Category: Tiki Bar

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Mai Tai with Rolling Stones Rum at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Trader Vic’s Emeryville partnered with the Rolling Stones’ Crossfire Hurricane Rum for some cocktail and glassware bundles in June which we missed out on, but we found ourselves at the marina for dinner last Friday and provided an opportunity to taste the rum in Mai Tai form.

The product is named after a lyric from the Stones’ song “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and is a blend of rums from Jamaican, Barbados, and Dominican Republic and issued at 40% ABV. Online reviews indicate this is likely sweetened, but I tasted no unwelcome flavors when I asked for the rum in Mai Tai format. It is a flavorful rum and made for a very nice Mai Tai – not too punchy but with enough rummy flavors to satisfy. We continue to appreciate that Trader Vic’s Emeryville allows for called rum Mai Tais especially since they have a nice selection to choose from including rarities such as this one.

The special Mai Tai glass produced in conjunction with Crossfire Hurricane rum was available at Emeryville in the green colorway but is now sold out online.

Our dinner at Vic’s was fabulous as always, and my son even tried the Indonesian Rack of Lamb that seems like a dish that would have been contemporaneous with release date of the Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” single. The lamb is cooked in the Chinese oven and while I’ve seen it on Vic’s menus for years I’ve never tried it until this time – we both enjoyed it.

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The Kon-Tiki Auction at Little Hill Lounge

Our beloved favorite tiki bar The Kon-Tiki closed in Oakland last December, but for one night only we got to relive the memories with a special night at El Cerrito’s Little Hill Lounge. Several former Kon-Tiki bartenders were making classic drinks such as the Kon-Tiki Grog, Virgin’s Sacrifice, and Uma Uma. Food including an amazing burger was from Chisme, the new venture from former Kon-Tiki chef Manuel Bonilla and friends soon to take over the Kon-Tiki space in Oakland. So good – just like I remember from the Kon-Tiki days.

Owned by the same ownership group, Little Hill is a dive bar on San Pablo Ave. with plenty of retro touches and a nice back room that’s typically used for live music. On this evening the back room was used to auction masks, lamps, floats, and other items that previously hung at the Kon-Tiki. Joe Kent served as the auctioneer and did an amazing job, assisted by fellow “Oakhana” member Jeff Hall. The frenzy was palpable as dozens gathered to take home something from Kon-Tiki, some mentioning that the Kon-Tiki served as an inspiration for their home tiki bar. I went home with a Woody Miller wall carving, a small Oceanic Arts tiki, and giant float.

The Mai Tai was a variant called “Now that’s a Fucking Mai Tai” and was made with the Worthy Park 5 yr Single Barrel procured by Kon-Tiki. This very rum-forward Mai Tai hit all the right spots for me and I think that the Kon-Tiki Grog and Kon-Tiki Zombie were a great as I’ve ever had them. And it was so nice for Mrs. Mai Tai to have an Uma Uma again as well.

Reliving the Kon-Tiki with Friends

There were so many people at this event, with some great retro music from DJ Ship Rex and Woody Miller. Doc Parks also played DJ and went a bit off the rails with some mainstream 80s top 40 but people seemed to be having a great time. While we’re really not getting Kon-Tiki back again, Little Hill Lounge is not that far away and does cocktails just as well as they do beer and shots, so check them out.

Guest Bartender Carlos
DJ Ship Rex
Woody and Doc Hyping the Crowd
Joe Kent
I got a Woody
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New Cocktails at Dr. Funk / Anchorman Trivia

We had a great time a couple weeks ago on back to back visits to Dr. Funk, first to check out the Monday trivia event which was the movie Anchorman. In a past life I used to have a podcast and blog about the Frat Pack so this was a seminal movie and one of my favorites. We finished second but I won the raffle for a bottle of Scotch (yes, you can say it… “I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…”). This one was more sparsely attended than past events but lucky for us since it was the last night of the old Dr. Funk cocktail menu they were running specials on some of the drinks that were being dropped.

