Episode 76: Episode 76: Building a Tiki Bar and Mocktails

Hi folks,Sorry we have been not online for some time...it has been items such as schedules, work, private lives and other items that has set us back. We will work harder to bring you the shows and thanks for sticking with us.This episode, we will be talking about the Pago Pago cocktail and its origins. There was a time where in North America there was several tiki bars named Pago Pago and a few still stand today. The main item we discuss on the origin of this drink t=is two little islands in the Pacific ocean that are surrounded by the international date line. This imaginary line has gone through so many changes as to which areas it covers. So one of the islands West Samoa and the American Somoa islands are on opposite sides of this line. The capital city of American Somoa is Pago Pago. The line is by the way not a true straight line as you will see on any map. By the way depending who you reference the line it changes depend if its Google maps or other sources. For the cocktail, we will give you not one or two recipes but 3 different recipes to this cocktail. Some ingredients can be hard if not impossible to find especially the Chartreuse. On Mark's adventures: we finally get to a location in Canada. The Shameful Tiki Room in BC Canada is the next location Mark has adventured to and will give us a full report on. This unique bar (as there are not many at all of tiki bars in Canada) has tons of character, drinks, rums, music and décor to discuss. It has been operating for 10 years now and just has its anniversary celebration which Mark was part of.Links to the show:Recipes from the show: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes-page-2/International Date line YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBppb2quqkEMark's Adventures page: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/marks-tiki-page/

Hi guys,Sorry for the delay we had a recording session that was a bad recording and so we had to re-schedule this show to get a good recording. So this past year we lost a famous and pioneer in the tiki world, Harry Yee at the age of 104 years old. Wow, that in itself is an amazing accomplishment. Do you want to grow that old? I'm aiming for 100!!Anyways, on this show we will cover two of Harry's cocktails: Tapa Punch (1959) and Chimp in Orbit (1961), Tapa Punch was the first cocktail to have a parasol incorporated in a drink. The Chimp in Orbit was named after a chimpanzee also known as Ham the Chimp and Ham the Astrochimp, was the first Great Ape launched into space. Both of these drinks will include some Puerto Rician rum and Jamaican.We also get into Harry's life story and where and how he started his journey to the tiki world and some of the accomplishments he made along the way that we know and cherish today.  Here is a sample of some of these facts such as he flew in World War II for the Chinese air force. He also worked for Don the beachcomber and Trader Vic which we know are the pioneers of tiki. He then moved onto the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is a resort hotel on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii.  There several show including Hawaiian Eye and the movie Blue Hawaii were shot and Harry created drinks for them. He also was approached by Bols to create a nice tropical blue cocktail to go with their new Blue Curacao liqueur. On "Did you know?" segment: we will give you some cools facts about Hawaii like did you know there are no snakes on the plane (ops, I meant island...sorry Samuel)!! There are also no billboards and they are the only state of USA that still honors a king!! and much more.....Links to the show:Recipes from this show: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes-page-2/The YouTube Video for Tapa Punch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMuelHTwFCUAnother YouTube video for Tapa Punch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=278HKOc3dHAChimp In Orbit Cocktail YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md8jpp9xS-Y&t=67s

Hi folks and Happy New Year,This is our 5th year doing the show and wow we have gone through a lot in that time!! I was hoping we would have cracked 100th last year but it's coming!! Ok, enough about that, this show is part two of Mark's adventures to Hawaii....We will do two cocktails on this show for you from there. We need to do some Mai Tai cocktails of course and so we are giving you two versions of Trader Vic's Mai Tai. Now wait a minute Craig, I thought there is one original and all the other are spin offs of that but how can the same man make different versions of his drink? Well, I will tell you, the reason is the rums that he purchased to make the original Mai Tai cocktail were specific rums from specific parts of the Caribbean and through time those rums depleted. So, he had to start all over with new rums and maybe change some of the mixes to compliment those new rums. Also, tourism is a factor in creation of tropical drinks as they want something more main stream and ingredients that they would know and already have a craving for.  Remember, NO grenadine though ok!!!So we will do 1956 version of the drink with specific regional rums and the next one will be 1961 and the rums will be more general and the mixes will change as well.  We find out just what does Mark put in his version of the Mai Tai and his thoughts on many Mai Tais that he did try out while he was in Hawaii.  We explain what is Rocky Candy syrup which was a common ingredient back in those days in some of the recipes you will find. It's very simple (lol) to make!!!We discuss the secrecy that was back then to keep competitors or clients wondering just what is in this drink. I ask Mark on his thoughts as to why is the Mai Tai the Hawaiian tiki drink ???On "Mark's Adventures" segment: we discuss great small place Mark found called "Tahiti Nui". We discover another strong willed woman ran this place and had things like Pot lucks and live music to keep the clients coming back for more. This long running bar has a lot of history in it and Mark dived right in to find out more!!!Links to the show: Recipes for this show: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes-page-2/Mark's Adventure page: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/marks-tiki-page/Tahiti Nui website: https://www.thenui.com/YouTube Video of Tahiti Nui restaurant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqqyRNFkcHo

