Nui Nui
Nui Nui is made with aged rum, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla and citrus shaken with crushed ice, chilled for serving.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a tiki mug and prepare the garnish before mixing.
Add all measured ingredients to a shaker.
Add crushed or pebble ice and shake until the mixture is cold.
Pour unstrained into the prepared tiki mug over crushed ice and top with more crushed ice as needed.
Place fresh mint at the surface for its aroma.
A thoughtful finish
- This published ratio has one fixed dash of bitters; do not treat that dash as a volume part.
- Squeeze the citrus close to mixing and strain out large seeds before measuring.
- Chill the serving glass as well as the mixture so the first sip stays cold.
Common mistakes
- Substituting vanilla extract for vanilla syrup adds concentrated flavor without the required sweetness.
- Sweetened citrus cordial adds sugar that is not accounted for in a fresh-juice recipe.
- A warm serving glass quickly undoes the chilling achieved during mixing.
A few good questions.
What is in a Nui Nui?
Nui Nui is made with aged rum, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla and citrus shaken with crushed ice.
Can I scale a Nui Nui for more servings?
Use one chosen measure for each volume part and multiply those parts consistently. Any dash listed separately stays a dash for the selected serving; a ratio does not establish a fixed-ounce drink.
Can I use bottled sour mix?
The selected recipe uses fresh citrus, not sour mix. A premixed sweetened product changes both acidity and sweetness and should be labeled as a substitution.
Who created the Nui Nui?
The cited source credits Donn Beach in c. mid-1930s at Don the Beachcomber. The recipe-version note identifies any later adaptation.
Variations
- Another bottle of the base — Editorial bottle variation: use another producer of the same aged rum style at the listed measure; record the bottle rather than assuming identical sweetness or strength.
- Alternate citrus peel — Editorial presentation variation: try a different fresh citrus peel for the surface aroma while keeping the liquid formula unchanged; identify it as a garnish change.
Where it comes from
c. mid-1930s · Donn Beach · Don the Beachcomber
Nui Nui is made with aged rum, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla and citrus shaken with crushed ice, chilled for serving.
Sources
- Cocktail Party — Pupule / Nui Nui (reference) link
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.
Your next sip.
More Aged Rum drinks ↗
Mai Tai
Two rums, lime, orgeat and curaçao. No pineapple juice, no grenadine, no umbrella required.
Airmail
Aged rum, lime and honey, shaken and topped with Champagne. A 1930s Bacardi-era drink — a rum French 75 with honey in…
Ancient Mariner
Ancient Mariner is made with aged and dark rums, allspice dram, lime and grapefruit over crushed ice, served cold.