Nui Nui

The Nui Nui is a classic tropical cocktail consisting of rum, lime juice, orange juice, cinnamon syrup, allspice dram, and Angostura bitters. Created during the formative years of Don the Beachcomber in the 1930s, the drink’s deceptively simple recipe delivers remarkable depth. Like many of Beach’s creations, however, the Nui Nui spent decades shrouded in mystery. Protective of his intellectual property, Beach famously concealed his formulas behind coded ingredient systems and closely guarded preparation methods, leaving many of his most influential drinks only partially understood after the tropical cocktail movement’s midcentury decline.

The exact recipe remained unknown until cocktail historian Jeff “Beachbum” Berry painstakingly reconstructed it through archival research and interviews with former Don the Beachcomber employees. Berry eventually published the formula in Sippin’ Safari, helping restore the Nui Nui to the modern cocktail canon. Today, it stands as one of the clearest examples of Beach’s classic style, which defined his unique way of creating cocktails. 

Why the Nui Nui works

Like most tropical cocktails of its era, the Nui Nui is based on the classic Daiquiri formula of rum, lime juice, and sugar. Gold Virgin Islands rum provides structure and subtle vanilla notes, while dark Demerara rum adds weight, caramelized sugar flavors, and a touch of smoky richness. Together, they create more complexity than either rum could achieve alone.

Fresh lime juice keeps the drink lively, while orange juice adds a softer, rounder sweetness. Along with serving as the sweet components, cinnamon syrup and St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram form the cocktail’s aromatic core, delivering the baking-spice notes that define the drink. A dash of Angostura bitters ties everything together, deepening the spice profile and adding length to the finish.

The drink is traditionally made by blending the ingredients with ice for a few seconds. The technique lightly aerates the cocktail and begins dilution without fully crushing the ice, creating a texture that feels lighter and more integrated than a standard shaken drink, though the drink still turns out well if shaken.