do tiki drinks taste better in tiki mugs?

I say-- yes!!

I say No...

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

There is no substitute for a proper double Old-Fashioned glass or a Collins glass for a well-mixed Tropical cocktail.

Nah, they taste the same.

Yes.

Any drink served in a obscure tiki mug bought off of ebay for an absurd amount of money will taste better.

Really . . . only on my Birthday. It is my singular tradition to break out my 1967 mug from the Kowloon in Saugus, Mass. where I celebrated my 21st birthday - and kept the mug . . . to this day. That drink, whatever I decide to make, brings back the memory. . . and tastes very special! Birthday not withstanding, Tiki drinks taste great in whatever drinking vessel you decide to put them in . . . it's in the very nature of the drink!

I like drinking out of the tiki mugs, because it's a totally different tactile experience. The details of the sculpt under your fingers, the feel of the finish, and the way the different parts of the mug get cold from the ice inside. It's a lot like the way a well mixed drink has a complexity of flavors, so does a cool mug have a varied feel.

But a well mixed drink also has a complexity of COLOR. You lose that experience with a mug.

I like to SEE my drink. :)

On 2012-04-24 17:59, JOHN-O wrote:
But a well mixed drink also has a complexity of COLOR. You lose that experience with a mug.

I like to SEE my drink. :)

But...a LOT of Tiki drinks are opaque and somewhere along the "brown" spectrum. And Tiki bars tend to be very dimly lit.

That said, I'm on the side of Tiki glassware over Tiki mugs. (Mostly.)

I like drinkin' cocktails rather than lookin' at 'em. A drink stays colder in a ceramic tiki mug longer than in glassware. Not that I leave a drink lingerin' around to wallow in ice. :)

John, if you get a mug with a white glaze on the inside you can still enjoy the color complexity.

If it tastes good, I like it regardless of what it's served in.

If if's lousy, I dislike it regardless of what it's served in.

I actually like using my tiki mug for water

The ceramic makes it taste cool and fresh - I have skull monkey limited edition - he is awesome - although i bust him out every once in awhile for a cocktail

I have to agree cocktails taste better to me in a proper bar glass double old fashion generally or collins glass

On 2012-04-24 17:59, JOHN-O wrote:
But a well mixed drink also has a complexity of COLOR. You lose that experience with a mug.

I like to SEE my drink. :)

I agree with John...

however...

nostalgia can trump everything.

When I have the time, I use my mugs and make a great garnish for the eyes.

Do they 'taste better'? Probably not. Do they LOOK better? YES!
I am a bartender and there are some drinks that look good in a clear glass. But, remember, the drink it to be consumed-- it only looks good for a short amount of time. The most fun to have with a tiki drink is all the garnish you can do! Umbrellas, fruit, swizzle sticks...the list goes on! :)

I am happy to drink out of any vessel...a mug in a dark bar or a friend's bar is a sensual experience indeed. I do agree that looking at a drink in a clear glass is best though, and that visual enhances the flavor for me due to anticipation. I like seeing the colors of the liquids mingling together with the ices cubes and playing around with the garnishes. Or for drinks without ice cubes, the vision of how the liquid moves around in the glass is enticing. I serve cocktails in clear glass at my home. I am hoping to find some nice clear bowls for my lounge.