Month: September 2021

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The Kon-Tiki Happy Hour Mai Tai

Happy hour is back at Oakland’s The Kon-Tiki, Tuesday-Thursdays from 4:00-6:00 pm. There are some food favorites including a grilled cheese sandwich, plus some familiar cocktails. Next time I need to try that Stiggins Pineapple rum on draft.

The Mai Tai previously graced the happy hour menu at Kon-Tiki, but this version is even better that previous one. The new Happy Hour Mai Tai features Jamaican, Martinique, and St. Luician rum and very good for a $10 Mai Tai in the Bay Area. The initial taste was a little bland, but as the cocktail diluted a little bit over a couple minutes the true flavor of this delightful Mai Tai began to shine.

There is a different Mai Tai on the regular Kon-Tiki menu, and it might be worth the $13 price to include some darker rums in the blend. But the Happy Hour Mai Tai is pretty great too.

I still enjoy the easy listening music at The Kon-Tiki. During this visit they played a song that sounded like retro 1970s soft rock but was actually the 2013 track “Don’t Know What’s Normal” from Shintaro Sakamoto. New music with a vintage sound.

Edit: Chris Day from The Kon-Tiki confirmed that the Happy Hour Mai Tai is the same as their regular menu, just lower priced. So go get it!

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Party Night at The Kon-Tiki Room

A big week for The Kon-Tiki room at Palmetto, Oakland’s newest tiki bar. They opened on Wednesday this week to coincide with a show at the Fox Theater across the street. Sounds like business was booming, which is the whole idea of the bar in this location.

Thursday wasn’t a show night but the Oakhana brought the party over from the original Kon-Tiki on 14th and Webster. Lots of fun.

The Grogs were a suggestion and were spicy and boozy. I also tried the Hash Browns that had a lovely sauce. Bar staff remains super friendly and accommodating, even making some off-menu Mai Tais with Saint Benevolence aged rum. Thanks to Bob Stear for the pour of Foursquare 2009, a very fine rum.

Longtime readers know we try to keep reviews and trip reports fair handed here. And despite my frequent advocacy of the Yacht Rock that is often played at The Kon-Tiki, I was not loving the 80s top 40 being played at Kon-Tiki Room on Thursday. I shouldn’t hear any Phil Collins songs in a tiki bar, much less four.

The Kon-Tiki Room is a lot of fun and the cocktails continue to impress.

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Mount Gay Rum Night at The Kon-Tiki

First brand sponsored rum tasting at The Kon-Tiki in quite some time. Mount Gay is a great choice, and I’m a big fan of their XO expression.

The special menu had some nice offerings. I’ve had the copper still rum expressions before so I tried the Barbados Slim; very good up cocktail with rich flavors of honey and Falernum.

The rum tasting was outside and we got to sample small portions of a cognac barrel aged sample. Hey, Mount Gay this rum is delicious, make it a limited edition retail product, please.

The food menu seemed a little larger than last time. In addition to the always fab Kon-Tiki Burger, I sampled the Calamari and Pork Bellies and both were great. More great service and a goovy vibe that Kon-Tiki is famous for.

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Painkiller Navy Rum Shootout

I had some Valencia oranges so was looking for a recipe only using OJ. Why not a Painkiller?

And why not experiment with the rum?

As has been well-documented (and well-litigated!) the Painkiller is supposed to be made with Pusser’s Navy-Style rum. They have a trademark on it, too.

There is nothing wrong with a Pusser’s Painkiller, and I prefer the higher percentage ABV of Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof for any of my Pussers-based cocktails. But since I had some extra OJ I thought I’d try giving the Gunpowder Proof a challenge but making one with Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum to compare to. Their ABVs are similar, but how about the taste?

Verdict: Everything is better with Jamaican rum!

It wasn’t even close; the Painkiller made with Smith & Cross was so much more flavorful and satisfying than the one made with Gunpowder Proof. I know I’m totally biased for Jamaican rum, but honestly I think anyone would prefer this.

Don’t Sue Me Painkiller
3 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Coconut Creme
2½ oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum

Glassware by Trader Vic’s and B-Rex. I like this blue color on this style glass.

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Pagan Idol Visit

Another bar it’s been too long since I visited. Very welcoming vibe inside Pagan Idol and service remains stellar, along with an exotic music program that plays well for newbies and tiki bar snobs (like me).

I didn’t love the Mai Tai. Like sister bar Zombie Village, this was too Agricole forward for me. But it was more tart than Zombie Village’s so really not in my wheelhouse. I only stayed for one drink, though, and didn’t lean into menu favorites such as the Day Walker which are always on par.

I see that Pagan Idol is starting up some live music performances coming up, featuring the Alcatraz Islanders who play some great swing era Hawaiian and jazz. I took BART for the first time in forever and it was a pretty good experience (everyone wore their masks) so more Pagan visits may be in my future.

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Return to the Village

Made a return visit to Zombie Village after a long absence and was pleased to see the vibe and overall service levels are still quite strong. On an early Saturday evening the music was peppy but exotic and instrumental, so still in line with the tropical aesthetic.

My Mai Tai was fine – a little heavy on the Rhum Agricole for my personal taste, but quite reasonable. I only stayed for one cocktail but it was nice chatting with some of the staff.

Zombie Village is still one of the key tiki bar destinations for anyone visiting San Francisco. I always love my visits to the village.

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Black Tot 50th Anniversary Rum

I turned some work anniversary spiff money into this release from last year. I’m late to the party but this isn’t a cheap rum so I was sort of on the fence about getting it. But since I got that free gift card money from work I decided to pick up a bottle of Black Tot 50th Anniversary before it is gone.

I’m a big fan of the Navy Rum style releases, and haven’t found one yet that I haven’t at least liked. I’ve also had the fortune occasion to taste some actual Royal Navy rum over the years, so I was looking forward to this release that includes a hefty .5% of pre-1970 vintage Royal Navy rum. Mostly this is a greatest hits of rums from Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad across various ages and percentages. So it is a special release featuring a mix of rums I already love. It is so rich and flavorful, and very easy to drink at 54.5% ABV. Compares very favorably to the vintage Royal Navy rum.

This rum is special to me because it was the Special Occasion pick from our late friend Alex Fritch on the 5 Bottle Rum Challenge recorded earlier this year. Never got to hoist Black Tot rum with Alex this year but next year I have my bottle ready.