Category: Mai Tai

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Tonga Hut North Hollywood

Mrs. Mai Tai and I ventured to Tonga Hut on Thursday night, expecting to hang out in their large COVID-era patio. We were greeted and offered inside seating, told that capacity was under 50% and a bit less than that on this particular evening. So we did the indoor thing at LA’s oldest tiki bar.

This was our first time at the North Hollywood Tonga Hut location. The Christmas decor was up and we were seated in one of the nice covered booths. So many nice things to look at, including the Drooling Bastard and all the plaques from the hearty souls who drank all the cocktails from the Grog Log within a year.

Tonga Hut Mai Tai

Our service was great, totally on the spot to check for additional drinks and super friendly. Music was mostly 90s-2000s modern rock, which wasn’t my preference for a tiki bar but it is a style of music I like and at least wasn’t top 40. Exotica was playing out on the patio.

I liked the Tonga Hut Mai Tai. While not overly challenging, I thought it was balanced well enough and sure was easy to drink (I chose the standard option, foregoing the Martinique rum option). I followed it up with a Tabu Tabu Grog, featuring OFTD, Honey, Grapefruit, Lime, Spices, and Passion Fruit. This was a really great ‘Grog’ variant.

Mrs. Mai Tai did her standard, the Nutty Chi Chi, and then followed up with the Mojave Punch featuring Hibiscus Syrup. I loved that punch at the Tonga Hut location in Palm Springs and thought it was great here, too. But Mrs. Mai Tai thought it leaned too tart.

Glad we finally made it to Tonga Hut. Thanks to Marie King and to the staff for a great time.

  • Patio Entrance out back
  • Big Mo in Holiday Decor
  • Drooling Bastard
  • Tabu Tabu Grog
  • Mojave Punch
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Isla Nu-Bar Mai Tai

People sometimes ask, “aren’t you tired of always getting the Mai Tai?” I answer by saying I love to get the Mai Tai. It is never a burden.

But, some days are harder than others.

Isla Nu-Bar debuted a couple years ago when the Jurassic Park section of Universal Studios Hollywood was rebranded as Jurassic World. As you can see from the menu, there are a variety of tropical drinks available, along with beer.

The Mai Tai is made with Rum, Dark Rum, Pineapple, Orange, and Lime Juice. Firstly, there is rum, but also “dark rum.” So what is this other kind of non-dark rum, exactly? Probably focusing on the wrong sort of details.

It is an easy to drink cocktail that is sweet and fruity with enough rum to pass muster for $15 including souvenir plastic glass and an orchid garnish. But, it isn’t really a Mai Tai. But you already knew that.

I probably should have tried the “Tiki Tai” which actually does contain orgeat. But with pineapple rum from Don Q and passionfruit puree I doubt it would be much different or better.

The cocktail was refreshing and we enjoyed lunch at Jurassic World and watched some cool raptor encounters.

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Shake the Lime in the Tin?

What’s wrong with this picture?

Well, certainly not the amazing Skull & Crown Trading Co. glass designed by Robert Maurer  I love this glass that celebrates the best tiki bar within thousands of miles. If you’re in O’ahu and you skip Skull & Crown, you’re doing it wrong.

Anyway, back to Mai Tai Monday. I’ve seen conflicting advice regarding whether or not to shake the spent lime shell with the other liquid ingredients and ice in a Mai Tai. Some say it adds too much bitterness, others say it brightens up the cocktail. Well, I gave this a try and I have to say that the Ultimate Mai Tai tasted really amazing that night. You can see the lime shell down inside the cocktail.

But, I haven’t done extensive research or comparison testing. Anyone have any real-world experience on this?

Lastly, when you do shake the lime, do you fish it out to use as the garnish? Or do you use the other half of the lime to garnish?

I miss the lime shell…
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New Site Feature: Ready to Drink Mai Tais

The market for Ready to Drink (RTD) cocktails have trended upwards in recent years, offering a convenient alternative to beer and wine. RTDs are easy to prepare and consume, and are a worthwhile option for consuming cocktails away from home such as at the beach, camping, or on vacation. They also offer a convenient option at home, though their value is diminished at home since the quality is generally far less than from a freshly made cocktail.

Since the Mai Tai is a well-known cocktail, there are several Mai Tais on the RTD market.

View our recommendations on the new page: Ready to Drink Mai Tais

 

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Hot Mai Tai

Inspired by the Hot Mai Tai recipe developed years ago by Giuseppe González, this is something that I tried and liked more than I expected. The lack of Lime juice places additional focus on the Orgeat and Orange Curacao, and for this cocktail the ratio below seems to be optimal.

The whipped topping calls for the addition of Macadamia Nut Liqueur, though Amaretto isn’t a bad option. How much to add will be your choice, but I did at least half an ounce of liqueur to go into a ¼ cup of cream.

Some recipes of this type call for the use of an Irish Coffee glass, but I thought this iconic two-faced glass goblet would be more appropriate. This means that the volume of liquid is higher than in some recipes you might find.

Hot Mai Tai
⅔ oz Orgeat
1 oz Orange Curacao
2 oz Aged Jamaican Rum (Appleton Reserve)
Dry shake and then pour into glass mug. Top with hot water.
Top with whipped cream with Macadamia Nut Liqueur
Add a few drops of Orange Bitters on top of the cream

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2021 Tiki Bar Visits

I visited 31 commercial tiki bars in 2021, a nice return to form thanks to some bars reopening for business, several new tiki bars in the Bay Area, and some looser travel restrictions within our family and society at large. Many of these visits were to support the establishment via to-go orders, hence the bars in my home county topping the list.

The highlight was visiting Max’s South Seas in Grand Rapids. Such an amazing place, it’s a must visit. And then some great excursions in Milwaukee, Chicago, Phoenix, Vegas, San Diego, Morro Bay, Palm Springs, and the greater Bay Area.

It is always a pleasure to be invited to someone’s home tiki bar, and this year we got to visit a few including ones that were new to us. Thank you all.

Cheers to all the great people I’ve met and shared librations with – especially Mrs Mai Tai @juliebeane. We’re wishing for a safer and more pleasant 2022.

2017: 25
2018: 34
2019: 52
2020: 15
2021: 31

2021 Most Visited:
17 Kon-Tiki
13 Forbidden Island
10 Trader Vic’s Emeryville
6 Smuggler’s Cove (plus two pop-up events)
6 The Kon-Tiki Room

95: times this year I’ve walked into a tiki bar, home tiki bar, or bar with tiki event.

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Top 10 Mai Tais of the Year

It has been fun counting down the top 10 Mai Tais that we had the pleasure of tasting in 2021.

Summary:

Number 10: Wilfred’s Lounge (Napa, CA)

Number 9: Undertow (Phoenix, AZ)

Number 8: Foundation with Appleton 12 (Milwaukee, WI)

Number 7: Lilikoi Mai Tai at Pacific Catch (Dublin, CA)

Number 6: Premium Mai Tai by Doc Parks at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day (Emeryville, CA)

Number 5: The Kon-Tiki Room (Oakland, CA)

Number 4: San Francisco Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s (Emeryville, CA)

Number 3: Dr. Funk (San Jose, CA)

Number 2: Mai Tai Fighter by Smuggler’s Cove at Sessions (San Francisco, CA)

Number 1: “Fritch’s Four” Mai Tai at Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco, CA)

Read all the details: