CRABULOUS

Nonalcoholic · Tiki · Decapodian

Fabulous, crabulous day!

Two zero-proof tiki drinks in shellfish red. One takes two minutes, one takes twenty. Both layer themselves.

Read the recipe
A cartoon crab in a ship captain's hat and a lab coat, holding a tiki mug garnished with pineapple, a cherry and a paper umbrella.
Pick a version below · The diagram and the method follow your choice

Plate I

What is happening in the glass

Grenadine is denser than everything above it, so it sinks on its own and bleeds upward. No bar spoon, no floating technique, no skill required.

Chilled hibiscus is lighter than the shaken base, so it sits on top instead of sinking. This one does need a bar spoon, and the tea has to be cold or the layer muddies.

Cross section of the Express version A tapered glass in cross section. From the bottom up: grenadine, the shaken juice base, ginger beer, crushed ice and garnish, each labeled with a leader line. GARNISH Lime wheel, mint, straw to the floor GINGER BEER 3 oz, poured down the side SHAKEN BASE Pineapple, orange, lime, orgeat GRENADINE 0.5 oz, sinks and bleeds upward CRUSHED ICE Pack it full SEA SALT One pinch, in the shake

Fig. 1 · Express, cross section, approx. 7 oz

Cross section of the full float version A tapered glass in cross section. From the top down: garnish, a floated hibiscus layer, soda water, and the shaken base, each labeled with a leader line. GARNISH Mint, orange wheel, cherry HIBISCUS FLOAT 2 oz, over the back of a spoon SODA WATER 2 oz, added before the float SHAKEN BASE Pineapple, orange, lime, orgeat, passion fruit and ginger syrup CRUSHED ICE Holds the float up SEA SALT One pinch, in the shake

Fig. 2 · Full float, cross section, approx. 8 oz

Express

Pour it

Ingredients

  • Pineapple juice2 oz
  • Orange juice1.5 oz
  • Lime juice, fresh0.75 oz
  • Orgeat0.5 oz
  • Ginger beer, chilled3 oz
  • Grenadine0.5 oz
  • Flaky sea salt1 pinch
  • Lime wheel and mintto garnish

Method

  1. Shake the baseCombine the pineapple, orange, lime, orgeat and salt with ice. Shake hard for ten seconds, until the tin frosts.
  2. Pour over crushed iceStrain into a tall glass or tiki mug packed to the rim. Leave an inch of headroom.
  3. Top with ginger beerAdd it gently down the side so it does not knock the air out of the shake.
  4. Drizzle the grenadinePour slowly and let it sink. Garnish, then push the straw to the bottom so the first sip pulls through both layers.

The full float

Pour it

Ingredients

  • Dried hibiscus flowers1 tbsp
  • Hot water2 oz
  • Pineapple juice1.5 oz
  • Orange juice1 oz
  • Lime juice, fresh0.75 oz
  • Passion fruit syrup0.5 oz
  • Orgeat0.5 oz
  • Ginger syrup0.25 oz
  • Soda water, chilled2 oz
  • Flaky sea salt1 pinch
  • Mint, orange wheel, cherryto garnish

Method

  1. Brew the hibiscusSteep the flowers in the hot water for five minutes, then strain. It should come out deep red and slightly tart.
  2. Chill it hardTen minutes in the freezer. Cold floats cleanly on cold. A warm float will muddy the whole glass.
  3. Shake the baseCombine the pineapple, orange, lime, passion fruit, orgeat, ginger syrup and salt with ice. Shake for fifteen seconds.
  4. Build and topStrain over crushed ice, then add the soda water gently down the side.
  5. Float the shellPour the chilled hibiscus slowly over the back of a bar spoon so it settles as its own layer. Do not stir. Garnish and serve.

Before you shake

Notes and swaps

No orgeat

Half an ounce of cream of coconut plus one drop of almond extract gets close. Plain simple syrup works, but the drink goes flat and one-note.

Check the ginger beer

Most brands are nonalcoholic, but a few genuinely fermented ones sit at 0.5% or higher. Worth a glance at the label depending on who is drinking.

Do not skip the salt

One pinch is the difference between a tiki drink and fruit punch. It pulls the sweetness back and makes the ginger read hotter.

For a crowd

Batch the juices, syrups and salt in a pitcher up to a day ahead. Add the fizz and the colored layer per glass, or the layers collapse.

Red at the bottom, gold on top, like something crawling up out of the water.