Category: Tiki Bar

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Return to Stowaway Tiki

As we left Palm Springs, we made sure to revisit the Cabazon Dinosaurs, looking fine for the holidays and we finally went up into the T-Rex. Our next stop was at Tustin’s Stowaway Tiki for lunch. We enjoyed our previous visit almost a year previous and once again really liked the unpretentious vibe and great food and cocktails.

We only stayed for one drink but really enjoyed the Singapore Sling as well as Stowaway’s signature Cococano cocktail and fire show. Both are well-balanced cocktails and I particularly like how the lemon juice in the Cococano turns this into something different than a Pina Colada with a different name. I really enjoyed the spam musubi and chicken skewers.

Stowaway has a great vibe, very relaxing and fun to hang out. There was still Christmas decor which made everything nicely festive.

It is hard for Stowaway to have the highest mind-share when it is in the same county as Trader Sam’s, Strong Water Anaheim, and The Royal Hawaiian, but we think that Stowaway is a cornerstone tiki destination and something to consider on a tiki road trip. I’d be here all the time if I was a local.

Spam Musubi
Skewers
Singapore Sling
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New Year’s Eve at The Lucky Tiki

We had a great time in West Hollywood at The Lucky Tiki’s first New Year’s Eve party. The ticketed event began at 9:00 and included all inclusive food and drinks. Food included hot dogs from the adjacent Tail o’ the Pup, sushi, and also some Chinese favorites such as chow mein and egg rolls. Drink orders for anything off the regular cocktail were at the bar or from a couple servers who circulated mainly to those seated. A champagne toast capped the evening at midnight.

For a first time event there were a lot of things done well here, especially the bar staff who worked very hard for that three plus hours making constant cocktails. We also salute Genesis and Shane for also keeping up with deliveries of the wild frenzy of orders and sticking to the script for some of Lucky Tiki’s signature display cocktails such as Elvis in Hawaii. Overall our drinks were of the same quality that we had on our previous visit, with one exception, and we were pleased to check out the expanded cocktail menu that includes some tiki classics such as the Three Dots & a Dash that I thought was pretty good.

For an inaugural event there are some things that could be tweaked. While there was an expansion of seating on a heated patio, there simply weren’t enough chairs for those in attendance. I suspect some might not have cared the least, but for a three hour event some of us really needed the chairs and I felt sorry for those who arrived too late to snag one. Having more passed appetizers would have enhanced the experience as well.

One of my Mai Tais was pretty bad, far too limey. It was replaced by another one (and later another) that were better but not really at the same level of quality as the other cocktails on the menu. I give a lot of leeway for the nature of the event but I suspect that the problem lies with the orgeat – and it needs to change. The rum needs to be bolder than Flor de Caña Eco too.

Toast with Rum Champion Bryan Inman

Given the quality of the event and all-inclusive food and drinks NYE was certainly a great value. We had a lot of fun hanging out with our impromptu table-mates and socializing with a few familiar faces. The tropical music was on point and again I must praise the staff for a great job on this event.

Patio
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Top 10 Mai Tais of 2024: Runners Up

As with 2023 we had so many great Mai Tais that many of them would have been deep into the top 10 in past years and this year couldn’t crack the top 10. But they’re nonetheless worth noting and we thank the bartenders and bar owners for making these stellar Mai Tais.

For this list the rating is solely about what’s in the glass and does not factor in other elements such as ambiance, food, service, or decor. Each location only gets one Mai Tai on the list, exceptions for guest cocktails such as the Mister, Might I… at The Kon Tiki.

Some of the Mai Tais involve rum substitutions from what the bar would normally serve, such as custom blend at the Lucky Tiki. This presents the reader with more to consider when visiting these places, but highlights that making spirit substitutions is often what changes a good Mai Tai into a great one.

11. Smuggler’s Cove
12. Latitude 29
13. Bootlegger Tiki
14. Stray Pirate
15. My Tie, Youse Tai
16. Mister, Might I… by Doc Parks at The Kon-Tiki
17. “Impress Me” Mai Tai at The Lucky Tiki by Skipper Christian
18. Mai Tai with Appleton 15 at Rumpus Tiki Budapest
19. Tai-Lo by Pagan Idol at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day
20. Brujo’s Mai Tai at The Kon-Tiki
21. Frozen Mai Tai at Make & Drink Studio
22. Mai Tai with Appleton 17 at Kona Street Market (shhhh…)
23. Sugar Plum Mai Tai (Sippin’ Santa) at 55 South
24. Original Mai Tai with LH 151 float at Trader Vics’s Emeryville
25. Zombie Village with Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin

Just Missed:
California Gold, Lost Inferno, The Fink, Trader Vic’s SJC, Frozen Mai Tai at Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, Trailer Happiness, Equiano Rum Mai Tai at The Shipwreck, Boo Loo Lounge, Kamalatai at Forbidden Island.

