Check out today’s episode of Make and Drink where I visited the Make and Drink bar to try all of the mainstream Appleton Estate Rum releases in a Mai Tai and via a blind taste test to declare a winner.
This was similar to the Single Bottle Mai Tai Rum challenge I did with Derek last year, though this time the results didn’t quite go as expected at least for this writer. In any case, this was a lot of fun and hopefully informative. Appleton makes great rums and any great rum will do well in the Mai Tai cocktail format.
The Appleton Estate rums we tested were:
Appleton Signature
Appleton 8 yr Reserve
Appleton 12 yr Rare Casks
Appleton 15 yr Black River Casks
Appleton 21 yr Nassau Valley Casks
Be sure to stick to the end to see the results that might shock you.
When downtown San Jose’s Dr. Funk opened in 2021 it came with the moniker “Rum House / Kitchen” but to date there hasn’t been a lot of emphasis on rum itself apart from a well-stocked back bar. That changed this week with the lunch of a rum club called the Rum Asylum.
Taking nods from the legend of Doctor Bernhard Funk, the club features thematic levels including the starting level called “Inpatient” that features twenty notable rums including one flight. The booklet that you keep with you includes a graphical map of your journey and places for the crew to stamp the spot after you order your item. Rewards and future levels are slated to be revealed soon.
Shockingly, Mrs Mai Tai decided to start the list herself, so we both ordered the rum flight that provides a nice intro to rum with Planteray Pineapple, Paranubes cane rum from Mexico, and Appleton 12 from Jamaica. Each rum on the list can be ordered as a Daiquiri for a $3 up-charge, and Kō Hana Kea was a big hit for Julie in format. Meanwhile, I went to “oak town” with Appleton 21 and Privateer Queen’s Share, each of which feature tons of wood aging notes.
This new program is just getting off the ground, but look for rum-related events and additional levels with some interesting and unique rewards to be announced soon. In the meantime, now is a perfect time to explore the initial list that includes a very nice variety of mainstream rums all under $50 for a 1½ oz pour (most substantially less). The list includes Dr Funk’s unique blend of Myers’s Single Barrel Select and rums from Martinique, Barbados, the United States, and more.
Thanks to Amanda Hastings for hosting the launch event and helping customers get acquainted. Note: nurse Amanda will not be appearing nightly.
With the closing of our beloved Kon-Tiki Oakland, it is finally time to amend our list of the Top 10 Mai Tais in the World. This list is all about what’s in the glass, not the surrounding decor or atmosphere, and is based on the standard-issue Mai Tai at the venue.
In considering which Mai Tai replace it with, there were several that came to mind.
The Ultimate Mai Tai at Tiki Tom’s (Walnut Creek): I’m biased in saying it but I think they do a great job and the last time I had it there I even impressed myself by how much I loved it.
Cane & Table Mai Tai at Cane & Table (New Orleans): a rich and chewy Mai Tai with a blend of pungent rums including rich sugar cane juice distillate.
Terry’s Mai Tai at the Copper Room (Yucca Valley): a vintage bar on a dusty road next to a tiny airport in the middle of nowhere has one of the finely balanced Mai Tais? Yes, friends.
Off Menu Mai Tai at The Beachcomber (London): a really fantastic Agricole Mai Tai, speciality of the bar.
Strong Water Anaheim: consistently good featuring Jamaica and Demerara rums plus zesty lime, expertly garnished.
In making the decision, I eliminated Cane & Table due to the ever-evolving nature of their rum blend, and not being a local I can’t make a call on whether the quality is keeping up. As much as I want the overall list to expand beyond the United States, I thought the more local contenders were better, and I decided that nepotism of sorts wasn’t good for designating Tiki Tom’s either. Someday Strong Water might boot one of the existing Top 10, but I went with the Mai Tai loved even more.
Terry’s Mai Tai is the brainchild of Terry Six, former bartender/manager at The Kon-Tiki, so there’s more than a little symmetry in choosing this to replace The Kon-Tiki. The transcendent drink is made with a “secret blend of four rums” and homemade orgeat, offering rich flavors and an amazing mouthfeel that is great to the last drop. Based on Six’s pedigree, I had the highest of expectations coming into this and it topped it in every way.
It is “National Margarita Day” so why not jump on the bandwagon. I’ve enjoyed tequila more in the past few years, thanks to a healthier appreciation of the vegetal sugar cane juice-based spirts such as Rhum Agricole and Cachaca. I’m guessing even budget Tequila is a lot better than the stuff I grew up on, too. But I like my Tequila in cocktails, not neat. At least not yet.
