Month: November 2024

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Miracle Holiday Pop-Up at Brewsters Petaluma

Miracle holiday cocktail popups are seemingly everywhere these days but one of the best is at Brewsters Beer Garden in Petaluma. The expansive venue features Miracle cocktails such as the Christmapolitan and Yippe Ki Kay Mother F****r, but also their own eggnog and glogg, so it can be worth it to check out more than Miracle location.

We went to Brewsters twice this week around lunchtime to find the place to be packed but not so much that food and drink orders were delayed. There is lots of covered seating and heat lamps, even plastic sheeting for protection in the case of rain. There is an explosion of holiday decor and holiday music, plus a sleigh for group photos. The staff have themes for how they dress, as one day was ugly sweater and another was pajamas.

The cocktails are really great here, and I was quite impressed by the Elfing Around with cognac, mulled wine reduction, sparkling wine, lemon, bitters, and absinthe since I don’t usually like mulled wine but the balance of other ingredients was perfect. I also loved the Crooked Antler with brandy, ruby port, chestnut orgeat. acid adjusted orange juice, and lapsang tea. Cappy’s World Famous Eggnog was tasty but the portion was fairly small. Brewsters sells some cocktails and their eggnog to go, plus Miracle merchandise and other holiday items.

We think the food is pretty good here and enjoy Petaluma’s antique stores and shops that are great for a stroll afterwards. Brewsters is always a highlight of the holiday cocktail season.

Eggnog, Stocking Stuffer, Crooked Antler
Elfing Around
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The Rum Curious Club Happy Hour at Forbidden Island

We had a nice afternoon of rum exploration in Alameda a couple weeks ago at Forbidden Island, an event produced by the Rum Curious Club and sponsored by Flor de Caña rum. I’d attended a couple previous Rum Curious events locally that had different formats, but this one seems to be the right scope.

This Happy Hour event had free registration and was held in the afternoon on Forbidden Island’s tented patio that’s still a great place to gather. Rum Champion Bryan Inman led the event and the discussion of Flor de Caña rum, including samples of five expressions including their 25 year old rum. Brand ambassador Melissa Borras also discussed Flor de Caña’s production methods and rum line, with Dan Marshall from Alameda’s CRAFT Beer & Wine in attendance for people to order rums for pickup at discount.

Whereas some of the previous Rum Curious Happy Hour events were paid, this one was free for rum tastings and the option to purchase $10 Flor de Caña cocktails from a special menu. This seems like a great balance and doesn’t require everyone to pay up front especially if they’re not drinking (or not drinking much). And it really helps when those cocktails taste great as they did on this day – shout out to the Forbidden Island team for preparing these delightful drinks.

This was a well-run event, and I think this is the best format for these Rum Curious Club Happy Hour events. You get to try some rum without an upfront cost, there are modestly priced cocktails for those who choose them, and an option to purchase the rum if you like it. This is one of those cases where everyone wins.

Flor de Cana 25!!
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Sugar Plum Mai Tai at Sippin’ Santa

We had a great time in downtown Pleasanton’s Beer Baron for their first year hosting the Sippin’ Santa holiday popup, produced by Miracle and Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. The tropical and holiday decor was nicely done, including a Beachbum nutcracker! We were seated in the upstairs room, so much more quiet than the main room and patio.

One of the new additions to the Sippin’ Santa menu this year is a Sugar Plum Mai Tai, featuring Haitian and Nicaraguan rums, lime, orgeat, cinnamon syrup, and plum mix. The cinnamon is dialed way down and this tastes like a standard Mai Tai with a mild fruity finish from the plum mix. The rums here are approachable but they’re still appropriately forward in the drink, making this a really great Mai Tai to try. The shark mug doesn’t really have anything to do with the cocktail, but its pretty nice and priced to sell at $20, so we took it home.

Other cocktails were generally excellent also, including a rich and creamy Tom and Sherry, a White Russian riff called Holiday on Ice, and the sweet and mild Frosty the Merman. We thought the icy texture of the Choquito left the rest of the drink a little bland.

Our food was really great at Beer Baron including a Bavarian pretzel with queso cheese and I loved my burger and fries. Even on a Tuesday night before Thanksgiving there was a sizable crowd, but our server was so friendly and attentive we hardly noticed any delays in drink orders. Given this is the first year for the holiday pop-up, expect large crowds through the holiday season.

