Author: Kevin Crossman

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Shortcut to Cocktails at Pagan Idol

We spent time in the city last Saturday looking at the various Pride light displays and also getting our steps in ahead of our vacation to the British Isles starting next week. We did walk quite a ways, ending at the Ferry Building, but we did stop for a breather on the way back to the car by rolling into Pagan Idol at around 10:30.

We’d been to Pagan Idol a couple times on the weekends over the past two years and it was not crowded, but it was anything but calm on this visit with people two or three deep at the front bar and plenty of people standing around. Seeing only one bartender on shift at the front bar, I guessed correctly there might be two stations in the back room. As I got into the line to order, two young ladies were ahead of me but they couldn’t figure out what to order, so the bartender leaned over and asked me what I wanted and of course I was ready. Otherwise, you shouldn’t be approaching the bartender when it is busy, right everyone?

Our drinks were pretty good, two that we hadn’t tried here before. I ordered the La Linda, featuring charanda, gin, Aperol, and hibiscus – lighter but still with plenty of flavor that I really liked, though I couldn’t taste much gin or charanda. Mrs. Mai Tai tried the Mr. Hanalei, with rums, allspice, orgeat, and lemon. This definitely leaned into that allspice and I dug it a lot, Julie less so.

We were hanging out by the fish tank, sadly only containing two small fish. Wave after wave of people came into the bar, including about a dozen who must have come from a wedding. It was pretty chaotic which is good for Pagan Idol at least, and we were able to take a load off before the final mile back to our car.

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Dr Funk Rum Asylum with Worthy Park Rum

The sea of World Cup revelers parted for the afternoon on Sunday, offering the opportunity for Dr Funk to hold their quarterly Rum Asylum rum club meeting. The featured rum this time was Worthy Park from Jamaica, one of our favorites.

The session included tasting seven of Worthy Park’s expressions, including the recent 12 year bottle that is by no means inexpensive so that was a true treat. We also had a nice presentation from a couple Worthy Park reps and some informative Q&A.

Each Rum Asylum meet up includes a cocktail made with the featured rum, and the Dr Funk did a great job with the spicy and rummy Going Bananas. This worked great with the fruit notes that Overproof Jamaican rums are known for.

Several people completed the third level of the Rum Asylum to great applause and those of us in level II took a group photo. There were also several people joining for the first time and starting their rum lists as well. The rum community in San Jose is building nicely thanks to Dr Funk’s fine collection and these fun and informative Rum Asylum meetups.

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The 1953 Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Didn’t have Pineapple Juice

Yes, we would break several laws to climb to the top of the Empire State Building to help everyone learn that the Mai Tai that Trader Vic brought to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1953 did not contain any pineapple juice.

It is easy to see how this myth developed, as there weren’t a lot of vintage 1950s era Mai Tai recipes floating around and there was no effort to tie these loose ends together until our work on this started in 2021. Once all the pieces were gathered it was clear that not only did Trader Vic not add pineapple juice to the Mai Tai in 1953, there aren’t any published recipes calling for pineapple until the 1960s!

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Modified Hawaiian Sunset

The Hawaiian Sunset was a cocktail from the Aku-Aku restaurant at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas, circa 1960s. Famously used by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry in his books, the cocktail features vodka as a base spirit and grenadine for color and flavor.

As described by Beachbum Berry, the recipe is as follows.

Hawaiian Sunset – Aku-Aku Original
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Orgeat
1 tsp Grenadine
1½ oz Vodka
Shake with cubes and strain into cocktail glass.

If I can use a lighter style rum in place of vodka I’ll take that option every single time. I also thought that I’d like to taste more of the grenadine, especially since I’m testing the Portland Syrups Grenadine. So, I came up with a modified version that focuses more on the grenadine and uses rum instead of vodka.

Hawaiian Sunset – Revised
1 oz Lemon Juice
¼ oz Orgeat
½ oz Grenadine
1½ oz Light Puerto Rican Rum
Shake with cubes and strain into cocktail glass.

This is really delicious, thanks to Portland Syrups Grenadine that has a lovely floral taste that leans a little into some black cherry flavors but obviously still is primarily pomegranate flavor. The rich syrup pairs well with the Latitude 29 Orgeat that I use to stand up to the lemon juice and the Don Q Cristal Rum adds some legit rum flavor that I greatly prefer.

Thanks to Kristi and Jessie for bringing back this cute little bottle of Don Q direct from Puerto Rico!

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Top 10 Mai Tais of 2026 So Far

We’re halfway through 2026 and it has been a great Mai Tai year so far, including a variety of on/off-menu Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s locations. There’s an obvious emphasis on various places serving Ultimate Mai Tais, my own favorite recipe. Hey, it’s my list!

The criteria is any commercial or home bar I’ve visited during the period. Separate riffs/versions get separate entries.

1. The Ultimate Mai Tai at The Fink
Served as part of our Mai Tai seminar, several people told me this was the best they’ve ever had. The Fink’s delicious house-made orgeat really worked with the bold rum blend this Mai Tai is famous for.

2. Kiki’s Premier Mai Tai at Inside Passage
Premium rums make this Mai Tai worth a couple bucks more. Still one of the best in the world.

