Post #455422 by AquaZombie on Thu, May 21, 2009 12:47 PM

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING POST WAS ORIGINALLY STARTED UNDER "TIKI DRINKS"
I don't want to ruffle anyone's garnish by double posting the same topic, but this story is developing into something a bit more significant than simple cocktail chit-chat...

ORIGINAL POST:

As we all know the Mai Tai was invented by Vic Bergeron at the original Trader Vic's on San Pablo Ave in Oakland
http://www.tradervics.com/mai-tai-1.html

WE know that, but too many citizens of Oakland do not know that. This is why MANO THANOS co-founder of THE CONGA LOUNGE in Oakland http://www.congalounge.com/ has been pestering Oakland officials to officially declare the Mai Tai the official cocktail of Oakland. Face it - Oaktown is a thriving community of colorful and creative people, but its image is marred by the constantly reported violence, which is actually limited to a few rough patches in the city. The press makes too big a deal of this aspect at the expense of all the great things this town has to offer. For too long Oakland has suffered in the shadows of its more glitzy and glamorous sister across the Bay. I'm from Jersey so I'm used to being on the wrong side of a body of water. I also know how to defend my turf (though I live in Alameda, "Oakland's Own Hawaii" and home of Forbidden Island http://www.forbiddenislandalameda.com/fi/ )

My slogan for years has been OAKLAND: HOME OF THE MAI TAI, NOT JUST THE DRIVE-BY!

The Mai Tai conjures up images of exotic luxury befitting Oakland's neglected positive traits as a town of pleasant climate and diverse demographics. It's a multi-cultural cocktail of a society, and it deserves its recognition as Birthplace of the Mai Tai.

As official PR dude for both FI and Conga, I recently stepped into the official fight and have scheduled a meeting next Wednesday, May 20, with Andre Jones, chief of staff for councilmember Rebecca Kaplan. Mano and his brother Molokai Mike will also be there (at my bayside condo - they'll be mixing the Mai Tais.) This is the first time the city has granted us a face to face to formally discuss this matter.

I will keep you posted on its progress. Aloha and here's to OAKLAND and the CONGA LOUNGE, home of the Oakland Mai Tai Campaign.
Aloha, Will the Thrill

UPDATE!!!! May 21, 2009:

The meeting with Andre yesterday went swimmingly. We all sat out on my deck drinking Molokai Mike's perfectly mixed versions of both the original Mai Tai recipe and the popular Conga Lounge variant. Andre himself is a very cool, laid-back dude who totally "got it." Better yet, his boss, Rebecca Kaplan, who represents Oakland as a whole, also "gets it." He characterized this proposal as a relatively easy sale and didn't anticipate any roadblocks (not like we're declaring Meth the official drug of Oakland, or the Uzi the official weapon....) He completely agrees that the dreamy, relaxing images conjured up by the Mai Tai will promote Oakland's deserved image as a diverse, multi-cultural nexus of All Things Cool. It would also counter all the negative press obsessed only with violence, which is an issue in most urban areas. Mano brought up the Sazerac being declared the official cocktail of another cosmopolitan but maligned exotic US city, New Orleans
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91912549
and we all concurred Oakland is in need of a similar, national PR boost. I also hoped out loud that Rachel Maddow, a former Bay Area resident and noted cocktail aficionado, may even mention this on her TV and radio programs (maybe in the Cocktail Moment segment.) I also indicated that having the first US President from Hawaii now in office can't hurt this cause, either.
Jen (DangerGirl) has already submitted an officially written proposal to Andre, so the high ball is definitely rolling. Once a date is set for the declaration, we'll bring out the big media guns. So to speak. Stay tuned...

Mano, Molokai Mike and Andre

Mano, Andre and Will the Thrill

[ Edited by: AquaZombie 2009-05-21 13:11 ]