Category: Mai Tai

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Dr. Funk Holiday Brunch

We had a great brunch in downtown San Jose today at Dr. Funk, featuring some traditional breakfast favorites and some tropical cocktails. There was an okay sized crowd today, due to some local Ohana deciding to meet up, plus a big table of locals who were taking advantage of the bottomless mimosas. And the Tequila shots. And some more cocktails.

There are some Christmas lights and some decorations inside and outside, but the holiday decor is not over the top. Lots of vintage Christmas music helped set the mood though.

Unusual for brunch here, the bar staff said in additional to regular brunch cocktail menus that they could do anything from the regular cocktail menu too. So I had to have their amazing Mai Tai, still so delicious.

It does seem like maybe this is the last brunch for a while, though. Gotta give the team credit for trying something with the extended hours, but I can see that patio seating especially would be tough in the winter. Hopefully it’ll come back in the spring or summer.

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Happy Birthday Trader Vic

Victor Bergeron was born on this day in 1902. Life was tough as a child, including stints in the hospital, losing a leg to TB, and surviving the 1906 SF earthquake. But by the mid-1930s, “Trader Vic” Bergeron was making a name for himself as a restaurateur and mixologist.

I had a great lunch at Trader Vic’s Emeryville to celebrate Vic’s birthday, including one of his most famous creations: Crab Rangoon. I absolutely love these, especially with the dipping sauces. I also had the Trader Vic Salad in an attempt to pretend I was eating healthy.

Vic’s has a pretty reasonable rum selections and wanted to try something a little different to celebrate Vic’s birthday. I noticed a bottle of the Hamilton St Lucia Pot Still rum, aged for 9 years. This is a really amazing rum that’s no longer being issued, but my Mai Tai with this rum was only $15.50! Such a flavorful rum and so great in Trader Vic’s masterpiece cocktail.

Vic’s was looking great with a little holiday decor, plus some holiday tunes playing inside the restaurant. The bartenders Troy and Saul treated me right and it was very relaxing to take a break inside from the rain. The restaurant was hosting a baby shower in the back rooms, so it’s nice to see people still seeking out the venue for special occasions. Absolutely love this Trader Vic’s location. 

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Happy 5th Instagramiversary to Me

The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai was relaunched on Instagram on this day in 2017. 1949 posts and counting, chronicling experiences with cocktails, connections with people in the community, and world’s leading feed of Mai Tai minutiae.

We had some great adventures in the last 12 months. A few are chronicled in the photos including some travels with Mrs Mai Tai to far off places such as Seattle, Scottsdale, and Honolulu and various locations in California including San Diego, Disneyland, Napa, and Los Angeles. I attended Arizona Tiki Oasis, and presented at Tiki Kon and at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day. 

42 different tiki bars – some new to me and finally a great tiki bar in San Jose.  I was interviewed on the Tiki with Ray show and my research article on the Evolution of the Hawaiian Mai Tai was published in Exotica Moderne magazine. I completed another rum list at Forbidden Island. My Ultimate Mai Tai was reviewed on several YouTube channels including Steve the Bartender and is heading to the cocktail list at Tiki Tom’s.

So, thanks to so many fellow Mai Tai fans I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with over the last year. I appreciate your follows, likes, and comments here and in real-life, including the discussion of very important topics such as whether pineapple juice belongs in a Mai Tai or not or if the Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend really is… or isn’t.

Cheers!

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The Rum House in Times Square

The Rum House a small bar located off the lobby of the Edison Hotel including a street entrance. We tried the other night but it was standing room only, but the next we came in just as another couple left so we swooped onto their seats.

Indeed there are a number of excellent rums here, including a Caroni for only $70 a pour. Plus an extensive cocktail menu.

Trader Nic’s Mai Tai, named after the head bartender, features Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black and unaged Rhum JM, plus a tiny float of OFTD. Both rums play well together in the base. Simply fantastic!

Meanwhile, Mrs Mai Tai tried the Star F**cker with Dark rum, Mr Black, Apricot Liqueur, Grapefruit, and egg white. Also, very good.

Our bartender Troy held court, teaching some rum newbies about Overproof Jamaican rum and posing for photos with patrons. But he kept on top of our order and was totally friendly and welcoming. @1.800.troy

We really enjoyed the visit to Rum House, located on 47th right off Times Square. Check it out.

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Sunken Harbor Club Mai Tai

Everything they say is true! The famed Mai Tai created by Garret Richard for Sunken Harbor Club in Brooklyn is indeed a top-notch Mai Tai.

There are a couple unusual adjustments to the preparation of this cocktail. Firstly, a few drops of saline solution are added to bring out the flavors of the ingredients. Next, a lime wedge is placed in the glass and combined with the the shaken cocktail. In addition to a gigantic bouquet of mint, a lime peel is expressed and then wrapped around the straw. The fragrance of lime and mint really add a lot to the cocktail, not unlike the little squeeze of lime I’ve had with previous Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s. The lime in the glass adds a little bit more tartness as you finish the drink, however.

The blend of rums is quite delightful and the Mai Tai is fantastic. Thanks to Dan @wolfsbanecocktails for making such a fantastic cocktail.

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Dealer’s Choice Mai Tai by Adrian Castañeda at The Kon-Tiki Room

Had a fab time over at Oakland’s Kon-Tiki Room at Palmetto to send best wishes to local raconteur Adrian Castañeda who is moving to Barcelona in a few weeks. We’ve bumped into Adrian in all sort of places, including tiki bars where he’s worked such as Zombie Village, helping Doc Parks at Mai Tai Day 2021, and once even ran into him at the Midway Antique Emporium in Sacramento.

Last night he was doing a shift behind the bar at The Kon-Tiki Room and made a Zombie variant from the ZV days called the Sparkle and Froth. A very nice pineapple-forward cocktail that was super tasty.

I also asked Adrian for a “Dealer’s Choice Mai Tai” using the rums available at The Kon-Tiki Room. It was great to see a rum expert scan the shelves and pull down three bottles to work with, and to use them in just the right ratios. For the Mai Tai, Adrian used 1 oz of Worthy Park Kon-Tiki Single Barrel (aged 5 yrs), along with ½ oz each of Worthy Park 109 and Uruapan Charandra Anejo. This was a fantastic Mai Tai! So rich with flavors, where the aged Jamaican rum really paired well with the molasses and sugar cane juice-based Charandra from Mexico.

This unique blend was so great it is currently on my top 10 list of best Mai Tais for 2022. Mahalo Adrian and best wishes.

The Kon-Tiki Room now has a subtly placed TV for their regular Thursday Star Trek Nights, and last night was playing a vintage 1960s beach movie. Which then allowed them to play some traditional lounge and Hawaiian music, which was totally fantastic. This place is a lot better when there’s escapist tropical music.