Author: Kevin Crossman

Posted on

Mai Tai at Dinah’s Poolside Restaurant

I grew up a half mile from Dinah’s Hotel in Palo Alto but have never stayed or eaten on the hotel property. There was a Trader Vic’s adjacent to the hotel from 2001-2012 that I visited several times but during these years I was not a tiki bar regular. The Vic’s was owned by Dinah’s hotel owner as a franchise, and fit in well with the oceanic art that is pervasive on the grounds at Dinah’s. There’s even a remnant from Trader Vic himself (see photo, bottom left).

There’s a “Trader Vic’s Mai Tai” on the menu at Dinah’s Poolside Restaurant, so I decided to check it out over lunch. “Rum, dark rum, orange curaçao, lime juice” is the description and it does seem like maybe there’s no orgeat. But as Mai Tais go, this one wasn’t too bad. My Wagyu Burger was quite tasty.

The grounds are filled with lush feature, ponds, statues, and artifacts from Papua New Guinea, Polynesia, and Africa. The neon sign was something I remember seeing as we drove by when I was a kid.

Posted on

Planter’s Punch Experiment

Did a little playing around with the Planter’s Punch by adding a drop of Pernod and using ½ oz Simple and ½ oz Falernum for the sweetener. It was good but not great. Back to the drawing board.

What’s your favorite Planter’s Punch recipe?

Posted on

96 Tears by Nathan Robinson

I ran across this recipe from cocktail developer extraordinaire Nathan Robinson and thought I’d try it. It didn’t hurt to use one of my favorite rums, the unaged Clairin from Saint Benevolence. This is a wonderful cocktail.

96 TEARS
2 oz Haitian Clairin, unaged (Saint Benevolence)
¾ oz oz Orgeat
¾ oz oz Lime juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Recipe by Nathan Robinson, 2021

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime.

Posted on

Reader Request: Custom Mai Tai Blend

We received an email from reader Andrew Furber:

Hi Kevin, love your website/blog as well as all things tiki like yourself. Need help blending the perfect Mai Tai working with these current bottles on my home bar:

Appleton 12yr
Clement VSOP
Wray & Nephew
Plantation OFTD
Plantation Stiggins Fancy
El Dorado 5yr
Cruzan Single Barrel 5yr
Goslings Black

I normally do 50/50 Appleton and Clement blend (1 oz each) but wanted to get your thoughts. I recently discovered a nearby liquor selling Doctor Bird so I may pick up a bottle of that soon too.

I asked Andrew to rank some common rum styles in order of preference, and here was his list:

1. Jamaican rum (funky)
2. Jamaican rum (blended)
3. Rhum Agricole
4. Barbados rum
5. Light rum

Thanks, Andrew, that helps. If you like it funky you’ll want to use the Wray and the Clement.

I’ll give you a sort of simple version and a slightly more complicated and boozier option. You want a good backbone of aged rum, hence the high percentage of Appleton 12 in both options. You really can’t go wrong with Appleton 12 in a Mai Tai.

Simple version:
1 oz Appleton 12
½ oz Clement VSOP
½ oz Wray & Nephew Overproof

Boozier Blend:
¾ oz Appleton 12
½ oz Clement VSOP
½ oz Wray & Nephew Overproof
¼ oz Plantation OFTD

And, yes, we think you’ll love Doctor Bird and would be a good sub for the Wray in the above recipes.

Posted on

Rum House

The pour of Worthy Park Special Cask Series: Port Cask at Dr. Funk was really great. Such a flavorful Jamaican rum, aged 10 years with two in the Port wine barrel. Though, I’m not sure that I tasted a lot of “port” in the sipping glass. Nonetheless this was a great option from Dr. Funk’s growing rum list.

Posted on

Rum Subs in a Mai Tai

Had a very nice Mai Tai at Dr. Funk in San Jose with just Appleton 12 Jamaican Rum. This produced a cocktail that was less boozy and less funky than Dr. Funk’s standard Mai Tai that is made with Appleton 12 and higher proof Smith & Cross Jamaican rum. I’m often a big fan of Mai Tais made just with Appleton 12, though the one with Smith & Cross is better at Dr. Funk.

Most good bars will allow customers to try cocktails with a different, name-called spirit when requested by the customer (always politely, of course). We usually do this in a Mai Tai, but for rums a Daiquiri is also a good option. This can be a great way to discover new rums, especially if you’re not keen on drinking them neat. Dr. Funk has an expanding rum list (which has grown so large it’s no longer listed on the menu), so I’m looking forward to exploring their selection.

Speaking of Dr. Funk, we’re having the monthly 1st Sunday Ohana meet-up starting when they open at 4:00 and ending … later. I know many of the local folks will be attending the Brunch and Fashion Show at Trader Vic’s that same day but try to join us if you can or if you’re skipping Vic’s.