Jungle Bird

Dr. Funk’s new cocktail menu launched the next night, so we brought the family to give the drinks a try. I was especially interested in trying the revised Jungle Bird that dropped Cruzan Black Strap and is now using Worthy Park Select from Jamaica and so much better. The other new cocktails were well-received by the family including the Boozy Beachbum, Thai Chi, Espresso Oasis, and Myers’s Storm. The Lychee Luau was a little less sweet than when I sampled it during a preview, but it is still one that I recommend. And if you are looking for a Dr. Funk swizzle, you’ll have a hard time missing one.

During my visits I did take advantage of Tuesday’s all-day Happy Hour pricing to have the Mai Tai for only $12, plus a Hamilton White Stache Daiquiri off the Rum Asylum checklist. The DJ for this particular Tiki Tuesday was DJ Ship Rex who always provides an energetic set of vintage tunes.

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Dr. Funk Rum Asylum Meetup with Appleton Rum

We missed the first quarterly meeting that took place shortly after the Rum Asylum rum club launched at Dr. Funk in the winter but we didn’t want to miss out at the recent meetup that featured Appleton and Wray & Nephew rum.

The event featured some literature about the rum expressions plus some guided tastings from a Campari rep who also answered questions about the production process in Jamaica and history of the brands. There was also a fantastic cocktail special using Appleton 8 called Tikitastic that comes from local rum legend Mark Holt who was attendance. Plus plenty of Appleton and Wray & Nephew swag for the well-attended event.

The event also included a couple who finished Level 1 and took the Rum-o-cratic Oath, plus details about the rewards for level 2 (a pith helmet inspired by Dr. Funk himself) and the hints of a limited edition mug made by a well-known local artist for completing level 3.

Tikitastic

The next Rum Asylum meetup is Sunday, September 21st at 3:30 pm – don’t miss it.

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The Worlds Best Mai Tai Contest Regional Qualifier

I had a blast attending one of the regional qualifying events for the relaunched Worlds Best Mai Tai contest held last week at Tiki Tom’s. The event is relaunching after the organizers of the previous contest withdrew from organizing the event during COVID. I attended the last competition held in Kona in 2019, so this new event was of great interest.

The contest is sponsored by Myers’s rum and Bols liqueurs, a step up from when it used to be sponsored by Bacardi. As such, the event participants had to incorporate products from the sponsors, such as Bols Curacao, Myers’s Dark, and the underrated Myers’s Platinum – but weren’t limited to those product and many contestants infused ingredients and created custom rum blends. The finals for the Worlds Best Mai Tai will be held in Las Vegas at the Palms Casino on August 25 with the winner receiving $15,000.

There were several rounds during the qualifying event at Tiki Tom’s, plus a small selection of appetizers and Tiki Tom’s Mai Tais available for purchase. Though the Ultimate Mai Tai was not on the menu, the standard Mai Tai was pretty good even when served in a plastic cup. There were brand reps from Myers’s so we got to taste a selection of rums including their Signature Cask Collection (I found the Rye casks expression to be the best), plus pins and other swag.

There were a number of interesting Mai Tais made, and unlike the 2019 competition most of them actually did resemble Mai Tais. We had a soft spot for Kriss from Boo Loo Lounge who barely missed the podium by two points and finished third. The top two spots were Jenn Crider of Tiki Tom’s who did a spam-washed rum with maple orgeat, and mobile bartender Julie from Ravendark Cocktails who reacted with emotion after finishing first.

I’m really pleased to see this competition relaunching, with an even more elaborate program in line for 2026. View the recap video.

Julie
Jenn
Kriss

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Bamboo Hut / China Live

Mrs. Mai Tai and I had a great Friday evening in North Beach a couple weeks ago where we caught the late showing of the Magic Cocktail Hour, a funny show with magic and supernatural elements, plus okay cocktails.

We landed in the area by having a drink at nearby Bamboo Club, where at six it was pretty dead until a bachelorette party came in for shots and drinks.

