Here’s the first in a pair of quick and easy Tiki recipes we whipped up for online happy hours recently. The Lani-Honi is just three ingredients with crushed ice and it’s an honest-to-goodness historic recipe that appears in Jeff Berry’s books (so you know it’s good). This one also contains Benedictine—a lovely herbal liqueur that we sometimes forget about, but one that adds an unusual flavor component to a basic rum sour formula.

First, setup your glass with crushed ice. The recipe calls for a wine goblet as it was served back in 1962 on a south seas cruise. It doesn’t have to be a large volume tiki mug—just something to lift your hot hands away from the cold bowl. A cocktail coupe would work fine here. It’s admittedly an odd presentation with ice in a small goblet. We opted for a vintage Candlewick Boopie glass to accommodate a small straw. As always, we will share our recommendations and you can let your conscience be your guide with glassware.

Lani-Honi
1.5 oz DOM Benedictine liqueur
.5 oz lemon juice
1 oz light rum

Shake with ice cubes to chill, then strain into a wine goblet filled with crushed ice.

The proportions here are unusual, with Benedictine taking the anchor role. It’s still a rum cocktail, but the liqueur comes first with its high volume. While Benedictine is softly herbal and exotic, the crushed ice dilutes the flavor and a little lemon keeps this from becoming runway sweet. Just an ounce of rum gives it the kick it needs but holds it to the lighter side which can be appealing when there are so many other bold Tiki recipes boasting three or more combined ounces of base spirits. We are also happy to pull out the Benedictine—a bottle that normally appears when we are mixing up Sing Slings.