Author: Kevin Crossman

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Shelley Bowers Pearl Diver Class

Livermore’s Nightcaps at Rosetta hosted a special class with Shelley Bowers who discussed the Pearl Diver cocktail and how to make its seminal ingredient, Gardenia Mix. Bowers has been getting buzz for the Pearl Diver after well received appearances on Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour and at this year’s Tiki Oasis. The event at Rosetta was held just before their Saturday opening and included some rum tasting, Pearl Diver and Mystery Gardenia cocktails, plus a delightful charcuterie glass.

The event was relaxed and started with understanding the rums in the Pearl Diver via some samples, then a deeper dive into Gardenia Mix. Shelley demonstrated some techniques for successfully making Gardenia Mix and then made Pearl Divers and Mystery Gardenia cocktails for those in attendance. Along the way, she answered questions from the audience including bartending techniques honed at Hale Pele in Portland and at various SoCal venues.

As our event was winding down, the lights in the back room of Rosetta Roasting dimmed, transforming the space into Nightcaps at Rosetta and running their usual Tiki Thursday menu rather than Sinatra Saturdays. We applaud the Rosetta team for trying something different with this event, and adeptly dealing with an unruly patron trying to crash the party. The team members worked well together with the transition to a very busy Saturday evening service.

Pearl Diver cocktail

The Nightcaps space includes several large tiki statues, bamboo touches, and some hanging jade tiles. Don’t call it a tiki bar, I guess, but the space was pretty dark and intimate with an exotica soundtrack playing to set the mood. Rosetta also now has Mai Tai glasses for sale, offered at a discount if you order their excellent Mai Tai.

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Sippin’ Santa at Beer Baron Pleasanton

It seems like just last week that we finished Halloween (actually, it was) but Christmas is already here as the Sippin’ Santa cocktail popup is launching at some locations this weekend. Produced by Miracle and Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Sippin’ Santa features tropical cocktails and mugs that pay homage to tiki bars. These cocktails appear to the masses, so some hardcore tikiphiles might find them on the mild side.

Sugar Plum Mai Tai, Pineapple Upside Down Cask, Coco Ho Ho Ho

Pleasanton’s Beer Baron features Sippin’ Santa once again this year, and we noticed a large upgrade in the ceiling decor and bling, quite impressive. Our food and service were top notch again, too. Each venue sets their own prices and all Sippin’ Santa mugs at Beer Baron were priced at $20.

The cocktail menu is vastly different this year, with only well-executed favorites Sippin’ Santa, Jingle Bird, Holiday on Ice, and Sugar Plum Mai Tai returning this year (some in different mugs, though). Mrs. Mai Tai’s Holiday on Ice and Mai Tai were just as good as last year.

Every year there’s a new mug and this year it’s for the Pineapple Upside Down Cask which appropriately puts pineapple and cherry flavors to the front. The rum was somewhat mild but the mug is great in the hand and we made sure to take one home. I was even more impressed by this year’s hot cocktail, the Hot Buttered Grog. The grog is very rich and the blend of spices were outstanding. Coco Ho Ho Ho is very pandan forward, a plus or a minus, and maybe not as rich as you’d expect from a coconut cocktail.

Pineapple Upside Down Cask

The appealing set of tropical cocktails means Sippin’ Santa provides something a little different from many of the Christmas pop-ups, with delightful souvenir mugs and glassware if that’s your thing. Beer Baron’s only

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Premium Cocktails at Tiki Tom’s

We made an impromptu visit to Walnut Creek after drinks and dinner in Orinda hoping to catch at drink at Tiki Tom’s. We found two low seats near the end of the bar immediately and scanned the menu for something to try.

As I’m want to do, I ordered the Ultimate Mai Tai to make sure Tiki Tom’s is still making this correctly (they are) and also just because I was in the mood for a great Mai Tai. Those special funky Jamaican and Demerara rums are worth a couple bucks extra.

New to us was the Walnut Creeky Tiki, a Tiki Tom’s original featuring Ron Zacapa rum and Tanduay spiced rum, plus coconut, banana, lemon, walnut butters, and cocoa bitters. This is a really rich cocktail with a ton a flavor, but note that it’s pretty heavy and also kind of boozy (limit two per customer, as they say). This original creation is worth the premium $26 price and can function as a sharable drink for two.

We found the staff to be working well together, even after one of those drink mishaps behind the bar that happen sometimes. The music inside was also on point and we continue to enjoy the thunderstorms and festive atmosphere.

