rum » Zen Tiki Lounge Podcast

ZTL 267 The Tiki Gods Defy Mayan Apocalypse

Jan 052013

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Aloha and welcome to the Zen Tiki Lounge, the tiki bar that lives in your head. Sunshine, Starshine and Kalani sit at the bar for the first time this new year. Sunshine is very happy to now own a turntable and has converted some exotica albums for the podcast. This week we listen to Arthur Lyman’s Hawaiian Sunset and Martin Denny’s Quiet Village. Can’t go wrong with those two classic examples of great vintage exotica. Our cocktail this week was inspired by all the fresh citrus we have ripening in Southern California. Fresh grapefruit, limes and oranges combine with El Dorado 15, Plantation 5 and 10 Cane rums, a little homemade falernum and some brown sugar syrup. A zesty drink packed with vitamin C and exotic spices. Speaking of vinyl albums, Kalani brought in some more classics like Carmen Miranda, Hilo Hattie and Webley Edwards. Plenty to keep us relaxing on our bar stools during the next few podcasts. And if you ever wanted to hear the ladies sing you will love this episode. A stiff drink removes just enough inhibition for a spontaneous duet of Kokomo. Fun!

We are proud to say that our good friend Everett Peacock has just published another book! Escape from Hanalei will entice you to visit the islands and experience that relaxation and paradise that you have dreamed up. Listen to this episode to find out how you can get a copy in either paperback or kindle versions. That is if you want to participate in our little game. You can also get the book right now, click here!

The Unnamed Cocktail

1 ounce El Dorado 15

1 ounce Plantation 5

1 ounce 10 Cane

3 ounces fresh grapefruit, lime and orange juices, any proportion you like

1/2 ounce falernum, homemade is best

1/2 ounce brown sugar syrup

Add all to blender and pulse with 2 cups crushed or cracked ice. Pour into large tiki mug and enjoy a stiff cocktail packed with cold fighting vitamin C

Tiki Drink How To: Sunshine’s Very Spicy Rum & Grapefruit Daiquiri

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Jul 102012

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Many of our listeners have tried to make Sunshine’s Very Spicy Rum. Because we have received such great feedback we decided a How To video would be a good idea for anyone who missed a step in the print version of the recipe. To make this spiced rum at home, all you need is: 750ml Amber Rum, 3 cinnamon sticks, 12 whole cloves, 12 whole allspice berries and a whole vanilla bean. You will also need an airtight bottle to hold your rum. Also in this episode is a quick Grapefruit Daiquiri made with homemade cinnamon syrup from episode 1 of Tiki Drink How To.

ZTL 181 Prop 8 Makes Us Want a Big Stiff Drink

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Aug 072010

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Kalani and Sunshine in the lounge this week. We decided to polish off the rest of the house mixer and the cocktail we made with it was roughly a gallon. This set the mood for some great exotica and plenty of info on the upcoming tiki events around the globe. THEN it hit us. Why can’t people just be OK with other people? We didn’t figure out the answer to that one but we did debate the Prop 8 mystery to some extent. Come on, just mind your own business and let folks be who they are. No one is forcing anyone else to do anything they don’t want to. Insert second cocktail here. And now, Target and Best Buy are up to some shenanigans with recent political contributions to alleged anti-gay organizations. Again, why can’t people just get along? Well, we may have gotten off topic and diverted to a dozen or so tangents but we manage to provide a rant about SAVING THE COCKTAIL PARTY! In this economy we all need a nice libation and some friends to shoot the breeze with. So plan your cocktail party soon. Before the world really does end.

