The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai
Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman
RTD is A-OK
Up an hour early today to take the dog in for surgery. Shitty week at work seeing how many colleagues are vax deniers. Then an hour wait to pick up the dog (she’s fine, but surgery wasn’t cheap). So it was a heck of a day.
So this tasty canned Mai Tai seemed like a great idea.
I purchased my canned Mai Tai at BevMo locally, but these are now available to order online and shipping to 38 states!
Order Now: drinktradervics.com
We’re late to the reopening party, but perhaps that helped our experience on Sunday. Mrs. Mai Tai did some shopping in Walnut Creek and we hit Tiki Tom’s for dinner and drinks. Everything they say about the remodel is true and even more so. It is gorgeous inside with all kinds of cool Hawaiian and Tiki elements. I loved the mug displays and nods to Disney and TV shows, plus some very immersive lighting and Hawaiian music that was totally on point.
Several people have told us that drinks were inconsistent, but my Mai Tai was really quite good. Mrs Mai Tai had the Dole Whip with a Dark Rum float that tasted very nice, and I also tried the original cocktail Blowfish Intoxica. This Hemingway Daiquiri riff with Rhum Agricole was really well prepared and balanced.
For food, I had the Shrimp and Pork Lumpia and also the Kalua Pork Sliders, while Mrs. Mai Tai had the Beet Salad and Coconut Nice. All the food we had was great, though since the kitchen is small the plates came out in pairs. Our server was quite earnest and friendly.
Patrons seem to be digging the new Tiki Tom’s. There weren’t any Frat bros or jocks on our visit, and one group even asked to be seated in the fantastic nautical-themed booth just past the bar.
If there’s a downside, the food and cocktail prices are at least ~$3-5 more than you’d expect to pay. We know the rent in downtown Walnut Creek is high, but prices seemed higher than Oakland or San Francisco. Nonetheless, we loved our visit to Tiki Tom’s and can’t wait to return.
Yes, yes they are. Tasty Mai Tai from Forbidden Island and watching the @sfgiants at home.
Still nice to be able to take something out when you leave the bar. FI’s Kill Devil Club has rums to go to sample at home too.
The Kon-Tiki is launching a new printed cocktail menu for the first time since October 2019.
I don’t know if anyone else cares about this at all, but I’m always interested when one of my favorite places updates a menu. And since I have the older menus, it is interesting to see what’s coming, going, and staying.
Most notable for us is the inclusion of a Mai Tai listed on the menu and not just as an option on the Happy Hour menu or as a “call” item. We’ve discussed recently that the Kon-Tiki Mai Tai has a new rum blend featuring Jamaican, Martinique, and St. Luician rums. This is different from their previously blend, as well as the Mai Tai rums used at their sister bar The Kon-Tiki Room. Quite delightful, and of course the Kon-Tiki has a vast rum collection so the staff can make a Mai Tai out of any of those rums.
Also notable is the remaining inclusion of the premium Samaroli Mai Tai that uses a rare rum and is priced at $44 (hello “44 Mai Tai”). I’ve been told by staff that this Mai Tai is more popular than you might expect, so I guess there are still upscale customers in Oakland. What’s next, bottle service?
(that’s a joke, Kon-Tiki. Please don’t ever offer bottle service)
Be sure to try some of the amazing new cocktails the next time you visit.
I got the last one of the limited run and couldn’t be happier. Look how cute! And the swizzle sticks were a cool bonus (I love glow-in-the-dark stuff). Check them out for more cool mugs.
Congrats to the San Francisco Giants for winning the division and getting time off before the playoff start.
So much fun to see the local team do well once again.
#BeatLA
I’m such a big fan of Saint Benevolence rum, especially their Rum Clairin expression. An unaged rum from Haiti, I’ve long extolled the virtues of this flavorful, savory spirit.
The newly available aged expression is the same rum, just aged in barrell for at least a year. A great way to see how barrel aging changes a spirit, and makes the rum more approachable for many consumers.
It tastes great on its own, not “too oaky.” And it is wonderful in a Mai Tai of course. Had to use one of my tall Saint Benevolence glasses.
Saint Benevolence is worth seeking out. I bought my bottle of Aged Clairin at Bitters & Bottles.