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Dr. Barca’s Fluffy Banana

After leaving Zombie Village we kept the party going and Waymoed over to Smuggler’s Cove. We knew there would likely be a line on a Friday evening and it was no surprise we waited for around 20 minutes. Once inside we started looking for seats and were lucky to snag four at the bar as a group was leaving. This gave us great seats to watch bartender Dane Barca do his magic on the stick.

Barca is best known for his Fluffy Banana cocktail, which Mrs. Mai Tai and our friend Jessie happily ordered. She’d had this the night before and it’s her favorite here, though Barca did notify us they were out of a specific ingredient so it might not be perfect. A slightly imperfect Fluffy Banana is still really great, as we found out. Watching Barca make drink after drink on a fast and furious Friday night was quite a sight to behold.

I was driving so I limited myself to ice water, but our friend Kristi was looking for a recommendation so I suggested a Tradewinds, one of my favorite coconut cocktails that Smuggler’s does a great job with. We also ordered a Kona Cocktail that leans a little tart but is still really nice.

Just another Friday night at Smuggler’s Cove

There was so much activity inside the Cove on Friday, with many people rolling in for one round and then moving on. We were pleased to relax a bit and chat with Barca who held some conversation amidst the chaos, and he was helpful at directing patrons to the order location at the end of the bar (hey, there’s even a sign!). He even joked about seeing us on a Friday and I’m sure the lack of tiki attire was noticeable.

Dr. Barca’s Fluffy Banana by Dane Barca
¾ oz Lemon Juice
1½ oz Smuggler’s Cove Coconut Cream
1 oz Banana liqueur (Giffard)
2 oz Aged Cachaça (Avuá Amburana)
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
4 oz of crushed ice
Flash blend for 15 seconds then double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with grated cinnamon.

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Incognito Mode at Zombie Village

Our planned couples night had dinner at China Live and then drinks at Starlite, so I dressed for those locations. But as things often work out in San Francisco, we soon found ourselves at a tiki bar since Zombie Village is just a short walk from Union Square. The village was medium full and we found seats at the bar since there was a large, loud group in the ice cave.

In addition to the previously discussed Pumpkin Spice Colada shot, I made sure to get my all time favorite in this venue – the Disco Banana. The villagers are still making this the way it should with a special blend of funky rums, banana liqueur, and a real banana – blended. It has an anchored location on my tiki cocktail Mount Rushmore list. Meanwhile Mrs. Mai Tai had her favorite, the Coco Pandan that features an ube popsicle.

Disco Banana

The large group in the ice cave were playing some sort of game and literally twelve of them were huddled around the small table, so I never really go to see what it was that they were doing to make such a racket. And look, it’s Friday night and there’s nothing wrong with blowing off some steam. But you need to pick your venue accordingly and when you enter a darkly lit tiki bar playing vintage Les Baxter and Martin Denny exotica music, well, that’s not the place to be hollering nonstop. San Francisco has better tiki bars for that, such as Bamboo Hut, Tiki Haven, or Trad’r Sam. We left annoyed.

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Chill Vibe and Great Cocktails at Starlite

This iconic San Francisco lounge is on the 21st floor of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, now known as Beacon Grand Hotel. Previously known as the Starlight Room, the rebranded Starlite features updated decor and a focus on classic cocktails and small bites. We’d visited before the pandemic and were impressed by the new decor, pleasantly surprised by the relaxed vibe inside with a DJ playing mid-tempo tracks and a volume that allowed for conversation. On a Friday, many patrons were dressed to impress and several large groups were enjoying the views of Union Square and high quality cocktails.

I went looking for something new and a Porn Star Martini seemed to be appropriate for this style of cocktail lounge. The Porn Star was fine I guess but compared to the other cocktails was probably the least appealing of the drinks at our table. The Pisco Punch was first created in the City and Starlite’s version is really great. We were also were impressed by the Espresso Martini riff called Colorado Bulldog that includes Mexican Coke and delightful Vanilla Cream. But the best by far in our group was a wonderful Strawberry Grasshopper served over a large minty rock.

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Pumpkin Spice Colada Scoop + Shot

We are unapologetic fans of pumpkin spice and we made sure to check out the special offering at Zombie Village where you get a scoop of frozen colada sorbet plus a side shot of pumpkin spice rum. Halloween is over but pumpkin spice season lasts at least through Thanksgiving so this fit right in for our November evening in the city.

The pumpkin spiced rum itself is rather dry, which means this is far less of a sugar bomb than you might expect. The flavors pair really well and the little spoon is helpful to savor this delightful treat. It’s great, so check it out in San Francisco while you can.