Forbidden Island

Back in the days of Trader Vic and Beach Bum Jerry, Tiki drinks where made with care using fresh ingredients and a assortment of quality rums. Somewhere along the way things deteriorated, along with cocktails in general, where quality and fresh where no longer important. Horrible artificial mixes and cheap spirits where substituted and we entered a dark time for mixed drinks. Thankfully all that has started to change and we are slowly seeing bars using fresh juices and quality ingredients in their cocktails. This has also resulted in a resurgence of Tiki Bars and Drinks. Bars like Trailer Happiness and Mahiki in London have helped put the Tiki drink back on the map. Martin Cate a Tiki Master has helped put the Tiki Drink back on the radar here in the US. He has a wonderful bar called Forbidden Island here in Alameda.

On a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon a few weeks back, I decided that it was a perfect day for some Mai Tai's and various other Rum drinks and made the pilgrimage to Forbidden Island. Martin is a scholar of this style of cocktail and does a fantastic job of making some very serious and delicious rum cocktails. I had to try a Mai Tai and we shared a Scorpion Bowl just to get started. All the drinks have fresh juices and are wonderfully balanced with a top quality assortment of Rums from around the world. The Tiki drink is a balance of sweet and acid but more importantly of textures and complexities. Then to round it all off, they are also just a hell of a lot of fun to drink. Forbidden Island is a brilliant place to get a rum education and sample all the best rums on the market. This is one place that we left happier than when we came in and the world seemed a better place afterwards. Cheers to Martin and Forbidden Island for bringing back the Tiki!! - Jacques