Tag: Alameda

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Forbidden Island Mug Swap

We had a great time for the annual tiki mug swap at Forbidden Island last night. Thanks to Chad for organizing and hosting this, we put our wrapped mugs into the pile and ended up with some new ones. Mrs Mai Tai really loved hers, and while I thought the mini bowl was nice I was thankful for a trade.

There’s a nice holiday cocktail menu and Mrs Mai Tai loved the Tropical Hot Coder. Meanwhile I drank a couple rums from the rum list and gladly accepted the suggestion for a premium Mai Tai made with Monymusk 10 yr Jamaica rum. Very good Mai Tai with additional depth.

Lots of good cheer in Alameda.

Mug Draw
Traded Mug
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The Rum Curious Club Happy Hour at Forbidden Island

We had a nice afternoon of rum exploration in Alameda a couple weeks ago at Forbidden Island, an event produced by the Rum Curious Club and sponsored by Flor de Caña rum. I’d attended a couple previous Rum Curious events locally that had different formats, but this one seems to be the right scope.

This Happy Hour event had free registration and was held in the afternoon on Forbidden Island’s tented patio that’s still a great place to gather. Rum Champion Bryan Inman led the event and the discussion of Flor de Caña rum, including samples of five expressions including their 25 year old rum. Brand ambassador Melissa Borras also discussed Flor de Caña’s production methods and rum line, with Dan Marshall from Alameda’s CRAFT Beer & Wine in attendance for people to order rums for pickup at discount.

Whereas some of the previous Rum Curious Happy Hour events were paid, this one was free for rum tastings and the option to purchase $10 Flor de Caña cocktails from a special menu. This seems like a great balance and doesn’t require everyone to pay up front especially if they’re not drinking (or not drinking much). And it really helps when those cocktails taste great as they did on this day – shout out to the Forbidden Island team for preparing these delightful drinks.

This was a well-run event, and I think this is the best format for these Rum Curious Club Happy Hour events. You get to try some rum without an upfront cost, there are modestly priced cocktails for those who choose them, and an option to purchase the rum if you like it. This is one of those cases where everyone wins.

Flor de Cana 25!!
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Second Summer at Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale

What a great weekend to visit cool Alameda for the annual Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale. Lots of good stuff, though we didn’t end up buying anything. Nice to browse, though, and visit with tiki friends also in attendance.

There were a couple cocktails available for walk-in shoppers who attend without a seated reservation. I made a great choice with the Second Summer featuring rums, St. Germain, and Fassionola. Super fruity with hints of spice. Deeelish.

The Parking Lot sale is also open Sunday.

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Kamala-palooza at Forbidden Island

Forbidden Island brought together tikiphiles with members of the City of Alameda Democratic Club for a fundraiser and social. Raffle tickets were available for prizes donated by local businesses and tiki mugs donated by some of the local Ohana. Plus a silent auction for some tiki related items and a bit of Kamala swag including lawn signs and hats.

As with Forbidden Island’s Ukraine fundraiser from 2022, the team had two featured cocktails for the event.

The Kamalatai featured rums from Jamaica, India, and Oakland (“in case anyone needs reminding of her roots”) and was really well done, featuring Hamilton Pot Still, Amrut, and Wright & Brown rums. I’d love to see this punchier rum blend stick on the menu, it was that much better than the standard FI Mai Tai. Added to the list of top Mai Tais of the year.

Out of a Coconut Tree featured Jamaica rum, coconut water, pineapple, and honey. This leaned a little light but I thought it was really great. They don’t all have to be complex spice bombs.

The patio area was quite full during the evening, and the FI crew did a good job keeping up with demand. Thanks to Michael, Justin, Sara, and Jarrod for fab service.

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Forbidden Island Mug Swap 2023

One of my favorite holiday traditions is the mug swap at Alameda’s Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge. You bring a mug that’s boxed or bagged and then when your name is called you take one from the pile. You trade in a mug maybe you don’t love and you might end up with something better, it’s just that simple. No stealing in this swap.

The event was organized and hosted by Chad Martens. This year there were three categories of mugs based on resale value, which worked well so that you don’t trade something super rare for a garbage mug.



As it turns out, Mrs Mai Tai actually picked the mug I brought 😂. I showed her the mug before we left but I forgot to show her the bag! But, we ended up trading for something else with one of the other event attendees after the picking of bags was over. It was a Christmas miracle.

FI was super packed, needless to say. So thanks to Sara Rivas for keeping up with the bar orders and making some fab cocktails, and the entire staff working well together. Fun times.

Chad Martens
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New Rum List and Fantastic Mai Tai at Forbidden Island

We had a great time at Forbidden Island last Saturday taking one of Mrs. Mai Tai’s work colleagues for their first tiki bar experience. Nicely busy but not too crazy until a party bus full of revelers showed up wearing holiday costumes (we think we even saw Buddy the Elf), though thankfully they were seated in the patio. We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere inside in our booth, thank you very much.

I’ve decided to start another Kill-Devil Club 1.0 rum list at Forbidden Island. We’ll see how long it takes without the to-go option that helped me accelerate the exploration of rum in 2020-2021, but I’m looking forward to trying some new rums and old favorites. Nice to be able to try these rums in a Daiquiri or Mai Tai for a nominal upcharge.

I really enjoyed the Mai Tai with Smith & Cross Jamaica rum. The bold and boozy rum really played well with this finely prepared cocktail, definitely one of the best of 2023.

Thanks to Michael for always appreciated hospitality and also to Justin for a great suggestions for a nearby Sushi restaurant.

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Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale

Great day on the patio in Alameda for the annual Parking Lot Sale at Forbidden Island. There were some really great vendors on Sunday for our visit, and I came away with a lantern from Relic Vintage and a Disney aloha shirt and a fish float from Tiki Tacky Tu. Mrs. Mai Tai bought a necklace from Match Accessories. We look forward to this event every year. DJ Tanoa Stewart provided some great garage rock-leaning vintage tunes.

My lantern worked out really great. Besides looking nice on our patio, it matched the cocktail I’d already ordered: the Port Light. Serendipity! Forbidden Island’s Port Light cocktail is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of bourbon. We also enjoyed the Spam Musubi.

Port Light Cocktail