I had the Zombie that leaned on Pernod, but not in a bad way, and found it to be plenty boozy too. Meanwhile Julie had the Rico Guave with coconut rum, cachaca, Aperol, and Guava Rose Syrup and was really tasty and blended well.

Zombie

China Live was our dinner destination and coincidentally was next door to the Magic Cocktail Hour venue. We loved the dim sum including the world famous dumplings that were amazing. Our friendly waiter helped us go through the menu and was otherwise prompt and attentive, so we really enjoyed the meal.

Even with cocktails ahead of me I tried the Mai Tai and was glad I did since it was quite nice with aged Bacardi and Cointreau. We even got to talk a bit to bartender Christian Rivera (ex-Pagan Idol) who seems to be doing a great job with quality control. We’d return here for sure.

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Top 10 Mai Tais of 2025 So Far

We’re halfway through 2025 and it has been a great Mai Tai year so far, including some interesting new entries to our top tier Mai Tai list. Note that many of these feature custom rum orders compared to the standard-issue at these locations because sometimes you want a Mai Tai with a special rum to elevate the cocktail. If you ask nicely the bartender will typically be able to accommodate the request and this can often lead to outstanding results.

1. Rare Cane Jamaica Pot Still Mai Tai at Devil’s Reef
While there isn’t a strict 1944 Mai Tai on the menu, owner Jason Alexander made this one special for me using some pungent Jamaican rum of his choosing and it was so punchy and flavorful just like we like it.

2. Appleton 17 Mai Tai at Kona Street Market
We had to work with the bartender a bit on this but it was totally worth it and a bargain at only $45 with the exceedingly rare Appleton 17 rum.

3. Smuggler’s Cove
The standard issue Mai Tai at Smuggler’s is always a favorite and one of the best anywhere. On this evening it was basically perfect.

4. Kiki’s Premier Mai Tai at Inside Passage
Even better than Rumba’s next door, featuring symphony of rums including house barrel-aged Rivers Royale, Appleton 15, Chairman’s Reserve 1931, Rhum JM Terroir Volcanique, and Saint James 110 – plus two orange liqueurs. Worth a couple extra bucks.

5. “Xaymaca Mai Tai” at The Cellar
I called for Xaymaca in this off menu item and they also included aged Martinique rhum as well, but I didn’t mind given the stellar results.

6. Appleton 21 at the Make and Drink Studio
Part of a blind test with all of Appleton’s evergreen releases, the barrel notes and orange peel flavors made a great Mai Tai that both Derek and I thought was the best.

7. Dr Funk $8 Mai Tai Monday
It is the same as their world-class standard issue Mai Tai with Appleton 12 and Smith & Cross Jamaican rums but is only $8 all day on Mondays and such a value pick.

8. OG Mai Tai at The Fink
The Fink is Napa’s premier cocktail bar with a wide variety of styles, but their tiki cocktails are exceptional including a fantastic Mai Tai that would make Trader Vic smile.

9. Strong Water Anaheim
An evergreen strong contender in this category featuring rums from Guyana and Jamaica, so complex, chewy, and rich.

10. “Punchy Mai Tai” at Club 33
Given the exclusive nature of this venue you’d expect them to make a great off-menu Mai Tai and they really delivered. It was even better when I asked for a second on that was “more punchy.”

Just Missed the Top 10:
Appleton 17 at Wilfred’s Lounge
Pagan Idol
Okole’ Maluna Mai Tai at Da Tiki Hut
Bitter Mai Tai at Strong Water Anaheim
Boo Loo Lounge
Dublin Tai at Trader Vic’s Emeryville
Passion Tai at Trader Vic’s Emeryville
Rumba

Noteworthy Additions:
Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport
Ultra Chill Mai Tai at Bahama Breeze
China Live
Dave’s Special Mai Tai at Lucky Tiki
Clifton’s Pacific Seas

Honorable Mentions:
District San Jose, Fog Harbor Fish House, The Tonga Room, Luau Lounge 1944 Mai Tai