A Moment of Tiki episodes 46 & 47: Bamboo Redux & Kingston Negroni Shootout

My apologies for being lax in my postings. I've fallen a bit behind, but am catching up now by sharing the two most recent episode of A Moment of Tiki. First up is Episode 47: Kingston Negroni Shootout.

The Negroni is one of the most popular cocktails in the world, but isn't tiki. The Kingston Negroni, however, which uses Smith & Cross rum instead of gin, arguably is a tiki cocktail (or at least tiki adjacent). That got me to thinking (as these things often do) that Smith & Cross was wildly popular because it was the most ester-filled, hogo-laden Jamaican rum readily available in the U.S. at the time. In the years since, we have been blessed with an array of even more potent potables from that Caribbean nation. Might some of the newer, funkier rums make for an even better Kingston Negroni? At the very least, a shootout incorporating a selection of four pungent Jamaican rums would highlight the nuances that separate them from each other and offer deeper understanding of their roles in cocktail creation. So that's exactly what I did. FOR SCIENCE!

Way back in episode 1 of A Moment of Tiki I discussed how I torch bamboo that I've harvested myself. Since then, I've learned that bamboo mites are a serious problem in some parts of the U.S. where bamboo grows naturally, and flame treating at home normally doesn't get the bamboo hot enough to kill all the mites or their eggs. Fortunately, folks in Asia have been using bamboo for centuries and have devised methods to kill these insects and ward off infestation by soaking the bamboo in a solution of borax and boric acid. A bonus of this is that the treatment makes bamboo toxic to other wood-boring insects such as the dreaded powder post beetle and termites. It also offers some protection from mold and fungus. I explore all of this in Episode 46:

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A Moment of Tiki: Cocktail and Mai Kai

Wow! I've really been lapse in sharing new episodes of A Moment of Tiki here. For that, I apologize. Let's right this listing ship a little with a couple of those backlogged episodes from earlier in the year.

First up is episode 23: Hot Buttered Rum. Having an outdoor tiki bar is great--except when it gets cold. Believe it or not, even though our Central Texas winters are generally mild compared to the Midwest, once that mercury dips down to the bottom half of the thermometer it's no fun sitting outside sipping icy cocktails. What's a tikiphile to do? Simple: Make hot buttered rum! All the effort goes into preparing the hot buttered rum batter ahead of time. Once that's finished, the cocktail's a snap!

Next is Episode 24: Save the Mai Kai! The Mai-Kai, that high holy place of tiki culture, is in trouble. After suffering catastrophic damage to the kitchen in October of 2020, the owners planned to repair, rebuild and reopen. But nothing is ever simple, and complications quickly escalated the price for restoring the Polynesian palace to its fully functioning glory. The situation has grown serious enough that the family has retained a firm to seek outside investors or, gasp, buyers for the property. In this episode of A MOMENT OF TIKI, I go over what is publicly known at this time about the Mai Kai's future, why this place is so special and why it needs to be saved. I also review Tim "Swanky" Glazner's book, Mai Kai: History and Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant, which is the best and most lavish history of that place ever published. Trust me, it's a keeper.

I wrap up with a rare bonus episode: Snow Day!? On February 15, we here in Central Texas experienced single-digit temperatures and more than 6" of snow. This was the coldest weather, and the most snowfall, experience by your humble host since 1973 (if you're doing the math, I was 3 years old at the time). Unlike most of Central Texas' rare snowfall events, it didn't immediately melt away the following day. No, temperatures stayed below 20F and the snow stuck, and stuck, and stuck some more. I ventured out to document the aberration, because who would believe stories of a tiki bar buried in the snow otherwise?

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A Moment of Tiki: Tiki tables and clear ice

"A Moment of Tiki" returns for your viewing pleasure with two new episodes!