Tonight I did a little old school UMT shootout, comparing the classic Margarita recipe that uses triple sec orange liqueur as the sweetener to the Tommy’s Margarita that uses agave syrup. In my case I’m using equal parts lime juice to sweetener, though I know that some prefer a little less lime. The Tequila is El Jimador Silver, an affordable brand recommended to me that imparts the classic savory notes I like in a Tequila. Tommy’s calls for a reposado tequila but all I have on hand is blanco.
Classic Margarita 1 oz Lime Juice 1 oz Triple Sec (Cointreau) 2 oz Tequila (El Jimador Silver) 5 drops Saline Solution Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice.
Tommy’s Margarita 1 oz Lime Juice 1 oz Agave Syrup 2 oz Tequila (El Jimador Silver) 5 drops Saline Solution Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice.
Of these two I preferred the Tommy’s in that the syrup provided a richer mouthfeel and a lot more sweet flavor. But it didn’t really highlight the spirit or lime. So, I ended up combining these two and it ends up being a lot better overall, letting me taste the lime and tequila but also a bit of the orange too.
Using both sweeteners seems to be the right balance.
“Ultimate” Margarita 1 oz Lime Juice ½ oz Triple Sec (Cointreau) ½ oz Agave Syrup 2 oz Tequila (El Jimador Silver) 5 drops Saline Solution Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice.
I’m fine with calling this the event of the year because if something else tops it I might not survive! Thursday night was a special event at Zombie Village featuring Doc Parks and Sam Miller from the opening day staff. Sam brought his SLC Ramora Bar partner Mikey Edwards and there were DJs Woody Miller, Ship Rex, and Principal Ponder. We saw so many people, some coming from Sacramento, San Jose, and Los Angeles, plus the return of former Villager Adrián Castañeda who came from Barcelona.
Doc Parks
This was billed as the last stop on the Doc Parks Encore Tour, offering an array of cocktail specials in the upstairs Voodoo Lounge that’s only occasionally open these days. We love hanging out amongst the skulls and of course Parks’ cocktails are always on point. Return of the Doc was a creamier version of the Disco Banana and the Pink Pony Club featured botanical notes and just of hint of smoky mezcal. Both of these were truly outstanding.
Mikey and Sam
Sam and Mikey were set up downstairs with standard ZV drinks available at the entrance well. When we arrived early Mrs. Mai Tai and I did our usual order of a Coco Pandan and Disco Banana, both day one cocktails and still so good. Both of us thought the Slam Wagon was a great uplift of a Painkiller template, but the Mai Tai riff called Muxu Muxi featured espellate orgeat and while I’m familiar with orgeat I wasn’t with espellate (it is a French pepper) and so the cocktail was way too spicy for me. I did enjoy the burst of orange and fruit flavors.
DJ Ship Rex
The venue was packed all evening and the rotating DJs meant there were various style of music along the way. We saw so many industry folks including people from other local tiki bars past and present. For one night only it reminded us of the glory days of 2019 at the Village. We hope this means ZV will continue do more to create mind share and that the end of Parks’ tour means he has a regular gig coming up soon.
Disco BananaAdrián CastañedaMuxu Muxu / Slam WagonReturn of the Doc / Pink Pony Club
We rolled into The Fink in downtown Napa around 7:00 on Saturday, hoping to find a seat even though we knew it would be busy. Thankfully, we found a couple spots at the bar and had ourselves an amazing cocktail experience.
We must heap massive praise on The Fink crew, led by the namesake owner Judd Finkelstein who welcomed us, but even more notably our bartender Alyssa who’s hands never stopped moving and whipped up cocktail after cocktail. Manager Andrew Salazar was also on hand to check on orders and deliver drinks, plus another bartender and server. It was really busy as you’d expect and the staff was really moving.
OG Mai Tai
I’ve previously highlighted The Fink’s OG Mai Tai that is balanced and creamy thanks to their house-made Orgeat and rums from Jamaica and Martinique. It was really an amazing Mai Tai, the best so far this year, and the best in Napa at any price (IYKYK). I also tried the tiki classic Reverb Crash that was made with fresh white grapefruit juice that burst with flavor. The Fink has many tropical cocktails and in my opinion has the best tiki drinks between San Francisco and Portland.
Mrs. Mai Tai loves her coffee drinks and the New Orleans inspired Mocha Milk Punch made me a convert, including Bourbon, coffee liqueur, cocoa, milk, and topped with dalgona. This rich cocktail had everything you’re looking for including an incredible presentation and rich flavors. That was followed by an incredible New York Sour that features some tasty claret wine. With cocktail sections covering regions from Latin America to the Caribbean to a set of house classics, we remain impressed by the selection and execution at The Fink.
Mocha Milk Punch
Our night ended with a short tour of the upstairs Commodore’s Cabin, available for private parties up to 25 people and itself nicely appointed with great views of the stage on nights where there’s music.