Find out where The Exotics are playing next

Learn all you want about Tiki Oasis, the biggest tiki event this side of Mars

ZTL 128 Miss California Drinks Bacon Vodka

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May 222009

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Aloha Kiddies! Sunshine and Starshine in the lounge for this podcast. Our cocktail is a version of the dirty martini, but with the added flavor of BACON. Did we like it? Listen to find out. We also try a newer rum on the market, at least in our neck of the woods. Zaya Gran Reserva is a tasty sipping rum that you will surely enjoy neat, on the rocks or in your favorite drinky drink. Now that your all warm and toasty its time for some helpful party throwing tips. Are you a good host? Have some of our recommended guest comforts at your next party to make sure anyone who over does it can recover as quickly as possible. Be sure to check out ZenTikiLounge.com for the latest about the podcast, contact info, t-shirts, take our census and plenty of other great tiki themed STUFF.

ZTL 127 The Impromptu Luau

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May 162009

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Have you noticed the weather lately? We have. Its time go start getting ready for that Summer BBQ/Luau or any other theme you like. Sunshine and Pumpkin naturally gravitate towards the tiki side of things but to each their own. On the podcast this week we toast the traditional tack of the American/Hawaiian Luau. A mai tai here and a pina colada there. Maybe a blue hawaiian or two to wash it down. You can feel good without a nice lei and a few grass skirts. Pumpkin just reminds everyone that plastic leis and grass skirts are a tragedy. Go for the real thing and use those skirts year after year. Buy yourself a few nice silk leis and hang em on any old hook till you need them next. Other subjects this week include Quiznos and their dirty after hours commercials….which we like, Malibu rum offers free applications for the Iphone, Steve Zahn is a funny guy and not bad to look at either, and the usual poor taste in vocabulary continues as Pumpkin gets buzzed.

ZTL 124 Don the Beachcomber vs. Trader Vic’s

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Apr 292009

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This is the very first solo podcast for the Zen Tiki Lounge. Don’ worry, Pumpkin is still around, but in order to keep our promise to bring you two podcasts each and every week Sunshine is flying solo on this one. I was able to visit both the new Don the Beachcomber location in Huntington Beach and the new (yet to open) Trader Vic’s in Los Angeles. The two tiki franchise locations are very different in feel and atmosphere. Don’s is a partnership between the Kona restaurant and the Don the Beachcomber name. The former Kona is a classic example of a mom and pop Polynesian palace on the coast of Orange County here in Southern California. The food is outstanding. Try the Kahlua pork, the house salad with ginger sesame dressing and the pineapple upside down a la mode. And naturally the drinks are great and a little stiff. On the other hand we have the more posh Trader Vic’s that is about to open in downtown Los Angeles. This location is operated by an LA restaurant group that prides itself on their ability to sense what the public wants and delivers it well. In the next few days Pumpkin, Sunshine and Starshine will venture to this mecca and get as sloshed as possible. The decor is modern tiki, but not underdone in any sense. This could be a great hot spot near the Staples and Nokia center in LA. There are plenty of other reasons to listen including a giveaway, flocks of flamingos, the usual cocktail and much more.

ZTL 113 Dr. Funk visits the Zen Tiki Lounge

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Jan 132009

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The name of the game is GET PUMPKIN DRUNK! We only do this to make our listeners happy. Email after email asks for more smashed Pumpkin. So, 1 shooter, 1 strong ass cocktail and a couple slices of rum cake. That’ll do her. After the demon rum starts coursing through her veins, her conversation goes south of the bikini. Pumpkin offers her 12 steps to a cheaper 2009. Free booze is good. Bar supplies on the cheap, we tell you how. Need to make some extra cash? Sell your stomach. All in this episode. Sunshine takes us back on course with Elvis Bday trivia and Mrs. Kravitz shenanigans. Our official drink of the week is the classic Dr. Funk. A refreshingly odd little drink. But damn good. There so much more but we honestly forgot to take notes, just listen and drink along.

This Weeks Drink: Dr. Funk

1.5 oz Dark rum

.25 oz Pastis or Absinthe

.5 oz lemon juice

.5 oz grenadine

1 oz lime juice (fresh squeezed)

Shake, shake, shake. Just pour into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. A long straw is perfect for Dr. Funk. Garnish with lemon wedge on rim and three or four cherries, olives or a combo of both. Funky!

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