Category: Rum

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Monday Trivia at Dr. Funk

We had a pretty good time at a romance themed Office trivia event at Dr. Funk and hosted by RiskyQuizness a couple weeks back. RiskyQuizness seems to have a regular gig on Mondays, in addition to hosting pop culture themed trivia events at bars throughout the South Bay. Mondays also coincides with Mai Tai Monday at Dr. Funk, where their excellent Mai Tai is only $8!

RiskyQuizness runs their trivia via a web app, which means they can offer both write in questions as well as multiple choice. Each team has about a minute to answer each question but you get extra points if you submit the correct answer faster. I’m of mixed mind on this format and having to do this on a device meant that one player at a table kind of needs to be doing most of the work. Questions were pretty reasonable – some hard and some easy. Some that were easy but we missed anyway. Alcohol was involved.

Trivia events start at 7:30 and run for about 90 minutes with two large rounds of questions. We didn’t place, even though this writer used to cohost an Office podcast, thanks to neither of us watching and rewatching episodes constantly. We’ll do better when it is Friends trivia and Mrs. Mai Tai will be my ringer.

In addition to the Mai Tai I got to try the Worthy Park Overproof rum which I found to be excellent. I’m looking forward to Dr. Funk’s upcoming Rum Asylum checklist, starting February 27. See you there.

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Rum Curious Summit 2025

I’m really excited to share I’ll be heading down to Long Beach for the Rum Curious Summit on Memorial Day. The event is a “rum fest” with over 20 rum brands plus cocktails, where attendees can experience and learn about over 80 different expressions. This is a medium sized event where you’ll have plenty of opportunity to learn about rum and learn from the various rum producers and brands.

I’m very interested to attend the educational seminars from luminaries including Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails author Shannon Mustipher, Doc Parks of Zombie Village fame, and self-proclaimed Rum Champion Bryan Inman who is also organizing the event. I’ve tried a lot of rums over the past few years but I always learn something new when experts such as these are providing context to the material. I’ve attended several seminars from Mustipher and Inman and they do a great job presenting material that’s interesting to both novices and experienced spirits consumers. While I haven’t attended any seminars from Doc Parks, I’ve seen his magic from across the bar so I have high expectations. #docparksismyhomeboy

The Rum Curious Summit will be held in downtown Long Beach at Altar Society Brewing, across the street from Secret Tiki Island, and ought to be a lot of fun. Tickets are available now, but don’t delay in securing your spot as there is a limited availability. We’ll see you in Long Beach on Memorial Day.

Shannon Mustipher
Doc Parks
Bryan Inman
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Rum

Picked up this at Stuff Vintage Modern in Albany which is a multi-seller vintage store and successor of the store of the same name that previously was in San Francisco. The vendor for this item was 13 Palms Vintage who we’ve bought from before, and you can see there’s plenty of other midcentury modern items for sale. Check their profile for more cool items.

I don’t really need another rocks or Mai Tai glass, but I couldn’t skip this one featuring everyone’s favorite spirit (that’s rum, folks, duh). The glass’s mouth is wide enough for some of my larger ice cubes, which means it’ll actually come in really handy.

The rum in the glass is Holmes Cay Belize 2005, a now vintage bottle I picked up in 2021 and still have some left.

13 Palms Vintage at Stuff
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Appleton 17 Rum at Kona’s Street Market SF

Apologies in advance to those outside the Bay Area.

Act fast friends, because there is still some Appleton 17 in the wild and the price is a total steal. Get over to Kona’s Street Market in downtown San Francisco and check the back bar for the bottle. I had the pleasure of scoring a neat pour last week and this expression designed to replicate the original Mai Tai rum remains worth seeking out, so much flavor and still approachable at 49% ABV.

For some reason this is priced at just $30 for a 1½ oz pour. That is essentially the same as you’d pay if you bought the bottle at retail, so there’s basically no markup. Don’t waste time asking why when you could be heading to Kona’s right this very moment and getting a taste of this exotic elixir.

