The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai – Page 52 – Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman

November 19, 2024November 19, 2024

The Aloha Caftan Society Theme by Mark Riddle

We saw this at the Tee-Ki Togs table at the recent holiday bazaar at Trader Vic’s Emeryville, where the cover model Audrey Moorehead was selling it in a bundle with her signature earrings.

Following up on 2023’s acclaimed LP Lahaina Sunset, Mark Riddle returns with an EP celebrating the Aloha Caftan Society. You may know Riddle by his stage names “Marty Lush” of Tikiyaki Orchestra fame and “DigiTiki”of podcast fame. If you find that your collection of caftans is overflowing, well, Riddle’s bouncy theme song is the perfect companion for your next meetup and strut. The EP is available from Riddle’s digitiki.com on a hot pink flash drive.

The EP contains three versions of the “Aloha Caftan Society Theme,” with a straightforward lounge version setting the mood, incorporating a hypnotic whistle riff that’s the most memorable component of the theme. The upbeat “Tiki A-Go-Go Mix” has a little bit of modern remix vibe, guitar from Skip Heller, and spoken word snippets. The “Long Walk Mix” is a relaxing journey that’s over 8 minutes long and features extended flute solos from Jay Work. Two bouncy lounge originals complete the set, with “Sun Hat” weaving Riddle’s signature vibraphone with organs and “Walter Goes Shopping” offering an inspired shuffle.

This is a great EP of music and worth seeking out even if you don’t wear caftans.

The Aloha Caftan Society Theme by Mark Riddle
The Groovy Sounds of Mark Riddle
DigiTiki Productions

November 17, 2024December 15, 2024

Dr. Funk Tiki Mug and Marketplace

Downtown San Jose was the place to be today for the inaugural tiki marketplace at Dr. Funk at San Pedro Square. There were a number of notable tiki and retro vendors, and the pedestrian-friendly locale meant there was a lot of great visibility for the market and also for Dr. Funk being the city’s premiere tiki destination.

We saw folks from as far away as Petaluma, Sacramento, and SoCal for this event, including DJs, cocktails on the patio, and a full menu for those with reservations and seating. Dr. Funk seems to be learning that you do have to work a little to maintain awareness of your business and this event portends of good things to come. The event was the brainchild of Jill Robeson and Amanda Hastings, so kudos to the pair at putting together a great event with the team from Dr. Funk.

There’s also an inaugural mug that’s a likeness of the actual Doctor Funk himself. This Tiki Farm mug looks great and is priced to sell at $45. This is a huge step up from the logo-printed glasses that have been on sale for a while and again seems to provide evidence they appreciate that the business needs to do more than open doors to maintain their core clientele.

One of the items available today was an amazing Grog that I was told was still in development but if what is in the glass is any indication I think they’ve already got what they need. Featuring plenty of juicy grapefruit plus spicy cinnamon and a ton of allspice to go with some funky rums, this thing is a boozy beast and absolutely fantastic. Kudos to Justin and team, lock in that recipe and put it on the menu!

Dr. Funk will be celebrating their third anniversary in December, so stay tuned for further events and celebrations.

November 17, 2024

The Best Mai Tai in Marin County at California Gold

Still catching up on somewhat old news, but I didn’t want to skip highlighting the fabulous tiki takeover weekend at California Gold in downtown San Rafael. This was appended to the weekend after Halloween and was a tiki/horror theme with a special menu of exotic cocktails. The overall decor was a pretty nice overlay on the “history of California” theme that California Gold already has and which I enjoy.

We’ve always had great experiences with the cocktails here, and their rum collection shows they know and appreciate our particular favorite cocktail genre. The takeover featured a number of classics but also recently created tropical tipples mostly from California Gold’s Isaac Shumway. The Mai Tai features a nine-rum blend. Not two or three or four, but nine! The flavorful blend was full of flavor and one of the best of the year for me.

We hear California Gold is considering doing this menu occasionally starting in 2025, so keep an eye out and make plans to visit San Rafael’s charming downtown.

November 14, 2024December 3, 2024

The Best Mai Tai in New Orleans

If you were expecting me to tout Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29, you’d be right. And if you were expecting me to tout Cane & Table, you’d also be right.

Because what is my best Mai Tai may not be your best Mai Tai, as I’ll explain.

Latitude 29: Approachable All-Star

Latitude 29’s Mai Tai was fantastic when I visited in 2018 and remains a stellar entry, combining rums from Martinique and Jamaica, plus a small amount of a secret rum, and Berry’s signature Latitude 29 Orgeat. The rich cocktail has a lot of flavor but it doesn’t hit you in the face with grassy or brine notes that can be a big turn-off for many cocktail drinkers. Even after dilution there’s still a lot of great flavor.

Cane & Table: The Rum Lover’s Flavor Bomb

I was totally blown away by the rich and potent flavors of the Cane & Table Mai Tai that features three rums: Appleton 12 Jamaica rum, Rivers Antoine from Grenada, and Paranubes aged from Mexico. The barrel notes from the Appleton combine with the vegetal flavors from the sugar cane juice rums in a way I’ve seldom experienced, with brine notes and only subtle grassy notes. The heavy rums really worked for me, because I like heavy and boozy rums in a Mai Tai. But I suspect many cocktail drinkers would not share the sentiment.

