The second event of Trader Vic’s 90th Anniversary weekend started off with a reception for three-day passholders. We had a reception in the Captain’s Cabin room and were treated to a Mai Tai and a half ounce pour of Appleton 17 Legend Rum. Where Trader Vic’s found three bottles of this I’ll never know, but it was nice to try this fabulous rum once again. Some bites were also part of this reception.
For anyone willing to participate, Trader Vic’s provided a map of nearby tiki bars. You were encouraged to visit these bars and have a featured cocktail that payed homage to Trader Vic’s cocktails of the past. For those not on the three day pass that would start at Vic’s with a cocktail. For teams able to get through all eight locations, they could upload a photo of their stamped map to possibly win a prize.
The participating bars were Smuggler’s Cove, Pagan Idol, Zombie Village, and Last Rites in San Francisco, plus Alameda’s Forbidden Island, and Kon-Tiki and The Barbary in Oakland. These were good choices, though Last Rites tries to pretend they’re not a tiki bar, and The Barbary isn’t tiki either but at least the owners are former Vic’s bartenders.
We heard Smuggler’s Cove was opening early for passholders, so Lyfted over and entered the doors at 4:08 pm to find four empty seats at the bar, practically unheard of. I totally loved the Eastern Sour riff that used fresh lime and orange along with quality Jamaica rums. I also had the Cove’s legendary Mai Tai.
Our next stop was Zombie Village right at opening where we enjoyed the Kapua Swizzle and Mrs. Mai Tai’s favorite the Coco Pandan. After some socializing we headed over to Pagan Idol and loved their Fogcutter riff called the Apple Crank. I really dug this, and also had an excellent Jungle Bird. We took a break for dinner across the street at Cafe Tiramisu.
We were starting to run out of steam, and regretting not sharing more of the cocktails. We finished at The Barbary, a bar new to all of us that has a tropical and nautical vibe. We liked the decor, though it was really warm inside. But none of really enjoyed the cocktails, with the off-menu Mai Tai being pretty terrible.
A salute to the teams who completed all the stops. This was a fun event that once again demonstrated the respect and admiration the various tiki bars have for each other and how Trader Vic’s remains the beating heart of the genre.
