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Cocktail History
The Shingle Stain is a vintage tiki cocktail that was originally created by Victor Bergeron at his bar Trader Vic’s in San Francisco, California. The recipe first appeared in Victor’s 1946 book Trader Vic’s Book of Food & Drink and, at the time, was made with two types of rum, pomegranate, pimento dram, and citrus. Over the years, the list of ingredients evolved to include more fruit juices, but this version by David Kinsey of Kindred in San Diego, California harkens back to Trader Vic’s classic.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Jamaican Rum: This is one of the base spirits. We used Wray & Nephew Gold Jamaican because it’s high quality yet still affordable, full flavored while still being lighter than other rums, and lends exotic spice flavors to the finish. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rum.
Rhum Agricole: This is the other base spirit. It’s a type of rum distilled from freshly squeezed sugarcane juice in the French Caribbean Islands. We used Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole VSOP because it has a distinct taste with notes of brown sugar and cocoa. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rum.
Grenadine: This is a sweetener made with pomegranate juice and white sugar. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Lime Juice: This adds sour citrus flavors for balance. We prefer fresh citrus juice because it’s less bitter than the bottled stuff and tastes better.
St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram: This is a liqueur made with allspice berries and smoky Jamaican pot-stilled rum. If you can’t find St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram, you can also increase the amount of Angostura aromatic bitters for a slightly different but similar flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try a homemade allspice Demerara syrup in place of the allspice dram.
Angostura Aromatic Bitters: This is a type of spirit infused with botanicals. They add more spice and complexity to the drink and tie the other flavors together. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the bitters.
Mint Sprig: This is the garnish. It adds fragrant mint aroma.
Tasting Notes
The Shingle Stain features aromas of cool mint and bitter pomegranate and has a sip that starts with the sweetness of grenadine balanced with lime tartness and a funky rum note, and it all goes down accompanied by the various spice notes from the pimento dram and bitters and leaves grenadine’s bright flavor and the overripe fruit note of rum on the tongue.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Despite essentially being a souped-up daiquiri with a different sweetener and more spices, this is a delightfully complex combination. We were both huge fans of it for its simple yet effective recipe and exotic flavors!
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This drink was surprisingly good even though it’s fairy simple for a tiki drink. The substitution of grenadine and the addition of allspice dram and bitters made the recipe slightly more complex while still allowing it to go down easily. I really enjoyed the taste of the drink, but I do wish that it went a bit further. I could’ve finished this in four sips if I hadn’t been careful.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This is another fascinating tiki drink made with a pretty interesting mix of ingredients. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw allspice dram, pomegranate, and rum mixed together, but they make a delightful and slightly tart pairing that nods to beachy themes but not as much as other tiki concoctions do. And as far as those tiki drinks go, it’s also very easy to make since it doesn’t have a long list of necessities. I will be requesting this one again!”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.
Add dark rum, rhum agricole, grenadine, lime juice, bitters, and ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki glass over fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with mint sprig.
Ingredients
Directions
Add dark rum, rhum agricole, grenadine, lime juice, bitters, and ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki glass over fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with mint sprig.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rums, homemade allspice Demerara syrup in place of the allspice dram, and All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
Tools & Glassware We Recommend
More Tiki Cocktails
If you like this tiki cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Cobra’s Fang: A rum cocktail made with orange juice, lime juice, passion fruit syrup, Swedish punsch, grenadine, absinthe, pineapple fronds, and a snake-shaped orange peel
Something Tequila: A tequila cocktail made with pineapple juice, orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup, passion fruit syrup, a lime slice, a mint sprig, and edible flowers
Zombie: A rum cocktail made with velvet falernum liqueur, Donn’s mix, lime juice, absinthe, grenadine, Angostura aromatic bitters, and mint
Donga Punch: A rhum agricole cocktail made with Don’s mix, lime juice, a grapefruit twist, a cinnamon stick, and an orchid blossom
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