The Islands of the Fraternal Order of Moai

Hello FOM,

I hereby declare my intent to join the honorable and charitable Fraternal Order of the Moai.

My name is Craig. I have lurked on the forum here for a few years and attended a number of events hosted by the Gumbo Limbo chapter in South Florida. I hesitated to make a commitment to the order at that time as I was finishing a degree at the University of Miami and worried about my ability to participate as fully as I wanted.

Now I have completed my degree, my wife and I have moved to San Jose, California, and we’re looking to get involved with like minded friends! I’m truly excited about meeting more of the Bay Area Ohana and helping support Tuauru in their endeavors with the Ocean Cleanup Fund.

About me: Born in England, raised in SoCal, educated in Boulder, CO and Miami, FL and now living and working in San Jose.

I fell in love with tiki a few years back and have quickly developed a somewhat unhealthy need to expand my tiki mug and Polynesian Pop artwork collections. I’m a huge fan of Tiki Tony, Clee Sobieski, Shag, Tiki Diablo and more. I also have a ridiculous collection of swizzle sticks, coasters, napkins, and matchbooks.

Claim to fame: While living in Miami, my wife and I made as many trips to the Mai Kai as possible and tried EVERY tropical drink on the menu. We were awarded a chance to drink the Big Bamboo (a drink from “the vault”) upon finishing the list!

I’m now working on the rum lists at Last Rites and Forbidden Island, and the drink list at Ventiki.

Favorite Drink: Zombie (in all its iterations, the ‘34 and the ‘50 most of all).

What else would you like to know?

Welcome aboard! The '34 Zombie is one of my absolute favorites as well.

_________________
“The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy also mentions alcohol. It says that the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the effect of which is like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.”

Nice! Have you tried a ‘50? It’s credited to DTB, but I’m not sure I 100% believe it. It’s SOOO different from all his other zombie recipes, but it’s still strong and has such an elegant recipe. The equal parts of almost all ingredients create something really special!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking back through my notes on Totally Tiki, no I haven't. I may have to remedy that this evening!

I did very much like the '56 DtB Waikiki version. The same cannot be said for the 1970 version from the South Seas Restaurant recipe (Honolulu).

_________________
“The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy also mentions alcohol. It says that the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the effect of which is like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.”

Completely agree. The ‘34 is unbeatable, but the ‘56 is a really cool riff. The pineapple and the maraschino liqueur add some cool notes to it.

Come back - the Mai Kai misses you! So what were you studying down here in Gumbo Limbo land? It sounds like you've already earned honorary degrees in mixology and cocktail history 101. And I'd love to hear more about the Big Bamboo. I think I've made it through the drink list a few times over but never got a special invite to anything more than another round!

_________________

Hey Doc!

I was attending the University of Miami to get a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a focus in Wind Band Conducting, but I considered my time at the Mai Kai a double degree!

As far as getting to drink the Big Bamboo, I was shameless. I emailed Kern (the bar manager there) and told him about my “achievement.” I also kept a log of each drink with a rating and description (a la Atomic Grog Log). I asked if he’d be willing to bring the Big Bamboo out of the vault for a special occasion.

We planned a little party for the night we finished up our last cocktail, reserved an area of the Molokai Bar, invited a bunch of friends, and combined it with our going away party (as we knew we were moving back to CA).

Kern was the BEST. He made a big fuss of us that evening. Made sure to come to the table and celebrate us a little. It was great!

As for the Big Bamboo, it was the drink that the old cocktail club members of the Mai Kai got when they finished all the drinks on the menu: the “Okole Maluna Society.” Unfortunately, this club hasn’t existed for years.

The drink itself is a lot like the flavor profile you get from the Mara Amu, but stronger. Lime, orange, grapefruit, passionfruit, with a rum blend that only the Mai Kai can give you!

I suggest you ask for it. A lot of times, if the bartenders working know the “vault” drinks, they’ll make them for you. If that fails, email Kern and ask if it’ll be served at any upcoming special events. It’s so worth a try!

Kern is great. I'm sure you attended some of the Gumbo Limbo sponsored special drink nights when they would bring certain drinks back out of the vault - maybe it's time to have a Big Bamboo tasting. I wish they would bring back the Okole Maluna Society, but then again there are a LOT of things I wish they would do! LOL

I have the feeling your music background might come in handy with your quest to become a Fellow. It's always nice to exploit . . . er . . um . . . appreciate the talents new members bring to the group.

Say hello any time you're back this way - we live just 2 blocks from the Mai Kai.

_________________

Thanks Doc! Will do.

I waited to declare my intent until after I was finished writing my dissertation and was my editing phase, I totally understand how hectic life can be during the doctorate process.
Congrats by the way on finishing your degree. Have you hit the "what do I do now that I'm not studying" phase?
Also, I am glad that we were able to meet and hang out while you and your wife were in Florida.

Hi there! Great to hear from you! My wife and I always had such a great time hanging out with you. We sure do miss the Mai Kai!

As for the “what do I do now that I’m not studying” phase, I managed to land a university teaching position and one of my responsibilities is teaching the marching band! Between that and starting the tenure process, I feel like I’ve traded in one kind of studying for another!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk