Author: Ray

Tiki VIP #40 Michael Zadoorian – Author/Detroit Tikiphile

Posted by Ray on in Tiki VIP

I just finished reading Michael Zadoorian’s new book THE NARCISSISM OF SMALL DIFFERENCES and I totally relate to the characters. Joe, one of the main characters in the book, is a 40 something Gen Xer, no kids, doesn’t want kids, into old stuff and hangs out in tiki bars. This would describe me as well. I hope to meet Michael in person someday, but I already feel like I know him. I know where he’s coming from. Here is Michael Zadoorian’s story …

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #64 Trader Ric’s – Indianapolis IN

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars 3 Comments

Indianapolis doesn’t have a Trader Vic’s, but it does have a Trader Ric’s!

The basement in the MCM home of Matt McElfresh and Ric Mills used to be their EBay warehouse, until they acquired “the mural”. This beautiful mural originally hung in the men’s bar at the historic Claypool Hotel and it was the inspiration for Matt and Ric to build their home tiki bar. Matt named the bar after Ric, calling it Trader Ric’s, and the rest is history! Here is Matt and Ric’s story …

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Lost Spirits Distillery – By Tom Hemmen

Posted by Ray on in Guest Tiki Bar Review

The last day of our recent visit to Los Angeles, we purchased tickets for a distillery tour we’d become aware of while researching things to do in the area online. At $40 per ticket it was not inexpensive, and its Yelp reviews, while mostly positive, featured some pretty poor ones as well – however, it looked intriguing, and potentially like a lot of fun, so we took the plunge …

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Tiki Blogging #10 – The Search for The Ultimate Mai Tai (Kevin Crossman)

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Blogging

Where can I get a good Mai Tai?

This is actually a harder question to answer than you think. For many bars, a Mai Tai is their token tropical drink that has rum, pineapple juice and grenadine. Then there are tiki bars that know how to make a true 1944 Trader Vic’s Mai Tai, but the results range from great, to good, to passable, to “is this even a Mai Tai?”.  I’ve been into tiki for a long time and had my share of Mai Tais which all taste drastically different. It’s only been more recently that I can pin down exactly what a Mai Tai should taste like and I’ve got to thank Kevin Crossman for that! Kevin’s website, The Search for The Ultimate Mai Tai, is a one stop resource that ranks and rates all the places that Kevin has had a Mai Tai. Check out The Search for The Ultimate Mai Tai and you will learn where you can find …

The Good, The Bad, and The Ultimate Mai Tai!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #63 Fred and Ginger’s Exotic Cocktail Bar and Lounge – San Jose CA

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars

A lot can happen in a year …

Terra and Alex Fritch went from discovering what tiki is, to becoming members of the Rumbustion Society at Smuggler’s Cove, to building their own tiki bar on the patio behind their home. The name of their bar is Fred and Ginger’s Exotic Cocktail Bar and Lounge. Who are Fred and Ginger? Continue reading to find out!

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