Drive by shoot for something I’m working on. Needed to get a photo of the iconic sign at night.
Trad’r Sam has replaced the canvas awning and hope the lights for the arrow will eventually illuminate again.
The Sinking Ship Room is Bakersfield’s Amazing Basement Tiki Bar
Mrs Mai Tai and I were excited to visit The Sinking Ship Room again, the basement sister venue from the folks behind Tiki-Ko. Access is through a separate door on the street and you cannot pass from bar to bar without going outside. The hours currently are more limited for The Sinking Ship, which is a larger and more elaborately themed space than Tiki-Ko upstairs.
After our visit to Tiki-Ko earlier, we arrived at The Sinking Ship right at opening at 7 pm on a Saturday and quickly got our drinks. I ordered the standard-issue Mai Tai that was really great with a blend of Jamaican and Martinique rums and some pleasant nutty flavors from the orgeat. The mood music was in full effect and allowed us to admire all the nick nacks, tikis, and nautical decor inside. There’s a mix of tables and lounge tables, with a large booth available by reservation.
I was feeling like I wanted to try another cocktail and scanned the shelves to see if there was an interesting rum to have in a Mai Tai. I spotted a bottle of Rhum J.M Terrior Volcanique and thought this aged agricole rhum might do well. Terrior Volcanique is aged in barrels with a double char process that results in a smoky and spicy rum. I haven’t loved this rhum neat in a glass but it was absolutely fantastic in a Mai Tai even at only 43% ABV. Like really, really amazing. Easily the best so far this year and a lock for placement on the year-end Top 10 list.
The Sinking Ship Room is an amazing space that every tikiphile needs to support and visit. The outstanding and immersive decor pairs so well with the Tiki-Ko crew’s unpretentious and friendly service orientation.
Bakersfield’s Tiki-Ko Remains a Stellar Destination
On our way home from SoCal we decided to stop in Bakersfield for the evening and landed at Tiki-Ko for a round of cocktails before heading downstairs to the adjacent Sinking Ship Room bar and then to dinner. We arrived at around 6:00 pm and sat in a booth on the far end of the room. We’ve enjoyed Tiki-Ko in the past, and the welcoming vibe was in full effect when bartender Jorge recognized and welcomed us by name.
I decided to try something new here and went with a Lapu Lapu, a juicy tropical cocktail that provided a stealthy punch. I liked this and it seems to have been made with the right specs. The bar got busier and busier as our visit went on, so its nice to see Tiki-Ko pulling in locals and travelers alike. Music inside is wonderful and we like the U-shaped bar layout and the lounge tables near the entrance.
Tiki-Ko has more regular hours than The Sinking Ship downstairs, and both largely share the same cocktail menu, so either way you’re in for a fine time. In the past we’ve had a great Mai Tais and always enjoy the Mary Ann cocktail. There are some good restaurant options nearby if you wanting to make an evening out of it, like we did. Tiki-Ko remains a stellar tiki bar and ought to be considered a regional treasure.
Next: The Sinking Ship Room is Bakersfield’s Amazing Basement Tiki Bar
Mai Tai Presentation for Three Rum Club
Had a great time yesterday for a private seminar for the Three Rum Club, a group of home tiki bar bar owners who are affiliated with Tiki Tom’s in Walnut Creek. The Three Rum Club crowd was a great audience, asked good questions, and even laughed at the punchlines.
The presentation was Appreciating Rum Through the Lens of the Mai Tai, a rum-focused seminar on how the rums in the Mai Tai changed over the years. We covered the different rum styles used by Trader Vic’s over the years, when Rhum Agricole was first used, and how rum blends have been a key component in a Mai Tai for decades.
The welcome cocktail was a special Three Rum Mai Tai that I put together and got to prepare behind the bar at Tiki Tom’s. The three rums included 1 oz of Worthy Park Estate 12 yr and ½ oz each of Worthy Park 109 and Kuleana Hawaiian Rum Agricole. The bold Jamaica rums combined well with the Hawaiian rum that imparts vegetal notes and was really delicious. We have to thank Darrin, Steffani, and the entire team at Tiki Tom’s for their assistance and always appreciated hospitality.
Thanks to Sherri for the logistical help and for the photos.
Rebirth at the Royal Hawaiian Laguna Beach
There’s been a Royal Hawaiian restaurant in Laguna Beach for decades, but the venue has gone from great to terrible to okay to terrible and now once again to great thanks to an impressive rebuild led by Notch Gonzalez (Dr. Funk, Smuggler’s Cove). We made sure to visit the refreshed location on our trip and met up with friends but had a late 8 pm reservation on a Wednesday.
