(I know this place has been mentioned before, but I thought to provide a stronger "plug" for just how great it is.)

Wine and Liquor Depot
http://www.wineandliquordepot.com/
16938 Saticoy St.
Van Nuys CA, 91406
Telephone Numbers
Toll-Free: 888-622-1414
Local: 818-996-1414
Fax: 818-996-3161
Store Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10AM - 6 PM
Sunday: Noon - 5 PM

Well, this is a GREAT specialty liquor store with not only a great selection of high-end/quality stuff, but also the best damned prices for it as well. It BLOWS AWAY Vendome's prices, and betters Bevmo's for most things too.

Beachbum Berry's $100 Mai Tai cost me:

$22.59 ....... Appleton Extra
$21.99 ....... Rhum St James Hors D'Ages (not a typo! It's cheaper than the Appleton!)
$21.99 ....... Marie Brizard Orange Curacao
$04.99 ....... Trader Vic's Orgeat
$04.99 ....... Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup
$00.69 ....... One bunch of mint (purchased from 99 Ranch Market on Sepulveda@Victory)
$00.99 ....... One pound of limes (purchased at 99 Ranch)

$78.23 Sub-total
$06.45 8.25% Sales Tax

$84.68 GRAND TOTAL, or
$ 3.32/Mai Tai

Curiously, Beachbum Berry's listed price for Marie Brizard beats Wine & Liquor Depot's.

I had a VERY hard time finding Marie Brizard Orange Curacao, actually. Vendome carries most of the Marie Brizard line, but not Orange Curacao (at least the Studio City location doesn't).

For those who prefer a more modestly priced but still high quality Mai Tai, the biggest delta comes from using Bols or DeKuyper Orange Curacao ($6-8 at Trader Joe's), followed by downgrading the Extra to VX ($17 at TJ's), and then using Cruzan for the St. James ($12-15 at Bevmo/TJs).

I notice some Trader Joe's (Studio City at least), stocks Appleton VX for $16.99 (better than Bevmo's and W&L Depot's price), and I've also seen 1.75L Cruzan for about $19.

One last thing, for things like fresh limes or mint, GO ETHNIC! Vietnamese/Asian places use alot of fresh herbs and ingredients in their cuisine, and their grocery stores stock it both very fresh and high quality and at very low prices.

Happy Hunting!
=Kukoae=

Hey Kukoae you must live right around the corner from me. Do you ever go to the Q-Market for fresh mint and lime? Much cheaper than anywhere else I know. Check it out. 17261 Vanowen.

No, I've never been to Q-Market...

But for limes (both Persian and "Mexican"/key), I find Superior markets also to have great prices.

They stock lots of fresh herbs (cilantro for $0.10/ea, etc), but I don't think I've seen mint there.

I'm tempted to try Lucky Tiki at some point - how many TC regulars visit there? It looks like a very nice bar, and bigger than the -Ti (not hard, I know).

Cheers!
=Kukoae-

That's about the best price you'll get for Brizzard's Curacao. They can special order it for you at BevMo.

Thanks Kukoae! I'm so impressed that you did the $100 Mai Tai test, and for less money. I'll have to stock up when I'm in the area.

But I can't agree with your suggestion of replacing the Rhum St. James hors d'age with Cruzan to make a cheaper Mai Tai. First, they don't taste at all alike, and second, it would be contrary to the whole goal of the Beachbum's $100 Mai Tai: to get as close a taste to the original as possible.

Bottoms up!