Post #770109 by oroborean on Tue, Nov 8, 2016 4:07 PM

second trip to False Idol happened. again, we got in without a reservation by being in the right place at the right time, and on this occasion got to sit at the bar. and wow what a beautiful bar.

still no rum list, but happily the "volcano" was working this time, so we got to experience the pyrotechnics. the bartenders seemed quite pleased at people's reaction.

the night's imbibes consisted of: Tonight or Never; Pearl Diver; Mai Tai; Shelter Island Sling; Panther's Fang; Zombie. in other words, a fair mix of the classic and the new. my personal favorite was the Zombie, a well-executed iteration of the original 1934 Zombie Punch, strong and balanced. i'm a bit disappointed that so many of the modern twists on classic exotic cocktails here don't use rum. the Shelter Island Sling, however, based on the Singapore Sling, gets a pass because of the base spirit of the original. quite good and worth trying if you like the original. the Mai Tai was also well executed. it was made with Denizen Merchant's Reserve, so it appears to be a faithful rendition of the Smuggler's Cove version.

the crowd was a bit lighter than the last time and seemed to be a bit older, with most people being relatively new to rum and exotic cocktails. despite the homage to San Diego's tiki bars of the past, i get the sense that this place is less concerned with being a classically authentic tiki bar, with keeping the flame of tried and true recipes burning, and more with being a vibrant part of a modern, innovative hospitality scene and expanding the exotic cocktail market segment. case in point: their navy grog is made with ruby red grapefruit because, eh, most people wouldn't notice the difference. at the very least the tension between fidelity and innovation is at the heart of this establishment, and maybe exists at the level of the ownership. that's my take away from this particular visit, make of it what you will.

[ Edited by: oroborean 2016-11-08 16:10 ]