I have had this at several places recently (Hale Pele, Trader Vic’s Tokyo, Trader Sams), and it was finally when I had the Trader Sams version that I realized that this one is making a comeback as a popular rum drink. Incidentally, the drink is called the Safari Swizzle at Trader Sams if you ever try to look it up. Anyway, I again came across this drink at a, sadly, temporarily closed new restaurant at Mandalay Bay called Libertine Social. They in fact had a bunch of different swizzles, including this one. Hopefully I’ll be able to try them out if they ever open back up. The sign out front said reopening 11/30/17 but we’ll see.

So again what makes this drink fun is the method you use to make it properly. It will result in a nice thick frost on the outside of your Collins glass. The best presentation usually includes a cocktail napkin bib to keep your hands from freezing. Okay, enough of all that – On to the Recipe!

I admit it takes a while to get the right amount of frost going on the glass, but spend the time, it makes the drink that much better to enjoy!

Queens Park Swizzle ala Badgersan

The post Tiki Drink Focus: Queens Park Swizzle appeared first on Badgersans Tiki Hut.

Vic’s History

Back in the 50’s and 60’s, Trader Vic’s ballooned to about 25 locations – but then along with the dying out of tiki, so did Trader Vic’s. A few hung in there, the quasi-original location in Emeryville, Ca. and the Mai-Tai bar at the Beverly Hilton for example. The Tokyo restaurant opened when the New Otani opened back in 1974. The original-original was in Oakland, Ca. but finally had to relocate due to what reads to have been a necessity as the building was neigh on being condemned. In 2009 they tried opening a bunch of new locations and some of them still exist, like a bunch in the Middle East.

Anyway, while the Japan location was built in 2009, the vibe in there is that it could have easily been built in the 60’s and never moved on from there; And that’s a good thing! When I first visited this place I thought it was closed, greeted by a host wearing what I thought was her purse, leaving for the day – but she was not, that was just part of their costume. When I was taken back in to the restaurant I was surprised by a large throwback to classic tiki and the standard Trader Vic’s menu of great beverages.

The Location

I should note that it was a little hard to find this place. When you exit Nagatacho station (Exit #7, then turn right over the bridge, New Otani is first high rise on your left) and get up to the New Otani complex you need to skip the first entry you come to otherwise you’ll be in the office complex with a bunch of escalators and in the wrong place. You need to go through the second set of doors into something looking vaguely mall-ish – pass the escalators and look for red elevator doors on the left. Also a little of a challenge is reading the menu – while the titles of the drinks are in English, the descriptions are not. I did cheat and look up the Emeryville menu online which is almost identical.

The Mai Tai

If you have never been to Trader Vic’s then you will have to start with the classic Mai Tai.  While technically Don The Beachcomber had something called the Mai Tai Swizzle before Vic did, Vic definitely made the Mai Tai popular with his version of it. If someone says Mai Tai and you immediately think of pineapple, then you haven’t had aclassic Trader Vic Mai Tai before. Vic Bergeron invented the Mai Tai while working as a bartender at the Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki. Since he left, the Mai Tai evolved there into it’s Pineapple sweet version. Anyhoo, start ith the Mai Tai here and you’ll get treated to the original fantastic version as it was meant to be made. Everything works about this drink and the presentation is flawless.

The Grogs

My next favorite beverage here is the Navy Grog. While created originally by Don The Beachcomber, the version here is probably the best I’ve had anywhere and I especially love that it comes with a rock candy swizzle so that you can ‘set’ your own sweetness in the drink. All the ingredients are really balanced well in their version and it truly is a gold standard of how they should be made.

Another great tiki standard is Trader Vic’s Grog. Completely different than the Navy Grog, the Trader Vic Grog is a much sweeter, not very potent beverage but highly drinkable and tastes great. Plus the glass it comes in is so great! Look at that thing!

