I tested this at a weekly dinner party. My guests really liked this...it's a nice modern variant on a tiki drink. We did up the liquor though...it totally deserves something a little more top shelf.

My guests all enjoyed this drink. It's certainly a cousin to tiki cocktails. A high quality orange curaçao is a must (I use Ferrand); a bottom shelf triple sec would make this a terrible drink. And speaking of terrible...Captain Morgan. We upped the rum to something drinkable. I first experimented with an Appleton, which created a very nice cocktail. I secondly tried a Zaya, which I struggle to find a cocktail use for owing to its deep caramel notes. The cinnamon and lemon played off the Zaya quite well, and produced a complex, thoroughly enjoyable drink.

An excellent cocktail that got universal positive reviews from my guests. I'd give it a solid 4.0 of 5 stars. It isn't as profound a mix as a lot of the 60's cocktails it's based on (notably the quite similar Trader Vic Mai Tai), but it holds its own and offers a unique flavor blend to add to the repertoire.

Using a high quality curaçao is a must - I stock Pierre Ferrand. CM rum is a bit out of favor (because it's not good). I experimented with Appleton V/X, my standard base gold rum for testing...this was a good mix. I also experimented with Zaya, a 12 yr Trinidad blend my guests often bring as a gift. Zaya has been a challenge to find suitable cocktails outside a swizzle, owing to its deep caramel and vanilla notes. This was a great drink for that rum, and will probably be my go-to if I have a Zaya surplus.