Fassionola: A Long-Lost Tropical Cocktail Syrup

Bursting with tangy passionfruit and sweet berries, the long-forgotten fassionola is the perfect way to bring bright, tropical flavours into your cocktail repertoire!

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The moment I heard of a cocktail syrup that was lost to history I knew I had to try it. The origins of fassionola are often disputed with the most common version being it was invented by Donn Beach, owner of Don the Beachcomber, a 1930’s bar in Los Angeles specializing in tropical style cocktails. Since no original recipe for fassionola has ever been found, we can only speculate what the ingredients were.

Luckily, there are some clues and it is generally accepted that the dominant flavour was passionfruit with strawberries as a secondary flavour and possibly hibiscus. In recent years, interest in fassionola has grown and there are now even a couple of commercial options that you can purchase. But with all the delicious fruit flavours involved, this is one cocktail syrup worth making yourself. With a splash of rum, or two, or three, and this sweet and tangy passionfruit syrup it won’t be long before you’ll feel like you’re on the beach of a tropical paradise!

One Syrup, Two Cocktails

One of the most frustrating things about making cocktails is how many ingredients you need to buy for just one drink. If you want to serve more than one cocktail then that often means buying even more mixers and spirits which gets expensive quickly! And on top of that, when it comes to tropical cocktails, the ingredient lists tend to be pretty epic.

To highlight this delicious syrup I created two different cocktails. They have a similar ingredient list, however, with some slight variations and differing amounts you end up with two different but equally delicious cocktails. Try both and see which is your favourite!

Fassionola Sunrise: The name of this cocktail is a nod to the classic Tequila Sunrise which creates that iconic ombre colour with a splash of grenadine. In this rum-based cocktail, fassionola is used to create that gorgeous sunrise colour. I also add a splash of curaçao, or orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Triple Sec. The flavours are bright, citrusy, and pineapple forward.

Fassionola Rum Cocktail: This cocktail includes three different types of rum – amber, demerara, and spiced – and showcases how blending different rums together can create a unique flavour profile. With a more pronounced passionfruit flavour, this cocktail is slightly sweeter and stronger than the Fassionola Sunrise.

Ingredient Notes

Passion fruit nectar: As mentioned previously, one of the flavours that everyone agrees must be in fassionola is passionfruit. In fact, passion fruit should be the dominant flavour. Undoubtedly the original recipe would have called for passion fruit puree or pulp and even today, that is the ideal. However, in my neck of the woods I have been unable to readily find either passion fruit puree or pulp. So, I figured that if it was that difficult for me to track down, it may present a challenge to others as well. 

If you are fortunate enough to have fresh or frozen passion fruit pulp available, then you should absolutely use it. You may need to adjust the sugar levels in the syrup recipe. For everyone else, I have created this recipe using store bought passionfruit nectar.

Berries: Another key ingredient in fassionola is berries. Strawberries are a must but I like to add blueberries as well. Feel free to use all strawberries instead of the blueberries. You can use fresh or frozen.

Pineapple: After passionfruit and berries, the other ingredients begin to differ among the recipes. I like the tropical flavour and acidity that fresh pineapple brings to the syrup.

Hibiscus flowers: Many fassionola recipes call for adding some hibiscus but it is far from universal so feel free to leave it out if you prefer. I use dried hibiscus flowers, but you could also use hibiscus tea instead.

Choosing a Rum

Picking out a rum to use can be intimidating if you aren’t familiar with this versatile spirit. Made from sugar cane, rum is produced in almost every region that produces sugar. There are many different types of rum and often tropical cocktails will make use of more than one kind of rum in a single drink.

Amber rum: Light brown in colour, amber rum has been barrel-aged and has a stronger flavour than a white rum. Both of the cocktail recipes listed here use amber rum. I recommend using a Jamaican-style amber rum such as Appleton Estate Signature Blend or Mount Gay Rum.

Demerara rum: Produced exclusively in Guyana along the Demerara river, demerara rum has rich, smoky flavour. It is made primarily with molasses from local cane sugar which gives its distinctive flavour. El Dorado Rum is a popular and widely available brand of demerara rum. In a pinch, substitute with more amber rum.

Spiced rum: Spiced rum is a type of flavoured rum which has added caramel and spices. I like using Lemon Hart Blackpool Spiced Rum, but Kraken Rum is another good, and widely available, alternative.

How to Make Fassionola:

Prep the fruit

To prepare the fruit for the syrup, slice the strawberries and dice the fresh pineapple. Transfer the strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple to a medium saucepan.

Simmer the fruit

To the fruit in the saucepan, add the passionfruit nectar, the sugar, and the dried hibiscus flowers. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium low heat. Keep an eye on the syrup as it heats up – more than once this syrup has overflowed the pot on me! Just as soon as the syrup comes to a boil, turn down the heat to very low and let cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the fruit is very soft.

Once the fruit is soft, I like to mash it in the syrup to extract as much fruit flavour as I can. Use a potato masher to carefully mash the berries and pineapple. Remove from the heat.

Strain the syrup

Line a fine mesh strainer with several layers of cheesecloth – both the berries and hibiscus have tiny seeds you will want to strain out. Place the strainer over a large bowl. Carefully ladle the fruit and syrup into the cheesecloth-lined strainer. 

Allow the syrup to fully drain from the fruit, gently pressing on the fruit with a spatula to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the fruit.

How to store fassionola

Allow the syrup to cool completely. Since there is a lot of fruit juice in this syrup, I like to add a bit of alcohol to help preserve the syrup. Add 2 oz of vodka or rum to the fassionola. The fassionola syrup should keep for 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge.

How to Make a Fassionola Sunrise

Fill a Collins glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker add the amber rum, curaçao, pineapple juice, passionfruit nectar, and lime juice. Add ice, cover, and then shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass. Pour the fassionola syrup into the cocktail – it will settle at the bottom. Garnish with pineapple leaves or a pineapple wedge. Serve with a straw, if desired, to stir the cocktail before drinking. Enjoy!

How to Make a Fassionola Rum Cocktail

Fill a rocks glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker add the amber rum, demerara rum, spiced rum, fassionola, pineapple juice, passion fruit nectar, and lime juice. Add ice, cover, and then shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with pineapple leaves and a pineapple wedge. Enjoy!

More Suggestions for Using Fassionola Syrup

This recipe makes a pretty big batch of fassionola so here’s a few more suggestions for using this delicious tropical syrup!

• Fassionola Soda – For a great non-alcoholic beverage, add a splash of fassionola to sparkling water for a tropical flavoured soda.
• Fassionola Spritz – Add a splash of fassionola to sparkling wine for a tropical spritz.
• Fassionola Daiquiri – A daquiri is a classic light rum cocktail. Use fassionola in place of the simple syrup. The standard recipe is 2 oz light rum, 1 oz fresh lime juice, and ½ – ¾ oz syrup, depending on taste. Shake with ice and strain.
• Fassionola Hurricane – Some say fassionola was an original ingredient in a Hurricane. Try this recipe: 4 oz amber rum (or 2 oz light rum and 2 oz amber rum), 2 oz fassionola, 2 oz lime juice. Shake with ice and strain.