Tag: TikiMug

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Smuggler’s Cove Cargo Crate Mug

These interesting mugs were launched late last year but I finally got around to ordering. They’re based on the crate tables that are scattered throughout Smuggler’s Cove and designed by Aaron Seymour. Each mug was scanned and reproduced and the lid includes a rubber gasket so you could display them on the side or use them for actual storage. The mugs were produced by Beeline Creative with a large but limited run of 500 mugs per design with all designs currently still available.

The mugs ship in a gorgeous box by Tidbit Design with details about the mugs and the collection, and the mugs are tightly placed into styrofoam for safe shipment. My mug of choice was “Ship to SF” and there are ten designs to choose from. While these mugs aren’t ideal for carrying around at a party, they do feel nice and look even better.

Smuggler’s Cove did a special last month that was a two-for-one sale if you bought the “Sugar” mug. They’re now doing the same thing with the “XXX” mug, so these are much more affordable if the $70 price was a barrier to entry. Get them now before they’re gone by visiting Smuggler’s Cove or going to www.smugglerscovesf.com/store.

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Pau Hana Studio is Rethinking the Tiki Mug Production Class

Pau Hana Studio hosts a variety of craft-related classes in the Oakland Hills, including lamp building, jewelry, sewing, and black velvet painting, but we had our eyes on the Build-a-Bob tiki mug class. Pau Hana is the brainchild of artist Woody Miller and wife/business manager Laura Miller.

Glazed but not fired


Woody describes the inspiration for the popular Build-a-Bob tiki mug class, held in a single session. “I get asked all the time how do you make a mug? You can’t do it in an hour, since there are multiple levels. So, we came up with an idea where people can see each part of it – but abbreviated. Some people don’t want to take a six-week class with sculpting and making molds.” We’re right there with this level of scope personally, and we loved Woody’s mug design.

Attendees learn the process of making a tiki mug in one session, including slip casting techniques. Laura describes the process, elaborating on the efficiency of the experience. “We took the idea of a cooking show where they put a cake in the oven and then take out the finished cake, so you’re going to come in and open a mold that we poured yesterday. You open the mold and touch it up with tools and sponges, then put that on the shelf. And then we skip over the drying and firing process, you just grab one that’s already fired and glaze that however you want it, and pick the mug up at a later date.”

We thoroughly enjoyed this session, though Mrs. Mai Tai did better than I did with the end-result. It was an enjoyable vibe on that Sunday afternoon hanging out in the studio and working with the clay and fired mug. The process of touching up the mold isn’t easy, but we all got through it. I was happy with my teal Bob mug and the session is highly recommended.

This series has been extremely popular with some classes selling out, but now is your chance since Pau Hana released their winter class list today including two Build-a-Bob workshops.

Woody filling molds with slip
Bob in mold
Bob out of mold
Finishing the mold
Fired mugs
Glazing the mug
Mugs ready for the kiln
My Bob at home
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Final Ohana Night at The Kon-Tiki

The Kon-Tiki is closing after service on Sunday but the place is going out with a bang as patrons from far and wide and coming for one final cheeseburger or cocktail. Wednesday was the last Ohana night, the day of the week when local tikiphiles have come to hang out on what is generally a slower night than the weekends. But this Wednesday was anything but slow, with a persistent full room and a wait out the door.

The Kon-Tiki staff were in full force, with all three service wells going at the same time to pump our drinks in a timely manner. There were several wait staff, several kitchen runners, and nice to see Jeanie Grant back in the house serving as the maître d’. We want to specifically call out Chris Parker and Kriss Cucuy for exceptional service for me personally this evening.

I’m working to complete another homemade “Kon-Tiki cocktail checklist” and knocked out a few cocktails and am ready to close it out on Sunday with Mrs. Mai Tai’s help. It’d been forever since I had the Zombie and found it to be pretty great – both potent and fruity, with a touch of spice. The Virgin’s Sacrifice was far too spicy for my mild tongue so I passed it over to Jeff as a bonus. Lastly, I had the Leviathan for Two (but just for me this evening) which I’d never had before and immediately liked. The cocktail has rum, bourbon, tangerine, and spices and was nice and rich and balanced. I’m going to miss the consistently high quality of cocktails here.

