Appleton 17 Rum at Kona’s Street Market SF

Apologies in advance to those outside the Bay Area.

Act fast friends, because there is still some Appleton 17 in the wild and the price is a total steal. Get over to Kona’s Street Market in downtown San Francisco and check the back bar for the bottle. I had the pleasure of scoring a neat pour last week and this expression designed to replicate the original Mai Tai rum remains worth seeking out, so much flavor and still approachable at 49% ABV.

For some reason this is priced at just $30 for a 1½ oz pour. That is essentially the same as you’d pay if you bought the bottle at retail, so there’s basically no markup. Don’t waste time asking why when you could be heading to Kona’s right this very moment and getting a taste of this exotic elixir.

You might be tempted to try this in a Mai Tai, which is what I did during a visit to Kona’s in December. At just $40 for the cocktail it is certainly a good value for this rum. And it wasn’t half bad, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the amazing other Appleton 17 Mai Tais that I’ve had so set your expectations accordingly

There it is, Mai Tai fans, possibly your last opportunity to try this rum and even in a Mai Tai if you prefer. Let me know how it goes.

The Last(?) Appleton 17 Mai Tai

I was fortunate to procure a Mai Tai’s worth of Appleton 17 Year Legend Jamaica Rum, the limited release from 2023 that was developed by Appleton Master Blender Joy Spence to replicate the character of the original Mai Tai rum, Wray & Nephew 17. As was well-chronicled in 2023, this long-aged 49% ABV rum has a ton of flavor thanks to it being 100% pot-still distillate and including rare marques unlike any of the mainstream Appleton rum expressions. The Appleton 17 Mai Tai at Smuggler’s Cove was my favorite of the year and the best so far this decade.

I was always interested in making an Appleton 17 Mai Tai using the same ingredients I use at home. My favorite orgeat and orange curaçao but also my own ice, so that I can compare to other Mai Tais that I make at home. Would the Appleton 17 rum remain notable? Yes, friends, yes it does.

At 49% ABV, this rum is very approachable compared to a lot of overproof flavor bombs. There’s just a little less of a punch in the face, which means that it is very smooth once it gets into Trader Vic’s masterpiece cocktail. You can really taste the rum and this is a cocktail you want to sip to savor every last drop.

I don’t know how many of those original 1500 bottles still exist. I’m sure many were opened and still not quite finished, which means that running across a bottle in the wild is exceedingly rarer and rarer. But there are still bottles out there on the back bars of retail establishments and there most certainly some bottles keeping collectors and home bartenders company. Keep on the lookout, friends.

Glassware: Smuggler’s Cove circa 2019

Raid the Cove Rum Night at Smuggler’s Cove

Had a great time visiting the City on a chilly Wednesday evening to participate in a special discount program at Smuggler’s Cove. “Raid the Cove” meant that all rum pours were 20% off, a sizable discount especially for some of the Cove’s legendary rare (and, yes, expensive) rums.

The event ran smoothly considering the need for staff to gather all the rare and obscure bottles from within the tight confines of the venue. The staff really worked hard to fill orders and I saw many of the Rumbustion Society members working hard to add more rums to their checklist and saw numerous bottled drained!



I took the opportunity to try Appleton Joy for the first time, finding it quite good and definitely a lot more rich and funky than some of the other longer aged Appleton rums (especially Appleton 21). I compared Joy to Appleton 15 and definitely thought it was so much better, thanks in part to this blend of rums all being aged 25 years or longer.

We also took the opportunity to order a couple of Smuggler’s Cove’s famous original cocktails. Mrs. Mai Tai had Dr. Barca’s Fluffy Banana and I had the Rongo Rongo, both so rich and full of flavor (and booze!). Thanks to Melissa for making great cocktails despite all the chaos.



This probably wasn’t the best night for newbies to visit but for experienced rum nerds who are participating in the Rumbustion Society it was quite a good night for some less expensive rum pours.

Big Top Mai Tai

I’m not letting an open bottle of BG Reynolds Circus Peanut syrup go to waste and decided to lean into a tweaked Mai Tai recipe from Jason Alexander of Devil’s Reef fame.

The recipe includes Passionfruit syrup, which I think pairs really great with the Circus Peanut (I used it in my Hurricane riff, the Hurriclown). But I dropped the amount down to a quarter ounce to focus a bit more on the traditional Mai Tai syrup, Orgeat.

Big Top Mai Tai by Jason Alexander
1½ oz Lemon Juice
¼ oz Passionfruit Syrup
½ oz Orgeat
1 oz BG Reynolds Circus Peanut Syrup
2½ oz Planteray Xaymaca Rum
Shake with crushed ice

Xaymaca’s unique funky taste really works well here, as does the lemon juice in place of traditional lime. This is a big, bold cocktail that is delicious.

The Best Tiki Bar in SoCal is Trader Sam’s

We had another great visit to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel on our recent trip, arriving in the mid-evening on a Sunday during the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s. Despite being such as busy weekend at the resort, we were paged and seated at the bar within just 20 minutes even without a reservation.

The cozy confines of this bar feel like home, thanks in part to the Skippers who recognize regulars or even irregular vacationers with a greeting. Such was the case for us again this time as Skipper Melissa said hello and took our order. For many years Mrs Mai Tai’s favorite drink has been the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum, which is the Trader Sam’s version of a Painkiller. And they made it just as great as usual, though as her tastes are changing it now might be too sweet for her palette. I asked for a Mai Tai with Smith & Cross Jamaica rum and it was simply fantastic and made totally on point, thanks to Skipper Melissa.

The ability for the bar staff to adapt to customer requests and even develop their own custom “secret menu” items is truly what separates Trader Sam’s from many bars. Even in a high volume location like this, I’ve never seen them bat an eye at this and in some occasions they’ve even encouraged orders of off-menu items. The staff here from greeters to servers really work well together.

Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum and Smith & Cross Mai Tai

The Disneyland version of Trader Sam’s has a few special effects when certain drinks are ordered, but this is relatively mild to the Disney World version where you can barely breathe in between effects and gags; the Disneyland version is better where it is a special event not an onslaught. The immersive space is impressive as is the friendly customer service at this Trader Sam’s where we saw a bartender reposition a guest so that they could see the Shipwreck on the Rocks display for their order.

Trader Sam’s has been an intro to tiki bars for so many people who likely are forever spoiled by the dark immersive space with so many thematic elements and exotica music that’s always on point. It is about as good as any tiki bar anywhere given the size and it is our favorite in the region.

BAH RUMBUG!!

Another banger from San Francisco mixologist Nathan Robinson, this is sort of a “Planters Grog” riff that includes some bold flavors and a little maple syrup to keep things warm and seasonal.

This is quite good, if you have the Liquid Alchemist Falernum like I do. If you don’t have Liquid Alchemist I’d suggest using your own Falernum at half an ounce in combination with a quarter ounce of Allspice Dram as this will more closely approximate the flavor. And if you use a little extra Maple Syrup I wouldn’t discourage you from doing so.

Bah Rumbug by Nathan Robinson
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Red Grapefruit Juice
¾ oz Bold Falernum (pref. Liquid Alchemist)
½ oz Maple Syrup
1½ oz Demerara Rum (pref. Hamilton 86)
1 oz Black Blended Jamaica Rum (pref. Coruba)
Shake with crushed ice and pour into tall Zombie or Pilsner glass. Garnish with mint, if you have it.

Mele Kalikimaka and Merry Christmas

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.