juices. Originally, it may have used only a splash of each. That makes for an austere drink, though – one that’s almost martini-like. Over time, the cocktail has evolved to include more juice, which makes for a lusher version that stands up to hot weather.

This recipe takes about five minutes to prepare, and serves one.

Ingredients

• 1½ to 2 ounces dry gin (to taste; see Notes)
• ½ ounce pineapple juice
• ½ ounce orange juice
• ¼ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ ounce simple syrup
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• garnish of lemon wedge/wheel (optional; you could also use a lemon twist)

Procedure

1. Place all ingredients (except garnish) in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the contents are chilled (about 20 seconds).
2. Strain into a cocktail glass (preferably one that has been chilled). Garnish, if you wish, and serve.

Notes

• This drink often is served with a sugared rim. That’s too sweet for us, but you might like it.
• If you’re skipping the sugared rim but want a sweeter drink, just add a tad more simple syrup.
• Mixologists generally serve this drink “up” in a cocktail glass. But we also like it over ice in a rocks glass.
• How much gin to use in this drink? For the amount of juice we recommend, most recipes say 2 ounces (and that’s what we like). But if you prefer a more mellow drink, try 1½ ounces. 
• You definitely want to use fresh-squeezed lemon juice in this cocktail. Its flavor is so much better than bottled or frozen.
• Fresh-squeezed OJ is preferable too. But bottled OJ (not from concentrate) works OK. 
• How about the pineapple juice? We generally use canned juice, which is readily available and decent quality. (For cocktails, we buy it in small cans so we don’t waste too much.) But if you have fresh pineapple on hand, by all means use the juice from that.

Fresh Squeezed

“Aloha ‘oe,” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. “This drink makes me want to bust a hula move.”

“You might get strange looks at the Brown Derby,” I said.

“But after a couple of these,” said Mrs K R, “I wouldn’t care.”

Me neither. We’d be juiced.

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