Monthly Tiki Night at 320 Main in Seal Beach - Aug 29 - Creaky Tiki

Some of you already heard me talk about this and are excited to go... well, I've finally got the official details! For everyone else, take note, this is going to be a great event!

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know I practically live at a bar called 320 Main, in Seal Beach. They have the finest craft cocktails in the OC, and were voted one of the best 55 bars in LA (despite the fact they aren't in LA). I've become friends with the owners and bartenders, of course. It all started when I went in there to sample their goods when my buddy RumDood was working. He made a DAMN fine Three Dots and a Dash then proceeded to blow my mind with other Tiki cocktails straight from the Grog Log. It's not a Tiki bar, per say, but it sure has the heart of one... freshly squeezed juices daily, homemade falernum, orgeat, syrups, bitters and a ginger beer that makes an unbelievable Dark 'N' Stormy. RumDood tends bar Sundays, and you can always find the owner, Jason there experimenting and building an amazing array of cocktails. However, it turns out they are huge fans of Tiki and have been throwing around some ideas for a series of special Tiki nights! I told them let me know the details... I might know some people that like good Tiki cocktails. :wink: And when I mean good, I mean REAL GOOD.

In short: The last Monday of each month, for the next five months will be Tiki Night at 320 Main. Doors open at 7pm-11pm (they are normally closed Mondays, so this will be solely a Tiki night for Tiki lovers, friends and family only). Each month will be a specific theme and cocktail menu. Word has it that Tiki Farm may be there selling their latest and greatest Tiki mugs so you'll have a proper vessel to hold those cocktails in!

Here's the plans for each of the Tiki Nights thus far:

May 30 - Classic Tiki Night

June 27 - Don vs Vic

July 18 - Tropical Drinks of Cuba

Aug 29 - Creaky Tiki (Queens Park, Ti Punch, Singapore Sling, Hurricane, Fish House, this is roughly the menu)

Sept 26 - Tiki Nouveau

Bartenders: Jason Schiffer, Matt "RumDood" Robold and Marcos Tello.

All cocktails will be $8. Although 320 Main is normally closed Mondays, and their kitchen will be closed these nights, they will be serving some food to enjoy while hanging out and sampling the cocktails. First month will be Chicago style and LA style Hot Dogs. As they are just for fun while we drink, they will be minimally priced to cover cost at $4.

Here's a little bio of each of the bartenders, if you haven't had the pleasure of meeting them or sampling their handy work:

Marcos Tello -

President of the USBG Los Angeles Chapter and founder of the Sporting Life cocktail community, Marcos has been instrumental in bringing together bartenders to advance the craft of the cocktail in the LA area. He has worked at some of Los Angeles' best cocktail bars including Seven Grand, The Edison and The Varnish and also is partners in a consulting company that helps bars create and implement cocktail programs in places like LA's well-regarded First & Hope and 1886 in Pasadena.

Here are a few articles on Marcos:
http://www.foodgps.com/mixologist-marcos-tello/
http://theliquidmuse.blogspot.com/2007/09/bartender-diaries-marcos-tello-one-in.html
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-bartenders22-2009jul22,0,6774498.story

Jason Schiffer -

Jason started his bartending career under the tutelage of Las Vegas' best Flair bartenders. His passion for the history and craft of cocktails grew over the years and flourished when he moved to Southern California and joined the USBG. Since opening 320 Main in 2009, Jason has created a noted classic cocktail program that has garnered a lot of critical praise. He also helped found the OC Bartender's Cabinet in early 2010, a cocktail community for Orange County bartenders and enthusiasts and sits on the Board for the USBG Los Angeles.

