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Sunset Drift is Hawaiian Punch for Adults

We’ve been to Trader Vic’s Emeryville a couple times this week and while I did indulge with a fruity Guava Tai, I decided to check out some of the newer items from the Emeryville Originals section. These cocktails typically use spirits or rums that are different from the classic mid-century build, appealing to those seeking more contemporary flavors.

Such is the case of the Sunset Drift, a collaboration between Vic’s VP Raquel Rodriguez and Emeryville’s restaurant/bar manager Carlos Valdez. The recipe started with Rodriguez’s idea of a coconut washed Campari, which Valdez paired with Kō Hana Hawaiian Agricole rum, banana, and pineapple. The end result seems similar to Hawaiian Punch to me, a rich mouthfeel and a combination of flavors that result in something completely unique where you can’t really pick up the individual components.

Sunset Drift is served over a large ice cube with an orchid and lemon peel. Depending on your preference you might want to give it a little extra stir for further chilling. The cocktail is very approachable for people who find Campari and agricole rum distasteful, but there are hints there for fans of those spirits. This is a really great option for those looking for something newer on the vast Trader Vic’s cocktail menu.

Emeryville Sunset and Guava Tai
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Las Vegas Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Having brunch at Red Dwarf on the Sunday of our weekend has been our tradition for the last few Vegas trips. Red Dwarf combines a tiki bar with a dive bar and features consistently good cocktails that are moderately priced as well – plus Detroit style pizza that is amazing. Sundays feature some additional brunch menu items and a live surf band that starts at around noon. Note that if you want your pick of seats you should arrive early right at opening. Generic Surf Band played during our visit, with the trio really doing a great job with a bunch of old-school classics.

We went with the Mai Tai that includes several rums but is overall lighter in character but easily crushable. As noted, the drinks here are very consistently done and at $10 for a really good Mai Tai I can live with a plastic cup. Even better was Fate of Ophelia from the Winter Cocktails menu, a blend of gin, coconut, and citrus that was absolutely fantastic. Thanks to bartender Sarah for keeping up with everyone’s orders and for developing the lovely cocktail and tribute to T. Swift.

Mai Tai
Fate of Ophelia

Red Dwarf is off strip so functions as a locals bar, though we know that tiki tourists like us are frequent visitors as well. With consistently good cocktails, cool decor, and an unpretentious vibe, Red Dwarf remains our favorite tiki bar in Las Vegas.

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Recipe: The Space Needle

This vintage recipe recently popped up on the Make and Drink YouTube channel, where Derek described the vague history of this drink. It’s obviously a Mai Tai variant, notably substituting lemon juice for lime, but strangely Trader Vic did not take credit for the recipe in his books where the recipe was listed. Perhaps a crew member at the Seattle Trader Vic’s location did the riffing on the Trader’s behalf.

Space Needle by Trader Vic (?)
1½ oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Orgeat
1 oz Orange Curacao
1½ oz Light Rum
1½ oz Dark Jamaican Rum
Flash blend with 1 cup of shaved ice, add to glass with additional shaved/crushed ice. Mint garnish optional.

I used a 50/50 blend of Clement Creole Shrubb and Grand Marnier for the orange curaçao.

This drink is not dissimilar to the original Hawaiian Mai Tai that Trader Vic introduced to Hawaii in 1953, including a blend of a light rum and a dark Jamaican rum. I used Coruba, as did Derek, though back in the 1960s the typical dark Jamaican rums were a bit higher in ABV. Nonetheless, the drink is plenty boozy with 3 oz of rum plus a full ounce of orange curaçao.

Indeed that ratio of orange curaçao is what makes this kind of a different drink than simply a Mai Tai with lemon juice. The overall character is sweeter and a bit more floral, though I felt it was richer than Menehune Juice, a Mai Tai variant made just with light Puerto Rican rum. In the case of the Menehune Juice it’s quite floral as the rum doesn’t add a lot of flavor, whereas with the Space Needle there are richer ingredients to taste and a heavier overall mouthfeel.

Derek said he thought this would be better with a little less orange curaçao, resulting in a drink that’s closer to a Mai Tai spec and better balanced. I disagree and totally loved the richness from the sweet orange liqueur.

The Space Needle is different from a Mai Tai and it’s great. I regret not making this sooner.

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Glitter Gulch Tiki: Downtown Las Vegas’ Tropical Oasis

We found time to check out one of Las Vegas’ newest tiki bars by visiting Glitter Gulch Tiki in downtown. Located a block from Fremont Street, Glitter Gulch features a very nice build-out by Bamboo Ben & Son including some cozy booths and glittery elements throughout the venue. Food is available, though we didn’t order any.

As you might expect, this venue leans touristy and so the drinks will be hit or miss for those looking for craft cocktails. Mrs Mai Tai’s Luau in Vegas was pretty good, but we’ve heard bad things from others and some of the tiki mugs appear to be borderline culturally insensitive. The nice thing was that our drinks were served along with a splash of dry ice that filled our table, a very nice touch.

