After hitting the main tiki venues in the Seattle area earlier this year (Inside Passage, Three 9 Lounge, and Navy Strength in the city + Devil’s Reef, Da Tiki Hut, and McMenamin’s in Tacoma), I used this opportunity to try the leftovers like a true completionist. I went into this with low expectations. For what it’s worth, here’s a review of my brief outing…

Hula Hula
The Mai Tai I ordered was ready in no time flat on account of the lack of any preparation. It was crap, and expensive crap at that. Boston shakers? I doubt they even have them here. The decor is pure Party City. This is first and foremost a karaoke bar. For tiki enthusiasts, it’s a complete waste of time and money.

Ohana Belltown
Mainly a divey Hawaiian restaurant with a sushi menu, the cocktails are definitely an afterthought here. They do have Boston shakers, though I never saw them in use except as a tip jar. Another hard pass if you’re looking for an authentic tiki experience, or even a halfway passable cocktail for that matter.

Hugman’s Oasis was wonderful — great drinks, great staff, great atmosphere (always a fan of Bamboo Ben’s work). I had the Mai Tai with their rum, the Half Mast Thrash, and the Zombie, all were delicious. Thankfully the nonalcoholic options were more plentiful here. And for those with a Polynesiacs passport, they’re getting a stamp… but in the meantime, they’re improvising!

Recently opened in Downtown Saratoga Springs with a cool underground speakeasy vibe. There are plenty of places to get a good drink around here and Saratoga has been without a proper Tiki bar for far too long since the Tradewinds closed decades ago. I'm drinking my way through the menu week by week, and only have nice things to say. I'm confident that things are only going to get better with the addition of their Rum Club and more locals finding their new favorite watering hole.

Solid bar program and amazing food. I learned about this place from this sub so I had to repost and give them props!

A time was had last night for Savage Seas Hollyween at the Fonda theater in Los Angeles. Nick and Cush curated the night with some amazing drinks, vibes and a time I wont soon forget. Highly recommended! Thanks again Nick.

Friendly staff, loud and obnoxious clientele (during our brief visit), decent cocktails without reaching greatness. One of our group is not currently drinking, and their nonalcoholic options were extremely limited. I had the Mai Tai and the Missionary’s Downfall. We had a couple of rounds here before heading to Hugman’s Oasis. Worth a stop in San Antonio if you’re a completionist, but also a safe skip if you’re not.

I am not dumpster diving yet, but I might have to start if I keep finding cool stuff

Alas, pretty drink season is coming to an end. The Tiki Oasis is getting sad and brown and ready to retire for the year. Here's a cocktail that brings some fall flavors in with the tastes of summer, The Caribbean Ember.

I used Old Forrester 100 proof rye, ½oz OFTD, 1oz Coruba.

Let me say this first, I love Tiki and I love Tiki drinks even more. Unfortunately, Tiki drinks don't love me back and I'm exploring reasonably passable NA Tiki Drinks. I can Google this but would appreciate first hand experience from human Tiki afficionados for some suggestions / resources. TIA!

In Germany it is not very common to celebrate Halloween.
But I personally like Halloween and Halloween costume parties.
So I thought, why not do a few Halloween cocktails as well?
I was searching for some interesting cocktails and found the Gamma Grog from vegastikishow on YouTube.
The look got me hooked, and I tried it.
I really enjoyed this cocktail; even without the vanilla rum, I used ¼ oz of vanilla syrup to compensate for this.
Flavor-wise it is not a specific Halloween cocktail, so even if you are not into Halloween, give it a try if it is really worth it.
 
Here is the receipt:

1 Oz White Overproof rum (30 ml)
1 Oz Vanilla Rum (30 ml)
I used 1 ¾ oz Wray & Nephews Overproof Rum (52.5 ml) and ¼ oz vanilla syrup (7.5 ml).
½ oz Falernum (15 ml)
½ oz Midori melon liqueur (15 ml)
1 oz lime juice (30 ml)
¾ oz pineapple juice (22.5 ml)
Soda water to top
 
Shake everything with ice and strain onto crushed ice, top off with soda water.
I garnished it with (old)black mint and a swizzle stick.

Definitely not a traditional one, but thought I’d riff a little.

1.75oz Kuleana Hawaiian Agricole

.25oz WP 109

1oz Clement Bana Canne

1oz Acid Adjusted Pineapple Juice

.5oz Cream of Coconut

2 Dashes black walnut bitters

5 drops saline

A bold, fruity rum-forward cocktail that is a lot of fun to drink.

• 1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac

• 1 oz Worthy Park 109

• 3/4 oz Liber & Co Raspberry Gum syrup

• 3/4 oz lemon juice

• 3/4 oz pineapple juice

Shake with ice. Pour into a chilled glass over ice. Garnish with mint leaves. From the Liber & Co website.

Kahiki tiki

I know Tiki Tatsu-Ya is the recommended spot while visiting. Any recommendations for what to order or be on the look out for while visiting? Cheers!

Literature and nonfiction about tiki culture, sure, but also works of exploration, escapism, and adventure — what books would you recommend for such a library?

In Chicago! - What a fun place. The drinks were great and the staff went above and beyond to cater to some our group’s interest in rums. I can’t wait to return!

If you're ever in Moorhead,Mn stop by Starbird lounge. I was there early around 4:30, so was able to talk quite a bit to the bartender. I always have a Mai Tai to judge a tiki bar , and this place is legit. Then I had a 3 dots and a dash , also good.

I’m newer to tiki cocktails and find myself riffing in these ingredients in Mai Tai’s and Zombies when not part of the recipe. Would it be beneficial to batch them together? Has anyone done this before? Finding the right balance might be a challenge. I’d like to fill a decent sized bottle…liter maybe?

All in the title really, obviously cocktails are better served fresh, but putting together a gift hamper for a family member and would like to add a few premade cocktails!

Realized I haven’t ever made one myself, definitely works better with a true Bajan rum but the blend works okay

2oz Rum

1/4 - 1/2 Falernum

2 - 4 dashes Angostura

Visiting friends and family in Austin this week, and a group of us went to Tiki Tatsu-ya for my birthday. I put in a lot of time here during the six weeks or so between the time they opened and I moved to North Carolina for work, and it’s always on the top of my list when I return to visit. Happy to report that we had a great experience — drinks, service, atmosphere, and food were all top-notch, and they even gifted me a Zombie glass to replace one of my original pair that had gotten broken a couple years back. I know some folks have asked recently about merch availability, and they did seem to have more on hand this trip than my last visit or two. I’m considering sneaking back over this evening after dinner with my daughter and son-in-law…

Right now they’ve got a Mai Tai, Painkiller, and Cobra’s Fang on the menu. I just had time for two, and the bartender recommended the Painkiller over the Cobra’s Fang since the latter is batched… both were great! Big thanks to the folks on this sub who recommended / reminded me of Pool Burger!

Here are all of the mug designs I have created so far for Sir Drakes voyage. More to come!