Category: Tiki Bar

Posted on

Clarin vs. Rum

This was a pretty good pairing the other night when I went to Dr. Funk to keep working on my Rum Asylum rum list.

Clairin Communal is a really great four different clairins from small distilleries in the municipalities of Cavaillon, Baradères, Pignon, and Saint-Michel-de-l’Attalaye. Issued at a very approachable 43% ABV, the robust sugar cane juice distillate isn’t as grassy as some “agricole” style rums.

Meanwhile Angostura rum has a range of rum expressions, many of which contain added sugar.  Angostura 1919 here didn’t strike me as sweet as a I remember and is perhaps dryer than some of the others from the range. I believe this particular expression may be discontinued as I don’t see it on the Ango website.

Dr. Funk has a quarterly Rum Asylum meet-up and the next one is March 22. These events aren’t ticketed (at least not yet) and feature a rum brand with samples, education, and usually a lower cost cocktail made with one of the expressions. I expect I’ll complete Level II of the Rum Asylum by the time of this next event.

Posted on

Fortune X Romance at Dr. Funk in February

Valentines meets Lunar New Year at Dr. Funk in downtown San Jose, featuring themed lighting and decor, a limited edition cocktail menu, and specialty garnishes. The red theme of Fortune X Romance works pretty well as neither holiday overshadows the other.

We tried four of the five drinks on the menu, and we didn’t try the specialty desert this time. But we did enjoy most of the drinks and overall this was a strong selection of options that worked well with the well-executed theme.

Jaded Lover
Works a great companion to the jade tiles throughout the venue, but only if you’re a pandan fan since that’s the predominant ingredient. We didn’t really taste the wine float, but the 151 rum helps pack a punch.

Moonlit Blossom
It’s a Painkiller with blackberry added, served with a sparkler that’s sure to impress. We couldn’t really taste the Jamaican rum but overall this cocktail was a big hit at our table. Not as sweet as you might expect.

Red Thread
If cherries are your thing, this is the drink to get. That OFTD and Jamaican rum does push through and this cocktail has a great mouthfeel and a lollypop chaser if you feel it isn’t sweet enough. Recommended.

Smoke & Silk
The mezcal isn’t overpowering but we all felt this drink tasted a little flat and thin. The flavor was there but it needed “more” to compete with the other great drinks we tried.

The fun garnishes really make this speciality cocktail menu and theme be cohesive. This ranks among the best pop-ups that Dr. Funk has done – check it now through February 22.

Posted on

Welcome to Sugar Town

Most spirits aficionados are aware that many rums contain added sugar. During my visit to Dr. Funk I chose two that are most noteworthy in this practice.

Planteray/Plantation 20th Anniversary XO has a base of aged Barbados rum and then adds a heavy dose of sugar, making this very easy to sip with hints of coconut. This wasn’t nearly as sweet as I remember, though still very far afield of typical Barbadian rums.

XO has a rep for being really high on those added sugar lists, but was practically dry compared to Papa’s Pilar which tasted basically like maple syrup it was so sweet. That one I didn’t finish.

Having a neat pour of rum can give you insights to the brand and understand the diversity of the rum category. Some expressions are those you return to again and again. And there are others you don’t.

Posted on

Rum Tasting at Dr. Funk

Had an impromptu visit to Dr. Funk to knock out a few more runs from the Rum Asylum rum list. These were pretty good, even the Havana Club which tasted a bit more rounded than I remember.

I’d probably rank them like this:

  1. Coruba
  2. Flor dr Caña
  3. Rhum Barbancourt
  4. Diplomatico
  5. Havana Club

I need to get busy and finish the level II list before the next quarterly meetup in March.

Posted on

Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s Atlanta

Locals told us that Trader Vic’s Atlanta makes all Mai Tais using the Mai Tai Concentrate syrup unless you order by calling for a “1944 Mai Tai” so we put this theory to the test by ordering multiple Mai Tais over the couple nights we were in town. Hard work if you can get it, I know.

Original Mai Tai

Indeed, our order for an “Original Mai Tai” resulted in a Mai Tai that used the Concentrate rather than orgeat, orange curacao, and rock candy syrup from the original recipe. Thankfully the 1944 Mai Tai was made using scratch ingredients and is a wonderful representation of a Trader Vic’s Mai Tai. Our ’44 on Thursday was truly fantastic (apart from the tiny mint) and the one Friday was also very good, reminding us why we feel in love with the cocktail many years ago.

There you go Mai Tai nation. At least for now this is the practice in Atlanta and those in the know can choose their own adventure.

This Vic’s location has their own Mai Tai glass design (pictured above) that’s fantastic and pays homage to the Barney West carving on the back patio. I don’t need more Mai Tai glasses but I had to get it.

1944 Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s Atlanta

Posted on

Frozen Delights with the Peachtree Punch and Grasshopper at Trader Vic’s Atlanta

Two highlights from our visits to Trader Vic’s Atlanta were a couple of frozen drinks that are designed for very easy drinking.

The Peachtree Punch is the signature cocktail for this location, described as including light rum, peaches, oranges, and “a soft southern whisper of coconuts”. Using peaches, Georgia’s state fruit, makes a lot of sense and the flavor profile was mild and not overpowering, a plus for me. I enjoyed the punch and for me was a very good change of pace from the boozy tiki drinks I’m usually imbibing.

Peachtree Punch

Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai fell in love with Trader Vic’s Grasshopper, featuring crème de cacao, crème de menthe, and vanilla ice cream ordering it both nights were there. As desert cocktails go, this creamy blend was excellent and a true palette cleanser. Highly recommended.

Grasshopper

The Sea Dreams and Koana Puffer cocktails were also very good, comparable to other Vic’s locations. We’ll cover the Mai Tai in a separate post.

Sea Dreams and Koana Puffer