@ultimatemaitai On the bright sode i learned a bit about art auctions
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Trad’r Sam in Neon
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.
The Last Bottles of Denizen 3
Denizen Aged White Rum has been in the market for several years, alongside Denizen’s other blended rum products. It is positioned for use in Daiquiris and other cocktails where the a “light rum” is called for and when you want something with a lot more flavor than Bacardi. This is aged for three years and then charcoal filtered and features 80% column distilled rum from Trinidad and 20% high ester pot distilled rum from Jamaica. This is a big step up from the light rums that are not too different from vodka and the Jamaican component really adds a lot of character, body, and flavor even at 40% ABV.
The entire line of Denizen rums got new labels late last year and the Aged White Rum product now says it is “aged up to 5 years.” The big giant 5 on the label totally camouflages the “up to” right next to it. While a possibly longer age (still charcoal filtered) sounds good, the specific mention of Jamaica is no longer present. The label says that Aged White Rum has “both pot and column distilled blends from Trinidad and other Caribbean regions.” Aged White is also 40% ABV.
I did a side by side test of the new and old blends and noticeably favored the older Denizen 3. So, I decided to scour the internet for bottles still for sale and after some bumps in the road that included shady Chinese internet sites I did end up with two nice bottles of Denizen 3. They won’t be held back as precious vintage rums, so I’ll definitely not feel bad about using them in cocktails, but I’m glad I won’t have to pick a new favorite light rum anytime soon.
Palm Breeze Bar at Disneyland Hotel
The new DVC Villas at Disneyland Hotel opened recently and so we went to check it out during an afternoon break from park touring. The midcentury-inspired touches look nice, though this wing does not really integrate with the rest of the hotel towers. There’s only a minimal lobby space here, but the Palm Breeze Bar is adjacent to that entry and also to the small pool for this wing.
There are a lot of fun touches here, and plenty of midcentury design elements. We sat at the bar and ordered a Blue Bee’s Knees, which is a traditional gin-based Bee’s Knees with muddled blueberries. The level of skill and technique from the bartender was not as strong as we’ve grown accustomed to at Trader Sam’s / Tangaroa Terrace across the way, and so the drink was just so-so. Hopefully, this will improve over time.
We did see some other guests order an off-menu Mai Tai, which was prepared with BG Reynolds Orgeat (same is as used at Trader Sam’s). But, the limited rum selection at the Palm Breeze Bar meant this was mostly made with the sugar-heavy Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum, so not really a great choice for this cocktail.
The rest of the cocktails at Palm Breeze Bar lean to inspired but tourist friendly recipes, including a few highballs, some frozen drinks, and quite a few mocktails. There’s a food menu which we didn’t try, but otherwise this place looks like a nice place to hang out if you can’t get into Trader Sam’s or Tangaroa Terrace.
