Tiki Bar – Page 60 – The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai

August 26, 2022August 26, 2022

Mai Tai Day 2020 Virtual Toast

After the frenzy of 2019’s Mai Tai Day celebrating 75 years, 2020 was bound to be a more sedate affair. This was made even more so by indoor dining restrictions in summer 2020. So, the Mai Tai Day event was held in the parking lot in Trader Vic’s then current outdoor dining area.

The special glass in 2020 was a mason jar, quite fitting considering how to-go cocktails were packaged at Trader Vic’s during this period. It’s a wonderful variant of the seminal Trader Vic’s tapa design that’s graced glassware for years.

Drinks were available from the outside bar, and food could be ordered online. I thought my Mai Tai was quite tasty on this day, which was foggy and cool in the late morning when the event opened.

Later, there was a virtual toast with those attending in person being able to raise a glass with Mai Tai fans worldwide with Trader Vic’s CEO Rhett Rosen.

See you Sunday for the 2022 Mai Tai Day event and be sure to arrive early to see my seminar on the Hawaiian Mai Tai at 2 pm.

August 25, 2022August 25, 2022

75 Years of Mai Tai Roa Ae

In 2019, the Mai Tai celebrated its 75th anniversary. On a sunny Saturday in late August, Trader Vic’s flagship location in Emeryville held a special event to celebrate the occasion.

Every single square foot of public space was used at the restaurant, including all of the dining rooms, the outdoor patio, and the venerable Mai Tai lounge. Bands and DJs played, arts and craft vendors crammed into corners selling their wares, photo booths allowed guests to capture the moment, and a buffet provided an all-you-can-eat opportunity for hundreds of guests to sample some of the best food that Trader Vic’s offers.

And of course there were Mai Tais; eight variants in fact. Plus other Trader Vic’s cocktails, and long lines for thirsty patrons.

As the party reached its apex of capacity, Trader Vic’s granddaughter Eve Bergeron called the assembled masses together for a toast. And then she passed the microphone over to Forbidden Island and Conga Lounge tiki bar owner Michael Thanos.

Thanos was in his element. Like a country preacher, he told the story about how he lobbied to have the Mai Tai declared the official cocktail of Oakland. And then how the effort failed but at least the city did declare Mai Tai Day to be August 30. As he finished the story, he asked for glasses to be raised as he brought the assembled crowd to a fevered crescendo by proclaiming “Long live Trader Vic’s! Long live the Mai Tai!“

See you Sunday for the 2022 Mai Tai Day event and be sure to arrive early to see my seminar on the Hawaiian Mai Tai at 2 pm.

August 24, 2022August 24, 2022

Real Mai Tai Day 2018

This was the previous nomenclature used by Trader Vic’s Emeryville to designate the Mai Tai Day on August 30, to differentiate from “National Mai Tai Day” on June 30 (an unofficial cocktail holiday). Thankfully, many places are transitioning to the August date and this “real” name isn’t used anymore. Though I’m not sad to have two Mai Tai Days each year, if you know what I mean.

The 2018 event featured special Mai Tai glasses and DJ Otto Von Stroheim in the lounge. Practically quaint compared to the festivities since then. Similar celebrations were held at Trader Vic’s in 2016-2017, before I started doing the Mai Tai rabbit hole thing again.

See you Sunday for the 2022 Mai Tai Day event and be sure to arrive early to see my seminar on the Hawaiian Mai Tai at 2 pm.

August 21, 2022August 21, 2022

Wilfred’s Lounge in Napa Makes a Fine Little Saturday

Late summer seemed like a good time to venture up to Napa to check out the wine town including their very fine tiki bar and restaurant, Wilfred’s Lounge. They have a main entrance but the bar has open doors and you can order at the bar and drink there or take it upstairs to the deck or into the ship’s hull section.

We did a group dinner and given the size of the party we were seated on the patio. The restaurant isn’t large and so the patio is used as overflow and additional seating. While it’s not a dark immersive experience, there are worst places to hang out in the early evening given the cool breezes from the adjacent Napa River. And plenty of people watching.

The Hawaiian-inspired menu isn’t vast but we really liked the meal. I found my Kalua Pork to be just the right amount of greasy and and had a mild but very satisfying flavor. And we made sure to leave room for some ‘Ono Pie (don’t call it “Hula”) with coconut ice cream, macadamia nuts sprinkled on top with caramel, and cream. So good.

