Posts

Posted on

Pusser’s American Bar Munich

I was remiss in posting a trip report to Pusser’s American Bar, often recognized as one of the best in the world. We missed this last summer and several trusted advisors said it was great, so we made sure to check it out on our recent trip.

We loved the cozy experience, though could only stay for one drink since we’d already had several at nearby Trader Vic’s. The venue has multiple levels and we were seated downstairs, with prompt and immediate service from our server.

The menu is as large as any I’ve ever seen, offering myriad options for whatever type of cocktail you’d like and a large spirits selection as well. Mrs. Mai Tai ordered a Grasshopper that was excellent while I spotted a Mai Tai that listed the ingredients as rum, lime, lemon, sugar, almond. The rum-forward drink was absolutely delicious and a stellar example of what a great Mai Tai should taste like.

Posted on

Ron Legendario from Cuba

When I arrived home from Europe I discovered the rum fairy had placed these bottles of Cuban rum in my suitcase, lo and behold. That would be the only explanation of how they got there.

Ron Añejo 9 Años is a very nice aged rum aged for nine years. This rum has a fruitier flavor profile and I thought it was pretty good, though I didn’t like it as much as Havana Club 7 which is more oaky.

Elixir de Cuba is actually a liqueur, something I didn’t notice until I tasted it. It is 34% ABV and definitely dosed with a ton of sugar, if that’s your thing.

It was only little bottles on this trip, thankfully, as we were basically borderline overweight on our two bags.

Posted on

Winter Cocktails at Alameda’s Forbidden Island

We had a great time at the annual Tiki Mug Swap at Forbidden Island this week. You bring a wrapped tiki mug and then draw from the pile and get a new mug that someone else brought. This year I got a vintage Hawaiian mug, Mrs Mai Tai came away with a cobra mug, and our friend David got an alternative Suffering Bastard. No horse-trading afterwards this year, we were happy with what we got.

While I drank some rums from FI’s Kill Devil Club list, Mrs Mai Tai had a couple drinks from the holiday cocktail menu. I thought the Tropical Cider was really great and I loved the herbal elements in the Nog Your Socks Off. The Hot Buttered Rum is always good here too, so check these out while you can.

Posted on

Clarified Ultimate Mai Tai

Huge shout out to our buddy Rex Stone (aka DJ Ship Rex) who brought a clarified version of the Ultimate Mai Tai to a recent gathering. Clarified cocktails are an area that I’m not deeply familiar with but sounds like Rex used standard milk washing techniques.

The resulting elixir is very smooth to drink but still has plenty of the flavor that the Ultimate Mai Tai is famous for. So, if you’ve ever thought about trying it I can tell you that the effort will be worth it – even better, if there’s any left over from the gathering then clarified version will last for days.

So, cheers to Rex for making the effort and delivering a fantastic Mai Tai in a different format. One of the best Mai Tais of the year.

The Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend features equal portions of Appleton 12, Smith & Cross, Planteray Xaymaca, and Planteray OFTD rum.

Posted on

Pau Hana Studio: Holiday Open Studio

Sunday afternoon’s drive up to the Oakland Hills was so pleasant but paled at the festive time at Pau Hana Studio‘s Holiday Open Studio. The event showcased the activities at the studio, focusing on Woody Miller’s ceramics, lamps, and other art that’s featured in tiki bars far and wide. Additionally, there was a mini marketplace with artist in residence Laura Head, Joe Kent’s alohaware, and some really great sweet treats from Bristlecone Bakery. Lively festive music from DJ Danny Santos set the mood, plus some drinks and treats for those visiting.

Laura Miller and Woody Miller from Pau Hana Studio

Pau Hana Studio has been running craft classes for the last couple years and announced a series of new ones for the 1st quarter of 2026. Iconic Tiki Mugs returns, allowing attendees to see the full production process for a tiki mug and to glaze one to their liking. The popular Black Velvet Painting, Lamp Building, and Carving Tiki Bar Signs classes are also returning. One new class that I’ve already signed up for is Knot-Tying for Glass Floats, taught by Kristin Moore of Fore and Aft Oar Designs. You can check out all the class details on Pau Hana’s website.

Woody also showed off some mugs connected to new tiki bar projects that look amazing, plus the recently released collaboration with Smuggler’s Cove and a wall of his greatest hits. He was also kind enough to sign a few Kon-Tiki Oakland items I’ve collected over the years.

DJ Danny Santos
Posted on

Nightmare Before Christmas at Dr. Funk San Jose

Downtown San Jose’s cocktail scene is really hitting its stride, and there are tons of holiday offerings so Dr. Funk is doing another holiday pop-up to blend their tiki bar with a themed overlay. This year’s theme is Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, including some fab decor and special menu items.

Worm’s Wort, What’s This, and Deadly Nightside

Given that this movie franchise has roots in both Halloween and Christmas, the team at Dr. Funk smartly leaned into the Christmas side for this particular pop-up and as with previous efforts the decor team create an immersive space that looks great and is a lot of fun. There are five specialty cocktails, plus a brownie and ice cream desert.

Consistent with previous Dr. Funk pop-ups I felt that these cocktails were good overall, with no stinkers in the bunch. Deadly Nightside is basically a Mai Tai with activated charcoal and it’s fine but doesn’t really hold a candle to Dr. Funk’s regionally famous Mai Tai that’s always great. But this is a nice change of pace, especially if you find the Dr. Funk’s Mai Tai to be too assertive.

By far the best of the cocktails is the Hot Buttered Rum riff called Dr. Finklestein’s Creation. This hearty and spice-forward cocktail has several overproof rums to help warm you during those cold San Jose nights, and the large portion was served in a great mug. I know the character in the movie is called “Finklestein” but one wonders if “Dr. Funklestein” would have been more appropriate.

Nightmare Before Christmas runs through December 31, reservations highly encouraged.

Posted on

Lost Recipe: Camparinara

This historical punch recipe was recently discovered and amplified by Derek on his Make and Drink channel on YouTube. It is Campari-forward, with other ingredients familiar to tropical and exotic cocktail fans.

In Derek’s video he published two single cocktail versions of the Camparinara and I chose the one that’s more rum forward. It originally calls for ginger and clove and so I used Falernum in place of the Ginger Syrup that Derek used. And rather than using Allspice Dram I used “Don’s Spices no. 2” which is equal parts Allspice dram and Vanilla Syrup.

It’s a really interesting and very flavorful cocktail that I’d like to see commercial tiki bars adopt. Cheers to Derek for finding this lost treasure.

Camparinara – Rummy Version on Ice
1 oz Lemon juice
2 tsp Falernum
2 tsp Cinnamon syrup
2 tsp Don’s Spices no. 2
1 oz Campari
2 oz Rum (Mount Gay XO)
Shake with ice and strain over a large ice cube. Garnish with ground nutmeg.

Watch the video on YouTube