Last couple things to mention; The Zombie – I don’t think they should call it that because it really has hardly any resemblance to what a Zombie is and is more akin to a Trader Vic Grog than anything. I give it a 2 out of 5 because well, it still has rum in it and rum is good, but yeah – nothing like what a Zombie should be. Second thing, sorry I didn’t take a pic of the menu – but it’s in Japanese anyway and if you look up Trader Vic Menu online you can find pretty much what they have at the restaurant.

Overall

So Trader Vic’s, a big win and something to look forward to when you’re in the middle of an extended stay in Japan and looking for a tiki retreat!

Update: Corrected opening date to 1974.

The post Tiki Bar Review: Trader Vic’s – Tokyo appeared first on Badgersans Tiki Hut.

Update 10-01-2017: New menu. Lots of options compared to before. Haven’t had a crack at anything new yet but looks pretty awesome!

Continuing a trend of new tiki bars opening, the Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach originally opened way back in 1947. it closed a few years ago and, after a renovation, has reopened as a pretty great destination for any tiki fan. The decor is of island style, palm fronds, lots of flowers. The restaurant has a soft seperation from the pretty crowded bar area which is fairly modern. The food menu is small but varied (I dont partake of the seafood and there were plenty of options). Now with all that out of the way, lets get to… the Drinks!

The Menu

I was pleasantly surprised by the menu. When I had originally looked up this place, I had found a menu which now I think may have its past life, right before it closed and only had a couple tiki style drinks on it. The current menu isn’t huge but there are some good options. This place is known for the Lapu Lapu. I cant find info to say that definitely that this drink originated here at the Royal Hawaiian, but my extensive research (of typing the name into the search bar; Hard work) only references either the Royal Hawaiian or “polynesean restaurants”. So lets just say, one of the first!

The Lapu Lapu

Right. So… The Lapu Lapu (also known as the Chief Lapu Lapu) is their most featured drink and both the people at my table who ordered it both enjoyed it. I had a quick taste of one of theirs and I would agree with the general characterization that it is a slightly sweeter Mai Tai. It comes served in the traditional snifter that a Lapu Lapu requires. For my usual main tasting drinks, I went right to the Zombie and Mai Tai.

The Zombie

The presentation of the Zombie is great; Garnish is well done; Its tiki glass is huge and fun. My first swig of this massive concoction was, woah, very creamy – perhaps the creamiest I’ve had, almost as if there were egg whites in it. Quite odd. Additionally, this drink was very sweet. Not something I would really expect from a drink as storied as a Zombie. It is definitely a potent drink though. Not lacking there. The rums are exceptional as well. It was quite a large drink for sure and with it being so sweet and creamy, actually made it a bit hard to get through. I wouldn’t write it off though – just know that this dude is more up in the dessert category with something like a Painkiller. Maybe they should have called this drink the “Double Tap – It’ll finish you off!”

The Mai Tai

The Mai Tai was done in the Trader Vic style (orgeat, curaçao) and wasn’t particularly flavorful. Presentation was great and there was clearly some care that went into making it, but there wasn’t anything to notable about it. I would have expected a little bit of tartness to it but I wasn’t getting that at all, maybe a little light on the lime and bitters. I do love that they use fresh flowers in just about all of their beverages. Always a great touch.

Overall

I am looking forward to going back here again to try the others on the list and for no other reason than it is a pretty cool place to hang with good food and good beverages right on the California coast!

The post Tiki Bar Review: Royal Hawaiian appeared first on Badgersans Tiki Hut.

So, the Zombie is the grandaddy of all tiki drinks. They typically have no less than 3oz of rum in them, usually a mix of different types; Most places will limit you to only having two of them, because yeah that whole over 3oz of rum each thing – and one of them will be a 151 overproof – yipes!

This is in my top five favorite tiki drinks. But boy is it powerful so be careful and show it some respect. It’s no wonder this drink got it’s name after Don The Beachcomber made one for a friend of his (or maybe three) before the friend went on a trip. When the friend returned he noted that he felt like a Zombie for the days after because of it!

