We do it with water. We do it with coffee. So, why shouldn’t you do it with rum—and some added style? Every 3rd Monday, join us for Mandatory Mug Monday. It’s a BYOM appreciation for all things tiki. The only other requirements besides bringing your own mug is to come to the meetup and meet the organizers. You might want to bring a little patience with you, as well, since we’re also open to the public and a wait might be in your future.#BringYourOwnMug #TikiMug
Tiki was built on Caribbean rum. The Criolla argues that Oaxaca has something to say about it. Paranubes Criolla, a Mexican sugarcane rum from the Sierra Mazateca, meets dry vermouth, mint, lime, and cilantro oil in a drink that feels like the first day of spring.
Tequila in a tiki bar raises an eyebrow. Tequila with Gardenia and Strawberry raises the other. The Panther's Tooth anchors two ounces of Blanco with a buttery Gardenia base. Fresh strawberry cuts through with a tart undercurrent, while Basil Eau de Vie adds a complex, herbal twist. The result is a creamy, floral concoction that sits somewhere between an herbaceous tea and a dessert you shouldn't order but will.
From 1960 to 1970, the U.S. Grant Hotel on Fourth Avenue housed the Tahitian Room, a Polynesian lounge remodeled from the old Rendezvous Lounge by a designer named Al Goodman. Goodman's résumé was unusual, even by tiki standards. He'd built television sets for the Mickey Rooney and Rosemary Clooney shows. He'd designed the Terra V Mark 2 spaceship for "Space Patrol." He'd dressed sound stages for "Crossroads." Then he turned his attention to bamboo, tapa cloth, and the lobby bar of one of San Diego's most prestigious hotels. For a decade, the Tahitian Room sat inside the Grant's northern annex at 1052 Fourth Avenue. Part exotica, part hotel bar, all Goodman. In 1970, the annex was torn down for a parking structure. The spaceship designer's Polynesian masterpiece was replaced by concrete and striped lines. No plaque marks the spot. No tikis survived.
The Polynesians navigated thousands of miles of open Pacific using stars, ocean swells, and the flight patterns of birds. No compass. No charts. Just knowledge passed down through chants and practiced on open water. The Wayfinder is our small nod to that tradition. Blue curacao for the ocean, pandan for the islands, orgeat for the sweetness of landfall, and three rums. It won't get you across the Pacific. But it might get you through the week.
