Three Dots and a Dash

Three Dots and a Dash is a tropical classic from none other than tiki legend Don the Beachcomber. It’s a spicy, assertive melange of rums (Martinique and Guyanese, preferably), citrus, clove, allspice, and honey.
The original recipe called for a splash of orange juice, which gets a bit lost in the sauce among all the strongly-flavored ingredients. At Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago (a tiki haunt named for this very drink), owner Paul McGee swaps out the OJ for dry curaçao (like Pierre Ferrand) and a touch more lime, which we agree is an upgrade.
The traditional garnish is three cherries and a long chunk of pineapple on a skewer, representing the Morse code for “victory” – along with a festooning of edible flowers, pineapple leaves, and all other manner of tropical festoonery.

Ingredients
- 1 part Aged rhum agricole or Aged rum or Unaged rhum agricole or Light rum
- 1 part Demerara rum or Dark rum or Black rum
- ½ part Orange curaçao or Shrubb
- ½ part Falernum liqueur
- ¼ part Allspice dram
- 1 part Lime juice
- ½ part Honey syrup
- 3 dashes Aromatic bitters or Creole bitters or Tiki bitters
Instructions
Shake all ingredients with crushed ice. Pour unstrained into a tall glass, tiki mug, or goblet. Add more crushed ice if needed, and garnish to the max.


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Read more
- Three Dots and a Dash recipe at PUNCH
