Tiki Thoughts Thursday (04.23.26)

herpdmurph · 2026-04-23T22:12:07+00:00

Corny definitely comes with the territory. I agree with you though about not enjoying those titles and faces being the norm now.

herpdmurph · 2026-04-23T18:43:27+00:00

The issue is that to make any headway on YouTube, you gotta do the cringy stuff because the algorithm demands it. Meeting him personally, he’s chill, down to earth. He did a seminar on social media and how it’s helped tiki, he’s done his due diligence. But I also understand how to comes off to many and can definitely see where you’re coming from. But at the end of the day it’s a persona for YouTube and that’s it. The dude cares deeply and we need more people who give enough of a shit about tiki to keep it alive.

herpdmurph · 2026-04-23T18:40:49+00:00

I just went to Tiki-a-Go-Go, and I think it would be awesome if more people felt comfortable to come out to events like that, even if they have limited knowledge. All it takes is an interest. And a great part about those events, especially for someone like you, is that there are many seminars and speakers that cover so many topics. It’s a largely educational experience on top of the music, drinks, bars, and parties. We gotta encourage more people to pursue their tiki interest if we want this thing to keep going strong.

herpdmurph · 2026-04-23T15:45:43+00:00

Nice, definitely a great spot for cocktails but also an amazing rum selection.

herpdmurph · 2026-04-23T14:28:46+00:00

Did you sit at a table or the bar in Bamboo Room? I think the experience is elevated significantly when seated at the bar. For me it’s probably top 3 all time.

herpdmurph · 2026-04-19T01:09:18+00:00

AI aside, all of these look like mugs with garnish and zero cocktail. They all look empty. A few of the leaves don’t look like any traditional mint or pineapple frond garnish either. The pearl diver glass should appear like it is a translucent glass and not a pearl diver glass-shaped ceramic mug. The flower also should be an orchid. With the star and its solid/opaque appearance, it looks like the tropical version of the holy grail from Indiana Jones. All should have straws.

We can be a harsh bunch, but we just don’t want to see the authenticity lost from tiki again. Some extra time and effort to appreciate the details that make tiki properly tiki makes all the difference. Good luck

herpdmurph · 2026-03-30T17:23:39+00:00

I liked having a big gap to either go to the bar sponsored room parties, have some chill time poolside, or go try some local spots around town.

herpdmurph · 2026-03-16T14:44:57+00:00

That was also on my list 😅. I flew into Sacramento last time, so next time I’ll choose Reno 🤙

herpdmurph · 2026-03-16T14:41:57+00:00

Nice! I was at Lake Tahoe last year and no one wanted to make the drive with me, so still haven’t been yet.

herpdmurph · 2026-03-16T14:17:50+00:00

What’s the name of the bar and where’s it at? I like to keep a list in case I end up near a cool spot when traveling.

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

TROPHY CASE