Kevin Crossman – The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai

December 11, 2024December 11, 2024

Different Sugar Plum Mai Tai at Kona’s Street Market

We popped into downtown San Francisco’s Kona’s Street Market to check out their Sippin’ Santa pop-up. We saw that the menu options were the same as our Sippin’ visit to Beer Baron, but the bartender mentioned that their rum blends were different due to availability reasons.

So, I tried the Sugar Plum Mai Tai and found this one to be significantly different. Much sweeter and forward with the plum mix, so much so that it didn’t really remind me of a Mai Tai. Which isn’t to say this one was worse, in fact I could see this one being favored by a lot of customers who might like a cocktail that isn’t as spirit-forward. They say the cocktails for these pop-ups vary by location a little, even within the same state, and this was most definitely true for Mrs. Mai Tai who found the Frosty the Merman cocktail to have a lot more flavor.

Each of these Miracle/Sippin’ Santa locations sets their own prices for the drinks and merch. Kona’s cocktails were understandably around $3 more than Beer Baron in Pleasanton, and their mugs were $20 more as well, though some of the glassware items were less expensive. Your mileage may vary.

We really enjoyed our visit to Kona’s Street Market, where the bar staff were super friendly and the decor was appropriately elaborate.

December 8, 2024December 8, 2024

15 Years of Smuggler’s Cove

Congratulations to Smuggler’s Cove on 15 years, as it opened today in 2009. One of the finest run and cocktail bars anywhere. We thank owners Rebecca and Martin Cate for keeping up the quality throughout the years, even during the “canned cocktail and soup” era during the pandemic, and of course the Smuggler’s Cove crew who are so talented and gracious to customers.

The engaging space tells the story of tiki with nods to Trader Vic’s, Don the Beachcomber, and Tiki Bob’s, while the curated menu allows patrons to experience the history of rum and exotic cocktails through the ages. And the team builds on the tradition with their own amazing creations such as my personal favorite The Pampanito or the cult classic Dr. Barca’s Fluffy Banana. It is still home to one of the world’s best Mai Tais, and the best I’ve had there was made with the amazing Appleton 17 year old rum that Martin helped champion.

I’m proud to be a member of the Cove’s rum club, the Rumbustion Society. You can see my name on one of the many plaques in the bar and their rum program is so elevated that there are several people who’ve had over 2000 (!) rums here. There are a lot of fantastic benefits of being a member including special events and (shhh) secret stuff, so consider joining the program.

We have enjoyed nights at the Cove as a couple but it is better with friends, even those who are tiki newbies. The Cove continues to amaze first timers and even for veterans there’s always something new to see or discover, or just a new cocktail or rum to try.

Cheers to you, Smuggler’s Cove.

December 7, 2024December 7, 2024

The Tonga Room Didn’t Skimp the Mint

Mrs Mai Tai and I were in the city on Wednesday to see Cher’s book tour event, so we stopped by the Tonga Room for dinner and drinks beforehand. The fortuitous night started with our exit out of the Powell BART station to find a nearly empty Cable Car ready to climb the hill. This saved us time and a great deal of effort and wasn’t much more expensive than a taxi ride, plus a lot of fun.

The Tonga Room is now taking reservations on Open Table, but weren’t sure when we’d arrive so didn’t make one and waited in the standby line. The doorman has the process down pat, offering patrons the ability to enter the bar (“drinks only, standing only, no food”), and then weaving in those with reservations and people without. We were seated shortly thereafter to enjoy the grand ambiance and attentive service that the Tonga Room is famous for. Rain showers followed, three in a 20 minute period. Food once again was the Poke Tostadas and the Grilled Salmon, leaning expensive but the taste was wonderful. We continue to wish the menu had a little more variety.

For drinks, they’re still using the same cocktail menu introduced in October 2023 and the overall quality remains strong. The Tiki Hunter is still the standout item for me, a rich cocktail with Jägermeister, rums, and spices. I also had the Mai Tai, a lighter leaning but still good 1944 version with light and aged rums from Puerto Rico. And check out the fine bouquet of mint, which was impressive but not nearly as amazing as the mint in Mrs. Mai Tai’s hand-shaken colada with huge leaves. That Colada isn’t bad at all, even with Cruzan Black Strap rum which I normally try to avoid due to its maple syrup flavor but which worked here. The Seafoam Espresso Martini features sea foam cream and black lava salt that really enhance the flavors.

We exited before the band started playing and the $15/person cover charge kicked in. Coming early to the Tonga Room is just so relaxing and those drinks taste great and have plenty of booze too (a LOT of booze, actually). This remains a special destination that we try to hit at least a few times a year for special occasions.

December 6, 2024

Trader Vic’s Mai Tai with Lemon Hart 151 Float

One of the most popular Mai Tai riffs of the past decade is the San Francisco Mai Tai, a standard Trader Vic’s Mai Tai with a 151 float. This was inspired by the story that Martin Cate tells in the Smuggler’s Cove book about an elderly man who would ask for a 151 float back when Cate was bartending at the now-shuttered Trader Vic’s in San Francisco. This became known as the “Old Way” Mai Tai because the gentleman was, you know, old.

Never mind that Trader Vic’s in Emeryville used the “Old Way” term to refer to a Mai Tai made with original ingredients and not the Mai Tai concentrate that replaces the sweeteners. But that’s a different story for a different day.

The graphic used on some Trader Vic’s menus for this cocktail clearly shows Lemon Hart 151 being used, though these days you’re much more likely to get a combination of Trader Vic’s 151 rum and Trader Vic’s Dark Rum, both distilled in Puerto Rico and lacking the heavy flavors that Lemon Hart is famous for. I think that this version is a nice upgrade, and you get a lot more booze for an extra dollar, though the Emeryville location dropped this item when they redid the cocktail menu this spring.

