Sunday, January 02, 2005

Welcome from Tiki-Taki Tam

WELCOME TO THE LITTLE BLOG AROUND THE CORNER



Initially, I was going to call this blog BLOG OFF YOU HATERS but later decided that that did not reflect my attitude at the time. Instead, I chose the title of one of my favorite old movies LITTLE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (James Stewart) for inspiration.

Think of LBAC as you would your favorite local gathering place, an intimate little dive where you can hang around till all hours, dissing your boss, griping about your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend, getting your "pundit" on about politics, religion, and all the other taboo subjects. Plus, you get the added bonus of reading my DEEPEST thoughts on all those subjects- lucky you!

While LBAC can be whatever you want it to be- I personally think of it as a Tiki bar. When I worked in San Francisco, a lot of us used to go to a place called THE CARIBBEAN ZONE, a weird little bar tucked away on a dead end street. CZ was one of those places that had drinks named things like "Jamaica Me Crazy" "Bahama Mamma" and "Sand in my Speedos." (I made that one up..") It also had the distinction of having 95% of an old Doobie Brothers private plane stuffed inside. (and yes we DID look for any old stash that the Doobies might have left behind- but no luck.)

The bartender was German or French (I forget but it was something decidely non-islander). She could pour a Guinness as well as any Irish publican. YES- GUINNESS! For some wonderful reason, this place served Guinness along with the funky faux-island cocktails and Red Stripe in a bottle. They must have known that it is the only thing I really LIKE to drink. All the drinks (even the Guinness sometimes) came with colored platic monkeys dangling off them. It was a point of honor at work to have the most monkeys dangling in one's workspace.

LBAC for me, is like the ultimate Tiki bar- complete with two Polynesian guys in shorts doing bad Buffett covers, plastic crabs stuck in netting hanging from the ceiling, coconut shrimp appetizers, and lots of Malibu rum.

Sit back, relax and let TikiTam take you to her world- a place where the skies are a different color. To assist your relaxtion I have included below the original Mai Tai recipe from Trader Vic's. (I have been known to have a few of these myself on rare occasions.)


The Original Mai Tai (story by Trader Vic's Restaurant)

This world famous drink was developed by Trader Vic at the original Oakland, California restaurant in 1944. The rum that motivated the creation of the Mai Tai was a fine, golden, medium-bodied Jamaican from Kingston. Trader Vic added fresh lime juice, flavored and sweetened with Orange Curacao from Holland and French Orgeat with its subtle flavor of Almond.
The drink chilled nicely with a considerable amount of shaved ice so a large 15-ounce glass was selected to compliment the cooling and generous quality of the Mai Tai.
2 ounces 15-year old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum1/2 ounce French Garnier Orgeat1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao1/4 ounce Rock Candy SyrupJuice from one fresh lime
Hand shake and garnish with half of the lime shell and float a sprig of fresh mint at the edge of the glass.
(for more history of this fabulous concoction see: http://www.tradervicspaloalto.com/maitai/)

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