Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki

When I first picked up Smuggler’s Cove a year ago, I had 8 lonely bottles on my shelf—only one of them rum (shoutout to Bacardi Superior, the humble gateway spirit). Fast forward 12 months, and I now have a full-blown home bar bursting with 180 bottles, many of them rums I hadn’t even heard of before cracking open this book.Smuggler’s Cove didn’t just teach me how to make drinks—it sparked a full-on obsession. I’ve now made over half the recipes in the book and rated each one from 1 to 5 stars. Around 70% have earned a 4 or 5 star rating, which speaks volumes about the quality and balance of these recipes. The drinks are creative, layered, and transportive—exactly what tiki should be.This isn’t just a recipe book; it’s a deep dive into the culture, history, and sheer joy of rum and tiki. Whether you're just starting with a basic rum or you're 100+ bottles deep into your journey, Smuggler’s Cove delivers at every level.Final Verdict: 5 stars. Phenomenal book. It changed the way I drink, mix, and think about rum—and I couldn’t be more grateful.

So, I've always been a fan of the "zombie" drink, but it is pretty hard to find a good one. There is so much rum in it that if you get the ingredients or ratios wrong, it turns into an unpleasant shot of rum and bad flavors. So, I rarely order them.Last October, I tried to make one, thinking a "zombie" would be a perfect drink for a Halloween party, and thinking it would be nice to learn how to make one so I didn't have to rely on the lame ones I have received in the past. A couple of attempts using internet recipes turned out very badly. Sigh.Just wait - I'm getting to the book ...In November, we got an invitation to a tiki bar in San Diego called "False Idol" and I decided to ordered their zombie. The angels sang. The pearly gates opened and I walked into heaven. Awesome.So, in December, I was travelling in San Francisco and went to the Tonga Room there. It was very disappointing. Drinks were quite poor, which was a big surprise for such a long-established icon. As I was reading Yelp reviews on the Tonga Room, I saw mention of a place called Smuggles Cove in San Francisco that had won awards, voted best bar in America, one of the best in the world, yada, yada, yada. And I was kicking myself for going to the Tonga Room instead of Smugglers Cove. Apparently the owner, Martin Cate, really knows his cocktails, and - ta-da - is a partner in the False Idol in San Diego and the guy behind the drinks there !In January, I stumbled upon his book on Amazon - some web search or Amazon search brought it up, I'm sure. I don't remember. I saw the title, noted the author, saw that it had recipes in it and ordered it. I was a little concerned that it would be lots of stories and not much recpies, but it turns out it is alot of stories and also alot of recipes.I am very surprised that a bar owner in a business where drink recpies have been traditionally kept secret is willing to spill the beans like this. He has presented so many secrets, along with the stories and history behind the secrets and also given credit to alot of the people responsible for digging up the secrets. It's mighty big of him, I think, and consider this a big "thank you" for writing this book.Some good things about the book:- Martin has developed a list of rum categories based on production method to assist in the selection of rums for the recipes. Most of the recipes in the book don't call for a particular brand and style of rum, but call for a certain category of rum, which could be one of many brands and styles. It is really smart and really helps the budget, too, because you don't have to buy the $80 bottle if you don't want to.- Really a lot of recipes in here. I saw one Amazon reivew saying there weren't many recipes. That is just wrong. The recipes are scattered throughout the book and relate to the text in each chapter, but there are more than anyone could want.- Also, reading between the lines, you can figure out how to take any of these cocktails and change the ingredients to make your own recipes, so the number of recipes is unlimited if you are willing to experiment.- Martin lists a whole bunch of syrups and concoctions that are used in the recipes. This is very helpful,and again - very generous of him to show us these secrets from his bars. Real grenadine syrup, demerera sugar syrup, cinnamon syrup, passion fruit syrup, etc.- I am surprised by a couple things. First - that the drinks are not necessarily super sweet and fruity. Second, there are an extraordinary number of interesting ingredients that I never knew existed or how they were used. These ingredients are herbal, spicey or savory and keep the drinks from getting too that sweet.- Great details on ice choice and mixing techniques.- I'm not that much into tiki decor so alot of that design stuff was not interesting to me, but I also feel the book would be incomplete without it.Things I would add or change / the downside:- I would like to see some descriptions of the non-rum ingredients on the recipe pages. As I was looking through the recipes, many listed ingredients that I didn't know what the heck they were. Maybe they were in the text, but I didn't want to hunt through and find it. It would be nice if some explanation were given for those, or maybe put a little reference section in the back and add a page number to the recipe so you can read up on it, like "Benedictine (see page 444)".- Some of the syrups were a little sweet, making it difficult to adjust the recipe without changing the sweetness. For example, I made a drink with the cinnamon syrup and wanted more cinnamon flavor. So, I added some cinnamon syrup, but it was too sweet. The syrups make perfect sense in a bar where you want the bartenders to make the same thing every time, and save some work. But if you want to tinker, it may be better to just add the ingredients separately.- This is an expensive hobby. Martin has done a good job making sure we don't waste our money by putting expensive ingredients into bad cocktails, but it aint cheap.I have made about 6 of the recipes so far. Enjoying them all, especially the zombie and the Planters Punch !I hope to meet Martin some day. He's done a great job with his bar in San Diego and the book. Thanks a bunch !

Great book. I had already read Sippin' Safari by Jeff Beachbum Barry, and this book is a great companion. Great history, great recipes, The Cates explain techniques, equipment, etc. very well. Highly recommend this book.

This type of book by someone who is a trade expert of any kind is usually somewhat poorly written, as that person is an expert in his/her field, not a writer. This book is a rare treat in that it's extremely well-written AND informative. I truly enjoyed it, and found it to be a compass pointing me in the right direction as I begin my home tiki journey. Well done!

The media could not be loaded. This book has been a delight from cover to cover. From the very first page to the last, Martin Cate invites you on a journey through time. His descriptions are enticing and exciting and the photos are stunningly vibrant. The whole book is beautifully illustrated and formatted. "Smuggler's Cove" reads like a novel, like a history book, and like a recipe collection all in one. If you weren't in love with Tiki before, you will be after you read this! The cocktails seem intimidating at first with their laundry list of syrups and rums, but fear not; there is a section that breaks down rum categories and an index section with recipes and resources.If you're even slightly interested in rum and/or Tiki culture, I would consider this an essential codex in your collection.

If you're into Tiki drinks/Tiki history, this is a MUST HAVE. It is extensive and thorough. Your Tiki Bar isn't complete without it !

Amazing book and while I do enjoy tropical coctails, the rundown and classifications of rum styles is amazing.(Not a 5 star review because of the line: "Countries like Puerto Rico..." 🫣)

Bought as a gift for nephew. He is a Tiki buff. He really enjoys it.