Tiki
Three Dots and a Dash
Made with honey syrup · Donn Beach, Don the Beachcomber, Hollywood
- collins
- crushed
- blend
Three Dots and a Dash
- 1½ oz45 ml aged rhum agricole (Martinique vieux)
- ½ oz15 ml blended aged rum (e.g. Jamaican or Barbados blend)
- ½ oz15 ml fresh lime juice
- ½ oz15 ml fresh orange juice
- ½ oz15 ml honey syrup
- ¼ oz7 ml falernum
- ¼ oz7 ml allspice dram (pimento liqueur)
- 1 dash1 dash Angostura bitters
- Add everything to a blender or drink-mixer cup with about 12 oz of crushed ice.
- Flash-blend for a few seconds.
- Pour everything into a tall footed pilsner or other tall glass.
- Spear three cherries (the dots) and a pineapple chunk (the dash) and lay it across the top.
Garnish: Three cocktail cherries and a pineapple chunk (or frond) on a pick
The syrup
In this recipe
Honey Syrup½ oz15 ml
Honey syrup is equal parts honey and warm water stirred together until smooth, with no boiling needed.
As printed: honey syrup (1:1; Smuggler's Cove: 1 1/2 cups honey to 1 1/2 cups water)
Or use
Falernum Syrup (Non-Alcoholic)¼ oz7 ml
Falernum is a Caribbean lime, ginger, clove and almond syrup used in tiki drinks.
Spec means the liqueur (John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum). Swap our non-alcoholic falernum syrup 1:1 by volume; it is a little sweeter and has no alcohol, so trim by about 1/8 oz if the drink runs sweet.
As printed: John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum
Where it comes from
Donn Beach created this drink during World War II; its name and garnish spell out the letter V, for victory, in Morse code. Jeff Berry recovered the recipe for Sippin' Safari, and Smuggler's Cove's 2016 printing of it is now widely used.
Source: Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin Cate with Rebecca Cate (2016).
Checked against: James Beard Foundation - Three Dots and a Dash (Smuggler's Cove reprint) · Imbibe - Three Dots and a Dash (Smuggler's Cove) · Punch - Three Dots and a Dash (Paul McGee variation)
Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki
Gear for this drink
Ninja Professional 72 oz Countertop Blender (BL610)
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Best for Measuring syrup into drinks