Matt "RumDood" Robold -

Matt Robold is an Orange County, California-based rum connoisseur and cocktail enthusiast that likes to write about his passions on his blog RumDood.com. Matt can be found behind the bar at 320 Main in Seal Beach, or heading the monthly meetings of Rum Society at Caña Rum Bar in Downtown Los Angeles or the Bartender’s Cabinet in Orange County, California. In addition to writing his own blog, Matt contributes to the Mixoloseum blog (a group blog run by a collective of cocktail and spirits writers) and sits on the board of the Cocktails and Spirits Online Writers Group. Matt has a personal collection of over 170 rums and can be found as a judge for many cocktail competitions and rum tastings. http://rumdood.com

It's going to be a great night. Nothing but fans of Tiki cocktails and some amazingly passionate bartenders shaking some incredible libations! Please come on down and enjoy the evening with me. If you see me at Tiki Caliente, I'll be happy to talk more about it.

Mark your calendars and see you there!

Do me a favor and let me know here if you plan to come. I'd like to give them a heads up on Tiki Central folks coming. This event is also being promoted to the USBG LA chapter, OC Rum Club and various other industry folks. Nothing but Tiki fans, craft cocktail bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts... but please do let me know so they can get enough food and rum for us! Not to mention, squeeze those limes!

(In case you were wondering, 320 Main is both the name as well as the address... very handy. In reference, it's about 5 minutes north of Don the Beachcomber.) http://320mainsealbeach.com

Honoring my gods one sip at a time.

[ Edited by: tikigeeki 2011-08-24 09:47 ]

BTW - Final details are still being worked out... I'll keep this post up to date as I know more.

Ah, Marcos and 320 get their links posted by no link for me? I see how you are.

I'm above such shameless self-promotion anyway.

http://rumdood.com

RumDood.com
I drink the rum so you don't have to...but you should anyway.

[ Edited by: Dood 2011-05-12 22:25 ]

On 2011-05-12 22:24, Dood wrote:
Ah, Marcos and 320 get their links posted by no link for me? I see how you are.

I'm above such shameless self-promotion anyway.

Oh, for the love of tiki gods... fine... I've updated your info. Don't make me tell these people to come in to 320 Main on a Sunday and order a Three Dots and a Dash or a Smith and Cross Mai Tai. Last thing you need is a wave of Aloha shirts assaulting you... so back off man!

Won't this conflict with Monday's @ Don the Beachcomber?
you are like a mile away.

On 2011-05-12 23:21, Chuck Tatum is Tiki wrote:
Won't this conflict with Monday's @ Don the Beachcomber?
you are like a mile away.

The place is rather small. Being closed Mondays, that's the only day they can devote all attention to the tiki cocktails and not worry about other guests. It was considered and they were thinking about Sunday instead, but they just couldn't do it when the place was normally open. Besides, it's just one Monday a month for a couple months and in the later part of the evening, not a regular every Monday thing, nor replacing a nice sit down dinner. I'd say do both!

There is always room for more top shelf cocktails.

cool..Thats my backyard..Nice way to follow a memorial day bbq..

Jane and I will do our best to stop by for a drink or two or three :)

This may be a great way for me to start my vacation.

I am gonna try and swing by. 3 dots and a dash happens to be one of my favorite cocktails.

On 2011-05-13 19:41, Chippy wrote:
This may be a great way for me to start my vacation.

I am gonna try and swing by. 3 dots and a dash happens to be one of my favorite cocktails.

I'm not sure what the menu will be for the Classic Tiki night, but RumDood is always making them Sundays when he's working. Tell him you're from Tiki Central and he'll take care of you.

$8!!

May 30th's menu has been finalized:

-Painkiller
-Jasper’s Planter’s Punch
-Three Dots & A Dash
-Navy Grog
-Nui Nui
-Corn’n'Oil
-Rum Barrel

Oh, my beloved Navy Grog... Mmmm...

On 2011-05-12 22:48, TikiGeeki wrote:

On 2011-05-12 22:24, Dood wrote:
Ah, Marcos and 320 get their links posted by no link for me? I see how you are.

I'm above such shameless self-promotion anyway.

Oh, for the love of tiki gods... fine... I've updated your info. Don't make me tell these people to come in to 320 Main on a Sunday and order a Three Dots and a Dash or a Smith and Cross Mai Tai. Last thing you need is a wave of Aloha shirts assaulting you... so back off man!

It can't be any worse than last Sunday when I yelled "LAST CALL" and received orders for 6 Zombies. :wink:

RumDood.com
I drink the rum so you don't have to...but you should anyway.

[ Edited by: Dood 2011-05-18 12:20 ]

Next Monday!

I had a great time seeing everyone at Tiki Caliente. I talked to many of you looking forward to going to this, and that's awesome! If any of you undecided had a chance to stop by my room and have some cocktails, you know how seriously badass the cocktails were (or perhaps you heard rumors)... I don't want to give away my secret, but let's just say I've spent some time watching and learning from the folks at 320 Main. I'm just saying. :wink:

Tiki Farm is confirmed to be selling some of their finest mugs that night. Jason is old buddies with a guy who some of you might know as Ken from the Shingles, occasionally hosting Mr. Suave's Mod, Mod World on the internet. He'll be there DJing for the evening.

Please post a note here if you are planning to show, so I can relay back and make sure food and drinks are plentiful. I know you told me in person, but... um... well, I was drinking so its all a little fuzzy. :wink: If you've been to 320 before, please let others know your thoughts... I met some people on the fence. Help me give them a nudge. I introduced Doug Horne to the place and have randomly seen him there about three times since. I'm assuming he likes it there. :wink:

Hope to see you next Monday!

Hey Joby!

Trevor and I will be swinging by Don's for dinner on Monday, and then heading over to hang with you and the 320 Main crew. Looking forward to a rare opportunity to be out on a school night (Look OUT!), and to experience your favorite local haunt with you. Thanks for setting this up!

i'll have to plan ahead and come drink with you all one week ; )

I'm gonna check this out.

Jeff(btd)

Don't forget... After a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, be sure to end the weekend Monday night at 320 Main in Seal Beach at the inaugural monthly Tiki Night!

From posts, PMs, texts, Facebook posts, drunken babbling, etc, I'm counting about one to two dozen of you fine folks planning on attending. I also know a bunch of bartenders that will be there and various food and drink bloggers. Anyone interested in the art and craft of cocktails, it's going to be an amazing time. Can't wait to see you all there!

Hey, TikiGeeki!

Ken from the Shingles here (along with the Sons of Tangaroa, the Stumblebums and a few other bands that never play anymore) - thanks for the mention!

Looking forward to meeting you and seeing the 'Ohana, old and new. Tiki season really has started with a vengeance this year!

I'll be playing Exotica old and new, along with a little Hawaiiana, surf, lounge and whatever else sets the mood for the room.

See everyone tomorrow; Should be a blast!

Cheers,

Ken

Great Drinks,
and a good turn out for this last night.
Thanks for setting this up, or at least telling us about it Joby.

Good job, spinnin tunes, er uh, pushing the buttons, Ken.
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

Such a great night! Thank you everyone who came last night. We had about two dozen of the TC folks come in through out the night to say hi, it was great to see everyone! The owners were blown away by the response from the tiki community.

Wow they got slammed last night! Line waiting when they opened and starting to run out within two hours. I was there juicing limes, grapefruit, oranges and pineapple for a solid 4-5 hours earlier and they blew through it all far faster than anyone expected. They'll probably ramp things up now that they have an idea of volume for the event next month.

Speaking of... Next month (last Monday of the month)... Theme is Don the Beachcomber vs Trader Vic. QB Cooler will be pitted up against the Mai Tai. Zombie will be pitted up against the Fog Cutter. You get the idea. The titans of tiki will be showcased and able to be sampled side by side. Should be fun.

I'll update this as it gets closer with a complete menu and details.

Thanks for setting it up, and the prepping. Drinks were good, vibe was good. Hot Dogs helped out too!

See you next month!

Had a great time spinning tunes, seeing old friends and meeting new ones!

