“No, I have never been to (insert Tiki bar here)” may be one of my favorite things to hear. It’s always fun to take friends out for a good time at a Tiki bar, especially if they’ve never been to one. Friends will order drinks that are stronger than what they’re used to. People let their hair down and things are more fun because everyone is just a little bit more tipsy than usual. At the end of the night, if I can turn someone new onto Tiki bars, I’ve done my job.
I hadn’t seen my friends Hanjing and Chris for a long time. We all used to go rock climbing together a few years back. I was totally into climbing until I realized that I have a fear of heights and it never went away. I moved on to other interests, but Hanjing and Chris never stopped. Good for them!
I told Hanjing and Chris about Tacoma Cabana down in Tacoma. They were interested in going, but there was one condition: we were going to go climbing the next day. Fair enough. It would be cool to throw my climbing shoes on and hit the rocks again.
It was Friday and the drive from Seattle down to Tacoma wasn’t too bad. It was 6:00 and Tacoma Cabana was already hopping!
We were hungry, so we ordered a Tiki platter, which is a plate with mixed fruit, cheeses, nuts, rolls, and melted chocolate for dipping…
We also ordered not one but two pu pu platters. Our table was full of food to chow down on…
Robyn (one of the owners of Tacoma Cabana) came over to say hello and took our drink orders…
Round 1
Hanjing was new to Tiki drinks, so she got a Pahoehoe, which Robyn suggested. Little did Hanjing know that her drink comes with a giant flame coming off the top!
Chris ordered a Latin Quarter. It’s a simple rum drink served straight up. Sometimes the simple drinks are the best…
I ordered a 3 Dots and a Dash. It’s a Tiki standard and Jason Alexander makes a great one…
Speaking of Jason, he came over to our table to say hello and to check up on us. He’s a great guy!
Round 2
As we were enjoying our drinks, we noticed someone at another table drinking something right out of real pineapple! We found out that the drink is called a Boo Loo for 2. Chris and Hanjing wanted one immediately! I had to take some pictures of them drinking the drink together.
I ordered a Rum Barrel. It’s a pretty strong drink, but I knew we weren’t going anywhere soon. We were having too much fun…
Round 3
After the Pahoehoe and the Boo Loo for 2, Hanjing was ready for one more. She ordered a Painkiller #2…
I was still working on my Rum Barrel, but Chris was ready for another drink. Going back to the straight up cocktails, Chris ordered a Ti’ Punch…
A couple things about this drink: it’s pronounced “Tea” Punch, it’s a very popular drink from the Caribbean, and it’s normally served without ice. Also, it doesn’t taste like tea or punch!
A Ti’ Punch is just rhum agricole with a little bit of sugar and a little bit of lime. That’s it. It’s simple, but so good!
I would say the night was a success. We all had a blast. Robyn saw us leaving from inside, so she waved us good bye. Don’t worry Robyn, we’ll be back soon.
Saturday: The Day After
Believe or not, after a night of Tiki drinks, we still managed to do some climbing the next day. We climbed for an hour, but we used to climb for half the day. Well, we didn’t climb as long or as hard as normal, but we still made it out! What a fun weekend with some old friends!
Summary
Tacoma Cabana 5/6/16
Who was there: Hanjing, Chris, and Ray
What we ordered:
Hanjing- Pahoehoe, Boo Loo for 2, Painkiller #2
Chris- Latin Quarter, Boo Loo for 2, Ti’ Punch
Ray- 3 Dots and a Dash, Rum Barrel
Here is my official write up of Tacoma Cabana.
Here is a past Tiki Field Report of a trip to Tacoma Cabana with an old friend from the east coast.