Post #745381 by Tiki Phil on Mon, Jun 22, 2015 2:29 PM

Don't really want to be too negative on here but I went to the Northern California Pirate Festival yesterday. I didn't expect anything really tiki but I was pleasantly surprised to see a "Rum Bar". I naturally went inside the tent and when I saw a drink menu that included Mai Tais and Dark and Stormies I really got excited.

I stood in a long line and was again pleasantly surprised when I saw that the Mai Tais people had bought were approximately the right color and didn't have any red, purple or orange stuff. They also didn't have any lime or mint garnish but that's another story. When I finally got to the bar I ordered a Mai Tai and tried to sneak a peek at how they were making them. I soon realized that they were coming straight out of large cooler. All pre-mixed including the rum. Poured over regular ice and unceremoniously dumped into a clear plastic cup.

Still I wasn't prejudging the taste (yet). I paid my $8 (talk about piracy) and stepped over to the tables to give it a try. It was the worst concoction I have ever tasted. Think Country Time Lemonade with a slight hint of rubbing alcohol. I couldn't get past the second sip.

I asked someone how their Dark and Stormy was and they said they were going to throw it away.

Why am I telling you all this? To save you the $$ and frustration. From now on I won't order a drink just because it has a tiki drink name. I'll pay attention to "where" I'm ordering it. I wish I could have ripped up their menu sign and said "In the name of Tiki Drink lovers everywhere, I am here to shut you down!" ha ha