When you think of tiki cocktails, bourbon whiskey is not the first base spirit that comes to mind. Sure, there are a few recipes like the Eastern Sour or the Port Light which are both excellent. Even the delicious Suffering Bastard which was has a split base with gin was originally made with brandy, but most tiki is made with rum. You also don’t tend to think of Italian Amaro, though we love a good Jungle Bird. Yet, here we have a wonderful combination of refreshing tropical goodness with bourbon and Averna. It isn’t spiced nor rum-based, and we could drink these all summer long.

Kick back and enjoy this like you’re on vacation, never to return. This drink by Trey Jenkins of Austin was featured by Imbibe Magazine way back in 2015. We could have been making them for the past decade—better late than never. There’s no complicated rum categories to worry about and everything comes together in a convenient shake and dump fashion. You will need to collect a few things if you don’t have them already. Bourbon is easy, of course, but you’ll need some Averna. This is an Italian bitter liqueur, but it is the least bitter and most accessible of them all. Averna is very sweet and tastes a bit like cola on it’s own. It can make a wonderful riff on a Manhattan or you can whip up our own Scottie Ferguson.

Permanent Holiday by Trey Jenkins
1 oz bourbon
1 oz Averna
1 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz passion fruit syrup
.5 oz Licor 43

Add everything to a shaker with lots of crushed ice and shake (or flash blend) to chill. Pour unstrained into a tall glass or your favorite tiki mug. Top with more crushed ice as needed and garnish with mint and an umbrella.

In addition, you will need to pickup a bottle of Licor 43 which is a Spanish vanilla liqueur that is essential for building a favorite in our house, the Night of the Hunter cocktail. Here, it provides a dreamsicle-like finish that is actually subtle at first but comes through more as this drink dilutes. Passion fruit syrup which you can make yourself is getting easier to find now as is the puree for a homemade version. Limes and grapefruit provide the sour, and we use super juice every chance we get.

So, how does it taste? Well, we mentioned the vanilla comes out later as you sip, but up-front, this drink has a bit of peach going on. That’s an odd result from a diverse ingredient list, but it works. Make one or two (or twenty) of these yourself and let us know what you think!