If you’re trying to get to Kon-Tiki in the next couple days, prepare for waits and treat the staff with kindness. It was so fantastic last night to see the crew working so efficiently on such a busy night – all to the sound of Yacht Rock that the Kon-Tiki used to play religiously and was a welcome return for me.

The Leviathan came in a nice Moai Mug that had a little tear-like drip that was all the more poignant as I left Ohana night for the last time.

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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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Dr Funk’s The Grinch Takeover

After a successful Beetlejuice overlay for Halloween, Dr. Funk has a Grinch theme for Christmas. The big guy is there to welcome you and there are fun thematic elements sprinkled about. Not quite as much of a “Christmas explosion” as some of the Miracle/Sippin’ Santa pop-up locations for better or worse, but it is nice that you can still this is a tiki bar.

We attended the Third Anniversary event that included an official launch of Dr Funk’s nice mug and a fantastic bundle with their formidable Grog that we think is a fantastic version of a Navy Grog. They were also doing a raffle to support Family Giving Tree, plus DJ Ship Rex spinning tunes. Lots of fun and nice to see the venue embracing a little bit of history and building traditions.

The special Grinch cocktail menu is overall a lot better than the one for Beetlejuice. The Mean One is similar to the aforementioned Grog and the wonderfully creamy and decadent Whobilation Libation features chocolate notes from the Kōloa Kauaʻi Cacao rum and dark chocolate coconut cream. The Cindy Lou-Apple has several overproof rums and it leans lighter than you might expect because the spirit focus is from the Laird’s Apple Brandy, nonetheless there’s still plenty of flavor and this should be really appealing to the diverse downtown San Jose audience.

Cindy Lou-Apple

While you’re in downtown you can also check out Nuvo Hospitality’s other bars for more festive holiday pop-ups. O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub next door to Dr. Funk is themed to Home Alone and Five Points around the corner is doing everyone’s favorite Christmas movie – Die Hard.

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Dr. Funk Tiki Mug and Marketplace

Downtown San Jose was the place to be today for the inaugural tiki marketplace at Dr. Funk at San Pedro Square. There were a number of notable tiki and retro vendors, and the pedestrian-friendly locale meant there was a lot of great visibility for the market and also for Dr. Funk being the city’s premiere tiki destination.

We saw folks from as far away as Petaluma, Sacramento, and SoCal for this event, including DJs, cocktails on the patio, and a full menu for those with reservations and seating. Dr. Funk seems to be learning that you do have to work a little to maintain awareness of your business and this event portends of good things to come. The event was the brainchild of Jill Robeson and Amanda Hastings, so kudos to the pair at putting together a great event with the team from Dr. Funk.

There’s also an inaugural mug that’s a likeness of the actual Doctor Funk himself. This Tiki Farm mug looks great and is priced to sell at $45. This is a huge step up from the logo-printed glasses that have been on sale for a while and again seems to provide evidence they appreciate that the business needs to do more than open doors to maintain their core clientele.

New Dr. Funk Grog

One of the items available today was an amazing Grog that I was told was still in development but if what is in the glass is any indication I think they’ve already got what they need. Featuring plenty of juicy grapefruit plus spicy cinnamon and a ton of allspice to go with some funky rums, this thing is a boozy beast and absolutely fantastic. Kudos to Justin and team, lock in that recipe and put it on the menu!

Dr. Funk will be celebrating their third anniversary in December, so stay tuned for further events and celebrations.

Jill and Amanda
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Tiki Mug Tuesday: Zombie Village by Woody Miller

Just wanted to highlight this recently issued mug by Woody Miller for Zombie Village. The design pays tribute to Zombie’s cool private huts, and the glass float comes in a variety of colors. It’s really incredibly well done, among Woody’s best.

The initial release for this was August 24 and the first run is already sold out. But I believe more are in the pipeline.

It’s nice to see Zombie doing something to raise their profile and bring some new mindshare to their now well-established venue. People love excuses to revisit places, especially if the place isn’t totally local or if there are logistical challenges to visiting (cause, there are some with this location…). Our visit coincided with the Trader Vic’s Tiki Tai crawl but we’ve been to Zombie Village several times the past year and they’re still making cocktails very well.

Be sure to check Zombie Village’s social media for future updates.