TikiGeeki did a great job getting some of the Tiki Central 'Ohana to show up, not to mention the exemplary prep work he helped provide to get the bar ready for the event. You guys can't imagine how much juicing went on beforehand, and a few drinks still sold out quite quickly. The bar will be even more prepared next time!

Big thanks to 320 Main's Jason Schiffer, Matt "Rumdood" Robold and Marcos Tello; they totally kicked ass behind the bar!

Looking forward to next month's event: Don vs. Vic

Get your drinking shoes on, because it's gonna be serious!

See you then,

Ken

Just a couple weeks away! Be sure to put June 27th on your calendars for the second of a 5 part summer cocktail series from 320 Main. Doors open at 7pm and the bar will rock until 11pm, however, as some cocktails ran out with in two hours, I highly recommend getting there early. They will be stocking up and I'll be juicing even more fruit for the night! But, I still recommend getting in early so you get a chance to sample as many of the cocktails as you can.

This time its a nod to Tiki's legends... a cocktail flight of Don's famous recipes sampled head to head with Trader Vic's recipes. The QB Cooler and the Mai Tai... try them both and compare. The menu will consist half of Don's classics and half of Trader Vic's treasures... recipes and authenticity thanks to the Beachbum Berry archives and I can attest all fruit juices are hand squeezed that day (I personally did most of it last time) and syrups are either homemade or being provided by Trader Tiki. It's going to be a great night once again.

See you there!

Joby,
will there be a TV's Navy Grog?
that is my fave drink of theirs, and its totally different than the Don's Navy Grog.

Jeff(btd)

I'll update with the official list ASAP. I believe the recipes though will be cocktails they each specifically invented to compete with the other. I'm not sure, though, I'll post when I know.

Cocktails that will be served at the next event:

Mai Tai
QB Cooler
Zombie
Scorpion Bowl*
Cinerama Luau Punch*
Fogcutter
Tortuga
Dr. Funk

*served as punches from punch bowls

Cocktails will be $10, Punches will be $6

Honoring my gods one sip at a time.

[ Edited by: tikigeeki 2011-06-15 09:29 ]

Just a quick adjustment of the cocktail selection above. Punches will be $6.

My bad.

Got an update from Jason on the specific ingredients that will be used, for you cocktail geeks out there, as well as info on prizes!

QB Cooler
Appleton Reserve Jamaican Rum, DonQ Anejo Rum, El Dorado 12yr Rum, Lime Juice, Orange Juice, Honey Syrup, Falernum, Ginger Syrup, Angostura

Mai Tai
Appleton 12yr Jamaican Rum, Clement VSOP Rum, Creole Shrubb,Lime Juice, Orgeat, Rich Simple Syrup

Dr. Funk
Coruba Dark Jamaican Rum, Lime Juice, Pernod Absinthe, Grenadine

Tortuga
Lemonhart 151 Rum, Ron Matusalem Platino Rum, Italian Vermouth, Crème de Cacao, Orange Curacao, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, Orange Juice, Grenadine

Zombie
Appleton Reserve Jamaican Rum, Ron Matusalem Platino Rum, Lemonhart 151 Rum, Lime Juice, Lemon Juice, Pineapple Juice, Demerara, Angostura

Fogcutter
Appleton Reserve Jamaican Rum, Barsol Pisco, Plymouth Gin, Orgeat, Lime Juice, Lemon Juice, Sherry Float

Cinerama Luau Punch
Appleton Reserve Jamaican Rum, White Wine, Orange Curacao,
Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, Lime Juice, Lemon Juice

Scorpion Bowl
Ron Matusalem Platino Rum, Brandy, Orgeat, Lemon Juice, Orange Juice

In addition to all the fun from last tiki night- we'll also be holding a raffle in conjunction with the voting so everyone who casts a vote for one of Don or Vic's drinks has a chance to win one of 5 prizes. Prizes include: a bottle of Appleton 12yr Rum, an authentic Martinique swizzle stick, a $25 gift card to 320 Main, a bottle of Lemonhart 151 and a Tiki mug with $100 worth of 320 Main drink chips.

