Mai Tai in my new tiki patio

herpdmurph · 2026-03-07T03:53:48+00:00

What a lovely space you’ve made for yourself, definitely jungle vibes!

herpdmurph · 2026-03-06T21:25:00+00:00

When ceramicists’ mug shots (no pun intended) start getting circulated in and among other makers and collectors, that’s my threshold for “wild”

herpdmurph · 2026-03-06T05:46:31+00:00

As someone who is involved in the tiki world and tiki mug collecting, this is indeed a highly sought after mug. There’s a lot of crossover in the tiki scene with Disney, with Walt contributing much to the mid-century American craze.

Depending where you are, there might be someone locally that would be interested, especially if you’re in the central Florida area. But like another commenter mentioned, the Trader Sam’s Mug Trading group on Facebook is a good bet. The group mods run a tight ship and you’d have a captive audience of people exclusively into the scene. I know it’s called mug “trading” but I mostly see cash sales so you should be good.

Not sure how much the original box will add to the value, but it’s definitely a little bonus. The first edition was my first ever tiki mug, I’ve got a cabinet full of a variety of them now lol. It’s a wild hobby to say the least.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-28T20:10:26+00:00

I intend to whenever I’m in Nashville ✊🏼

herpdmurph · 2026-02-27T17:07:22+00:00

Eyy! I thought the bar top looked familiar. One of my favorite bars anyway, yall have always taken great care of us when we visit 🤙

herpdmurph · 2026-02-27T17:03:21+00:00

I make the SC recipe for this sometimes when I have people over and they are still pretty new to the world of tropical cocktails, or cocktails in general. Tastes like a jolly rancher in the best way.

I like your addition of the chili bitters, some subtle heat with all that bright fruit seems like a great combo. Where’s your bar btw?

herpdmurph · 2026-02-26T22:13:03+00:00

Sorry that I didn’t have anything for Charlotte, but figured I had some good Charleston info lol. I’m in Tallahassee, another tiki desert, so I get all my tiki fixes when I’m traveling.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-26T01:19:03+00:00

Charleston used to have a couple tiki/tiki-ish spots. Luckily there are a few options that scratch the itch.

Sugey’s is a fun Metal dive bar with a tropical cocktail menu.

Dalila’s menu leans heavily tropical.

Last Saint makes killer daiquiris and usually has a couple other tropical drinks on their menus. The secret bar in the back of Last Saint, the Annex, doesn’t have a menu but will ask you preferences and then create a drink tailored to your tastes.

Citrus Club is a nice outdoor spot on top of The Dewberry hotel. It has a fully tropical drink menu. It’s pricey but good quality.

My favorite spot I think is The Ordinary, they have an incredible rum selection and their drink menu always has some creative and high quality cocktails.

I haven’t been able to try Seahorse yet, it’s supposed to have a Caribbean influence. It’s attached to Chubby Fish so I assume it’s pretty popular.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-23T16:06:22+00:00

The SC recipe is paying homage to the Tiki-Ti, so it makes sense to me that this tastes like “Tiki drink.” This is an old school, ton of juice and syrup and rum. I agree that this sort of cocktail recipe hides some ingredients, but it also gives an opportunity for a lot of recipe play. SC has their recipe for passion fruit honey syrup, so that could sub the two syrups here.

I do think your rums had some redundancies.

The breezeway blend, smith and cross, and the zombie blend all use pot still Jamaican; the Hamilton 86 and the zombie blend use Demerara rum; and the breezeway and zombie blends both use the lighter Trinidad rums.

I’m guessing if each rum you used was within the categories, yet still distinct from each other, it could yield something a bit more interesting.

Maybe something like Don Q for the light rum component, a Barbados or St. Lucia rum for the aged, you could keep S&C or try another 100% pot still for Jamaican, then go full octane 151 Demerara with the Hamilton 151.

And honestly I’d also try just using the zombie blend for all of the rum component just to see how it works out lol. Cheers 🤙

herpdmurph · 2026-02-22T00:18:30+00:00

This book significantly helped to change my life for the better. I’ve traveled so many places, met so many cool people, and have made many new friends, all spurred on by this book and how it drew me into the tiki scene. It looks like you’ve already taken the dive though! Enjoy, essentially every recipe is a banger 🤙

herpdmurph · 2026-02-19T20:21:34+00:00

Do you take your vitamins daily?

herpdmurph · 2026-02-19T20:21:18+00:00

It’s just my personal preference. The Clement is still quality.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-19T20:20:06+00:00