You might be tempted to try this in a Mai Tai, which is what I did during a visit to Kona’s in December. At just $40 for the cocktail it is certainly a good value for this rum. And it wasn’t half bad, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the amazing other Appleton 17 Mai Tais that I’ve had so set your expectations accordingly

There it is, Mai Tai fans, possibly your last opportunity to try this rum and even in a Mai Tai if you prefer. Let me know how it goes.

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The Last(?) Appleton 17 Mai Tai

I was fortunate to procure a Mai Tai’s worth of Appleton 17 Year Legend Jamaica Rum, the limited release from 2023 that was developed by Appleton Master Blender Joy Spence to replicate the character of the original Mai Tai rum, Wray & Nephew 17. As was well-chronicled in 2023, this long-aged 49% ABV rum has a ton of flavor thanks to it being 100% pot-still distillate and including rare marques unlike any of the mainstream Appleton rum expressions. The Appleton 17 Mai Tai at Smuggler’s Cove was my favorite of the year and the best so far this decade.

I was always interested in making an Appleton 17 Mai Tai using the same ingredients I use at home. My favorite orgeat and orange curaçao but also my own ice, so that I can compare to other Mai Tais that I make at home. Would the Appleton 17 rum remain notable? Yes, friends, yes it does.

At 49% ABV, this rum is very approachable compared to a lot of overproof flavor bombs. There’s just a little less of a punch in the face, which means that it is very smooth once it gets into Trader Vic’s masterpiece cocktail. You can really taste the rum and this is a cocktail you want to sip to savor every last drop.

I don’t know how many of those original 1500 bottles still exist. I’m sure many were opened and still not quite finished, which means that running across a bottle in the wild is exceedingly rarer and rarer. But there are still bottles out there on the back bars of retail establishments and there most certainly some bottles keeping collectors and home bartenders company. Keep on the lookout, friends.

Glassware: Smuggler’s Cove circa 2019

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Smuggler’s Cove Cargo Crate Mug

These interesting mugs were launched late last year but I finally got around to ordering. They’re based on the crate tables that are scattered throughout Smuggler’s Cove and designed by Aaron Seymour. Each mug was scanned and reproduced and the lid includes a rubber gasket so you could display them on the side or use them for actual storage. The mugs were produced by Beeline Creative with a large but limited run of 500 mugs per design with all designs currently still available.

The mugs ship in a gorgeous box by Tidbit Design with details about the mugs and the collection, and the mugs are tightly placed into styrofoam for safe shipment. My mug of choice was “Ship to SF” and there are ten designs to choose from. While these mugs aren’t ideal for carrying around at a party, they do feel nice and look even better.

Smuggler’s Cove did a special last month that was a two-for-one sale if you bought the “Sugar” mug. They’re now doing the same thing with the “XXX” mug, so these are much more affordable if the $70 price was a barrier to entry. Get them now before they’re gone by visiting Smuggler’s Cove or going to www.smugglerscovesf.com/store.

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Raid the Cove Rum Night at Smuggler’s Cove

Had a great time visiting the City on a chilly Wednesday evening to participate in a special discount program at Smuggler’s Cove. “Raid the Cove” meant that all rum pours were 20% off, a sizable discount especially for some of the Cove’s legendary rare (and, yes, expensive) rums.

The event ran smoothly considering the need for staff to gather all the rare and obscure bottles from within the tight confines of the venue. The staff really worked hard to fill orders and I saw many of the Rumbustion Society members working hard to add more rums to their checklist and saw numerous bottled drained!



I took the opportunity to try Appleton Joy for the first time, finding it quite good and definitely a lot more rich and funky than some of the other longer aged Appleton rums (especially Appleton 21). I compared Joy to Appleton 15 and definitely thought it was so much better, thanks in part to this blend of rums all being aged 25 years or longer.

We also took the opportunity to order a couple of Smuggler’s Cove’s famous original cocktails. Mrs. Mai Tai had Dr. Barca’s Fluffy Banana and I had the Rongo Rongo, both so rich and full of flavor (and booze!). Thanks to Melissa for making great cocktails despite all the chaos.



This probably wasn’t the best night for newbies to visit but for experienced rum nerds who are participating in the Rumbustion Society it was quite a good night for some less expensive rum pours.