Author: Kevin Crossman

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Tiki Kon Presentation

Had a great time with my presentation “The (De)Evolution of the Hawaiian Mai Tai” at Tiki Kon.



This was the first seminar of the day and everything ran pretty smoothly thanks to the fab AV and event staff (@elvis.hart, @kristin_v_s_, @kylevanderschick and team) and the excellent Tiki Kon management team of @jookygreg and @marquisdupre. Mahalo to all.

Truly appreciate the opportunity and also the audience which seemed to be very engaged taking photos of the slides and asking great questions at the end. Thank you for attending. And thanks to the Ultimate Mai Tai rooting section up front with @juliebeane @tikiwithray @dork_bot.

There is a recording and somehow we’ll make the session available, and we’re exploring additional speaking opportunities for this session that breaks several longstanding myths about the Mai Tai.

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Rum Club Portland

We had dinner at this very nice neighborhood restaurant and bar in Portland. Food featured Empanadas, Dumplings, and other small bites and were really good. Many vegan options.

The cocktails came recommended including their fabulous Punch offering including four Jamaican rums. Right up my alley, and very easy drinking! Mrs Mai Tai tried the Strawberry blended cocktail featuring locally grown strawberries and I have to say it was quite fruity and light. Really good. As was as her second, the Water Wings featuring Cuban rum, Apricot, Honey, and Coconut Water – topped with bitters.

Though the rum selection seemed modest, I figured this was the place to go off menu for a Mai Tai and thankfully it was fantastic. Definitely incorporating some cane juice rum, the rich Mai Tai was really savory and had a rich mouthfeel.

Punch Special
Some “team cane” graffiti in the restroom.
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National Mai Tai Day at Hale Pele

Tiki Kon weekend is here, and the first event was a ticketed, private seating at Portland’s world class tiki bar Hale Pele.

Of course we started with Hale Pele’s Mai Tai, and damn that is a fantastic cocktail! This is still made according to their longtime specs with 1½ oz Cobura Dark Jamaican rum along with ½ oz of Wray & Nephew Jamaican Overproof rum. So flavorful, and one of the best Mai Tais you can buy anywhere on planet earth.

Such a great time at Hale Pele when filled with tiki people, and the Hale Pele team really put on a great show with the fire drinks. Mrs. Mai Tai started with her default cocktail the Lava Flow (yummy!) and then we shared a flaming Jet Pilot. Such a great cocktail and even more special when set on fire by Hale Pele’s team of fire experts.

We really like the food at Hale Pele. My Mahi Tacos were fantastic, as was the Kalua Pork sandwich.

We also have to thank Appleton rum for the wonderful pour of their incredible Appleton 15 rum, along with a small rocks glass. Thank you to Martin and Rebecca Cate for hosting the event, and the entire Hale Pele crew.

Hale Pele’s World Class Mai Tai

 

Jet Pilot
Appleton 15 rum
Flaming Jet Pilot
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Top 10 Mai Tais of 2020 (so far)

It’s June 30, which is halfway through the year and also the first of two unofficially recognized Mai Tai Day cocktail holidays. So, this is a great time to review our list of the best Mai Tais we’ve had so far this year.

Note that many of these feature custom rum blends compared to the standard-issue at these locations. Sometimes you want a Mai Tai with a special rum, and if you ask nicely the bartender will surely be able to accommodate the request. This can often lead to an excellent cocktail.

Honorable mentions: Deck, Halekulani Hotel, Drunk Munk, Tonga Hut, Trader Vic’s Emeryville and San Jose Airport

10. Trader Vic’s Mai Tai at Mamahune’s
When you use quality Jamaican rums the Mai Tai tastes great even if you free-pour.

9. Kuleana Hui Hui by Gabrielle Maser at Tiki Oasis
Great seminar cocktail using delicious Kuleana rum from Hawaii.

8. Casa de Christa Mai Tai
A homemade Mai Tai tastes wonderful when the host knows their stuff.

7. Golden Pineapple Craft Lounge
This off-menu request was amazing, using rare Holmes Cay Jamaica Wedderburn 2011 Single Cask Rum

6. Kon-Tiki with Hampden Great House 2021
The standard Mai Tai at Kon-Tiki is great, but this one with rich overproof Hampden was amazing.

5. Dr Funk
Their standard house Mai Tai is one of the best we’ve ever had.

4. Smuggler’s Cove with Appleton Reserve and Pot Still Gold
Asked for a different rum blend and it was delightful.

3. Maunakea Mai Tai at Skull & Crown Trading Co.
This ’44 Mai Tai features three rums and is fantastic.

2. Trader Sam’s Classic Mai Tai with Appleton 8 and Hamilton Pot Still Blonde by Skipper Nate
A credit to the Trader Sam’s bartenders at Disneyland that are so talented and willing to tweak their tourist-friendly Mai Tai. This one was amazing.