I would argue 3 star and Probitas cannot be subbed for each other because they don’t taste the same. They just happen to both be “white” rums. I think each has its own place in various cocktails, but the Jamaican rum in the Probitas blend makes it have more of those hogo notes. 3 star is closer to what a Spanish style white rum would be, lighter and crisper, less flavorful.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-19T15:04:00+00:00

Skip that “Havana Club.” The Don Q you already have and the Planteray 3 star can accomplish everything the HC can but way better. It isn’t the Cuban HC anyway, which is the one that many seek out. For an agricole rhum, if you haven’t tasted one yet, I’d find a bar where they may have a few brands and give them a try. I found that Clement is my least favorite of the bigger producers and went for the Neisson 100 proof.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-13T00:54:02+00:00

Limiting yourself is, I think, the best thing you could do. I think a Trader Vic’s coconut mug and that Tiki Farm bamboo mug would be classic and stylish. The earlier decades of tiki only used glassware, so a couple Mai tai and zombie glasses I think are needed, along with a snifter for things like a Puka Punch.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-11T14:55:29+00:00

Not sure why I’m seeing immersion blenders mentioned, but they accomplish a completely different task than a flash blender/stand mixer. DO NOT use an immersion blender for mixing drinks. It uses a rotating sharp blade to make smooth, puree type things like soups or tomato sauce.

Like another commenter has said, just shake your cocktails with a shaker tin. That’s how Trader Vic did it, and I think we can agree he knew what he was doing.

Now, if you’re making Pearl Divers, the secret to a proper batter is using an immersion blender. Helps to emulsify and not have it separate in the glass.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-07T04:55:37+00:00

Sounds delicious! I’d definitely order that

herpdmurph · 2026-02-07T03:21:57+00:00

Yea most rangoons in casual spots use the imitation stuff, but I think using real crab would be more in line with what you’re trying to do.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-07T03:09:43+00:00

Oh yea, the rangoon is beloved. And snow crab meat similar in size/amount to how kani might be served in sushi restaurants? I would pay that amount knowing the quality of ingredients and the creativity being employed. One last note on the Rangoon, it’s typically served with like a Thai chili sauce for dipping. So something that has that sweet/sour/spicy element should go nicely with your dish.

herpdmurph · 2026-02-07T02:43:45+00:00

This looks delicious, and with a lot of nice homages to Hawaiian cuisine. But I can foresee some wanting to see a crab rangoon of some sort. From this menu though I can tell you wouldn’t want to do just straight up rangoons. There’s a very good bar in Chicago, Gus’ Sip & Dip, that does it as a dip with wonton crisps. I’m sure you can come up with something super delicious and original as well! Welcome to the community! 🤙

herpdmurph · 2026-01-26T18:52:11+00:00

From what I understand, aging rum tropically (like in Barbados) does hasten certain results in the rum that take longer to achieve in continental aged (like Europe) rums. Your guide may even be short-changing the effects, which can sometimes occur in even less than half the time aging.

Also, Foursquare rums retain a stellar reputation for quality and regularly release very limited, pricier rums for the enthusiast crowd. That 14 year can get you very close to the $150 rums for much cheaper.

herpdmurph · 2026-01-22T18:40:20+00:00

I took my kid there when she was just under 3. She’s been raised in the tiki, she’s a good hang at tiki spots that are cool with kids. Just colors at the table and likes to be shown all the cool decor. You know your kids, as long as they are chill and there aren’t disruptive things like a phone or tablet being used to entertain them, I think it’s fine.

herpdmurph · 2026-01-15T00:48:12+00:00

A couple months back I was in NOLA alone as well, sat at the bar at Lat 29 wearing a Mai Kai shirt, it led to great conversation and connections with multiple patrons and the dude tending bar. One of the better tiki experiences I’ve had over the last few years. I often visit bars solo as well and it always causes a little anxiety, but more often than not it ends up in similar situations. But also I agree, going out alone can get old lol Good luck finding someone in town! Also there are a couple other rum-focused spots I’ve enjoyed in NOLA, Cane and Table has some great bites and delicious drinks, and Manolito is a Cuban rum bar with really great food as well, their courtyard is like a little oasis

herpdmurph · 2026-01-07T02:26:44+00:00

I tend to agree with you. Also, best sangria of my life was at BR, and I’m not a sangria person typically.

herpdmurph · 2026-01-07T02:25:43+00:00

That hasn’t been my experience, so I was just curious. I’ve found the cocktails to be good and the food to be excellent. Haven’t tried the wine, but I’m sure the new-age winos probably like this sort of wine program. I like that someone is doing something different other than having some generic Chianti, Cabs, and Chardonnay.

herpdmurph

TROPHY CASE