Thank you Donn Beach.

It’s that time of year again. When we all gather round with family and friends to enjoy a good meal,be thankful for what the year has brought us,and have a Tiki cocktail with dinner. I recently was able to watch the movie,The Donn of Tiki,a Kickstarter funded documentary about the life and times of Ernest Raymond Gantt,AKA,Don the Beachcomber. It was an excellent film,one of the best docs I’ve seen,and I highly recommend it to Tiki aficionados,as well as anyone interested in seeing the exploits of a genuine trendsetter.

(there’s your Uncle Giltron in the credits as a backer)

Don basically created the Tiki lifestyle we know today. I won’t go into a deep dive about Don,since I can’t do the justice this film did,but I can tell you the story of one of his signature drinks.

Don’s most famous drink is of course the Zombie,but a drink that many haven’t heard of is the QB Cooler. Created in 1934,the recipe was dug up from the dirt of time by Tiki historian Beachbum Berry. The “QB” stands for Quiet Birdmen from an aviation fraternity called “Ye Anciente and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen”. Rumor has it that Trader Vic tried one in 1937,and used it as the basis for his penultimate cocktail,the Mai Tai. In fact,there was serious debate about who actually created the Mai Tai until 1970 when the matter was settled in Vic’s favor. The Cooler tastes nothing like a Mai Tai,but given that both men were known as embellishers,it’s anyone’s guess what really happened. In any case,it’s a very nice cocktail that deserves to be in any roster of Tiki recipes. Enjoy!

Mix #248 QB Cooler

1oz dark rum
1oz gold rum
1/2oz Demerara rum
1oz orange juice
1/2oz lime juice
1/2oz honey syrup
1/4oz falernum
1/2tsp ginger syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1oz club soda

Blend everything with 4oz of crushed ice for 5 seconds and pour into glass.

Sweet and honey forward,with a bit of spice at the end,it’s an easy drinking cocktail. You can easily upgun it by using 151 for the Demerara rum,but otherwise it has a decent kick. A great drink for folks who like honey and/or sweeter drinks.

So have a Beachcomber classic with your turkey,and be thankful for his contributions to the world of Tiki. Hau’oli Lā Ho’omaika’i!