South African cocktail · shaken
Durban Poison recipe
A green tropical stinger from the east coast — cane spirit, melon liqueur, pineapple and lime.
A Durban Poison is 40 ml (37.6 g) Cane Spirit, 20 ml (21 g) Melon Liqueur, 90 ml (93.6 g) Pineapple Juice and 10 ml (10.3 g) Fresh Lime Juice, shaken and served in a highball glass. It pours to about 160 ml before ice, at roughly 13.3% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasshighball glass
- Methodshaken
- Pour volume160 ml
- Strength (est.)13.3% ABV
- Time4 min
Durban Poison ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cane Spirit | 40 ml | 37.6 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Melon Liqueur | 20 ml | 21 g | 1.05 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Pineapple Juice | 90 ml | 93.6 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lime Juice | 10 ml | 10.3 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Durban Poison
- Set your highball glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Add Cane Spirit, Melon Liqueur, Pineapple Juice and Fresh Lime Juice to a shaker, weighing each ingredient rather than eyeballing a jigger.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 12–15 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled highball glass.
Durban Poison: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Durban Poison?
Roughly 13.3% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Medium strength. About the same as a fortified wine, poured short.
What glass should a Durban Poison be served in?
A highball glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a Durban Poison without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
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