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Cocktail History
The Elusive Dreams is a modern tiki cocktail that was created by Demi Natoli in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s a variation of the Hotel Nacional that uses the unexpected flavor of rich banana liqueur in place of the traditional recipe’s apricot brandy, and it also mixes a touch of cinnamon syrup with the classic’s rum, pineapple, and lime.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Pineapple Rum: This is a type of rum made with pineapple, molasses or sugar cane juice, and alcohol. I used Plantation Stiggin’s Fancy Pineapple Rum.
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. I used Appleton Estate Special Gold Rum.
Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. I used fresh pineapple juice.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Cinnamon Syrup: This is a sweetener made with cinnamon sticks, white sugar, gum arabic powder, saline solution, and water. I made mine using this sous vide recipe.
Banana Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with bananas, vanilla extract, sugar, and alcohol. I used Drillaud Banana Liqueur.
Pineapple Slice: This is pineapple flesh that has been cut into a slice.
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.
Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices for the garnish. I used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple before it’s juiced. I used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.
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, fruits, and vegetables. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer for the lime and the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.
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Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Bright yellow color
• Aroma: Banana and pineapple
• Taste: Bright and rich pineapple flavor combined with rum and citrus
• Finish: Lingering cinnamon and banana
Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐
Kendall’s Take: “The Hotel Nacional is one of my top ten favorite cocktails; it might even be my all-time fave for poolside sipping if I had to pick just one. That said, I really, really wanted to like the Elusive Dreams, but I just didn’t love the addition of banana to a cocktail I already consider perfected. The taste reminded me of the Banana Laffy Taffy I used to eat as a kid, and once I made that association, I couldn’t drink much more of it. I’ll be sticking to the classic formula with apricot brandy.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2025-06-30.
Elusive Dreams
The Elusive Dreams is a modern tiki cocktail that was created by Demi Natoli in Nashville, Tennessee. It's a variation of the Hotel Nacional that uses the unexpected flavor of rich banana liqueur in place of the traditional recipe's apricot brandy, and it also mixes a touch of cinnamon syrup with the classic's rum, pineapple, and lime.
Ingredients
Method
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Add pineapple rum, dark rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, cinnamon syrup, banana liqueur, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a cocktail glass.
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Garnish with pineapple wedge.
