Author: Kevin Crossman

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Return to Stowaway Tiki

As we left Palm Springs, we made sure to revisit the Cabazon Dinosaurs, looking fine for the holidays and we finally went up into the T-Rex. Our next stop was at Tustin’s Stowaway Tiki for lunch. We enjoyed our previous visit almost a year previous and once again really liked the unpretentious vibe and great food and cocktails.

We only stayed for one drink but really enjoyed the Singapore Sling as well as Stowaway’s signature Cococano cocktail and fire show. Both are well-balanced cocktails and I particularly like how the lemon juice in the Cococano turns this into something different than a Pina Colada with a different name. I really enjoyed the spam musubi and chicken skewers.

Stowaway has a great vibe, very relaxing and fun to hang out. There was still Christmas decor which made everything nicely festive.

It is hard for Stowaway to have the highest mind-share when it is in the same county as Trader Sam’s, Strong Water Anaheim, and The Royal Hawaiian, but we think that Stowaway is a cornerstone tiki destination and something to consider on a tiki road trip. I’d be here all the time if I was a local.

Spam Musubi
Skewers
Singapore Sling
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New Year’s Eve at The Lucky Tiki

We had a great time in West Hollywood at The Lucky Tiki’s first New Year’s Eve party. The ticketed event began at 9:00 and included all inclusive food and drinks. Food included hot dogs from the adjacent Tail o’ the Pup, sushi, and also some Chinese favorites such as chow mein and egg rolls. Drink orders for anything off the regular cocktail were at the bar or from a couple servers who circulated mainly to those seated. A champagne toast capped the evening at midnight.

For a first time event there were a lot of things done well here, especially the bar staff who worked very hard for that three plus hours making constant cocktails. We also salute Genesis and Shane for also keeping up with deliveries of the wild frenzy of orders and sticking to the script for some of Lucky Tiki’s signature display cocktails such as Elvis in Hawaii. Overall our drinks were of the same quality that we had on our previous visit, with one exception, and we were pleased to check out the expanded cocktail menu that includes some tiki classics such as the Three Dots & a Dash that I thought was pretty good.

For an inaugural event there are some things that could be tweaked. While there was an expansion of seating on a heated patio, there simply weren’t enough chairs for those in attendance. I suspect some might not have cared the least, but for a three hour event some of us really needed the chairs and I felt sorry for those who arrived too late to snag one. Having more passed appetizers would have enhanced the experience as well.

One of my Mai Tais was pretty bad, far too limey. It was replaced by another one (and later another) that were better but not really at the same level of quality as the other cocktails on the menu. I give a lot of leeway for the nature of the event but I suspect that the problem lies with the orgeat – and it needs to change. The rum needs to be bolder than Flor de Caña Eco too.

Toast with Rum Champion Bryan Inman

Given the quality of the event and all-inclusive food and drinks NYE was certainly a great value. We had a lot of fun hanging out with our impromptu table-mates and socializing with a few familiar faces. The tropical music was on point and again I must praise the staff for a great job on this event.

Patio
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Top 10 Mai Tais of 2024

Each year we celebrate the 10 best Mai Tais that we had the pleasure of tasting in the last 12 months. The list includes commercial restaurants and bars, plus Mai Tais we had at home tiki bars and events. For this list the rating is solely about what’s in the glass and does not factor in other elements such as ambiance, food, service, or decor.

Some of the Mai Tais involve rum substitutions from what the bar would normally serve. This presents the reader with more to consider when visiting these places, but highlights that making spirit substitutions is often what changes a good Mai Tai into a great one.

Summary of the Top 10 of 2024

I was completely blown away by the amazing Mai Tai at the Sinking Ship at Tiki-Ko that used Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique as a rum substitution, with the grassy and smoky flavors balanced by the lime and sweeteners so well. This rum was ordered on January 6 and sat at the top of the list for most of the year, fighting off formidable competitors to keep the top slot.

Meanwhile, The Kon-Tiki in Oakland sat at number two since January with a great entry made with Hamilton Pot-Still Blonde, a lightly aged rum from Jamaica. As the year progressed, I had Mai Tai after Mai Tai at Kon-Tiki and could not quite beat the J.M. But in October I had an Appleton 12 Jamaica Rum Mai Tai that was so smooth and flavorful I designated it for the top slot.

But the best Mai Tai I had was the last one at Kon-Tiki on the night they closed. This was their world-class standard with a custom rum blend, offering a perfect balance of sweet and savory notes. The Kon-Tiki’s Mai Tai topped the list in 2019 and 2020 and does so again for the last time.

With Kon-Tiki closing, we need to amend our list of Top 10 Mai Tais in the World. Both Cane & Table and The Copper Room showed that great Mai Tais don’t have to be at tiki bars and are strong contenders to take the slot.

View the complete list with additional details

1. The Last Mai Tai at Kon-Tiki
2. The Sinking Ship at Tiki-Ko with Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique
3. Ultimate Mai Tai at Tiki Tom’s
4. Trader Sam’s 1944 w/Smith & Cross by Maddie
5. The Copper Room
6. Cane & Table
7. Dr Funk ($8 MTM)
8. Strong Water Anaheim
9. The Beachcomber
10. Matiki

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Top 10 Mai Tais of 2024: Runners Up

As with 2023 we had so many great Mai Tais that many of them would have been deep into the top 10 in past years and this year couldn’t crack the top 10. But they’re nonetheless worth noting and we thank the bartenders and bar owners for making these stellar Mai Tais.

For this list the rating is solely about what’s in the glass and does not factor in other elements such as ambiance, food, service, or decor. Each location only gets one Mai Tai on the list, exceptions for guest cocktails such as the Mister, Might I… at The Kon Tiki.

Some of the Mai Tais involve rum substitutions from what the bar would normally serve, such as custom blend at the Lucky Tiki. This presents the reader with more to consider when visiting these places, but highlights that making spirit substitutions is often what changes a good Mai Tai into a great one.

11. Smuggler’s Cove
12. Latitude 29
13. Bootlegger Tiki
14. Stray Pirate
15. My Tie, Youse Tai
16. Mister, Might I… by Doc Parks at The Kon-Tiki
17. “Impress Me” Mai Tai at The Lucky Tiki by Skipper Christian
18. Mai Tai with Appleton 15 at Rumpus Tiki Budapest
19. Tai-Lo by Pagan Idol at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day
20. Brujo’s Mai Tai at The Kon-Tiki
21. Frozen Mai Tai at Make & Drink Studio
22. Mai Tai with Appleton 17 at Kona Street Market (shhhh…)
23. Sugar Plum Mai Tai (Sippin’ Santa) at 55 South
24. Original Mai Tai with LH 151 float at Trader Vics’s Emeryville
25. Zombie Village with Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin

Just Missed:
California Gold, Lost Inferno, The Fink, Trader Vic’s SJC, Frozen Mai Tai at Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, Trailer Happiness, Equiano Rum Mai Tai at The Shipwreck, Boo Loo Lounge, Kamalatai at Forbidden Island.

Honorable Mentions:
Wilfred’s Lounge, Our Big Luauski, Damn Fine Mai Tai by Greg Smith/Becca Morris, Trader Vic’s Munich, The Formosa Cafe, Red Dwarf, Hula Hoops (Lilikoi Tai), Kapu Bar, Golden Tiki

View the Top 10 Mai Tais of 2024

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Terry’s Mai Tai at the Copper Room

I was reminded by Daniel at Bootlegger that the Copper Room in Yucca Valley has a great Mai Tai. It shouldn’t come as a surprise as it is the brainchild of Terry Six, former bartender/manager at The Kon-Tiki. When someone I knew visited a couple years ago I asked how the Mai Tai was and they said “It will still be your favorite” referring to the amazing Mai Tai that Terry made for me on his last shift in Oakland. So we traveled out of Palm Springs for some cocktails and decided to see if the hype was worth it.

The Copper Room is a restaurant and lounge next to the runway of the Yucca Valley airport and is nothing special on the outside but is a trip back to the 1970s thanks to the wood panel interior and numerous retro touches. The semicircle bar faces the windows looking out on the runway, with a huge premium spirits collection on a shelf above. Several staff members were sporting colored glasses or shades and I had to pinch myself that I wasn’t in a hipster bar in SF or LA. Despite the old school vibe the place was filled with young people who knew where to get a great drink and socialize at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. I expected to see a bunch of old timers here, but the only old guy was the one sitting with Mrs. Mai Tai.

The Mai Tai is made with a “secret blend of four rums” and homemade orgeat. It is served with mint and an actual lime shell, not the dehydrated lime wheel that seems to be so popular these days. I can forgive the mountain of ice because this was a truly transcendent Mai Tai, one of the best I’ve had this year and a contender for Top 10 Mai Tais in the world. The rum blend has rich flavors and this cocktail has an amazing mouthfeel that is great to the last drop. I was amazed, even after arriving with my highest of expectations. Terry wasn’t working when we visited but we thank him once again for an amazing Mai Tai.

There’s an old quote from Herb Caen who referred to Trader Vic’s when he said “the best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland” and we certainly can say the same thing in referencing this cocktail and the region it hails from: the best Mai Tai in Palm Springs is in Yucca Valley.

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Amazing Cocktails and Vibe at Bootlegger Tiki

Housed in a corner of a former Don the Beachcomber location, Bootlegger Tiki stands head and shoulders as the best craft cocktail tiki bar in the region. We made sure to secure reservations and were seated at the bar. Bootlegger is a small room, only eight bar stools, two high top seats, and three booths, so the interior is intimate. The patio affords additional seating options and is nicely appointed but not nearly as immersive. Despite such a small space, there are two service wells which means that orders are pushed out without delay. The bar recently celebrated their 10th anniversary in business, and music on our visit stuck to tropical and exotica tunes.

Bootlegger features a rotating menu that changes every so often, and number 17 features a host of original tropical cocktails plus five tiki classics including the Mai Tai. Bootlegger’s rum blend features an Agricole and Dr. Bird from Jamaica, which means that the Mai Tai is punchy and a flavor bomb. This is what a Mai Tai should be!

Bartender Daniel walked us through some of the originals and prepared them with aplomb, keeping up breezy conversation along the way. I was very impressed by the tropical blend in the Mai~Papaya with two rums, banana liqueur, passionfruit, orgeat, and papaya. The Queen’s Chair is an elevated Planters Punch with Jamaican rum, spices, citrus, and passionfruit, and I thought it was simply fantastic. Using heavy rum like this works so well in combination with bold flavors like allspice and cinnamon.

Mrs. Mai Tai enjoyed the Thai Iced Tiki, which features tea-infused Smith & Cross Jamaican rum and is served in a Chinese food to-go box complete with fortune cookie that says “Bootlegger Tiki loves you.” The feeling is mutual, even more so after she tried the Rhubarbie that includes Rhum Barbancourt and Rhubarb liqueur. The subtle creamy flavors and lemongrass of this cocktail were balanced to make this cocktail really approachable and easy to drink.

For some reason we skipped Bootlegger on our last visit to Palm Springs but we’ll never make that mistake again. It really is the top tiki destination in the region.

Mai Tai and Thai Iced Tiki
Mai~Papaya and Rhubarbie
The Queen’s Chair
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Instagram Top Nine for 2024

I do still continue to love Instagram, where even the ads help me with my holiday shopping. Plus all the connecting and commenting on the things we love to share. Check out the fun at @UltimateMaiTai on Instagram.

So, here are the Top Nine Posts for 2024.

Kamala Mai Tai (476)
History of the Mai Tai (417)
Trader Vic’s Black Tai Event (345)
Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport Expanded Seating (295)
Congrats Smuggler’s Cove on 15 Years (294)
Farewell Kon-Tiki Oakland (292)
Mai Tai Named Official Cocktail of Oakland (277)
Best Mai Tai in New Orleans (267)
Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend Meme (259)

Top Nine says I had 35,200 likes on 253 posts, an average of 139 per post, and that I’m in the “top 1% of accounts with up to 10,000 followers” with 7% more likes per post than average. Thank you for the likes!