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Louisiana Rum: Bayou White / Sweet Crude

I picked up these two Louisiana rums at a grocery store around the corner from our hotel in the French Quarter. I was so impressed a bottle of the now-discontinued 504 Silver from Louisiana I wanted to try some other brands.

Both are 80 proof pot still rums made from sugar cane juice and bottled without age in a barrel (edit: Bayou is made from molasses, Sweet Crude from sugar cane syrup). The overly heavy grassy notes you sometimes see in cane juice rums aren’t present, though the softness I found in 504 or in the Cacachas I’ve tried isn’t there either. Both are clean with mild flavors and a bit of astringency. Nothing particularly special other than the idea of having a rum made in America and using cane juice rather than molasses, and the promise that a rising tide of rum production in Louisiana will lift all boats.

Both were similarly priced, though the Bayou White seems a little richer than the Sweet Crude.

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Tip Top Proper Cocktails: Bee’s Knees

Tip Top Proper Cocktails are one of my favorite ready to drink cocktail brands, and their Mai Tai is the best I’ve tried. The Bee’s Knees is pretty good, though I felt that the honey was too forward and had a honey flavor that reminds me of processed honey candy that I’m not a fan of.

My preparation involved refrigeration and direct pour into the coupe. I’d strongly recommend a quick shake with ice cubes to chill this down even more, plus adding a little bit of dilution that I think would have opened up the flavors a bit. Nonetheless, still a very good RTD option to keep in the fridge in the case of emergency or when traveling.

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The Aloha Caftan Society Theme by Mark Riddle

We saw this at the Tee-Ki Togs table at the recent holiday bazaar at Trader Vic’s Emeryville, where the cover model Audrey Moorehead was selling it in a bundle with her signature earrings.

Following up on 2023’s acclaimed LP Lahaina Sunset, Mark Riddle returns with an EP celebrating the Aloha Caftan Society. You may know Riddle by his stage names “Marty Lush” of Tikiyaki Orchestra fame and “DigiTiki”of podcast fame. If you find that your collection of caftans is overflowing, well, Riddle’s bouncy theme song is the perfect companion for your next meetup and strut. The EP is available from Riddle’s digitiki.com on a hot pink flash drive.

The EP contains three versions of the “Aloha Caftan Society Theme,” with a straightforward lounge version setting the mood, incorporating a hypnotic whistle riff that’s the most memorable component of the theme. The upbeat “Tiki A-Go-Go Mix” has a little bit of modern remix vibe, guitar from Skip Heller, and spoken word snippets. The “Long Walk Mix” is a relaxing journey that’s over 8 minutes long and features extended flute solos from Jay Work. Two bouncy lounge originals complete the set, with “Sun Hat” weaving Riddle’s signature vibraphone with organs and “Walter Goes Shopping” offering an inspired shuffle.

This is a great EP of music and worth seeking out even if you don’t wear caftans.

The Aloha Caftan Society Theme by Mark Riddle
The Groovy Sounds of Mark Riddle
DigiTiki Productions

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Dr. Funk Tiki Mug and Marketplace

Downtown San Jose was the place to be today for the inaugural tiki marketplace at Dr. Funk at San Pedro Square. There were a number of notable tiki and retro vendors, and the pedestrian-friendly locale meant there was a lot of great visibility for the market and also for Dr. Funk being the city’s premiere tiki destination.

We saw folks from as far away as Petaluma, Sacramento, and SoCal for this event, including DJs, cocktails on the patio, and a full menu for those with reservations and seating. Dr. Funk seems to be learning that you do have to work a little to maintain awareness of your business and this event portends of good things to come. The event was the brainchild of Jill Robeson and Amanda Hastings, so kudos to the pair at putting together a great event with the team from Dr. Funk.

There’s also an inaugural mug that’s a likeness of the actual Doctor Funk himself. This Tiki Farm mug looks great and is priced to sell at $45. This is a huge step up from the logo-printed glasses that have been on sale for a while and again seems to provide evidence they appreciate that the business needs to do more than open doors to maintain their core clientele.

New Dr. Funk Grog

One of the items available today was an amazing Grog that I was told was still in development but if what is in the glass is any indication I think they’ve already got what they need. Featuring plenty of juicy grapefruit plus spicy cinnamon and a ton of allspice to go with some funky rums, this thing is a boozy beast and absolutely fantastic. Kudos to Justin and team, lock in that recipe and put it on the menu!

Dr. Funk will be celebrating their third anniversary in December, so stay tuned for further events and celebrations.

Jill and Amanda