Different Audiences

I know that not really picking a winner seems sort of like a cop-out, but I do think these are made for two different audiences.

Latitude 29 challenges the casual NOLA drinker with elevated cocktails that are so much better than the frozen Daiquiris on Bourbon Street. But this is still a safe and mainstream option, a perfect introduction for tiki newbies.
Meanwhile, Cane & Table’s Caribbean-inspired culinary menu bleeds over into the cocktails, challenging customers with flavors they may have never experienced before. If you know, you know – but not for everyone.

They are the best Mai Tai in New Orleans.

November 13, 2024November 14, 2024

Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 – Best Tiki Bar in NOLA

We bookended two visits to Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 during our visit to New Orleans, making sure to visit more than once to the preeminent restaurant and tiki bar from acclaimed author and cocktail historian Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. Look at the menu of nearly any tiki bar and you’ll find Berry’s original cocktails or more likely cocktails whose recipes were lost until uncovered by Berry. Check out his books Potions of the Caribbean or even better the 10th anniversary edition of Sippin’ Safari for all the historical details written in the Bum’s inimitable style, but suffice to say that every single fan of this genre owes the Bum a huge debt of gratitude.

Inside Latitude 29, there are tables and booths on one side and bar / hi-top seating on the other, and we got to experience both on the trip. There’s a smallish food menu her and while I loved the burger and pimento cheese rangoons, it was tough for Mrs. Mai Tai to find something she liked between the fishy catfish bao and Korean fried chicken. Our service was generally good, though it appeared staff was one server shy of a full crew both times.

But nobody comes to Latitude 29 for the food; we come for the immersive tiki bar decor and the amazing cocktails. We’ll talk more about the Mai Tai tomorrow but we’ll say that overall the standard cocktail menu items were really great, including the Navy Grog (the Bum’s favorite), Zombie, and a fab Rum Barrel with a ridiculously over the top garnish. A top-notch Cobra’s Fang was on the special Halloween menu which also featured some other impressive cocktails. You can even get drinks to go, which we took advantage of with a to-go Mai Tai!

Latitude 29 was well-decorated for Halloween and it is great to see special decor and the standard stuff mixed in between, complete with a killer spooky soundtrack. There’s a cabinet of historical items in the bar area, plus Beachbum Berry merch if that’s your thing. We loved our visits to this wonderful bar and must-see destination for any NOLA visitor interested in cocktails.

November 12, 2024November 14, 2024

Cane & Table: Top Culinary and Cocktail Destination in NOLA

Cane & Table came highly recommended for their rum-focused cocktail program, but we really enjoyed the Caribbean-inspired dining options as well. Located in the French Quarter on Decatur Street just past the French Market, the venue’s organic feel includes a relaxing patio and plenty of space in the main dining room and bar. My grilled coulotte steak was truly outstanding, featuring avocado puree and fried yucca, and the service here was friendly, efficient, and knowledgable.

But certainly the cocktails are the highlight here, seemingly the best in town. I thoroughly enjoyed the well-balanced Hurricane & Table that is made with house-made Fassionola, easily the best Hurricane that I tried during our visit. Our entire table enjoyed the cocktails.

There’s a Classic Mai Tai on the menu but I went bold and had the upscale Cane & Table Mai Tai that includes three rums which were Appleton 12 Jamaica rum, Rivers Antoine from Grenada, and Paranubes aged from Mexico at the time of our visit. I didn’t miss the Martinque rhum that’s supposed to be in here at all, since there’s still a ton of sugar cane juice rum flavors to work with. If you love a bold rum blend, it is hard to beat this monster combo and the rest of the cocktail was expertly prepared to highlight the incredible flavors. One of the best Mai Tais of the 2024 and possibly the best Mai Tai in New Orleans.

November 11, 2024November 25, 2024

New Orleans Rum Society

One of the things I made sure to do in New Orleans was get signed up with the New Orleans Rum Society from the Black Duck Bar on the second floor of the Palace Cafe. There’s no cost to sign up and you get a checklist of 37 rums to purchase and taste, and when you complete the list you get your name on the plaque on the wall.

For my first rum I wanted to do something local so chose an aged expression of Old New Orleans Rum. I found this to be quite delicious and plenty flavorful even at 40% ABV. And this pour was really cheap, $6!

Even better is that members get a free pour of the rum of the month, which was the new Mister Fogg Navy Rum when we visited in October. I didn’t love this rum when I bought a bottle a couple months ago but it was pretty nice during our Jazz Brunch visit. We really enjoyed our brunch, by the way, as the Palace Cafe’s food and Dixieland jazz really worked great for a hangover Sunday.

There is a selection of over 130 rums here, so there’s plenty of different brands and styles to choose from when you complete the list or decide to choose your own adventure. If I was a local I’d be able to knock this out in a few fortnights but it’ll be a while in tourist mode. Still, something cool to check out next time you’re in NOLA.