There's not a whole heck of a lot of tiki furniture being manufactured these days. So what's one to do when a small, tiki-styled accent table is needed? Why, build it yourself! In this episode of "A Moment of Tiki," I design and construct a small accent table to go in the guest bathroom adjacent to the Lagoon of Mystery. Using inexpensive wood, a pencil and Dremel along with a dowel jig, I put together a piece of furniture that doubles as tiki decor. Witco, it's not, but the techniques I demonstrate here can be applied to a wide array of other projects for those occasions where the perfect piece of tiki furniture simply doesn't exist. In those cases, do it yourself!

In episode 19, I discuss how the secret to making crystal-clear ice cubes (or blocks, or chunks) has become something of modern cocktail culture's holy grail for the home bartender. Anyone serving the high-alcohol stirred classics such as the Old Fashioned or the Negroni wouldn't want the presentation of these cocktails to their guests marred by gasp cloudy ice! Never fear, clear ice is exceptionally simple to make at home, and can even be used in such tiki-adjacent cocktails as the delicious Kingston Negroni! All is revealed on this episode of "A Moment of Tiki1"

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Episode 18: Accent Table

Episode 19: Clear Ice

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A Moment of Tiki: Mermaids and Mai Tais

"A Moment of Tiki" returns for your viewing pleasure with two new episodes!

First up is episode 16: Mermaid on the Wall. I have a large section of blank wall in a stairwell that needs filling. My wife, of Secrets By Miss Lisa fame, provided the tiki-adjacent artistic content in the form of a large mermaid banner. It was up to me to figure out how to hang it. The easy solution would be to punch a couple of brass grommets on the top and call it a day, but brass grommets aren't very tiki, are they? Bamboo, on the other hand, are tiki as all get-out, and way back in episode 1 I showed everyone how to torch bamboo for projects such as this!

In episode 17, I discuss orgeat and the Mai Tai. There is only one Mai Tai recipe--that which Trader Vic created in 1944 whilst attempting to reverse-engineer Donn Beach's Q.B. Cooler cocktail. Since then, the Mai Tai has become the standard by which all tiki bars are judged. Even though the base recipe allows a great deal of flexibility without turning the drink into an abomination by adding pineapple and cherries, one of the keys to serving a good Mai Tai is to use quality orgeat. I'm not going to lie--I didn't much like the first Mai Tais I ever drank, mainly because they used mediocre, mass-produced commercial orgeats that tasted more like a chemical spill than an almond-flavored syrup. Thankfully, the craft cocktail renaissance means that there are now quality craft orgeats on the market, but sadly, these are not available in every city. The solution is to go the homemade route. Making orgeat at home is not complicated, but it is a bit time consuming. In this episode, I walk you through the steps.

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Episode 16: Mermaid on the Wall

Episode 17: Orgeat (& a Mai Tai)

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A Moment of Tiki takes on thatch and milk punch

"A Moment of Tiki" returns for your viewing pleasure with two new episodes!

First up is episode 12, in which I actually build something for a change. Remember how all the way back in episode 1 I showed how to flame-treat bamboo for use in your home tiki bar? Well, here's where we put all that bamboo to work, building an awning for the tiki bar that is covered with thatch to ward off sun and rain! I do have one caveat, however. Since filming these videos, I've learned Asian bamboo mites are prevalent in California and parts of Florida. Heat treating won't kill the eggs in the bamboo unless the whole thing is heated above 160F for a couple of hours--which simple flame-treating doesn't accomplish. Bamboo mites aren't found in Texas (lucky for me!) but if you live in California or Florida, be careful with self-harvested bamboo lest you get an infestation of termite-like critters in your home.

In episode 13, I am inspired by the May 2020 Home Bar Awards challenge, and take on the arcane mysteries of clarified milk punch. I put a tiki spin on this particular tipple, naturally enough, using several different types of rum, falernum and allspice dram to come up with my "Cabaritta Punch" recipe. It's good. It's also challenging to make, although since I've blundered my way through it once, the second time should go a little bit more smoothly. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

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Episode 12: Thatch Me If You Can!

