Month: February 2023

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Lunch at Hula Hoops

It has been a minute since we patronized Hula Hoops in South San Francisco, and longer still since we ate indoors. I’m pleased to report that Hula Hoops is still going strong and doing things just as well as they always have. Lunch was chicken skewers and the Kalua Pork nachos, both very tasty.

Their small but formidable cocktail menu seems to be largely in place, including several coming via Doc Parks (of “Pagan Idol”). They have a standard 1944 Mai Tai, a Lilikoi Tai, and the Buz-Tai from local raconteur Buz Deadwax. More about the latter tomorrow.

The Lilikoi Tai is a little tart, but you can mix in the creamy passionfruit whipped topping to make it as sweet as you like. I enjoyed the topping and the cocktail.

I ordered the 1944 Mai Tai to go, and drinking it during dinner didn’t love it. Hula Hoops is using Small Hand Foods Orgeat which is not my favorite, and the orgeat taste is pronounced in the Mai Tai. So, your mileage will vary.

For Mrs. Mai Tai I got the Ube Martini to go. You can order this with vodka, rum, tequila, or gin. Not really a martini, especially when you order with rum like we did, but Ube is used throughout the cocktail and food menu at Hula Hoops so it is nice to see them leaning into this as a featured ingredient.

Service from longtime bartender Maria was friendly and efficient, and the place was quite full for lunch/brunch. Music being played is Jawaiian, the Hawaiian style of reggae, which I thought was just fine given the Hawaiian leanings of the venue. The shades were also largely drawn so it was both shadowy inside and for sure blocked out the outside world.

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Zanj Cocktails at The Kon-Tiki

In addition to the Zanj rum tasting we talked about yesterday, there were also some special cocktails available at The Kon-Tiki in Oakland on Wednesday. As is the tradition, these were made with the rum from the brand doing the tasting.

I tried the Madame Mueze, named after the sugar cane varietal used in these rums. This one used the excellent unaged San Zanj rum for the base, along with Ayete Bitters, Benedictine, Lemon, and a delightful Lavender Honey Syrup. The honey really shined in this delicious tropical cocktail.

Cocktail specials like this are always a draw for regulars who are looking for something new, and the Kon-Tiki always does a great job with these.

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Zanj Rum Tasting at The Kon-Tiki

Seemed like old times to have a rum brand showing off their spirits at The Kon-Tiki in Oakland lats night. Kon-Tiki alum Chris Lane was set up to show off the lineup of Haitian rums coming from High Road Spirits.

All are produced with Creole Column Stills, so they’re a little lighter than some Haitian spirits and all are issued at 43% ABV. The aged rums are produced from a low yield varietal named Madame Mueze and aged in new French Oak and ex-Cognac barrels. There is no artificial coloring, flavoring, or added sugar.

San Zanj: this is an unaged expression that’s a mix of rum and clairin from three Haitian producers and tasted great. This is easy to sip and has a wonderful mix of traditional sugar-cane based clairin flavors but tempered a bit by molasses-based rum. Very similar to the Equiano I wrote about a few days ago and worth seeking out.

AK Zanj: this cane juice rum is aged between 3-5 years and is the entry-level aged product. It is intended to be a cocktail rum.

AK Zanj 8 year and 10 year: Both are quite nice sippers, with the 10 year being a little better. Some nice barrel notes and not much of the Clairin flavor you see in the unaged expression. Overall these two are so similar that it seems that one is pretty redundant.

AK Zanj 15 year: the spicy notes from this incredible expression were impressive to me and fairly unique and really worth exploring. There are savory notes with a finish that is dry and nutty. I really loved this.

Rum tastings like this can be invaluable to trying something new and learning about new styles of rum. At The Kon-Tiki these tastings can also be applied to your Expedition rum list as well.

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Three Dots and a Dash

This cocktail was recently featured on the Cocktail College podcast and so I thought I’d make one at home. An interesting aspect of this cocktail is that it called for an Aged Martinique Rhum, and I’ve heard specifically that this should be a sugar cane juice-based Agricole Rhum, not a Grand Arôme from Molasses. But the guest on Cocktail College seemed to not dial this in and even suggested an unaged Agricole might be better.

Having made the cocktail I can say that an aged Agricole for sure works better to compliment the spicy notes from the Falernum and Allspice Dram. The cocktail I made turned out really great and only served to remind me that I ought to order this more when out at bars.

Three Dots and a Dash by Don the Beachcomber
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orange Juice
½ oz Honey Mix
¼ oz Falernum
¼ oz Allspice Dram / Pimento Liqueur
½ oz Demerara Rum
1½ oz Aged Martinique Rhum
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Flash blend with 6 oz crushed ice. Garnish with three cherries (dots) and a pineapple front (dash).

Spirts:
Falernum: John D. Taylor (heavy pour)
Allspice Dram: Hamilton
Demerara Rum: Skipper Rum
Aged Martinique Rhum: Clement VSOP

We like these kind of cherries. Sue us.

