We returned to Alter Ego Cocktail Club to give their Spring 2026 seasonal menu one last try, with Mrs. Mai Tai trying the High Heels and Cigarettes that features Scotch as a trainer for our upcoming trip to British Isles and Scotland. Meanwhile, I absolutely loved the zesty flavors of First Bloom that features basic, coconut, and lemon. The drinks at Alter Ego are really top notch and consistent on each of our visits.
First Bloom
Another favorite is the Bread and Butter, featuring salted butter and savory sprinkles on top. We love it, and the fries also have some Japanese seasoning as well. The chicken skewers are also very good.
Paul let us know they’ve introduced a new late night cocktail menu that features some of Alter Ego’s signature cocktails as well as some modern classic such as the Trinidadi Issues, Second Serve, and Smoke Ume Margarita. Some of these some from seminal venues and bartenders of the last 25 years of the craft cocktail revolution.
The sea of World Cup revelers parted for the afternoon on Sunday, offering the opportunity for Dr Funkto hold their quarterly Rum Asylum rum club meeting. The featured rum this time was Worthy Park from Jamaica, one of our favorites.
The session included tasting seven of Worthy Park’s expressions, including the recent 12 year bottle that is by no means inexpensive so that was a true treat. We also had a nice presentation from a couple Worthy Park reps and some informative Q&A.
Each Rum Asylum meet up includes a cocktail made with the featured rum, and the Dr Funk did a great job with the spicy and rummy Going Bananas. This worked great with the fruit notes that Overproof Jamaican rums are known for.
Several people completed the third level of the Rum Asylum to great applause and those of us in level II took a group photo. There were also several people joining for the first time and starting their rum lists as well. The rum community in San Jose is building nicely thanks to Dr Funk’s fine collection and these fun and informative Rum Asylum meetups.
I had the day off and decided to check out the World Cup madness in San Pedro Square, arriving late in the USA vs. Australia match. The street has been pedestrian only for several years but during the World Cup drinks can be brought out onto the street as well so that you could watch on the big screen erected in the street or on the TVs on the patios of several venues. Street vendors were selling flags, hot dogs, and even street Margaritas and beer amidst the chaos. We even saw a giant tour bus decked out for fans of Turkey who are playing at Levi’s Stadium tonight.
I found my way past the crowd and landed in an empty portion at the bar of Dr. Funk, whose patio was crazy crowded and who had a TV showing the match as well. By and large this indoor crowd was more sedate than some of the wild fans outside, though we did see quite a few people wearing jerseys for their favorite country and some really going all-out with their outfits.
Somehow the sea of crowd parted and there was a lull in the orders, just as Justin asked for an order. Dr. Funk had a small menu offered but I didn’t even need to look at it, ordering a Mai Tai which was just as great as usual except being served in a plastic cup that I could travel with if I chose to. The USA match ended shortly thereafter, scattering some of the crowd.
Tiki purists don’t love sports on TVs in a tiki bar, but it would be financial malpractice if the good folks at Dr. Funk didn’t take advantage of this once in a generation opportunity to stay open later and serve the throngs of fans. And I have a lot of respect for the crew who I can tell are working very hard and even longer hours to accommodate this special event. Look for some of the crowds to die down in a couple weeks especially once teams are knocked out of the tournament.
There’s some good news for the tiki fans, though, as there are still plans to update the menu and make some interior improvements to coincide. So there’s plenty of traditional tiki bar stuff to be had soon at San Jose’s best tiki bar.
San Pedro Square was awash in the aloha spirit on Sunday for the inaugural luau at Dr. Funk Rum House. The San Jose tiki bar’s ticketed event included Hawaiian food including barbecued pig, Polynesian music and dancing, and even a mechanical shark ride. VIP ticket holders were let in early to claim their spots on the large outdoor patio or indoors, offered a flower lei, a welcome cocktail, and two cocktail tickets. Standard ticket holders were let in an hour later and also received a guava-forward welcome cocktail.
The musical offerings started with DJ SamoaBoy on the patio, flanked by a few rum brands with samples and small cocktails. I especially enjoyed the daiquiri station from 9North rum where you could choose a style and a specific rum to pair with. Island Daze followed with an energetic Jawaiian set and then the entertainment concluded with some excellent Polynesian dancers from Ha’aHula TeReva including a fire dancer.
Throughout the day, Dr. Funk staff were offering small passed bites including spam musubi, sliders, delightful pork buns, and ahi tuna tacos which were our favorite. There also was a buffet featuring fried rice, macaroni salad, fruit, and freshly barbecued pork. This plate lunch style offering was pretty good, and there was more than enough food for everyone. I’d have liked a little soy sauce or some other sauces but overall we felt the food was well-executed.
Aside from the welcome cocktail, Dr. Funk was offering their standard menu and had two bartenders going at all times. None of us thought the welcome cocktail was particularly punchy and honestly was I disappointed there weren’t some special event cocktails being offered. Ever resourceful, I took matters into my own hands by ordering off-menu Blue Hawaii and Hawaiian Mai Tais. Thankfully, Justin and Joy rolled with the request and delivered some excellent drinks that helped us get into the mood – so much that we did end up briefly riding that shark!
Mid-May seems like a great time to do this, and a five or six hour experience was executed with aplomb. The Dr. Funk staff was fully engaged and working like a well-oiled machine for this event, yet still found a moment of levity to pose for a group photo with the shark. We hope this will be an annual event.
This Dr Funk original features mezcal, rum, Aperol, coconut, pineapple, and fire! It’s still really great and the flame last night was quite impressive. Mrs Mai Tai let it burn all the way down, leaving a charred breadcrumb at the top of the drink, but still really good.
Meanwhile I ordered an off-menu Three Dots and a Dash that tasted fantastic and just like it should be with juices and spices. The team at Dr Funk really nailed this.
My second drink was the Mai Tai, still amazing and made with Jamaica rums. This one was even better than the Mai Tai I had here a couple months ago, bold and flavorful but still balanced, one of the best of the year so far.
We also talked to the crew about the upcoming Luau at Dr Funk, very traditional including music, food, and drinks. Get your tickets now.
Each Trader Vic’s location has a signature cocktail that initially is available only at that location, though sometimes these cocktails come to other Trader Vic’s locations. This is a really great perk for those who seek out and visit the various Vic’s locations, and these cocktails are chosen with great care because the team a Trader Vic’s know they have to good.
The cocktail was developed by Daniel Velize and the recipe was shared a couple years ago at Tiki Oasis by Eve Bergeron. Notably, it’s a cocktail that uses the top-secret Navy Grog Mix syrup that is available for purchase on the Trader Vic’s online store.
Pilo Pilo by Daniel Velize 1 oz Lemon Juice ¾ oz Lime Juice ¾ oz Trader Vic’s Passion Fruit Syrup ¾ oz Trader Vic’s Navy Grog Mix ½ oz Trader Vic’s Spiced Rum ¾ oz Trader Vic’s Dark Rum ¾ oz Trader Vic’s 151-Proof Rum Shake with ice, garnish with three cherries and a spent lime shell.
I really liked this cocktail when I tried it a couple weeks ago before my flight to Seattle, and the blend of three rums really worked for me. I found it to be well balanced, despite all that citrus too.
We had a great time at the quarterly Rum Asylum rum club meeting at Dr. Funk on Sunday. Dr. Funk has been building their momentum with these quarterly Sunday meetings, where each meeting includes a rum brand with tasting and education, plus recognition for rum club milestones.
The featured rum brand this time was Hamilton, with Ed Hamilton himself speaking to the assembled masses and walking us through a bunch of Hamilton rum expressions. Ed is always an entertaining speaker and it never hurts to have some of his greatest hits to taste, including the Breezeway blend and my favorite Jamaican Pot Still Blonde. We also got to try the new Café Carib coffee liqueur that was really delicious. A featured cocktail called the Crimson Castaway featured a triple berry shrub and was fantastic.
By completing Level II: Deleri-Rum, I received a Dr. Funk asylum pin as well as this very nice pith helmet. Yes, another funny hat for completing a rum list! Level II featured over sixty rums from Dr. Funk’s vast collection, including some rare rums that are truly special. My last one was completed a couple days before and was Cadenhead Trinidad 18 which was really great.