Episode 13: Clarified Milk Punch

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A Moment of Tiki episodes 10 & 11

"A Moment of Tiki" returns for your viewing pleasure with two new episodes!

First up is episode 10, in which my little web series moves up into double digits! For this momentous occasion, I interview Austin burlesque performer and model Something Blue, who is all kinds of fun. We go behind the scenes for her photo shoot with Secrets By Miss Lisa, and a good time is had by all.

In episode 11, I review Beachbum Berry Remixed, probably the ultimate tiki cocktail recipe book, written by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry. It's a combined edition of his earlier books, Grog Log and Intoxica! that is updated, revised and expanded with additional recipes. And wow, does he bring the recipes! Hundreds upon hundreds of classic cocktails reside within those pages, many thought lost forever before Berry's dogged persistence and devoted cocktail sleuthing uncovered them. Anyone who's enjoyed an authentic, classic tiki cocktail over the past 20 years likely has Berry to thank for the quality of their tipple.

Remember, you can view all of my videos online at YouTube. If you enjoy, don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment! I'll be mighty grateful!

Episode 10: Something Blue

Episode 11: Beachbum Berry Remixed

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A Moment of Tiki episodes 7, 8 & 9

"A Moment of Tiki" returns for your viewing pleasure with three new episodes! Well, two of them have been up for a few weeks, but this is the first time I've mentioned them here on the blog.

First up is episode 7, in which I take viewers on a step-by-step how-to for making feijoa flower-infused rum. Do you think that sounds complicated? It's not! And the end result is pretty tasty as well. I'm proud of this episode, as this infusion is one I've never heard of before, and it turned out well.

In episode 8, I share my process for creating suitably tikified baseboards for the creation of a tiki room. When I build something from the ground up, I literally start at ground level. I start with cheap pine boards, and through the magic of routers and a hand-held torch, turn that wood into something that looks suitably primitive and weathered with age.

In episode 9, which just went live half and hour ago (as I write this) I teach the crazy simple process for making real, great-tasting grenadine at home. What's that you say? You don't like that bright red cherry-flavored high fructose corn syrup stuff? Join the crowd! Actual grenadine is made from pomegranate juice, not cherry, and the stuff you can make at home is so much better than the mass market stuff you find in stores (note: There are some high quality craft grenadines out there, but if you know where to look for those, you probably already know how to make your own as well).

Remember, you can view all of my videos online at YouTube. If you enjoy, don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment! I'll be mighty grateful!

Episode 7: Feijoa Rum Infusion

Episode 8: Tiki Baseboards

Episode 9: Grenadine

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What's Jayme drinking?

It may not seem like it, but I am a relatively latecomer to mixed drinks. Seriously. From college on, I mostly drank beer. Then I got into homebrew. When The Wife and I got married, we started exploring wine, because that's what grown-up do, right? Until I discovered tiki a few years back, I thought rum and Coke was a pretty swanky cocktail. That just shows how backward my thinking was.

That said, I did have a close encounter with mixed drinks way back in 1988, the fall of my freshman year at college. My roommate at the time was really into motorsports. He was in the car club at Texas A&M, and at some point that year, he participated in a road rally from College Station to Conroe, and invited me along to serve as his navigator. Needless to say, we ended up lost and arrived at the lakehouse hours after we were supposed to arrive. But that's neither here nor there. The important thing is, we did not miss the party. During the party, one of the upperclassmen was passing out shooters. But not just any shooter--it was this amazing, layered thing he called a "Jellyfish" that simply blew my young mind. It was a layered drink, not unlike the pousse cafe (although it'd be decades before I knew what a pousse cafe was) and my callow self was amazed that such a thing was even possible. It made an impression, obviously. With the dawn of the internet era, I would go online looking for the recipe every few years only to come up empty. Empty, that is, until a few months ago. Bingo! The Jellyfish shooter had made its way onto the interwebz!

