Recipes Below
Inspired by the wild Kakamora pirate attack on Moana and Maui, this tiki-style cocktail blends Coconut Rum, Spiced Rum, Banana Syrup, Pineapple, Lemon, and classic Gardenia Mix into a creamy, tangy, and tropical drink perfect for mischievous mayhem or post-battle refreshment.
Te Fiti’s Heart is a vibrant, tropical cocktail inspired by the life-giving Polynesian goddess, blending Absinthe, White Cherry Kirsch, Pandan, vanilla, lime, and pineapple, served in a coupe with a Coco-Pandan swirl that looks like the Heart of Te Fiti—a drink even Maui would steal.
Sailing, Spirits and the Heart of Te Fiti: A Moana-Inspired Cocktail Adventure
Motunui, a beautiful island in the middle of the Polynesian. It has family, friendship, plenty of food, everything anyone could ever want, except for the island’s princess, Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho). This Disney Princess is looking for a world adventure; a crop of rotting coconuts and a sparse fishing ground give Moana the reasons she needs to go on a spiritual adventure to save her people. Moana’s mission is clear: She will find Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) a Polynesian demi-god, demand that he board her boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te Fiti.
Our first cocktail is Te Fiti’s Heart inspired by the beautiful Polynesian goddesses that creates life. Te Fiti features beautifully draped greenery with a pink flower crown. We used this to a create a cocktail using Absinthe and Kirsch Liqueur (White Cherry) for their fresh, botanical and the floral flavor reminiscent of cherry blossoms mixed with Pandan Powder, Vanilla Simple Syrup, Lime and Pineapple Juice to bring in the grass and custard flavors of Polynesia. We serve it in a coupe garnished with a Coco-Pandan mix swirled to look just like the Heart of Te Fiti. This is a cocktail that Maui is sure to steal.
After much convincing, Moana does get Maui to board her boat, but doesn’t convince him to help her until their run in with the Kakamora the inspiration for our second cocktail. These savage little pirates who are very small in stature, but mighty in number and poison-tipped darts descend upon Moana and Maui. This is sure to be a battle that requires a cocktail, inspired by the murdering little pirates and their fun tiki style. Coconut rum is of course the base in this cocktail, and those fun, tiki flavors of Spiced Rum Coconut Milk, Banana Syrup, Pineapple Juice, Lemon Juice, and Gardenia Mix from the original Tiki bartender Donn the Beachcomber. The result is a creamy, tangy, sweet and lightly spiced drink that would be refreshing after a day of pillaging or terrorizing and island princess and a demi-god.
After a long adventure including glow-in-the-dark giant crab, some really great song and dance numbers, and a spirit-grandma pep talk, Moana’s story ends in true Disney fashion where everyone gets what they want. Except maybe Heihei (voiced by Alan Tudyk), he may still be trying to figure out what he wants. We loved the music written by Mark Mancina, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Opetaia Foa’i and find the story and its ending very adventurous and touching.
Moana (2016). Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. Screenplay by Jared Bush.
Story by Ron Clements, John Musker, Chris Williams, Don Hall, Pamela Ribon, Aaron Kandell, and Jordan Kandell.
Music by Mark Mancina, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Opetaia Foa'i. Performances by Dwayne johnson and Auli’l Cravalho.
A Walt Disney Animation Studios Production. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Kakamora
-
1.5 oz (45 mL) Coconut Rum
.5 oz (15 mL) Spiced Rum
1 oz (30 mL) Canned Coconut Milk
.5 oz (15 mL) Barkeepers Banana Syrup
.75 oz (22 mL) Pineapple Juice
.5 oz (15 mL) Don's Gardenia Mix
.25 oz (7.5 mL) Lemon Juice
Pinch Salt
Garnish Nutmeg
-
In a shaker, Combine 1.5 oz Coconut Rum, .5 oz Spiced Rum, 1 oz Coconut Milk, .75 oz Banana Syrup, 1 oz Pineapple Juice, .25 oz Lemon Juice, .75 oz Donn's mix and a pinch of salt. Add ice, spring, ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a coconut goblet or tiki glass. Grate nutmeg over top.
-
1 oz 30 mL Honey
1 oz 30 mL Warm Pie Spice Rich Syrup
1 oz (30 mL) Butter
Bar spoon Vanilla
Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir with a spatula until homogenous and creamy
-
1.5 Tbsp (22.5 g) Cinnamon
1 tsp (5 g) Ginger
1 tsp (5 g) Allspice
.5 tsp Cloves
.25 tsp (2.5 g) Black Pepper
.66 Cup (170 g) Granulated Sugar
.33 Cup (83 g)Water
*Note- We like to use whole spices in syrups, but if you’re using it all in the Don’s Gardenia Mix, using ground spices works fine.
Combine everything into a small saucepan and stir until combined. Put saucepan onto medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring and allow to simmer until small bubble break the surface. Immediately remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before making the Gardenia Mix.
Te Fiti’s Heart
-
1.5 oz (45 mL) Coco Pandan
1 oz (30 mL) Absinthe
.5 oz (15 mL) Kirsch Liqueur
1 bar spoon Pandan Powder
.5 (.15 mL) Rich Vanilla Simple Syrup
.5 (.15 mL) oz Lime Juice
1 oz (30 mL) Pineapple Juice
Top Lemon Lime Soda
Garnish Edible Glitter
-
Place 1.5 oz Coco-Pandan in a sandwich or piping bag. Pipe in a swirl at the bottom of a coupe glass and place in freezer. In a shaker tin, combine 1 oz Absinthe, .5 Kirsch Liqueur, 1 oz Pineapple Juice, .5 Lime Juice, .5 oz Vanilla Simple Syrup, and bar spoon Pandan Powder. Add ice, spring, more ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Double strain into the prepared coupe, top with citrus soda, sprinkle 1/8 tsp of edible glitter and give it a stir.
-
2 bar spoons Pandan Powder
1 oz (30 mL) Barkeeper's Coconut Cream
Optional Edible Glitter
Combine everything in a bowl, place in a sandwich or piping bag. Store in refrigerator.
-
4 oz (120mL) Water
.5 cup (200g) Organic Cane Sugar
.5 oz (15mL) White Mexican Vanilla
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add sugar and remove from heat, stir until sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature and pour into a syrup bottle.
Cocktails and Videos created by Boozy Movies
If you like these cocktails, you’ll love:
If you like this movie, you’ll love:
