Category: History

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Regression at Trad’r Sam

I wrote fairly glowingly about the refreshed interior at Trad’r Sam after their surprise and ultimately short-lived temporary shuttering in the fall of 2023. The world’s oldest continuously operating tiki bar was quickly back in business including a decor upgrades and graffiti-free restrooms.

After our wonderful dinner at Tommy’s Mexican we walked a couple blocks up Geary to see how the ol’ Trad’r was doing. There weren’t a lot of people in there just past six, and we settled at a table for conversation over drink. Greg and Debbie had been here before dinner so went with Cokes and Julie and I scanned the menu for some cocktails we’d like to try.

I had a great experience with a Singapore Sling on a past visit, and decided to skip the Mai Tai made with apricot brandy, sweet and sour, and pineapple juice (but at least it wasn’t blended like the Zombie and Navy Grog are). The Sling was, well it was fine – but really sweet. Meanwhile Mrs. Mai Tai went with the Toasted Almond cocktail which is a frozen drink and thanks to being frozen tasted pretty great and not so sweet. Maybe a frozen Zombie isn’t a bad choice next time.

I’m sad to report the restroom has regressed. While the walls are white they’re now covered in graffiti that was pretty raunchy, expressing to customers that Trad’r Sam is still quite divey and likely will remain so forever. Nonetheless, I do enjoy my visits here to remind myself of the history that’s been in place for almost 90 years.

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Classic Cocktail: Tommy’s Margarita at Tommy’s Mexican

The winds of fate conspired to once again land us at the birthplace of a seminal local cocktail, after Greg and Debbie suggested checking out Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in the Richmond District of San Francisco. This is the birthplace of the Tommy’s Margarita, which uses agave syrup rather than triple sec as the sweetener in the cocktail.

Greg smartly suggested arriving before opening so we were able to sit at the bar and talk to the bartender. Enrique is third generation member of the family that founded Tommy’s in 1965, and he walked us through the cocktail while preparing drinks and constantly juicing limes. All the staff were super friendly throughout our visit, talking about the history of the venue and showing us mementos and such.

The creator of the Tommy’s Margarita is Julio Bermejo, Enrique’s uncle, and it includes 2 parts of 100% agave tequila, 1 part fresh lime juice, and 1 part of agave syrup (equal parts agave nectar and water). The ingredients are measured in a blender and then shaken with plenty of cubed ice. The cocktail comes ungarnished and if you order a pitcher it makes four cocktails and you save a little off the cost.

This my friends is easy drinking right there! The Tommy’s Margarita was so simple yet had so much flavor that is perfectly balanced. The key is great tequila, but the ice is made with San Francisco water so would be hard to replicate exactly outside the City. And that lime juice is minutes fresh, not stored overnight or juiced hours before service, adding brightness that really makes a difference.

There’s a large selection of tequila here, and the restaurant claims to be the world’s best tequila bar. Enrique walked Greg through a recommended pour, and there’s a tequila club you can join if you visit on weekdays. We also ordered some food and found the dishes to be exemplary. The vibe at Tommy’s was really great, we’re bummed it took us this long to visit. But as they say, better late than never. We will return.

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Classic Cocktail: Tequila Sunrise at The Trident

Mrs. Mai Tai and friends went to a Taylor Swift tribute show, which left the husbands with some free time and Sam suggested having lunch at The Trident in Sausalito. The venue was founded by the Kington Trio in 1966 and there are still many groovy elements inside, it really is a time capsule with the curved lines, vast wood features, and murals on the wall and the ceiling.

For cocktail fans The Trident is notable as the birthplace of the modern Tequila Sunrise cocktail, developed in 1972 by bartender Robert “Bobby” Lozoff and served to the Rolling Stones. The band was so enamored by the cocktail that they brought it with them on the road, eventually naming it the Cocaine and Tequila Sunrise Tour. Lozoff died last week, making our visit all the more poignant.

The Trident’s Tequila Sunrise features Herradura Silver Tequila, Orange Juice, Grenadine, and Creme de Cassis. It is about as easy to drink as it looks, but it worked great for us just after noon on a Sunday. I do have to say it was not bad at all, even if you have to bring your own bump if you want an authentic version.

After a short wait in the bar we were seated outside for a beautiful almost windless day on the bay, enjoying lunch with friends that included a couple hungry seagulls. The Trident lived up to the hype, and is totally worth checking out.

Paper Airplane
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Classic Cocktail: Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

We did a family trip to San Francisco and decided to check out the Buena Vista Cafe for Irish Coffee and a snack. The location opened over 100 years ago but is most famous for being the location where Irish Coffee was introduced to America in 1952. Popular syndicated writer Stan Delaplane had one at the airport in Shannon Ireland and upon his return worked with replicate it with Buena Vista owner Jack Koeppler. Delaplane’s column became a key channel for making the drink a viral hit. Delaplane would later publish a Mai Tai recipe sans pineapple juice in 1961.

The cafe was so busy they sat the four of us at a large table with another couple and one single, with everyone eager to try the drink for themselves and some also ordering breakfast and brunch specialties. A short distance away a bartender was making a dozen Irish Coffees in assembly line style, not unlike how they make Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s. The bartender is skilled and can whip out a batch in no time.

The Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista is made by pouring hot water into the glass to prepare it. Then the water is dumped and hot coffee is poured in. Then two sugar cubes are dropped in and quickly stirred, resulting in some coffee spilling out. Next, a jigger of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey is added, then topped with lightly whipped cream. I’d had a few Irish Coffees before but they pale to the Buena Vista’s, it was just that good. I really enjoyed the hot beverage and it had just the right balance of sweetness and enough whiskey to taste.

There are historical nods throughout the venue, including a plaque outside the building, so take the time to look around if you visit. There’s a gift shop next door and we enjoyed talking with the staff and seeing them work so efficiently.

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The Tiki Talk Show

I was pleased to be a guest on the latest episode of The Tiki Talk Show, available on YouTube and on podcast platforms. We had a great discussion with Ellie and Ryley who have recently launched their podcast with a focus on newer tiki bars and what’s happening now rather than a focus on the past.

I think this is a great angle and with their discussions with bar owners such as Jason Alexander from Devil’s Reef this should turn out to be an interesting series and to document what’s happening in the industry. There is also a focus on an artist each episode as well, so I’m looking forward to seeing who will pop up on future shows.

In our session we talked about Mai Tai stuff and my own journey, but also industry trends of within the tiki bar genre. We also discussed rating criteria, cocktail ingredients and ratios, and a comparison of historical tiki bars with modern ones. Check it out on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.

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The Evolution of the House without a Key Mai Tai at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki

The House without a Key restaurant’s reputation for having a great Mai Tai goes back to at least the 1990s when I first started researching Mai Tais in Hawai’i, at the time notably being a Mai Tai known to omit the pineapple juice commonly used.

During my 1999 visit I thought the drink included a touch too much lime, though others who provided reviews to our site during that period raved consistently. The look and overall makeup of this cocktail hasn’t changed at all since that time, still one of the better Mai Tais in Waikiki and made in the style of the early Hawaiian Mai Tais with equal parts of the sweeteners and the use of light and dark rums.

Note that Bacardi Select is the older name for today’s Bacardi Black rum.

Mai Tai from June 2022

2002

This recipe was included in an August 2002 article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, where bartender Curtis Wong described the rums as being a high-quality blend and that they make at least 100 Mai Tais per night often making 40 at a time in an assembly line-like process. This is substantially similar to the current recipe, though the use of lemon juice is a curious choice.

2002 Halekulani Mai Tai
1¼ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Rock Candy Syrup
½ oz Orange Curacao (Cointreau)
¾ oz Bacardi Select
¾ oz Bacardi Gold Rum
Combine ingredients over crushed ice
Float ½ oz Lemon Hart 151 Rum
Garnish with lime wheel, sugar cane stick, and vanda orchid

Mid-2000s Era

This recipe was recently included in Beachbum Berry’s Total Tiki app, attributing the date to 2006. We found references to this recipe on the Halekulani’s website throughout the 2010s. The use of the now-discontinued Bacardi 151 means you can’t truly replicate this at home, and the swap was likely due to supply constraints of Lemon Hart during that period.

Mid-2000s Halekulani Mai Tai
1¼ oz Lime Juice
⅓ oz Orgeat
⅓ oz Rock Candy Syrup
⅓ oz Orange Curacao
¾ oz Bacardi 151 Rum
¾ oz Bacardi Gold Rum
Combine ingredients over crushed ice
Float ¾ oz Bacardi Select
Garnish with lime wedge, lime wheel, sugar-cane stick, mint leaf, and vanda orchid

Mai Tai from June 2019

2020s / Current Era

First included on the Halekulani website in 2020, this version still relies on a base Bacardi rums but once again features Lemon Hart 151 for a float that provides just enough additional rummy flavor. On occasion we’ve seen that Myers’s is used when supplies of Lemon Hart are unavailable, much to the detriment to the overall character of the cocktail, but if you can get this with Lemon Hart it is really a fantastic Mai Tai.

Halekulani Mai Tai – Current
1¼ oz Lime Juice
⅓ oz Orgeat
⅓ oz Rock Candy Syrup
⅓ oz Orange Curacao (Cointreau)
¾ oz Bacardi Select/Black Rum
¾ oz Bacardi Gold Rum
Combine ingredients over crushed ice
Float ½ oz Lemon Hart 151 Rum
Garnish with lime wheel, sugar cane stick, and vanda orchid

Mai Tai from August 2023
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Trader Vic Alley

We recently popped by Cosmo Alley / Trader Vic Alley in San Francisco.

This was the location of the then-flagship location of Trader Vic’s when it opened in 1950 and eventually became so famous that the Queen of England dined with President Reagan and had her first meal in any restaurant. This Vic’s location closed in 1994 before I got into tiki, so was never able to visit. The restaurant’s successor Le Colonial closed a while back and recent news indicates there’s a desire to transform the area from a parking lot into an urban park.

This is across the street from the old Tiki Bob’s location, now the Honey Honey cafe. We also noticed there’s a Vic’s Cleaners around the corner and wondered if this business might date from the days when Trader Vic’s was one of the leading restaurants in the city.