1. Birds of Paradise Lounge
With industry and event bartending experience it’s no wonder that the house Mai Tai with four rums from Mariella and Cory Bravo is fantastic. Great application of Appleton 12, Smith & Cross, Plantation Xaymaca, and Kō Hana Kea.

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Tiki Night in the Bay Area

Can’t get into the specific reasons why but I made visits to three of the Bay Area tiki bars last night. And of course even if went there for other reasons you can’t leave without getting a cocktail.

Smuggler’s Cove: Hibiscus Rum Punch. Fruity and light, quite flavorful.

The Kon-Tiki: their very good Mai Tai and (not pictured) their best-in-the-world Cheeseburger.

Forbidden Island: Ohana night special cocktail called Black Hole Sun, by Sara Rivas. Citrus, Pineapple, Honey, Bourbon, Demerara 151, Dash of absinthe, Dash of bitters. Leaning spicy, this was pretty good!

Apple Maps in the car really came in handy yesterday. Just 30 mins from the Cove to Kon-Tiki at rush hour!

Nice to see familiar faces along the way. Such a blessing to have so many great destination experiences in the Bay Area.

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Ili Tai Recipe – Hawaiian Mai Tai from the Ilikai Hotel

The recipe for this Mai Tai riff was included in the 1st edition of Drinks of Hawaii in 1971. Author Paul B. Dick included this recipe, alongside a recipe for what was then the standard issue Mai Tai that included equal parts of Orgeat/Curacao/Rock Candy and both Light rum and Dark Jamaican rum. The illustration is by Harry Lyons.

The Ilikai Hotel was the first high-rise hotel in Waikiki and was at the peak of its cultural popularity in the early 1970s, being seen each week in the opening credits of Hawaii Five-O (the hotel was used the 2010 remake series credits, too). The cocktail is a pretty standard issue Island Mai Tai version, including two ounces of Pineapple Juice and a float of dark flavorful rum. Appleton Punch rum was the successor to the Wray & Nephew Dagger line and was issued at 43% ABV.

Ili Tai
¼ oz Lime Juice
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Sweet & Sour mix
¾ oz Orgeat
¾ oz Orange Curacao
Build over crushed ice, mix, and then float 1 oz Appleton Punch Jamaican Rum

Drinks of Hawaii, 1st Edition (1971) by Paul B. Dick
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Trader Vic Grog in Trader Vic’s San Jose Anniversary Glass

We had the pleasure of flying out of San Jose a couple weeks ago on the 1st anniversary of Trader Vic’s SJC – the world’s best airport bar. The problem was that our flight was at 7:30 in the morning, so our visit to Vic’s was at opening at 6 am (Mai Tais at 6:15 am!). And the 1st anniversary celebration was at Noon that same day, so all the event merch was held under lock and key. The staff graciously tried to get into it, but no luck.

So we have to thank our benefactor for getting us this amazing Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport glass, and the incredible airline wing-style pin. Mahalo, friend.

To celebrate I made a Trader Vic’s Grog. This is one of the cocktails I’ll sometimes go to at the restaurant when I look for something besides the Mai Tai. It’s a pretty good cocktail in this format, and is basically a crushed-ice and double sized version of the Siboney cocktail that’s served up.

For this version, I used two flavorful Jamaican rums. Some Worthy Park 109, a dark Jamaican rum at 54.5% ABV, alongside Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold. I also made a tiny tweak by adding ¼ oz of simple syrup so that the cocktail was slightly less tart.

Trader Vic Grog
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Passionfruit Syrup (Liber)
2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Add simple syrup to taste
Shake with crushed ice and garnish with mint.

It is not without a great deal of irony that after being a tiki bar wasteland for decades, that we salute San Jose that now has two very good tiki bars with this Trader Vic’s location and Dr. Funk downtown.

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Tiki Kon Presentation

Starting to get really excited for our return to Tiki Kon next week. We had a great time in 2018-2019, and I love the venue and management of this event. We’re starting with the Thursday 4 pm private seating at Hale Pele and are also doing the Sunday home bar tour.

If you’re attending, please come check out my presentation on Friday at 1 pm on the (De)Evolution of the Hawaiian Mai Tai. There’s a lot more detail than in my article from Exotica Moderne or the version that’s posted at UltimateMaiTai.com. Learn how this iconic cocktail evolved over time and we’re even going to bust a couple longstanding Mai Tai myths.

I’ll have a bunch of Ultimate Mai Tai stickers on hand, featuring the fab logo by B-Rex, so if you’re at Tiki Kon please come say aloha and be sure to ask for some stickers.