Transport yourself to a tropical island with the Royal Hawaiian cocktail. This pineapple gin cocktail is vibrant & refreshing with subtle hints of marzipan. It's even more delightful with a splash of maraschino liqueur (optional) to lift the flavour further.
Wondering what to serve this libation with? How about coconut macaroons?
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Why I love this cocktail
- Fresh & fruity: This classic pineapple gin cocktail is full of lively tropical fruit flavour, cut through by fresh lemon and hints of sweet marzipan. It's undoubtedly less dry than my usual cocktail style, but this drink is seriously delicious.
- Well balanced: Overall the sweet and tangy elements of this Hawaiian cocktail pair well with the gin to create a well-balanced libation that is great for sipping, particularly on a hot day.
- Adaptable: serve it in a pretty cocktail glass or over ice.
If fruity cocktails are your jam take a look at my recipes for the Charlie Chaplin cocktail, Parissian Creme de cassis cocktail, raspberry margarita and passionfruit martini too.
Jump to:
Origin of the Royal Hawaiian cocktail
This pineapple gin cocktail, initially known as the Princess Kaiulani cocktail, was created in the opulent Royal Hawaiian Hotel on the island of Hawaii. It was later renamed the Royal Hawaiian cocktail and became the resort's signature drink around 1950.
And just who was Princess Kaiulani? Born in 1875, Victoria Ka'iulani, was Crown Princess and heir to the throne of Hawaii. After the royal family was overthrown in 1893, she put up a valiant, yet unsuccessful fight to preserve the Hawaiian monarchy. She died young, at the age of just 23.
Ingredients notes
Gin: You'll need a London Dry gin. Avoid flavoured gins.
Orgeat syrup: This syrup adds a sweet and somewhat intriguing element to this libation.
Lemon juice: This is vital in order to cut through the sweetness of the syrup and the pineapple juice.
OptionaI: Including a little maraschino cherry liqueur in this pineapple gin cocktail lifts the flavour profile yet further -see the variation section below for details.
Variation
In my less classical version of this Royal Hawaiian drink, I've reduced the orgeat and fruit juices slightly to make way for a hint of maraschino cherry liqueur. The overall drink is really quite refreshing, with mildly sweet and mellow undertones reminiscent of cherry bakewell tart. Go with the following measures:
- 45ml Gin
- 20ml Pineapple juice
- 10ml Maraschino cherry liqueur
- 10ml Orgeat syrup
- 10ml lemon juice
Step by step instructions
- Step 1: Put all liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes and secure the lid.
- Step 2: Shake hard for 30 seconds then strain the drink into a suitable glass, garnish and serve.
Serving suggestions
Glassware
Cocktail glass: I like serving either version of this Royal Hawaiian drink in a Nick and Nora style glass, but as my photos show, a coupe glass is equally good.
Tumbler glass: Alternatively, this pineapple gin cocktail can be served over ice (cubes or crushed) in a short tumbler or rocks glass.
Garnishes
There are several ways to garnish this Hawaiian pineapple drink:
- Easy: For sheer ease and speed, just a maraschino cherry on a cocktail pick will suffice. A chunk of fresh pineapple and a few leaves are welcome additions too.
- Advanced: Try making your own pineapple flowers by oven drying some fresh pineapple. Though it is mainly a hands-off task, drying the pineapple does take several hours, so plan ahead.
Expert tips
- Chill the glass: The best way to serve this Hawaiian cocktail is ice cold, so pop your serving glass in the freezer 10 minutes before mixing the drink up.
- Use plenty of ice: Similarly, ensure that plenty of ice is included in the cocktail shaker and shake hard for 30-40 seconds until the canister feels ice cold all over.
- Avoid flavoured gins: as they will alter the final taste profile of the drink significantly.
- Make your own pineapple juice: If you have a juicer feel free to use freshly pressed pineapple juice for the ultimate Royal Hawaiian drink.
Frequently asked questions
No, you do not. It's a fun twist but the original Royal Hawaiian cocktail did not use it. It's become popular following a recipe variation created by Empress 1908 Gin.
Orgeat syrup is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, water and a dash of orange flower water or rose water. This almond flavoured syrup with floral hints is used in cocktails such as the Mai Tai and numerous Tiki cocktails too.
I do not recommend replacing orgeat syrup with simple syrup. The almond flavour from the orgeat syrup is a major player in the Royal Hawaiian drink. That gentle nutty flavour lifts the base ingredients up, shakes them around and delivers a striking flavour.
Though there is very little in the way of preparation for this cocktail, it is possible to pre-mix the ingredients ready for shaking with the ice later on. It is best to shake with ice right before serving though, to ensure the drink is served gorgeously ice-cold.
Tip: shake no more than 2 servings in a full-sized cocktail shaker to ensure drinks are sufficiently diluted and chilled by the ice.
More pineapple cocktails
This pineapple gin cocktail is one of only a handful of gin-based Tiki drinks around. Others to consider are Trader Vic's Sling and Polynesian Spell. Away from Tiki drinks, I have a number of other pineapple cocktails to seduce you with:
If you have tried the recipe for this pineapple gin cocktail then please give it a rating or comment. I love to hear how you get along with my creations.
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Royal Hawaiian Cocktail
Ingredients
The Classic Royal Hawaiian
- 45 ml Gin 1 ½ fl oz
- 15 ml Orgeat syrup ½ fl oz
- 30 ml Pineapple juice 1 fl oz
- 15 ml Lemon juice ½ fl oz
Garnishes - any of the following
- Oven-dried pineapple flowers
- Fresh pineapple
- Pineapple leaves
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
- Pour in the alcohol, pineapple juice, lemon juice and orgeat syrup.
- Secure the shaker lid and shake hard for 30 seconds until the drink feels well chilled.
- Strain into a serving glass and decorate with garnishes of choice.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- 45ml Gin
- 20ml Pineapple juice
- 10ml Maraschino cherry liqueur
- 10ml Orgeat syrup
- 10ml lemon juice
Jane Coupland says
I love mine with a drop of maraschino in the mix as i love to play around with classic cocktails. let me know if you try this version and also if you have any other recommendations for a twist.
Arianna Mears says
hello! you mention orgeat is made with rose water, and I'm actually highly allergic to roses. do you suppose I could substitute a bit of amaretto plus an orange liquor? if so, any recommendations on ratios? thanks so much!
Jane Coupland says
Hi Arianna, that's a great question (sorry to hear about your allergy - they are little pests). I'd go with replacing the orgeat syrup with a mix of amaretto and simple syrup in equal measures (so 1.5 teaspoons of each for the classic version and 1 teaspoon of each in my variation. If you have orange blossom water in your cupboard you could add 2 drops of this too but it's not essential.I hope these thoughts help - let me know how you get along if you try it.
Sandra Shaffer says
Ohh, this cocktails brings back some fond memories from when my husband was stationed in Hawaii. We went to several events at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. So beautiful and of course the they are famous for this wonderful cocktail. Bookmarked to make the classic version tonight since I'm on a staycation right now!
Jane Saunders says
How lovely - enjoy those memories later on.
Taryn says
Loved this cocktail! The combo of pineapple and lemon was so refreshing.
Jane Saunders says
Excellent - thanks for taking the time to tell me you enjoyed it.