Donga Punch

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Cocktail History

The Donga Punch is a classic tiki recipe that was originally created in the 1930s by Don the Beachcomber at his bar in Hollywood, California. This is one of the recipes that was revived when Jeff "Beachbum" Berry dug into tiki history when writing his book Sippin' Safari. Unique to this category, the drink calls for a simple mix of rhum agricole, a type of rum made from sugarcane juice, as well as Don's Mix, and citrus to balance out the spirit's sharp flavor.

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Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Rhum Agricole: This is a type of rum made in the French Caribbean Islands that is distilled from freshly squeezed sugarcane juice. I used Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole VSOP.

Don’s Mix: This is a sweetener made with grapefruit juice, cinnamon sticks, and sugar.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.

Grapefruit Twist: This is the peel of a grapefruit that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.

Cinnamon Stick: This is a dried spice that has been rolled into a stick. I used Simply Organic Cinnamon Sticks.

Orchid Blossom: This is the flower of an orchid plant.

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Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. I used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.

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Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Pale brown gold color

• Aroma: Grapefruit and cinnamon

• Taste: Tangy citrus with a fascinatingly complex rum twist and cinnamon zing

• Finish: More tart lime and grapefruit

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: "I have to say, this tiki cocktail is a weird one thanks to the rhum agricole. It has a rather bitter yet sour aftertaste that made me wince a little when sipping it. I thought it was the lime juice at first, and then I tried the rhum agricole on its own. I think I might like the Donga Punch better with a milder dark rum, but it’s worth trying if you’re already a fan of rhum agricole’s unique flavor."

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Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.