Month: February 2020

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Tiki Rum Mai Tai

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No, it’s not good. This is a new product from @cutwaterspirits and is garnering some mild praise online, so I thought I’d give it a try. It is described as "Cutwater Barrel Aged Rum, Bali Hai Tiki Gold Rum, pineapple, coconut, and citrus combine to balance this bright cocktail with an aged depth” Thankfully, the coconut and pineapple do not dominate, so this doesn’t taste like a Pina Colada. But, it doesn’t really taste like a Mai Tai either. As a canned cocktail I suppose it isn’t bad, and I thought this was better than the ready-to-serve Mai Tai from Koloa. Wasn’t quite as good as the ready-to-serve from Trader Vic’s (which I had in Hawaii), though none of these are particularly good. @tikilindy said it best. These would be good for a camping trip. #tiki #tikibar #tikidrinks #tikiculture #tropicaldrinks #cocktails #craftcocktails #rum #rhum #maitai #1944maitai #sandiego

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Walt Disney

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Aloha Walt Disney! Saw this photo of Walt and the Mouseketeers at the @WDW museum yesterday. It might be overstating things but I think that a great deal of the current tiki revival is thanks to the tiki elements in the Disney Parks that never went away even during the dark years, as well as with new additions in the last decade such as Trader Sam’s. Heading to @disneyland the first weekend in March. Can’t wait to see the Star Wars stuff at Disneyland (including Oga’s Cantina) and the new menu additions at the Tropical Hideaway. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to find some time to visit Trader Sam’s as well. #tiki #tikibar #tikidrinks #tikiculture #tropicaldrinks #cocktails #craftcocktails #disneyparks #enchantedtikiroom #tradersams

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Forbidden Island Excursion

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Notch’s Place

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I never got to visit the Trader Vic’s location in San Francisco, but I did get to see a bit of history last night. That’s the original sign at @topnotchkustoms place in San Jose. And the tiki bar inside? Pretty awesome. Some amazing tall tikis, including a vintage Barney West. Drinks were served by everyone’s favorite San Jose bartender, @brianrechenmacher. He even went out of his way to just go ahead and make my Mai Tai with Smith & Cross without me having to ask. Today is definitely an #ILoveBRex day. Thanks Notch and Syrus for having us over. #tiki #tikibar #tikidrinks #tikiculture #tropicaldrinks #cocktails #craftcocktails #rum #rhum #maitai #1944maitai #sanjose

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Mai Tai with Foursquare 2004

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Mai Tai with Foursquare 2004 Well, I bit the bullet and made a Mai Tai with the long-coveted and finally-acquired Foursquare 2004 rum. @foursquare_rum_distillery @foursquarerumusa Was this a good Mai Tai? Yes, it was indeed pretty good. Not really mind-blowing, though. I think that in a Mai Tai a good sipping rum like the Foursquare can kind of get lost in the cocktail a little bit, at least compared to something bolder like a funky Jamaican rum. Doctor Bird does not get lost in the cocktail. Still, this was probably better than 99% of the Mai Tais you’d ever get at a bar, even the craft ones, so in that way it was a nice treat for me. But, going forward we’ll use the Foursquare squarely for sipping. #tiki #tikibar #tikidrinks #tikiculture #tropicaldrinks #cocktails #craftcocktails #rum #rhum #maitai #1944maitai #barbadosrum

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Recipe: Blue Hawai-Tai

It’s like the Blue Hawaii and the Mai Tai had a baby. This is an original riff and I hope you like it.

Blue Hawai-Tai by Kevin Crossman
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz White Overproof Jamaican Rum
½ oz Aged White Rum
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Blue Curacao

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake and dump into a small snifter glass. Garnish with Mint and tropical fruit.

Recommended spirits:

  • Any white Jamaican Overproof rum will do fine, including the widely available Wray & Nephew Overproof. For best results use a 100% pot-still rum such as Rum-Bar Overproof or Rum Fire.
  • For the white rum we recommend something with at least some pot-still component, such as Probitas, Denizen White, Hamilton White Stache, Myers’s White, or Plantation 3 Star. If you prefer something even lighter, then a rum with at least a little age such as Cruzan is recommended.
  • We recommend Giffard Blue Curacao.
Colors in the photo are not retouched.