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Trader Shan's A home based tiki bar serving up tropical as well as traditional cocktails...but no Bud Light

Greetings from a tiki nerd in his natural element at the Mai Kai.
10/11/2026

Greetings from a tiki nerd in his natural element at the Mai Kai.

La Grande PommeUltimately this is just a Manhattan, hence the name, but the base spirit is not the standard Rye. Instea...
09/26/2026

La Grande Pomme

Ultimately this is just a Manhattan, hence the name, but the base spirit is not the standard Rye. Instead it’s a 51/49 blend of Kentucky Rye and a French Calvados from Ampersand. I used a French Vermouth from Dolin to go with the theme.

Chip Tate, one of the founders of Balcones down in Texas, is now with Minden Mill Distillery in Nevada. These Ampersand offerings are sourced blends that he is putting together alongside the wh***ey they are distilling in Nevada outside of Carson City. I sampled their 15 year old finished Bourbon recently and when I went to purchase a bottle of that there was this Rye/Calvados blend sitting right next to it so I grabbed it and I’m glad I did.

It’s light because of the blend. Yet the Rye baking spices come through along with some apple from the Calvados.

* 2 oz. Ampersand Malus (Rye/Calvados blend)
* 1 oz. Dolin Sweet Vermouth
* 2 dashes Orange bitters

Stir all the ingredients with ice then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with brandied cherries and enjoy.

Pouring one out for my old man Barry Nichols tonight. The last thing I need is another bottle of Bourbon but given the n...
09/13/2026

Pouring one out for my old man Barry Nichols tonight. The last thing I need is another bottle of Bourbon but given the name I’ll be seeking out this one. Not sure how I missed it when it first came out. Looks like Broudy's should have added this one to their list of Barry’s named store picks. 🤣

I made a slight riff on a Jungle Bird tonight. I’m sure I’m not the first to make but yet here we are. The glass doesn’t...
09/10/2026

I made a slight riff on a Jungle Bird tonight. I’m sure I’m not the first to make but yet here we are. The glass doesn’t show up that great but it’s Walt’s Tropical Hideaway…where the birds sing words and the flowers croon. 🦜🍹

* ½ oz Lime juice
* ½ oz Simple syrup
* ¾ oz Coconut oil fat washed Campari
* 1½ oz Unsweetened pineapple juice
* 1 oz Cruzan Blackstrap rum
* ½ oz Smith & Cross navy strength rum

Shake all ingredients with ice then strain over fresh pebble ice in a Mai Tai glass. Garnish with Luxardo cherries and some pineapple fronds.

If I’m being honest the rum and the pineapple kind of drown out the coconut Campari. I’ve used it, as well as a Strawberry infused Campari in a Negroni and those flavors come through there. I’m not mad at this one but it’s not totally what I was hoping to have.

It’s National Mai Tai Day so of course I’m making them for my wife and the neighbors!Trader Vic’s 1944 Mai Tai* 2 oz. De...
08/30/2026

It’s National Mai Tai Day so of course I’m making them for my wife and the neighbors!

Trader Vic’s 1944 Mai Tai
* 2 oz. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum
* .5 oz. Dry Orange Curaçao
* .75 oz. Lime juice
* .25 oz. Demerara syrup
* .25 oz. Orgeat

Monkeypod Mai Tai
* 2 oz. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum
* .5 oz. Dry Orange Curaçao
* .67 oz. Lime juice
* .25 oz. Orgeat
* .25 oz. Macadamia Nut liqueur
* Top with Passionfruit foam

Passionfruit Foam (use an ISI whipper)
* 1 oz. Passion Fruit syrup
* .5 oz. Honey syrup (equal parts honey and water)
* 1 oz. Simple syrup
* 1.5 oz. Cold water
* 1 oz. Pasteurized egg whites
* 2 N2O cream chargers

I don’t know why but I always want to name cocktails I come up with after song titles. Given that this is really just a...
08/02/2026

I don’t know why but I always want to name cocktails I come up with after song titles. Given that this is really just a Manhattan riff why not name it after something New York related thus Strawberry Fields Forever.

* 2 oz. Sazerac 100 proof Rye wh***ey
* 1 oz. Strawberry infused Sweet Vermouth
* 2 dashes Rhubarb bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with cocktail cherries.

For the Vermouth I filled a 16 oz. Mason jar with strawberries (I used frozen ones from Publix for uniformity) and then top off the jar with the Sweet Vermouth of your choice. I used Cocchi Vermouth di Torino. Store in a cool dark place for a week then strain and rebottle. Store in the fridge afterwards.

Time to compare and contrast two hazmat offerings from Shortbarrel. I’d long kept away from NDPs like them and Penelope...
07/22/2026

Time to compare and contrast two hazmat offerings from Shortbarrel. I’d long kept away from NDPs like them and Penelope but I’ll readily admit both of them are doing some pretty damn good blending, single barrels, and barrel finishing these days. And of course, if I’m outside then Otis needs to be outside with me for protection from the mosquitos and no-see-ums.

