Downtown San Jose’s singular tiki bar Dr. Funk is launching an expanded cocktail menu on Tuesday, June 24, coinciding with their weekly Traditional Tiki Tuesday with DJ Ship Rex playing vintage 1960s music. We spoke with GM Alena Aaron about the menu changes and tasted a few of the new additions.
Many of Dr. Funk’s best regarded cocktails are staying as is, including the Mai Tai, Zombie, Rum Barrel, Shipwreck, and Phoenix Rising. The Puka Punch remains the go to option for a shared bowl and the overall cocktail count increases from 16 to 22, meaning there’s room for some more diverse offerings and more classics such as Three Dots & A Dash. There’s even the wonderful Espresso Oasis that features coconut rum, tiki syrups, and cold brew. With the Espresso Martini being the number one cocktail in the country and also Mrs. Mai Tai’s favorite, I can assure you this tropical variant is legit.
Aaron told me the menu is intended to appeal to tiki cocktail fans as well as the non-tiki audience that packs San Pedro Square during late night and the weekends. The first adjustment of note is 86ing the divisive Cruzan Black Strap rum in the Jungle Bird and replacing it with a Jamaican rum. The beer list is also updated, leaning into the tropical genre with a pineapple-mango cider and one selection from Maui. But there’s no adjustment needed for the Mai Tai, a top seller and ranked as one of the Top 10 in the World on UltimateMaiTai.com, nor for the namesake Dr. Funk cocktail.
Longtime patrons will recognize a few cocktails returning to the menu, including the Myers’s Storm with Dr. Funk’s private barrel rum and ginger beer. Another returnee is the creamy Thai Chi, which Aaron says is favorite of the staff and which this writer found to be delightful. A milk punch is slated to be a permanent and consistent addition to the menu as well.
The new Boozy Beachbum is a well-executed spirit-forward blend of rums with cinnamon, lemon, and chocolate bitters that has a fantastic texture and lingering flavors. Another new standout is the Laiki Luau which includes vodka, a nod to casual cocktailers who look for it on the menu, paired with Wray & Nephew rum that will blow the minds of those tiki newbies and make tikiphiles smile. The Laiki Luau is a fantastic and crushable cocktail that leans on lychee and passionfruit, perfect for drinking during the summer on Dr. Funk’s expansive outside patio. Also new: swizzle sticks based on the venue’s prominent entrance tiki carved by Notch Gonzalez.
The menu itself also features some traditional tiki bar components, including a new cocktail/mug combo with the amazing Funky Grog that soft launched a few months back. The menu references Dr. Funk’s new rum club and finally has a QR code to view the venue’s expansive and ever-changing rum list. While there are plans to adjust the food menu in a more tropical direction, Aaron says that change will come down the line. In the meantime, Dr Funk’s new cocktail menu arrives just in time for summer and offers returning patrons something fresh and now more than ever has something for everyone.
Dr Funk’s new cocktail menu arrives just in time for summer and offers returning patrons something fresh and now more than ever has something for everyone.
I can’t wait to check it out!