Test pilot (cocktail)

The test pilot is a classic tiki cocktail created by Donn Beach. Because Beach frequently altered his own recipes, many different versions of the drink exist, attributed both to him and to others, making it one of his most copied and varied tiki creations. The drink typically combines multiple rums with falernum syrup and lime juice, and the more well-known recipes also include Pernod (pastis or absinthe) and bitters.

Several distinct versions are recorded. One recipe from a Don the Beachcomber drink guide uses 1 oz of Lemon Hart Demerara 151 proof rum, ¾ oz each of Jamaican dark rum, Puerto Rican dark rum, lime juice, grape juice, and honey, plus two dashes each of bitters and grenadine. It is flash blended with cracked ice and served in a double old fashioned glass, though the recipe’s origin date and serving location are unknown. Another version, attributed by Jeff Berry to Beach from around 1941, is less strong but still potent: 1½ oz Jamaican dark rum, ¾ oz Puerto Rican light rum, 3 teaspoons of Cointreau, ⅛ teaspoon of Pernod, ½ oz each of lime juice and falernum syrup, and a dash of bitters. Beach often used Pernod and bitters as a signature combination, and many cocktail enthusiasts consider them essential. Several other recipe references highlight this version. A Trader Vic version from his 1972 revised guide replaces lime juice with lemon and omits the Pernod and bitters, calling for 1¾ oz dark Jamaican rum, ¾ oz light Puerto Rican rum, ¼ oz each of Cointreau, falernum, and lemon juice. Difford’s Guide features this Trader Vic version.

Some competitors of Beachcomber and Trader Vic, including The Luau restaurant and the Mai-Kai, named their versions the Jet Pilot. This drink was similar to Beach’s 1941 version but spicier, using stronger rum, grapefruit juice, and cinnamon syrup. Beyond the Jet Pilot, other aviation-themed tiki cocktails include the Ace Pilot, Don Beach’s Q.B. Cooler, and Trader Vic’s PB2Y (named after the Navy’s Coronado plane). A tiki bar called Test Pilot operates in Santa Barbara, California, serving a test pilot cocktail described as having a flavor profile of “house rum blend, clove, citrus, bitters, [and] absinthe foam.”