Hi folks,I hope everyone had great holidays this year and some time off of course. Isn't the best thing of the year to end it with family and friends and time to reflect on the year we have had....This episode we will give you two Christmassy recipes for you o try out during this time. I said Christmassy as I don't normal make cocktails that are holiday related. I know you are saying "Craig you are such a Scrooge" but for me I like making cocktails that are not so targeted to a specific holiday but something you can enjoy anytime of the year.So we have the Island Holiday cocktail which is a layered drink and does contain a special liqueur called Midori (or Crème de Menthe dark). Now, we do give you some tips to layering a drink but don't worry if you can't do it as my grandpa would say:" It's all going down the same hole" and so don't sweat it but give a try. Our second cocktail is "Rudolph's Night Off" which I found on Pinterest which I am sorry I don't understand how to use and I guess I'm old school on these things. We also talk about what are our Christmas plans for the season, what was our most memorable gift we ever got (and yes mine was drums LOL).  We also talk about New Year's resolutions which I know we never stick to but fun to talk about.On "Did you Know?" segment: we find out Santa has his own postal code in Canada. How many gifts are given out on the 12 days of Christmas and how NORAD started tracking Santa's journey on that special day. Here are the links to the show:Recipe for this show (remember now we have 2 pages of recipes): https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes-page-2/Island Holiday Cocktail: https://www.moderntiki.com/island-holiday-tiki-cocktail/Modern tiki home page: https://www.moderntiki.com/Here is a Christmas Cocktail we didn’t mention on the show but give it a try:https://www.pinchpurrfect.com/2020/12/24/christmas-in-the-caribbean/Rudolph’s Night off cocktail: https://www.elletalk.com/rudolphs-night-off/Cranberry simple syrup video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Htxz1M0MIw 

HI guys,So, I know we are cutting it close for the year end to jam a few more shows in for you. This special episode (this is part one of 2) is about Mark's adventures to Hawaii. He finally went back to the oasis he knew so many years ago and re-visited a few places and checked out some new ones as well. He tried out 30 Mai Tai just for research. I know the things he will do for our listeners, what a trooper!!This episode we will talk about two cocktails he experienced there on his journeys: Sand and Sea Cocktail from Rumfire bar and High Maka Mai Tai which I saw in some of the pictures of menus he sent back to me as I enjoyed our cold (burr) weather here. We figured we give you two drinks and one of course has to be a version of Mai Tai which seems to be the Hawaiian trade mark of drinks. We will go further into that in part 2.On Mark's adventures segment, we will be discussing the bar called "La Mariana Sailing Club" which started back in the 50's! Yes, that long it has been around and thank god we see tiki can survive things like hurricanes, earthquakes, financial troubled times,  and still stand tall. Paola and Mark compare notes to just how the tiki/Polynesian times have changed over the years to more commercial and high end tourism. Links for the show:Recipes for the show: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes-page-2/Mark's adventures page: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/marks-tiki-page/Facebook page for "La Mariana Sailing Club": https://www.facebook.com/lamarianasailingclub/Menu page for La Mariana Sailing Club: http://www.lamarianasailingclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/LMSC-Dinner-Menu.pdf