Last year, I discovered the Home Bar Awards on Instagram, and have had a bit of fun entering ever since. The first challenge of 2020 was "What The G*rnish?" Absurd cocktail garnishes were the rule, the more outlandish, the better. Naturally, my cocktail had to match, so I set the Wayback Machine to the 1980s to recreate that first layered cocktail I ever experienced. The only trouble was, it was an 80s drink. Much like that decade, it emphasized style over substance. The ingredients list is grim: the Jellyfish is cloyingly sweet, making this one equal parts amazing and awful. But mostly awful.

Here's the thing about layered cocktails that demystifies them--it's all about density. The densest of the liquors goes in first, then lighter ones are added, finishing up with the lightest. In practice, "density" equates to sugar content, so the sweetest goes in first. Maddeningly, the creme de cacao I had is one of the lest sweet versions of this liqueur available (although it was still pretty sweet) so my initial attempts ended in a murky mess. I actually had to add sugar to the first layer before I was able to make it layer properly. By the time I finally got a decent photo, I was thoroughly sick of this one!

...

THE JELLYFISH (shooter)
1 oz. White creme de cacao
.5 oz. Amaretto
.5 oz. Irish cream
Grenadine

Pour creme de cacao into a tall shooter glass. Carefully layer amaretto, then Irish cream over the creme de cacao by slowly pouring over an inverted spoon. Finally, add 5-6 drops of grenadine. The grenadine will rapidly sink to the bottom, pulling "tendrils" along behind it. Garnish with aquarium plants, fake stone shrines, aquarium gravel and a life-sized silicone jellyfish.

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Texas Tiki Week: Tiki Market

With the arrival of Saturday, so too came my favorite part of Texas Tiki Week: The tiki marketplace! It seems like those folks living on the West Coast have some sort of marketplace every week or so. Their embarrassment of riches in that area is just obscene. For us folks living in Texas, however, tiki marketplace comes but once a year (okay, fine. I'll grant you that Dallas Tiki Week has one as well, but that one's a four-hour drive for me, as opposed to 40 minutes). Tiki marketplace is an opportunity to engage in tiki sensory overload. This year, it was at Contigo, where it was two years ago when I attended my first marketplace. This year, instead of taking up a corner of the parking lot, the marketplace occupied the courtyard and a large section of the interior, as a hedge against fickle Texas weather.

I have to say, after some cursory doubts, the arrangement turned out to be fantastic. This was the largest marketplace ever. I'm not privy to the actual numbers, but I'd say there were twice as many vendors as last year and easily triple the number of shoppers. More important than the raw numbers, though, was the sheer diversity of the vendors. There weren't 20 people peddling vintage clothes, or 17 pushing mugs. There were so many different people with a broad array of wares. Yes, vintage clothing and mugs were well-represented, but there were wood carvers, cookies (!), hairdressers, travel agents(!), artists, lamp-makers, jewelry-makers... the selection was overwhelming. And quality across the board.

I know I'll leave out people if I try to list everyone vending, but I gotta try to list everyone vending. I could've happily blown thousands of dollars in a very short amount of time, but alas, I did not have thousands of dollars available for said blowing. Vendors included (in no particular order):

• The Boozy Dodler
• Coxswain & Dunsel
• Rave On Vintage
• Makiko Moe
• Abby Lou Pottery
• Tony Canepa
• Cliptacular Creations
• Cookie Cowgirl
• The Moby Duck
• The Space Bazaar (fantastic tiki lighting!)
• Sick Strings (distinctive wall art!)
• Retro Verte
• Trader Trixie
• Tiki Travel Planner
• Kitty Von Tiki
• Lily of the Valerie
• Double K Originals
• Yaya Retro
• Big T Carvs

I know I'm leaving some out, so anyone who sees an omission may message me and I'll update that list. But damn, that's an impressive lineup!