I was not a fan of the Mai Tai, though not for the reason you might be expecting. Given the tourist vibes, we expected the Mai Tai to be island-style with pineapple and orange juices. The “Mai Hands Tai’d” was actually a 1944 style, though for some reason leans very heavy on Rhum Agricole and a light rum, meaning that without a strong Jamaican rum counterbalance that the grassy flavors will be quite divisive to many customers including this writer. After some dilution the Mai Tai was a bit more palatable, but still wasn’t great.

Mai Hands Tai’d

Glitter Gulch thus joins the rest of the Vegas tiki bars by having some significant upsides but also some noteworthy issues for hardcore tiki fans. We did find the vibe inside to be a nice respite from the craziness on nearby Fremont Street, so in that respect it is somewhat like a tropical oasis.

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Rum Curious Club at Zombie Village

The first event in a planned monthly series started this week at Zombie Village as “Rum Champion” Bryan Inman hosted a Rum Curious Club rum tasting event. Inman has been in the Bay Area several times over the past few years hosting events associated with his Rum Curious Club. This week’s was a ticketed event featuring (at least) six rums to taste, plus education about the rums and the spirit category generally. A specialty cocktail from Zombie Village was also available, though we stuck to ZV’s amazing Disco Banana.

Inman’s enthusiastic delivery was well received by the assembled crowed in the Voodoo Lounge upstairs at Zombie Village, and he brought some excellent rums from his personal collection including some very rare expressions. Perhaps most notable was Kulawai Rum from Fiji, a really wild rum that’s not yet available in the United States. Also notable was a Mainland Rum expression distilled in California from Hawaiian molasses and Full Circle 110, a rum blend that Inman participated in delivering to market. After the formal portion of the event closed, Inman pulled out a couple rare bottles for additional gratis tastings.

Assisting during the event was Nik Moser, the newly appointed Bay Area chapter head for the SoCal-based Rum Curious Club. Expect Moser to be the local point of contact for events and host when Inman doesn’t travel up north. The series is expected to be held at Zombie Village on a monthly basis, with upcoming event dates currently coming soon. Future events may involve a specific producer or cocktail theme, so keep an eye out to see if the upcoming events pique your interest.

We were pleased to see Zombie Village quite busy as we departed after 9:00 pm Wednesday, and midweek cocktails and rum tastings were totally worth the drive. Follow Zombie Village and the Rum Curious Club’s social media for announcement of future events.

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Best Mai Tai in Vegas at Viking Mike’s Alpine Yurt Bar?

Our weekend tour of themed bars and restaurants was highlighted by a visit at opening to Viking Mike’s Alpine Yurt Bar in Vegas’ Arts District. We arrived about 15 minutes before opening and a crowd started to gather, which was good news since being early meant we were able to get seated at the bar back in the yurt portion of the venue. The thematic elements are so well-done here, including the impressive carvings outside and continuing past the first bar with an aurora borealis effect. The round yurt section was breathtaking with seating ringing the exterior portion of the room and featuring stone, furs, and Scandinavian textures.

Once seated we received a small non-alcoholic welcome drink featuring compote and spices. The cocktail menu features riffs on a number of classic cocktails including the Mikkel-Tai with tequila, Rum Fire, hazelnut sage orgeat, and Kronan Swedish Punsch. Mai Tai purists wouldn’t consider this variant up to Trader Vic’s standards but in this writer’s opinion the cocktail was fantastic – very rich and nutty, with the tequila and Jamaican rum really working well together. This was easily one of the best new Mai Tai style cocktails I’ve had in a while – don’t skip it.

Mikkel-Tai

The other cocktails our party tried were similarly well-done, and there are some great beer and wine options as well. Some others even had the shared Shot-Ski for four, which the staff set up by ringing bells and shouting as if this was a Viking victory cheer. Mike’s also offers some good food options. One of our party ordered the sausage tower and I had filling chicken schnitzel sandwich and house browns. A “tin” of Swedish fish completed our meal. We found the food to be very authentic to items we’ve had in Europe and despite a venue-filling crowd the food came out promptly and was served piping hot.

Viking Mike’s is one of the best themed bars in Las Vegas and compares favorably to the other destinations in the burgeoning Arts District bar scene.

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The Sex Panther at Prowl

Prowl is a jungle themed lounge in Las Vegas’ arts district, next door to Stray Pirate and co-owned by the some of the same crew. We landed early evening on Friday to find a small mixed crowd and one bartender holding court. The thematic elements include some LED screens, plenty foliage, and a stone idol on one wall. There are a variety of seating areas and booths, plus some great looking lamps that’ll give you retro vibes.

The menu has all kinds of fun nods, including “For a Good Time, Call 1-888-87-PROWL” (call it, it works), Monstera Mash, and Mustache Ride. As a fan of the Anchorman movie back in the day, I was immediately were drawn to Sex Panther and then very intrigued by the Mai Tai meets Margarita ingredient list that includes Mexican rum, tequila, pepita orgeat, and of course “bits of real panther.” This was a good cocktail, though I would have preferred it over crushed ice rather than served up.

Our bartender Jacklyn did a great job checking in with our party and we all seemed to enjoy the vibe and the cocktails. There are a variety of merch options including glassware designed by McBiff, hats, and more. The Arts District is really booming with great cocktail bars, with Prowl being another recent fun addition.