It wasn’t busy when I rolled into the bar at Trader Vic’s Emeryville on a Sunday afternoon while Mrs. Mai Tai was at the nearby bead show, so I asked for a Mai Tai with Lemon Hart 151 as a float just to see if the old man knew his cocktails. Expertly prepared, indeed this is an elevated version and those classic smoky flavors really do add something to the cocktail and gives you something to kind of chew on while relaxing with your beverage.

Just like the old timer wanted it. Mai Tai – Roa Ae.

December 5, 2024December 5, 2024

Changes at Kapu Petaluma

Kapu Bar in downtown Petaluma has garnered great reviews for their immersive Polynesian and Chinese themed spaces, plus notable drinks and inspired food. We heard there have been some changes to the venue so we went to go check it out.

Most notably, reservations are no longer available and seating is now fully on a first-come basis at all times with no greeter at the entrance. This means that locals will have an easier time dropping in during the week but that out-of-towners will have to do more planning to visit on the weekends. We opened the place at 4 pm on Saturday so were able to secure a booth, but later in the evening it likely would be more chaotic.

There is no longer a wait staff, and all orders are at the bar. Drinks are delivered to your table and staff did pop by the table occasionally but once again if the bar is busy you likely will need to be more vigilant about going up to order another round. We weren’t eating but heard that the food menu is pared down on weekends and significantly reduced on weekdays.

Despite this, we had a pretty good time with our friends who had never visited Kapu before. The music and decor really helped us get into the mood and our cocktails were overall pretty good as well. The 1944 style Mai Tai leans a little sweet but not too much for a snob like me to dislike it, but the balance was welcomed strongly by another person in our group who enthusiastically ordered one for a second round. I also enjoyed a nicely balanced Three Dots & a Dash that had a flavorful rum blend. The venue has a well-stocked rum collection, so there’s plenty to enjoy if drink spirits neat is your thing.

The remaining staff at Kapu seem to be adjusting to these changes with good cheer, and a positive attitude certainly goes a long way as both from the crew and also as a customer. We still think Kapu is a great option in Petaluma’s charming downtown.

December 4, 2024December 4, 2024

Happy 7th Instagramiversary to Me

The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai was relaunched on Instagram on this day in 2017, reviving the brand started way back in 1998. 2453 posts in total and 257 just this year, chronicling experiences with cocktails, connections with people in the community, and world’s leading feed of Mai Tai minutiae.

We had some great adventures in the last 12 months. A few are chronicled in the photos including some travels with Mrs Mai Tai to far off places such as London, Eastern Europe, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and San Diego. Locally, a sprained ankle did not derail the enjoyment of the Trader Vic’s 90th anniversary weekend in Emeryville including the Black Tai dinner. We participated in a bar crawl in San Francisco’s North Beach and I hosted Mai Tai Trivia in Oakland. Made it up north for a tiki weekend in Seattle including the inaugural Tiki Palooza event, and I did presentations for the Three Rum Club at Tiki Tom’s, a huge crowd at Tiki Oasis San Diego, and at the San Francisco Rum Congress with Cocktail Wonk.

I visited 42 different tiki bars in the last year, plus 7 home bars. We said hello to some new to us in Europe, including Trader Vic’s in Munich, Rumpus in Budapest, and Matiki in Vienna. I was featured on several episodes of the Make & Drink channel on YouTube, including a blind tasting of eight different single bottle Mai Tais. The Ultimate Mai Tai was featured on Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour and remains on the menu at Tiki Tom’s. Thank you to so many folks in the industry who’ve shown what true hospitality is.

So, thanks to so many fellow Mai Tai fans I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with over the last year. I appreciate your follows, likes, and comments here and in real-life, including the discussion of very important topics such as tiki bar ratings criteria and whether it is okay to put pineapple juice in a Mai Tai (hint: it is). Here’s to another year.

Cheers!

December 3, 2024December 3, 2024

Return to Boo Loo Lounge, Orinda’s Small but Stellar Tiki Bar

Had a great visit to the small but formidable Boo Loo Lounge, located in central Orinda adjacent to the Orinda Theater. I helped organize a meetup of the Patreon community members of the Make & Drink YouTube channel and we had a nice little group there in the afternoon on Saturday. Boo Loo remains such an interesting space due to its small size. A few of us opened the place to secure some seats for the meetup but we were followed by four other couples and this place was actually pretty much full right at opening. But an hour later it was just our group inside, perhaps due to the ebbs and flows of the movie theater attendees.

I’m pleased to report the Mai Tai is once again pretty great here, after a past dalliance with the Hamilton Petite Canne Shrubb Orange Liqueur that imparted far too much of a grassy flavor from its Rhum Agricole base. I found the Mai Tai to be plenty rummy, thanks to the Jamaican and Demerara rums, but also very approachable for the casual visitor who might have never visited a tiki bar before. We also heard great things about the Zombie, said to be the best a few had ever tasted, and we thought the Lady of Singapore was a fruity and light cocktail that was very satisfying. The Ruby Daiquiri remains a stellar entry.

One of the guys in our meetup mentioned a rum from Alabama and I inquired with Boo Loo’s manager, Maxton Kennedy. He showed me the two expressions of Rum Trails rum they have, including a Tequila Cask which I didn’t love the taste of. But the Red Wine Cask was full of flavor, so much that it reminded me of rums from Jamaica. The Daiquiri I had with this rum was fantastic.

The interior remains immersive and cozy, with the music still on point as well. Maxton mentioned the cocktail menu is expanding soon, along with a new bar program feature that some folks will find very… intoxicating. Look for those announcements coming soon.