Here’s the recipe that I use:

Some things to note:
What’s Falernum? Well, it’s the magic tiki elixir that is found in many of the best drinks – you’ll recognize it’s familiar smell if you have ever had a tiki drink. I have three different Falernums that I cycle through and they are all  similar but, for example, one is a little more boozy than the others – the particular one I use for this recipe has a more pronounced smell.

What is Don’s Mix? It’s one of Donn Beach’s secret ingredients which turned out to be a syrup made of grapefruit and cinnamon. I buy it pre-made.

Finally, the Overproof rum: The big thing that we all (tiki aficionados) wish we had was the ever elusive Lemon Hart 151 Demerara Rum, which is what this drink should really be using for it’s Overproof rum. While the lemon hart name looks like it was bought up by someone and it seems like they are ramping up production, I don’t know of anyone who has seen it come out to the greater U.S. yet – so in the meantime, a rum enthusiast has made their own and it’s pretty great (that’s the Hamilton Ministry of Rum brand).

The post Tiki Drink Focus: Zombie (1934) appeared first on Badgersans Tiki Hut.

One of the first Tiki Bars I went to and certainly one of the best if not the biggest, Don The Beachcomber in Sunset Beach is named after the iconic Tiki Legend, Donn Beach. Donn (born Ernest Gantt), was the first to bring us Tiki restaurants and bars. One of his first and most legendary beverages is the Zombie, created all the way back in 1934! Over several decades he and his wife opened 16 restaurants and at one point there were over 20 locations. Eventually all of them closed down when the Tiki fad had passed by the 80’s. Now there are three places bearing the name but none of them are original. The name was bought by a holding company and is licensed to the three restaurants, one of them happily located here in California.

Previously a restaurant called Sam’s Seafood, Don’s opened in 2009. It is an odd collection of various sized rooms and bars which are used for both dining and live entertainment. All of them have their own theming and the vibe is unparalleled. My favorite place to go however is the Dagger Bar. Quickly changing from chill to vibrant – the Dagger Bar is comprised of several booths off to the side, tables in the middle, and a long bar against the other side. Entertainment comes in the form of live bands at the front of the room as well as Karaoke (check the online calendar for an always updated schedule). My favorite time to
visit is right after Karaoke; The first group of the day will have just left and you have a chance to experience a quiet relaxing/chill time enjoying Pu-Pu’s and the great selection of drinks on the menu. If you are a regular, you’re invited to bring your own Tiki mug to store at the bar and they’ll dispense your beverage into it for you.

The drinks, with the exception of a few, are all original Don The Beachcomber concoctions and for how fast they are made and delivered they are still quite good. Some of the Absinthe laced ones usually have a bit too much of it in it and so they end up dominating the drink. As with all the tiki bars I go to, I always try the Zombie and Mai Tai first as they are very good indications of how the rest of the drinks will be made. These both do not disappoint. The Mai Tai is made in the Beachcomber style, which is to say there isn’t Orgeat in this one, and is not as sweet as the Trader Vic style of Mai Tai (remember, if there is Pineapple juice in your Mai Tai, it’s not one – in fact it’s more of a ‘Hawaii-Tai’). Beachcomber style Mai Tai’s are my preferred and they are great here. The Zombie is pretty good but not the best I have ever had. It doesn’t have quite all the nuanced flavors that I would expect in a classic Zombie. Of note, they have a Nui Nui on the menu and this is one of my favorite tiki beverages – don’t pass it up.

Overall this place is fantastic and we are lucky to have it so close, or not so close for me anyway. The worst part about Don’s is that it is quite an expensive Lyft out there for me, so I don’t go out there as often as I’d like to. Maybe that’s for the better.

Update 8/16/17: Happy Hour Menus and times

The post Tiki Bar Review: Don The Beachcomber appeared first on Badgersans Tiki Hut.