Smuggler’s Cove Cargo Crate Mug

These interesting mugs were launched late last year but I finally got around to ordering. They’re based on the crate tables that are scattered throughout Smuggler’s Cove and designed by Aaron Seymour. Each mug was scanned and reproduced and the lid includes a rubber gasket so you could display them on the side or use them for actual storage. The mugs were produced by Beeline Creative with a large but limited run of 500 mugs per design with all designs currently still available.

The mugs ship in a gorgeous box by Tidbit Design with details about the mugs and the collection, and the mugs are tightly placed into styrofoam for safe shipment. My mug of choice was “Ship to SF” and there are ten designs to choose from. While these mugs aren’t ideal for carrying around at a party, they do feel nice and look even better.

Smuggler’s Cove did a special last month that was a two-for-one sale if you bought the “Sugar” mug. They’re now doing the same thing with the “XXX” mug, so these are much more affordable if the $70 price was a barrier to entry. Get them now before they’re gone by visiting Smuggler’s Cove or going to www.smugglerscovesf.com/store.

Dr. Funk Valentine’s Affair

The Beetlejuice and Grinch pop-ups at Dr. Funk must have done great, because downtown San Jose’s premier tiki bar is dipping into another themed menu and decor for Valentine’s Day. The pop-up launched on Saturday and runs through February 22nd.

The interior is a symphony of reds and pinks, with some nice lighting on the backbar so that you can actually see the rum and premium spirits, plus a cool lighting package on the outside of the bar that draws you into the theme (as an aside, can we please stop calling this a “hidden tiki bar”, Dr. Funk?). There’s even a “kissing booth” that’s designed for social media.

We felt that previous two special cocktail menus were only okay, but the crew did a wonderful job with the specialty cocktails this time. Most come with a strawberry-based garnish to remind you of a heart and some conversation heart picks.

Our favorite was the Lovebird, made with the same Jamaican rum blend as Dr. Funk’s Mai Tai, strawberry-infused Aperol, and juices. This rich and bold cocktail has a ton of flavor and isn’t too sweet.

Shot to the Heart was less sweet than you might have expected from the ingredients including a sugared rum and honey, but instead the light touch of passionfruit meant this was balanced well and had a great mouthfeel.

Heartbreaker is essentially a Painkiller with lighter rum and some raspberry added, still not overly sweet and a great option for tiki newbies who want something approachable.

The most crushable of all the cocktails was the Mad Love that has gin, vanilla liqueur, strawberry, and juices. This was very, very easy to drink but still has a lot of flavor.

I was impressed by the special cocktail menu, though I do hope to someday visit Dr. Funk when it is just a plain old regular tiki bar. We also had dinner last night and the staff couldn’t have been nicer and were very attentive even though it was fairly busy. We even caught a bit of DJ Ship Rex’s set as we were leaving.

Bamboo Room Takeover at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

The Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s recently opened in the Esmé Hotel in Miami, positioned as a drinks-focused tropical lounge featuring original cocktails and some Trader Vic’s classics. This concept is one of Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group’s venue concepts and isn’t a tiki bar but leans towards a cozy chill nightclub vibe, often featuring jazzy live music or DJs.

On Friday, Trader Vic’s brought a little bit of Miami beach to Emeryville by setting up the Lanyu Island room as the Bamboo Room featuring mood lighting and a special cocktail and food menu. Wait service was provided and the chairs and decor were drawn from items formerly in the Trader Vic’s London location.

The four cocktails were drawn from the Bamboo Room’s original cocktails and all were very good with Date in Dubai and The Park Lane being the best overall.

  • El Polinesio with Brugal 1888 rum, Vic’s grog mix, mint syrup, and lime is served in a fab flamingo class and has fruity notes.
  • Date in Dubai with date-infused bourbon and pistachio orgeat was a delight, a rich mouthfeel thanks to aquafaba and the blend of nuttiness and fruitiness was perfect.
  • The Park Lane with Tea-charged Tanqueray, amaro, coconut, passion fruit, white chocolate leaned the closest to traditional Trader Vic’s cocktails, but the light touch of coconut and rich flavors were truly outstanding.
  • Hinky Dinks is a clarified Mai Tai with Zacapa 23, lime, orange curacao, and orgeat. We spoke with some folks who didn’t really care for this but I found that this was a good midpoint between a traditional Mai Tai and the overly silky mouthfeel of many clarified cocktails. But having a more flavorful rum than Zacapa would definitely improve this.
Hinky Dinks

We didn’t try the food options as we had dinner in the restaurant. The Bamboo Room drinks could only be ordered in the lounge so I had to carry some back to our table. The chill music made the vibe in the room truly relaxing and provided a sense of what visitors can expect in Miami.