Winners will be announced at 10pm. (Must be present to win)

Remember, this Monday! Hope to see everyone there!

tonight

The prep for tonight has already begun... pretty bottles of Lemon Hart 151... so pretty...

Thanks to everyone who came out last night! Although I am a purist and voted blindly for Don's recipes, Trader Vic was awarded the most votes in general and deemed the winner over all. I have to admit, though, that Mai Tai was badass! I am proud to say that I did order one of each and every cocktail and the two punches... an impressive feat indeed. :wink:

Recipes

Voting stations

Cinerama Luau Punch

QB Cooler

Hope to see everyone next month!

nooowww I remember where I was last night!

I only had 1 mixed drink, and 1 punch,
but they were both really good,
I will be back next month.

Jeff(btd)

REPEAT REMATCH!!!! i'm so POed that i had to miss this....

Whoa! Where did the time go?! Next Tiki Night at 320 Main is THIS MONDAY, July 18!

This month, the cocktail exploration delves into Tiki's tropical cousins with a focus on the tropical cocktails of Cuba. Many of these cocktails have been lumped into 'Tiki' in many of the minds of bartenders and patrons, despite the fact they aren't exactly descended from the South Pacific traditions of the Don's and Vic's lineage. Many of these cocktails were made famous during Prohibition, before the birth of Tiki. Come try these cousins, the tropical Cuban (mostly) cocktails the way they were created originally.

Bacardi has agreed to sponsor this event and is providing the rum... however, there was one condition: we ONLY want the Bacardi 1909. Done!

Come try these classic Prohibition era tropical cocktails the way they were originally made, with the closest reproduction of the rum that made the Daiquiri famous!

Tiki Night #3 Tropical Drinks of Cuba

Mojito
Daiquiri
Hemingway Daiquiri
Pina Colada
El Presidente
Bacardi Cocktail
Mary Pickford

All drinks will be made with Bacardi 1909 and drink prices are $8.

Hot Dogs will be available and DJ Ken Caldretti will be spinning the tunes to get everyone in the Cuban mood.

Still recovering from Tiki Oasis... man that was amazing... but Monthly Tiki night at 320 Main is coming up this Monday, Aug 29 at 7pm!

Creaky Tiki - This month we explore the cocktails that were not park of the Tiki movement, but certainly had an influence on the development of Tiki cocktails. Another look at the linage and evolution of how Tiki came about. Sure, there has been a religious backlash of folks who believe Donn Beach spontaneously created his cocktails all at once, but scientifically, we can see definite influences of an evolving nature. Chat with Jason, Marcos and RumDood about these cocktails and their influence. Come down to 320 Main and explore them with some vintage tunes and the usual $4 dogs.

Queens Park Swizzle, Ti Punch, Singapore Sling, Hurricane, Fish House, and more!

Here's the full list of cocktails:

Philadelphia Fish House Punch
Singapore Sling
Ti Punch
Queens Park Swizzle
East India Cocktail
Hurricane
Have a Heart Cocktail
Bajan Rum Punch

Drinks are $8, punches are $6

My son Jeff (BTD) usually goes to Don's on Mondays, but this sounds like something I might like to try. I'll ask him if he wants to go, maybe stop in at both places.

On 2011-08-25 14:45, CraigtheKeg wrote:
My son Jeff (BTD) usually goes to Don's on Mondays, but this sounds like something I might like to try. I'll ask him if he wants to go, maybe stop in at both places.

I'd definitely recommend eating at Don's first, unless all you want is a quick LA or Chicago style dog. Since doors don't open until 7pm, there's plenty of time for dinner at Don's.

Tonight! Doors open at 7pm. Explore the cocktails that came before Tiki and helped shape the drinks we love so much. Hope to see you there!

what was that about too-much to-do.....

I'm in!