3. OG Mai Tai at The Fink
The Fink’s standard issue Mai Tai features Jamaican and Martinique rums and is superbly balanced.

4. 1944 Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s Atlanta
You have to ask the bartenders to make it from scratch but they really did this one great, with a rummy flavor I loved.

5. Dr. Funk
Still just $8 on Mondays and $12 during Happy Hour, the rum blend features Appleton 12 and Smith & Cross rums, it’s super consistent and always made fresh in downtown San Jose.

6. Peanut Butter Mai Tai at Vic’s Atlanta
What if you add Trader Vic’s famous peanut butter spread to a Mai Tai? It is truly amazing and such a decadent treat.

7. Mikkel-Tai at Viking Mike’s
It has tequila but tastes like one of the best Mai Tais you’ve ever had, served in an immersive nordic yurt. We thought Viking Mike’s was so great.

8. Rumba
Inside Passage’s older sibling has a secret combo of rums and their Mai Tai leans a little lighter but is still one of the best you’ve ever had.

9. The Ultimate Mai Tai at Tiki Tom’s
We love that this is still on the menu and the team still does a great job. What can I say, I love this Mai Tai.

10. Tiki-Easy at Trader Vic’s Emeryville
A clarified Mai Tai fat-washed in peanut butter served to rave reviews at Trader Vic’s Hinky Dinks Speakeasy.

Rest of the Top 20
Tikieasy at Rosetta (revised formula)
Tai Game at Wilfred’s Lounge
The Ultimate Mai Tai at Tikeasy at Rosetta
Kenneth’s Mai Tai at Dr. Funk
Shipwrecked Paradise Island
Day Tripper
Smuggler’s Cove
Justin’s Mai Tai at Rocco’s
Menehune Juice at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Just missed the Top 20
Hawaiian Mai Tai at Dr Funk’s Luau
Ultimate Mai Tai at Speakeasy Ray’s Kulikuli Room
SOS Tiki Bar
Trader Vic’s Emeryville
Trader Vic’s 1944 Mai Tai at Bar of America
To Go Original Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s SJC
The Ultimate Mai Tai at Fo’c’sle
New Luck Toy
The Jungle Bird
Guava Tai at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Honorable Mentions
Forbidden Island, Zombie Village, Pandan Mai Way at The Jungle Bird, Xaymaca Mai Tai at Bamboo Hut, Pacific Catch

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Pele Utu: Reno’s Amazing Traditional Tiki Bar

Pele Utu is a newish traditional tiki bar located near downtown Reno just north of I-80, sandwiched between the Gateway Inn and Taste of India restaurant. The venue previously served as the bar for the restaurant and had two entrances when the hotel had a medieval theme, but today has a single entrance that includes a little bridge from the foyer into the main room. The large winding bar fills the left side of the room with additional tables, booths, and a small stage for live performances. The bar is dark and moody with intricate brickwork on the ceiling, giving it a cellar vibe.

The bar is the brainchild of longtime tikiphiles Dr. Shocker and Rosie Raddish, a husband and wife team who you can find behind the bar most nights. The duo used previous stints at Ventiki and their longtime passion for the genre to good use, since Pele Utu is well-appointed and features an extensive menu of quality cocktails. Food can be ordered and then delivered from Taste of India next door. Live performances, DJs, or themed nights decorate the weekly calendar while the TV features retro shows like Magnum P.I.

Skipper Mai Tai

Our visit coincided with Yacht Rock Sundays, a retro musical genre I was totally down for. We sat at the bar and Dr. Shocker held court while helping Rosie make our drinks. The Skipper Mai Tai was decent, but I was super impressed by their Hurricane which features Jonathan English Red Fassionola and tastes amazing (it’s also super boozy). I also really dug the Spice Trader and Mrs. Mai Tai’s Kona Kooler. Pele’s Lava Flow features strawberry habanero puree, making this a really interesting variant if you can deal with the spices.

Hanging with Dr. Shocker

We thought that Pele Utu was really great, a true tiki oasis doing things mostly along the traditional lines but mixing it up a bit on the music side to draw in locals unfamiliar with the genre. Featuring great hospitality and killer cocktails, Pele Utu is totally worth seeking out.

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Later Night Excursion to Jungle Bird

Mrs. Mai Tai hadn’t been to Jungle Bird in a while so we made sure to visit during our night in Sacramento, arriving for a reservation at 9 pm. The tiki bar was busy at a time when we’re usually not in attendance but everyone was understanding the mellow mood vibes, so this was a nice relaxing way to finish our crawl.

I was still a little hungry and we enjoyed some pot stickers and crab rangoon (more cheesy than crabby), grooving to the tropical and exotic tunes being played. It is helpful that Jungle Bird has a potency rating for their cocktails since I was looking for something a little lighter, so I truly enjoyed the Glass Fin that features Aperol, orange juice, passionfruit syrup, and ginger ale. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai really liked the Moonwake Harbor with Jamaican rum, vanilla, and passionfruit foam.

We appreciated our time at Jungle Bird but only stayed for one drink after having been out to several places before. Even on a weekend we found the venue to provide an immersive and traditional tiki bar space that continues to provide very high quality cocktails and food. It’s the best tiki bar in Sacramento.