Honorable Mentions:
Wilfred’s Lounge, Our Big Luauski, Damn Fine Mai Tai by Greg Smith/Becca Morris, Trader Vic’s Munich, The Formosa Cafe, Red Dwarf, Hula Hoops (Lilikoi Tai), Kapu Bar, Golden Tiki

View the Top 10 Mai Tais of 2024

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Amazing Cocktails and Vibe at Bootlegger Tiki

Housed in a corner of a former Don the Beachcomber location, Bootlegger Tiki stands head and shoulders as the best craft cocktail tiki bar in the region. We made sure to secure reservations and were seated at the bar. Bootlegger is a small room, only eight bar stools, two high top seats, and three booths, so the interior is intimate. The patio affords additional seating options and is nicely appointed but not nearly as immersive. Despite such a small space, there are two service wells which means that orders are pushed out without delay. The bar recently celebrated their 10th anniversary in business, and music on our visit stuck to tropical and exotica tunes.

Bootlegger features a rotating menu that changes every so often, and number 17 features a host of original tropical cocktails plus five tiki classics including the Mai Tai. Bootlegger’s rum blend features an Agricole and Dr. Bird from Jamaica, which means that the Mai Tai is punchy and a flavor bomb. This is what a Mai Tai should be!

Bartender Daniel walked us through some of the originals and prepared them with aplomb, keeping up breezy conversation along the way. I was very impressed by the tropical blend in the Mai~Papaya with two rums, banana liqueur, passionfruit, orgeat, and papaya. The Queen’s Chair is an elevated Planters Punch with Jamaican rum, spices, citrus, and passionfruit, and I thought it was simply fantastic. Using heavy rum like this works so well in combination with bold flavors like allspice and cinnamon.

Mrs. Mai Tai enjoyed the Thai Iced Tiki, which features tea-infused Smith & Cross Jamaican rum and is served in a Chinese food to-go box complete with fortune cookie that says “Bootlegger Tiki loves you.” The feeling is mutual, even more so after she tried the Rhubarbie that includes Rhum Barbancourt and Rhubarb liqueur. The subtle creamy flavors and lemongrass of this cocktail were balanced to make this cocktail really approachable and easy to drink.

For some reason we skipped Bootlegger on our last visit to Palm Springs but we’ll never make that mistake again. It really is the top tiki destination in the region.

Mai Tai and Thai Iced Tiki
Mai~Papaya and Rhubarbie
The Queen’s Chair
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Instagram Top Nine for 2024

I do still continue to love Instagram, where even the ads help me with my holiday shopping. Plus all the connecting and commenting on the things we love to share. Check out the fun at @UltimateMaiTai on Instagram.

So, here are the Top Nine Posts for 2024.

Kamala Mai Tai (476)
History of the Mai Tai (417)
Trader Vic’s Black Tai Event (345)
Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport Expanded Seating (295)
Congrats Smuggler’s Cove on 15 Years (294)
Farewell Kon-Tiki Oakland (292)
Mai Tai Named Official Cocktail of Oakland (277)
Best Mai Tai in New Orleans (267)
Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend Meme (259)

Top Nine says I had 35,200 likes on 253 posts, an average of 139 per post, and that I’m in the “top 1% of accounts with up to 10,000 followers” with 7% more likes per post than average. Thank you for the likes!

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The Reef Palm Springs Remains Relaxing

Mrs. Mai Tai and I spent the morning doing antique shopping and decided to visit The Reef nearby for lunch. We were pleased to see that the place fairly busy with groups and couples, all enjoying the tropical ambiance either indoors or for others out on the patio. The music was set to Jimmy Buffett Radio, which stuck me as just fine for daylight hours near the Caliente Tropics pool.

Our server Alex was prompt and friendly, and we enjoyed our lunch including a gigantic Caliente Burger for me. Mrs. Mai Tai’s tasty Singapore Sling was very well prepared and balanced, though my Mai Tai unfortunately was too limey and didn’t have particularly bold rums. This is in line with previous visits where cocktails can be hit or miss.

The lack of pretension is a plus for The Reef and we saw several hotel guests roll in and our for drinks to bring out to the pool, so this remains a great daytime option for those staying at the resort or even day guests. It is just a lot of fun being here and looking at all the decor elements and even the retro video montage on the TV by the bar. We also peeked into the bar at the adjoining Sancho’s restaurant and saw several folks doing some drinking in the cantina which has its own retro charm.

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Tonga Hut Palm Springs for the Holidays

We had a nice visit to Tonga Hut in downtown Palm Springs, decorated nicely for the holidays including some festive music and holiday cocktail list. We were able to get a table in the lounge portion of the venue and were able to admire activity within the space that continues to be a great option for tiki veterans and newbies alike.

The cocktail menu has something for everyone and our cocktails were pretty good. I went with the Mojave Punch, which remains one of my favorites from their original cocktail list and features hibiscus syrup. Mrs Mai Tai ordered the Chai Tai which has a delightful Chai syrup and is very well-balanced with a great color as part of the presentation. I also ordered some chicken skewers that were well prepared and were served with a tangy glaze sauce.

Our service was super prompt and friendly, including a great job dealing with a mixup on my order (mutual issue with me and the server). We also spotted the replica Tiki Bob mugs for sale and found that they had a few of these left, so I took one of them home.

Chai Tai
Mojave Punch