Inside, the Royal Hawaiian looks completely gorgeous and the modern “Fire Grill” elements that led the 2019-2022 RH version are completely gone. Instead, it’s an explosion of bamboo and thatch that is quite immersive. We were seated in a booth in a back corner of the restaurant and indeed we seemed completely shut off from the outside world (and the staff, as it would happen). Food is Polynesian inspired and we liked what we tried.
The cocktail menu is nicely varied, including the Royal Hawaiian’s signature Lapu Lapu, a bold grog served flaming. I found the Mai Tai to be just okay but did really love the Saturn riff Passionate Maiden, with Elderflower liqueur subbing for the Orgeat in the original. Really great.
Our service was good and we were having a great time. At some point the excellent surf and exotica soundtrack transitioned to a nice but out of place post-punk / post-punk revival soundtrack. This should have been our clue we were staying past closing at 9 pm, though remember we were all the way in the back corner and didn’t catch the drift (nobody reminded us of the closing time, either). Sorry about that, RH crew, alcohol may have been involved.
On the way out we saw jade tiles, artwork, and other lighting elements that were a feast for the eyes. The overall build and vibe here is absolutely breathtaking and we enjoyed the traditional cocktails and food inspired by tiki bars of the past.
Day Time is the Right Time at Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel
Our usual plan for park touring at Disneyland is to avoid the heavy crowds during the afternoon and explore other parts of the resort. Such was our journey last Friday to check out Trader Sam’s in mid-afternoon. We checked in to see if something was available inside and they said they could seat us immediately if we took two seats on a corner of the bar. This wasn’t perfect but seating at the bar is pretty great and with no wait was even better.
We love Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. Such a great vibe inside where everyone was in a great mood, friendly but not out of control. Our bartender Maddie did a great job with our drinks and then eventually let us move over a couple sets to let the next walk-up couple take the corner seats.
Mrs. Mai Tai ordered a Krakatoa Punch but was informed the special effects weren’t working, definitely a bummer but this longtime menu favorite delivers. She then went for her favorite, the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum which is Sam’s version of a Painkiller. She also ordered some Panko-crusted Long Beans that were savory and tasty.
I ordered a Mai Tai with Smith & Cross rum which was truly outstanding. Maddie knew I wanted it in an original 1944 Mai Tai format and it came out exceptionally balanced and so flavorful. In this case, as the customer I’m calling for a better rum than the standard light/dark used in Trader Sam’s standard-issue Mai Tai, and its nice that a hotel bar has so many great rums to choose from and that bartenders are willing to make a cocktail with a called spirit.
The exceptional part of Trader Sam’s is the talent of the bartenders to go off menu. Most skippers have their own secret menu of original cocktails and most seem familiar with the classics as well. I asked Maddie for a Navy Grog and was served an excellent version that was rich with flavors and spices and included three different rums. Really a couple a fantastic cocktails from Maddie.
There were a few empty spots during our stay, even by later in the afternoon on a Friday, so it can be possible to get seated inside even if you don’t have a reservation. Trader Sam’s remains one of my favorite tiki bars anywhere.
Escapist Tiki at San Clemente’s Lost Inferno
The Lost Inferno is the sister property of Stowaway Tiki and we ended up having a couple hours to kill in southern Orange County so decided to make a quick trip down to San Clemente to check it out. This is tiki bar with thematic decoration from the 1985 movie The Goonies. As such, there are pirate elements including a great grotto cave featuring a waterfall and skulls embedded in the rock (thank you Bamboo Ben) but also a few tikis. The music is exotic and there’s a nice back bar with plenty of interesting rums and other spirits to choose from.
As regular readers are familiar, when I visit a new tiki bar the first cocktail is always a Mai Tai. This seemed like a poor choice when I remembered that I had the Mai Tai at Stowaway the previous day, and when delivered the cocktail looked identical. But something about this version was better balanced and more rum-focused (something I’ve heard subsequently from others, go figure). Mrs. Mai Tai’s Rocky Road cocktail was right up her alley featuring vodka, chocolate liqueur, marshmallow, and peanut butter.
This venue is not well advertised from the street, though the Sushi place upstairs is (ironic since that restaurant has a speakeasy entrance). The venue isn’t large but there are a few standing room spots and tables scattered throughout. Lost Inferno’s twist on the theme is welcome, while still providing an authentic and cohesive tiki bar experience that is definitely worth checking out.