Hi guys,Long time no show...I know, I know!!!This is one of my favorite shows yearly as we talk about September 19th: "Talk Like A Pirate Day"Rob and Erica Brunner always join us for this show and you maybe be asking why if you ever listen to this show yearly??Well, first off Rob is a Lieutenant Commander of the Canadian Royal Navy (ok that qualifies him for sure), and he is also part of a pirate society association of Canada that does pirate re-enactments and show across the country (ok, now he is very qualified)!!! So I know this show is usually longer than our normal show but when I start talking about pirates then just like Rob and Erica do; I can go on for hours!!! So, we do have a pirate themed drink for you this show called the "the French Pirate" cocktail. We used this drink for several reasons: 1) Cointreau and brandy are related to the French community and of course to piracy on ships,       2) tiki ingredient of Falernum is being used so that is a plus      3) Pusser's rum which was the British navy's rum given out to sailors on ships as rations is again another plusYes, I did tweak the original recipe but come on it's me....I'll post both the original recipe and the tweaked version for you on our website so check them out and get a stiiirrrring!! Eye!!So with Rob and Erica's expertise we discuss words or phrases that would be used on the ships during the pirate era. We discuss their crew the " Cut N Run" which travels to different events and educates and entertains crowds on piracy and the hardships they went through. Erica goes into detail about hardships and myths that maybe given pirates the glamourous life we think they might have had but was not so. Rob discusses some of the rums around the world he has come across and transporting those back to Canada. Yes, I have mentioned on previous shows about travelling and rum....Links to the show:Recipes: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes-page-2/Pirate magazine (Rob writes articles for and very informative: magazine is in English and French): https://fliphtml5.com/homepage/gybp?fbclid=IwAR35t1nqRCoTjksgPSa-lT3KN5ZvLSbkuA_OFdZDdy8s-5K8VbvP2PKRe1MCut N Run Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CutAndRunPiratesCut N Run videos FB: https://www.facebook.com/CutAndRunPirates/videosPirate Website: https://mftproduction.wixsite.com/festivaldespiratresOh bonus YouTube video: rum knowledge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4BFb5sknGY 

Hi guys,Yes, this is been a crazy year and getting shows out has been a challenge at times...I'll work on that but I do have a surprise for you on this episode as Cameron (original co-host) is back for this one and my guinea pigs as well as Mark on some new variations of the summer classic: Mojito.So with the origin, we go through a few of the theories to this drink as some of the classic cocktails wasn't documented well back then as to who create them. We dug deep and came up with a few for you to ponder over: Sir Francis Drake (explorer, pioneer, adventure and yes a pirate) has his men go ashore in Cuba to gather items to create a drink to cure Scurvy and other illnesses; OR Cuban tribes men create the remedy to cure illness and passed it onto new pioneers that came ashore: OR Ernest Hemingway helped a bartender create the cocktail while on his usual stops at the bar. You decide which you think is the right answer....So recipes we do a basic Mojito and don't forget to SMACK your mint for your garnish LOL. We then attempt several other takes of the recipe such as coconut rum, demerara syrup instead of simple syrup, limoncello liqueur in the mix, or basil (yes basil...which didn't turn out so hot).We go through some cool facts about Cuba, Bacardi rum, and Havana Club rum that you might have known such as why is there a bat logo on the bottle of Bacardi, where did Bacardi leave to and why, Havana Club always been owned by the gov't?? These questions and more like the new rules to Embargo to Cuba are answered on this episode.Some Links for the show: Recipes: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes-page-2/Cool link page: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/cool-links/YouTube "How To Drink" episode on 8 variations of the Mojito: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxq2xuqVsf0YouTube Anders Erikson video on making mojitos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMypSCazyRwMain website page: www.tikicentralcanada.ca 

Hey guys,So we are continuing on our talks with Paola and Justin on their great adventure to Hawaii..Sorry the intro is the same as part one as we only recorded one intro and then decided to split the show into two. But it is worth hearing again. Mark is not a tiki expert according to him just someone who drinks a lot LOL (running joke). And Paola will finally say who our special guests is...Justin!!!On this episode, we will be talking about Justin's favorite drink he had which is the Big Island Iced Tea (a spin off of a traditional Ice Tea cocktail which we will be covering soon). He explains to use the significance of the name to the drink and the islands. Justin also talks about the many Mai Tai's he tried and which one was his favorite. After hearing the ingredients, my mouth watered but sadly we can make it here in North America due to a ingredient special grown in Hawaii only.We get into the Hilton Resort they stayed at and some of the pluses and minus of the resort. I think either way its oasis and will always want to go there. Justin tells his about meeting up with a special bartender and his background which in tiki world is amazing. Paola gets into the Blue Hawaiian cocktail she had and its variations she came across.Links to the show:Recipes for the show:http://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes/Hawaiian Village resort: https://www.hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/

