Tag: TikiMug

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Amazing New Flotsam Fizz Cocktail is a Cocktail / Mug Bargain

One of the new offerings we tried during our recently visits to Smuggler’s Cove is a new cocktail and mug pairing featuring one of the Cove’s signature crate mugs paired with a new cocktail from Dane Barca (of Dr. Barca’s Fluffy Banana fame). The Flotsam Fizz and mug combo is only $25 and you can choose your mug from those still available.

The Flotsam Fizz contains “potent rums,” lemon, coconut, passionfruit, pineapple, and cola. It has a wonderful fruity taste and a nice foamy head, garnished with an orchid and lemon twist. I really loved this cocktail, with some of the spices from the cola working very well with the tangy fruit flavors from the passionfruit. Honestly, I wouldn’t have felt ripped off if the cocktail itself was $25, but to get a mug alongside means this combo is a steal!

Our friend Kristi also ordered one and we both chose Demerara as our mug of choice from those available.

Additionally, the good Dr. Barca also mentioned he has a new drink he’s been working on called Fool Me Once… That’s the one pictured with the Hibiscus Rum Punch and the details of the evening are hazy, thus I’m not certain what’s in it but it sure tastes fantastic, so ask Dane next time you’re at the Cove and you’ll be in for a treat.

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New Luck Toy: West Seattle Immersive Chinese Bar

New Luck Toy is a 21+ Chinese restaurant and bar in West Seattle that isn’t really tiki aside from a couple stools, but does provide excellent cocktails and an immersive space that will appeal to fans of the genre. There’s a main dining room, a back room with the bar, plus a small karaoke lounge / waiting room near the main entrance. There’s also a really nice dragon mural on the back side of the building, too.

Tiki with Ray recommended this venue and once again he chose wisely as the place was busy on a Friday but we were able to find seats at the bar without difficulty. The configuration of seating is chairs on a raised platform, so you sit normally rather than the typical raised barstool arrangement. Our bartender was helpful at walking us through some of the menu items, and made a custom non-alcoholic drink for Ray, with the Chinese menu arrangement showing which ones are frozen and on tap. Several cocktails are served in tiki mugs and prices are very reasonable, around $13 or $14, and there are some beer and wine options including four beers on tap.

I was interested in both the Mai Tai and the frozen Singapore Sling and broke the tie by getting both. The Singapore Sling comes in a fish mug that is nice on the eyes and in the hand, with a very good cherry flavor that I found balanced and tasty. The Mai Tai is on tap and I had low expectations, expecting pineapple juice, but found this be a really good 1944 style Mai Tai. Though served in a large glass, the Mai Tai didn’t taste watered down at all, and there’s plenty of booze in there too.

Hanging out with Tiki with Ray

The vibe inside New Luck Toy was a delight with hanging lanterns and a shelf of tiki style mugs backing the bar. I heard good things about the Chinese-American food and definitely would consider returning in the future.

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Winter Cocktails at Alameda’s Forbidden Island

We had a great time at the annual Tiki Mug Swap at Forbidden Island this week. You bring a wrapped tiki mug and then draw from the pile and get a new mug that someone else brought. This year I got a vintage Hawaiian mug, Mrs Mai Tai came away with a cobra mug, and our friend David got an alternative Suffering Bastard. No horse-trading afterwards this year, we were happy with what we got.

While I drank some rums from FI’s Kill Devil Club list, Mrs Mai Tai had a couple drinks from the holiday cocktail menu. I thought the Tropical Cider was really great and I loved the herbal elements in the Nog Your Socks Off. The Hot Buttered Rum is always good here too, so check these out while you can.

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Pau Hana Studio: Holiday Open Studio

Sunday afternoon’s drive up to the Oakland Hills was so pleasant but paled at the festive time at Pau Hana Studio‘s Holiday Open Studio. The event showcased the activities at the studio, focusing on Woody Miller’s ceramics, lamps, and other art that’s featured in tiki bars far and wide. Additionally, there was a mini marketplace with artist in residence Laura Head, Joe Kent’s alohaware, and some really great sweet treats from Bristlecone Bakery. Lively festive music from DJ Danny Santos set the mood, plus some drinks and treats for those visiting.

Laura Miller and Woody Miller from Pau Hana Studio

Pau Hana Studio has been running craft classes for the last couple years and announced a series of new ones for the 1st quarter of 2026. Iconic Tiki Mugs returns, allowing attendees to see the full production process for a tiki mug and to glaze one to their liking. The popular Black Velvet Painting, Lamp Building, and Carving Tiki Bar Signs classes are also returning. One new class that I’ve already signed up for is Knot-Tying for Glass Floats, taught by Kristin Moore of Fore and Aft Oar Designs. You can check out all the class details on Pau Hana’s website.

Woody also showed off some mugs connected to new tiki bar projects that look amazing, plus the recently released collaboration with Smuggler’s Cove and a wall of his greatest hits. He was also kind enough to sign a few Kon-Tiki Oakland items I’ve collected over the years.

DJ Danny Santos
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Tiki Lounge Lights Save the Day, er, Night

PG&E has been working in our neighborhood for weeks but Wednesday had two scheduled power outages that were part of the maintenance. The one in the morning came right on time but the one at 4:00 never happened and we thought we might have been able to skip it until the lights went out past 8:00 pm when it was already quite dark.

Luckily, our new Tiki Lounge Light with the Moai mug was within easy reach and uses a rechargeable battery for power. Totally saved us from huddling in darkness as the power went off and on and off and on and off and finally on.

We’ve purchased several pieces from Tiki Lounge Lights and Greg even worked with us on a custom order using our favorite tiki mugs a few years back, so check them out when they’re vending at events or reach out on Instagram.