On the left is an 8 year old American Light Wh***ey that comes from OZ Tyler and comes in at 145.8 proof. The aroma of this one is a huge vanilla bomb. 99% corn in the mashbill so it drinks a little sweet. Despite the high proof it doesn’t burn the whole way down though it does leave you feeling a little warmth and tingle towards the back of your tongue and top of your mouth.

On the right is a NAS straight Bourbon clocking in at 140.2 proof. This one doesn’t have any barrel codes on it but I’m thinking it’s maybe a Jim Beam product because I get dusty peanut notes from the aroma along with vanilla and some but not overly heavy oak. As with the ALW above it doesn’t burn but it gives you a nice warm feeling and a bit of mouth puckering as if it might be sour but it’s not in the slightest. I picked this up a few weeks ago when I visited Shortbarrel’s facility in Norcross, GA. I know I asked about it then but promptly wrote none of that information down and have forgotten what they told me about this barrel. All the other barrels I sampled that day I did write down but nothing on this one.

I poured small samples of these and let them sit for a bit before sampling. They drink a lot lower in proof than their numbers show. These could absolutely be dangerous in larger amounts if you weren’t paying attention.

Overall I’m impressed with both of them. Are they life changing like a GTS or WLW? No, but they’re damn good for what they are and their prices. $70 for the ALW and $80 for the Bourbon though that’s a little pricy since it’s a 375ml so maybe not as good a price for that one but it’s a hazmat so whatever. 🤣

What happens when a child of the US Space Program wants to make a possibly patriotic cocktail for the USA-Belgium World ...
07/07/2026

What happens when a child of the US Space Program wants to make a possibly patriotic cocktail for the USA-Belgium World Cup game tonight? Well you break out your space related mugs and make a Chimp in Orbit.

A previously “lost” Hilton Hawaiian Village recipe by Harry Yee. The Chimp in Orbit likely dates from 1961, when Ham the Astrochimp was launched into space as part of NASA’s Project Mercury; Ham’s 16 minute suborbital flight paved the way for the first American homo sapiens to enter space later the same year. The drink itself is a stripped-down version of Trader Vic’s Tortuga.

* 1½ oz Light rRum
* ½ oz Orange Curaçao
* ½ oz Crème de Cacao
* 3 oz Lemon juice
* 3 oz Orange juice
* 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
* ¼ oz Grenadine (or in this case Fassionola)

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice then strain into a tiki mug and fill with pebble ice. Unfortunately no garnish because I had to get back to the game since I took the whole damn halftime to squeeze lemons and oranges for this drink.

Taking an idea straight off of Sother Teague’s Instagram posts it’s time to roll some dice to pick the cocktail ingredie...
06/30/2026

Taking an idea straight off of Sother Teague’s Instagram posts it’s time to roll some dice to pick the cocktail ingredients for a 2:1:1:2 format cocktail. We rolled and got the following choices…

* 2 oz. Base Spirit: Bourbon
* 1 oz. Vermouth/Fortified W**e: Cocci Americano Rosa
* 1 oz. Amaro: Brucato Woodlands
* 2 dashes Bitters: 18.21 Tart Cherry and Saffron
* Twist: Grapefruit
* Rinse: No rinse

Combine all the ingredients except that potential garnish and rinse in a mixing glass and stir with ice to chill. If you rolled a rinse then mist/rinse a Rocks glass before adding a large ice cube and straining the drink into the glass. Garnish with a twist and enjoy.

For this one I didn’t realize until I went to the fridge that I was out of Cocci Americano so we subbed in the Rosa version and I think that was a happy little accident.

The Bourbon we used was Shortbarrel “The Bee’s Knees” which is a toasted barrel and honey barrel finish so that added a little sweetness. The Cocci Rosa and the Brucato brought fruity notes but also some bitterness. The bitters seemed to get a little lost in this one because I never got saffron. The grapefruit twist added a bit of fresh citrus to the aroma but added nothing to the taste.

All in all I’ve not had a bad combination when choosing ingredients this way. Maybe not always amazing but never something undrinkable.

I was finally able to get to Sother Teague’s bar, Amor y Amargo, in the East Village this week. Spirit forward and bitt...
06/26/2026

I was finally able to get to Sother Teague’s bar, Amor y Amargo, in the East Village this week. Spirit forward and bitter? Yes please!

First drink was the Saviour Breath. It is described as molé, barbecued pineapple, and cola. That’s exactly what it was as well as delicious.

Second drink was the Heavy Eyes. It is described as wormwood, resin, b**g water, and lemon balm. Basically Malört with extra steps but also delicious. Yes, I realize I’m weird for liking Malört but it is what it is.

If you find yourself in the East Village and want a great cocktail drop in here and you won’t be disappointed.

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Ponte Vedra, FL
32081

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