The Sumatra Kula (a.k.a. Sumatra cooler) is a vintage tiki cocktail invented by

Donn Beach Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Gantt; February 22, 1907 – June 7, 1989) was an American adventurer, businessman, and World War II veteran who was the "founding father" of tiki culture. He is known for opening the first prototypical tiki bar, Don ...

that calls for light rum, equal parts orange, lime and white grapefruit juices, and is sweetened with a diluted honey mix.

History

The Sumatra Kula cocktail was created by Donn Beach, also known as "the beachcomber" because of his ''Don the Beachcomber'' chain of restaurants, and may have been one of his very first drinks, allegedly gaining notoriety after he served it to a reporter from the ''

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

''. A book co-authored by his ex-wife Phoebe Beach claims it was his very first original mixed drink and sold for 25 cents. The drink as appearing on a later cocktail menu from his Hollywood location depicts it as being served in a tall curved glass accompanied by a leafy garnish and selling for 85 cents. The drink was not typically ordered at other types of bars but began gaining attention again during the 21st century resurgence in

tiki culture Tiki culture is an Visual art of the United States, American-originated art, Music of the United States, music, and entertainment movement inspired by Polynesians, Polynesian, Melanesians, Melanesian and Micronesians, Micronesian cultures. Inspir ...

. Named in part in reference to Sumatra, some also believe that the word "kula" may be a separate and generic reference to the "Kula exchange", which is a reciprocal exchanging of social gifts. Beach traveled on the cheap through places where Kula was practiced such as Papua New Guinea, making the claim both plausible and speculative. In addition to being an explorer of the south pacific, Beach also traveled heavily both as a

rum-runner Rum-running or bootlegging is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The t ...

and when he served overseas in France and Italy during World War II. The cocktail is also sometimes mistakingly referred to as a ''Sumatra cooler'', either an intentional play on words or a misunderstanding between similarly sounding "kula" and "cooler" drinks on Beach's menus (such as the

Q.B. Cooler The Q.B. Cooler is a vintage tiki cocktail invented by Donn Beach that calls for a mixture of several rums (Puerto Rican dark rum, Jamaican rum, Demerara 151 proof rum), two syrups (fassionola, falernum), fruit juices (orange, lime), and honey, mi ...

). Regardless, the Sumatra Kula would not be a typical "cooler" drink, as it does not contain any form of

sparkling water Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

or other carbonated beverage.

Variations

Like many tiki drinks, multiple variations existed as popular cocktails whose ingredients were not known were "estimated" and given the same name at competing bars. At the ''Alila Bar'' in Bali tangerine juice and triple-sec was added. The

Tiki Ti The Tiki Ti is a Polynesian-themed tiki bar on Sunset Boulevard, in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles. Established in 1961 by Ray Buhen, the Tiki Ti's only employees, Mike Sr. and Mike Jr. Buhen are also the sole owners. The establishment is ...

adds

fassionola Fassionola is a typically red colored syrup that is fruit flavored (passion fruit and others) that was frequently used in tropical drinks during the 1930s but is now a relatively unusual ingredient. It also comes in green and gold varieties that so ...

, a passion fruit syrup sometimes credited to Beach.

References

{{reflist Tiki drinks Cocktails with rum