Hi guys,I bet you are wondering, where did they go ? Did the show stopped? Where is my drink recipes because I need a drink stat? Well, Lots has happened since our last show and I feel I need to explain (if you want to skip this go to SHOW NOTES BELOW). So around Christmas last year, I got separated and moved to a new apartment. I also had to move the entire liquor cabinet (360 bottles) and the studio to a new location. I then had to move again in May to a new townhouse where I have finally set up shop. Also, the bar scene has been quit a ride with shutdowns and re-openings/staffing/patio season prep and so on...Overall, we are back and I apologize sincerely to our listeners for this massive delay. But we are back and will be bring your new shows more frequently than last year. That said let's go onto the show!!!SHOW Notes:This episode and the next we will be talking to my co-host Paola and her husband and love of her life Justin on their adventures to Hawaii that they took in May. The cocktail to this show is Paola's favorite from the trip (beside the Blue Hawaii, and yes apparently mine is better..no big head now LOL). The drink is the Lava Flow. This cocktail features fresh/frozen strawberries, white rum, coconut rum, pine apple juice and NO bananas according to Paola.  You will need a blender for this one for sure and a large tiki glass or Hurricane glass.On Paola's adventures, we ask about the resort Aulani they stayed at which captures the Polynesian culture and has several man made lagoons. Justin explains why they are there and how they came to be. Paola goes into detail about her first luau. Monkeypod is another stop they made on their journey and Paola gives her opinion on the drinks. Justin tries what he claims is the best Mai Tai. They give us details on their car trip around the island and the climate changes you see from one side of the island to the other. Finally on this first part of the show, they discuss the Mai Tai bar at the Grand Hawaiian hotel.  Stay tuned for part 2 of this great adventure, where we will ask Justin his favorite cocktail from the trip and more locations to adventure off to on the island. Links to the show:Aulani Resort (Disney) in Hawaii: https://www.disneyaulani.com/Monkeypod Kitchen : https://monkeypodkitchen.com/Mai Tai Bar Royal Hawaiian Hotel: https://www.royal-hawaiian.com/dining-overview/mai-tai-bar/Recipe to the show: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes/

Hey Folks, Sorry for the delay! I have moved and the studio needed to be reset up again as well as my liquor cabinet as well LOL!This episode we don’t have Paola unfortunately as she is travelling to Hawaii and do some “research” for us and it’s her first time there and so I’m sure she is checking every single tiki bar she can. Mark gave her a list so look forward to seeing what she experienced but that is another show….This episode we are doing a spin off a Pain Killer cocktail. You can go back and check out that episode, but this cocktail is called the Pain Killada (yes, a Pina Colada and Pain Killer combined). It came from a YouTube channel that I follow, and we have mentioned before on the show called “Distinguished Spirits”. This channel is packed full of tiki drinks and tons of history and knowledge on the drinks. Well produced and entertaining as well. I go through some history of the Pain Killer which you must use Navy Pusser’s rum that is trademarked to the drink or its not a Pain Killer. We go through some of this rum’s history and even the bar that the Pain Killer was created (Soggy Dollar…why is it called that, listen to find out). On “Craig’s Creation” segment, we dip into a new cocktail that I have tweaked for years and now finally on a summer menu at my bar. The “Blue Fusion” cocktail is a nice spin of spiced rum, blue Curacao, lime juice, pineapple juice and vanilla bean syrup. This is definitely a Linda/Paola’s drink if you are a follower of the girls. On “Did You Know?” segment, we talk about something that is not usually a topic on our show, but it got me thinking. DST (Daylight Savings Time) is something that always throws me off. When does it happen? Why do we do it? What would happen if we stopped doing? And so much more cool facts I bet you didn’t know like us Canadians started it…yep (trust me, I don’t want to take credit for it). Links to the show:Recipes: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/recipes/Vanilla bean YouTube syrup video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32wBmWQxbX0Cinnamon Syrup YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHoCSuYkKckDistinguished Spirits YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DistinguishedSpiritsMini Ring Game on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Handheld-Handmade-Fast-paced-Interactive-Drinking/dp/B091BR3999/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=3BHVI4TGTF2D1&keywords=ring+game&qid=1650482353&sprefix=ring+game%2Caps%2C1040&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExWFFMSkZLSkZZM0E1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzI4ODMyMlpGTU5QRTdZTDNNMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTU1NDY1M05OTVZNOU0xNUM1NCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=Craig’s Creation page: https://tikicentralcanada.ca/craigs-creation/