Recipe: Bungalow Tiki shows us how to make a Jet Pilot

By Noelle Mateer

Bungalow Tiki, Beijing’s only hutong tiki bar, made headlines last month for opening and closing before many had the chance to try it. But wait! Owner and tiki master Phil Tory remains undeterred. The cocktail guru and, in our opinion, major contender for the title of Chillest Dude in Beijing, says Bungalow will be back with a bigger, better space in September.

Still, that's a full month without Phil's powerful fruity drinks. So we, along with the man himself, have decided to bring the tiki (recipe) to you. Because Tiki’s not just a bar – it’s a state of mind, man.

The following recipe is for the Jet Pilot. “This is the perfect tiki drink,” Phil says. “It’s got it all.” Be warned – by “it all” we’re pretty sure he means alcohol. We had one and were tiki-ing all the way home.

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The Jet Pilot

Step 1: Pour 1 oz. of Jamaican rum and three-quarters of an ounce of Puerto Rican rum (there’s a distinction, people).

Step 2: Add three-quarters of an ounce of 75-percent over-proof rum. In Phil’s words himself: “This stuff’s pretty strong. It’s almost double the strength of a normal rum.”

Step 3: Add half an ounce of fresh lime juice. Phil buys fruit locally and squeezes it fresh.

Step 4: Add half an ounce of grapefruit juice, which will “give it a nice bitterness.”

Step 5: Add half an ounce of falernum, a sweet liqueur made from ginger, lime zest cloves commonly found in tropical drinks.

Step 6: Add half an ounce of cinnamon syrup. (Phil makes his own at home.)

Step 7: Finish off with a dash of Angostura bitters, six drops of real French absinthe and crushed ice.

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