Sadly, this is my final report. I wasn't able to make it to the Hale Pele popup that evening, which really stinks, because Hale Pele was the first "real" tiki bar I ever visited (after a string of unimpressive pretenders) and got me hooked on the whole thing. We were also unable to make the Lake Austin cruise on Sunday, which concluded Texas Tiki Week. This also stinks, because we really like the folks behind Quiet Village, who provided the cocktails on the cruise. I sincerely hope the cruise becomes a tradition, because I'd hate to think I missed my chance!

That said, let me offer my completely biased and partial critique of Texas Tiki Week. First up, this was probably the best one yet. Again, I have no idea of how much money was raised for USBGATX, bur from a purely spectator's point of view, the week was ambitious and fun. And the beverage sponsors! Holy moly, there was an impressive lineup of quality spirits on parade this year! Nothing against Jaegermeister, but the broadened palate was nice.

Nothing's perfect, and there were issues. Having so many seminars during the day, during the week, has got to cut into attendance. I could only get away from work a few times, and missed several seminars I'd have liked to see. Shannon Mustipher's seminar, for instance--I've heard her on so many podcasts this past year that she feels like a close, personal friend, and it would've been nice to get an autographed copy of her book. John Mulder's seminar had a nice turnout, but I know of several people who'd have liked to attend but couldn't because of the timing. Also, I recall that far more people participated in the paint-your-own-tiki-mug event last year, which not surprisingly, was held in the evening. This is a nifty offering, and I hope it stays as an ongoing tradition.

A significant part of the problem stems from the fact that, unlike the big annual tiki events like Tiki Caliente, Tiki Oasis, Luau at the Lake or Hukilau, Texas Tiki Week doesn't have a physical base of operations for the events to center around. They're dependent on the kindness and generosity of the various, disparate venues around town to cooperate and provide facilities for the various programming events. This can come up and burn the organizers, as we saw this year when Anthem abruptly left Texas Tiki Week high and dry less than a day prior to the Rainey Street Crawl. And as I said in a previous post, Rainey Street was overrun by a party crowd that didn't give two shakes about tiki.

A partial solution is obvious, if not simple: Get some dedicated tiki venues to build the week's events around. If I won a hundred million in the lottery tomorrow, I could build a Polynesian-themed resort hotel and we'd all be sipping mai tais by the pool thinking how awesome like is. Short of that, we have to depend on those intrepid die-hards who keep plugging along, trying to open tiki bars locally ("localy" being a relative term, as I don't live in, or particularly near, Austin). Now, there's no way Tiki Tatsu-Ya could accommodate everyone participating in Texas Tiki Week next year. Heck, if the fates smile on us and Quiet Village opens by summer 2020, that still wouldn't be enough venue space. But that would provide an anchor, a nexus, a base of operations to serve as a reference point throughout the week. Heck, assuming the Esquire Tavern group gets their Bamboo Ben-designed tiki bar on the River Walk up and running in the next 11 months, between them and Hot Joy, there's no reason why San Antonio can't be a serious participant in Texas Tiki Week (yes, it's origins are in support of USBGATX, but it's not called Austin Tiki Week, now is it?). I could envision a party bus from Austin to SA. I can also envision a home bar tour around Austin, as I know there are enough impressive home bars there to blow the minds of some of these out-of-towners that come in thinking Texas is a tiki wasteland (which it was not too long ago, but not quite so much anymore).

My carping from the peanut gallery aside, I applaud all of the volunteers who made this thing happen. They did an outstanding job, and did so while facing down a daunting array of obstacles and SNAFUs--only some of which I'm sure I'm aware of. Having been ringleader in my share of non-profit events, I know it's a thankless job where success or failure is measured by the enjoyment of others. In this case, many, many others experienced a tremendous amount of enjoyment this year. Kudos to everyone involved--you deserve all the accolades coming your way.

Texas Tiki Week: Opening Night
Texas Tiki Week: Eekum Bookum
Texas Tiki Week: Rainey Street Crawl

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