The cocktails remain on point. Their Mai Tai uses Jamaican and Martinique rums but these are not too challenging for the wine crowd and leaned a bit towards a lime cordial taste. The Doc’s Grog was quite fantastic. The strawberry cocktail called Maximum Aloha continues to impress, not sticky sweet like you’d expect but a tart leaning base to balance all the coconut banana whip on top. They have a very good rum collection and reasonable prices. As the menu says “call your spirit,” which I did (with please and thank you) for a Mai Tai with Denizen Vatted Rum.

Thanks to Doc Parks and the crew who did so well to service our group, even when it expanded mid-meal. Reservations are always helpful on a weekend, and Wilfred’s has a large collection of mugs and other merchandise for sale. I’m also a fan of the size/shape of their swizzle stick.

August 18, 2022August 18, 2022

Overgrown Again at 65th and San Pablo

This is the lot in Oakland where the original Trader Vic’s location stood from 1934 until it was closed in 1972 when Emeryville location opened a couple miles away. I’m not sure when the building was taken down. Literally ground zero for the Mai Tai, invented here in 1944.

From time to time I like to visit and see what the current state is, and notably the lot is now completely overgrown! Compare the photos from 2021 and 2020 to see what this could look like, and to 2017 when it was also overgrown.

You’ll note that one of the two palm trees that framed the entrance to Trader Vic’s is still standing and even has some green fronds. The other one was cut down in 2019 to a 4 foot stump. That stump later disappeared and supposedly was carved into a tiki by Notch Gonzalez. At least according to the “I am Tiki, from Trader Vic’s” page on Facebook. Check it out for even more historical details.

Getting back to the lot, I noticed the “lot for sale” signs are no longer present. Maybe someone bought it. Maybe someone gave up trying.

August 17, 2022August 17, 2022

Relaxing Sunday Lunch at Trader Vic’s

Had an impromptu trip to Berkeley and we stopped in at Trader Vic’s Emeryville for a late lunch on Sunday. We were seated in the lounge and had a great time with our favorite appetizers Crab Rangoon and Cheese Bings. I had the Trader Vic’s Salad with chicken for lunch.

Went a little beyond the norm by having the E’Ville Awa cocktail, a very fine Trader Vic’s-style cocktail with pineapple, rums, gin, and brandy. I went with the no-booze Coral Reef for desert, a sweet blended drink with strawberries, pineapple, and coconut cream. Yummy, and sure to give you a brain freeze.

Meanwhile Mrs. Mai Tai tried the Golden Grog, which is a grog-riff using Rhum Agricole, pineapple juice, and honey. Quite nice, and the agricole definitely helps this lean in a different direction than many of the Vic’s cocktails. She also tried the Mango Mai Tai, having tried the Guava last time. That’s made with light rum and while it tastes tropical it doesn’t really have a lot of “Mai Tai” taste to me. Which might be a plus or a minus, depending on who you are.

Always lovely to look at the scenery inside and to soak in the history of this Vic’s location that opened 50 years ago this year.

August 16, 2022August 15, 2022

The CanTiki in Glendale

I heard about this new Cantina/Tiki hybrid bar opening a few months ago, and CanTiki was right on the way back from dinner so we stopped in to check it out. It’s located on Glendale’s busy Brand Blvd, though a few blocks down from where most of the restaurants and bars are. Thus might explain why it was kind of slow when we visited.

Service at the bar was friendly nonetheless and we explored the menu. First things first, this isn’t a tiki bar. It’s a bar with a tiki inspired cocktail program. There are lots of choices and you can tell they’re trying to do something different with the cocktails.

I had doubts about the Mai Tai/Painkiller hybrid Kill Mai Pain that featured a hodgepodge of ingredients and also had a float of Cruzan Blackstrap rum (had I realized that was there I would have asked for a sub or chosen a different cocktail). It wasn’t bad but not that memorable. I should have tried the Fly for a Mai Tai available on tap, which seems like a more traditional take.

Much better was Mrs. Mai Tai’s Banana Hammock, an inspired Daiquiri riff that included a couple rums, Giffard Banana liqueur, and Aztec Chocolate bitters. It was quite good.

There are a few tables and a few booths, and everything inside is painted black. All the pillows in the booths had some sort of Nicolas Cage imagery on them, which we found interesting. The Christmas tree was left over from a Christmas in July promotion. There were a few drink specials and it does seem like they frequently partner for food pop-ups, so check their social media for the latest updates.