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The Ultimate Mai Tai at Tiki Tom’s

The new menu debuted last night for Tiki Tom’s mug release event, so the Ultimate Mai Tai is now available as a premium Mai Tai option. We thank Darrin, Rick, and Steffani from Tiki Tom’s for the honor and also for sourcing the four Ultimate Mai Tai rums that are not always easy to procure.

We went to Tiki Tom’s for a quick visit last night and the place was packed and it sure seemed like they were selling a lot of mugs. We were able to get a seat at the bar after a short wait and I can say they’re making the Ultimate Mai Tai the right way. The cocktail features Jamaica rums Appleton 12, Smith & Cross, and Plantation Xaymaca, along with Plantation OFTD overproof rum. Over 50% ABV and a rich and funky taste that cuts through the cocktail. At $20, it is totally worth the $5 upcharge over their regular Mai Tai and $10 less than what they’re charging at Royal Tot in South Carolina for the same cocktail.

The new menu features a lot more options and also includes the BenZombie named for Bamboo Ben who led the interior decor refresh in 2021. There’s also a Release the Kraken, a bowl drink featuring some premium rums (no actual Kraken rum!). There are even a few cocktails from Jeff “Beachbum” Berry on the menu, along with Tiki Tom’s faves such as the Blowfish Intoxica and the Ohana Punch (Mrs. Mai Tai’s favorite). No more Carmen Miranda cocktail, though.

Tiki Tom’s doesn’t do reservations on Fridays and Saturdays, so plan accordingly if you’d like to visit.

Tiki Tom’s owner Darrin DeRita

 

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Equiano Rum Tasting at Smuggler’s Cove

Had a fantastic time up at Smuggler’s Cove for a special education session for Rumbustion Society members with self-proclaimed Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell on Thursday. These occasional sessions are available to Guardian-level Rumbustion members and above, so keep working on your SC rum list to have the opportunities to attend special events like this.

Burrell was there to mostly discuss Equiano Rum, where he has an ownership stake. The rum is an interesting combination of column-still rum from Mauritius from Africa along with pot/column distillate from Foursquare in Barbados where the rum is blended and bottled.

Equiano Original is an aged expression with the molasses-based Mauritius rum aged for 10 years in French Oak/ex-Cognac barrels and the Barbados rum aged for 8 years in ex-Bourbon barrels. Issued at 43% ABV and very easy to sip but since this blend leans more on the Barbados side it really isn’t that unique when sipping aside from the concept of an African/Caribbean rum blend.

On the other hand, Equiano Light is a much more interesting blend since it uses unaged cane juice-based distillate from Mauritius with a lightly aged Barbados rum. This is quite a bit more compelling in that this expression has majority Mauritius rum in the blend and the cane juice notes tempered by the molasses-based rum makes for a very easy to drink rum issued at 43% ABV. We were given welcome daiquiris at SC’s event and the rum worked great in that format. Sipping the Light neat, there are a complex set of flavors including a bit of cinnamon along with vanilla and fruit notes. Not “grassy” at all. I love it and you should seek this out for sampling or purchasing.

After the rum tasting event I headed upstairs for more cocktails and discussion with other patrons. See the photo of Woody Miller and me drinking Mai Tais. It was that kind of night.

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We need to talk about smoking at Frankie’s Tiki Room

Every business can choose to run it how they choose, and customers always have a choice about when to patronize. But it is a bummer when there’s an aspect of the business that puts you off when everything else is great.

Such is the case of the indoor smoking policy at Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas.

We visited on our last trip but would have loved to stay longer or visit more often, but the smoky smell inside is a total turn-off. We visited at 11:00 am with only two other patrons inside and the place still smelled of cigarettes. We do appreciate the years of smoke this building has absorbed and understand that Frankie’s replaces the carpet every couple years, but the smell isn’t ever going away if smoking is still allowed.

The past decades have seen a transformation of smoking policies at restaurants, bars, and airplanes. The practice of allowing smoking indoors continues at most casinos in Las Vegas, likely as way to keep gamblers at the tables. Many people like to let loose and party in Vegas and that can include smoking if it is your thing when you party or simply as your habit.

But it is 2023 now, and outside of Vegas smoking indoors is very rare. The number of people in America who smoke cigarettes is now around 20%, down 10% just in the last twenty years. Why does any business appealing to a broad customer base cater to this 20%? Unlike a casino, there’s no losing customers if they went outside Frankie’s for a smoke.

We do have it on good authority that Frankie’s no longer allows cigars, pipes, or vapes. That’s a good step, but in this customer’s opinion Frankie’s needs to take the final one and prohibit smoking of all types.

One only needs to look at Vegas’ other tiki bars. There’s no smoking allowed a The Golden Tiki or even the dive-bar leaning Red Dwarf. If those venues can attract customers and let a few customers out back for a smoke, I don’t see any reason why Frankie’s can’t also do this.

Ashtrays do make nice coasters though.