Pouring along with The Atomic Grog on The Tiki Trail Live

See below: Resources and links referenced during the show

Original event preview …

Join us tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Pacific) as we mix up the latest tribute to The Mai-Kai’s Jet Pilot on the Tiki Trail live on Zoom. Click here to check the recipe and make sure you have all the ingredients to pour along. The Zoom meeting ID is 724 724 4576.

Hosted by Jeff Ballard, the Tiki Trail is one of the longest-running Zoom meet-ups of 2020. Every week, Tikiphiles gather to socialize and ask questions as Jeff interviews a rotating array of guests including mixologists, artists and musicians. Don’t be late as we’ll be making the Jet Pilot right at the top of the show.

The official Tiki Trail mug by David Outland
The official Tiki Trail mug by David Outland.

The Tiki Trail kicked off in 2016 to bring together “the people, venues, events, music, art and style of all that is Tiki,” according to the mission statement on the official website, TikiTrail.com. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Ballard traveled around the country visiting Tiki bars and events, posting interviews and sharing the stories of the subculture’s movers and shakers. The website includes an events calendar, marketplace, and information on the Tikicomber app.
* The Tiki Trail on social media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

When COVID-19 shut down most bars and events, Ballard shifted his efforts online to continue to bring people together and also help struggling artists. All the special guests on the show are given the opportunity to promote their latest endeavors. There are also often sponsors who provide goodies for special giveaways. I created some tasty cocktails earlier in the month using some unique ingredients promoted on The Tiki Trail …

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We celebrated Mrs. Hurricane’s birthday this weekend with one of her favorite drinks. She had a classic PiƱa Colada (by Will Pasternak of @blacktailnyc) while I had the Hawaiian Coffee Colada (by @tiarewhodat of A Mountain of Crushed Ice). … Links to recipes in the comments. … Beachbum Berry Coconut Mug and cocktail picks from @cocktailkingdom. … Mahalo to @tikitrail for the promo goodies used in these drinks: @the_tiny_umbrella, Macadamia Nut Orgeat from @hamakua_coast_premium, and Hawaiian Rum Agricole from @kuleanarumworks … #pinacolada #tiki #tikidrink #tikidrinks #tikicocktail #tikicocktails #homebar #hometikibar #tikitrail #beachbumberry #cocktailkingdom #thetinyumbrella

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Launched in August 2019, Tikicomber is the first-ever Tiki community app. It gives users a fun, easy and engaging way to “discover, collect and share” all the people, bars, drinks, art, music and more that make up their own Tiki world. The app allows you to track your Tiki adventures, discover new Tiki finds, share your Tiki collection, and more. Click here for more info. Check for availability on the app store on your device.

Screenshots of the Tikicomber app
Screenshots of the Tikicomber app.

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Minimalist Tiki

Take 5: Artist Mike “Pooch” Pucciarelli

Related: Pooch brings his surreal world to Howley’s with solo art show

Hurricane Hayward interviews Pooch at The Mai-Kai, July 2011. (Photo by Susan Hayward)
Hurricane Hayward interviews Pooch at The Mai-Kai, July 2011. (Photo by Susan Hayward)

Welcome to the first in a series of short interviews with noted personalities involved in events, music, art, cocktails and Tiki/retro culture. These aren’t intended to be all-encompassing, life-history-spanning interrogations. Rather, we’re aiming for a fun, quick take on the typical interview. Just five questions in roughly 5 minutes, hence the name Take 5.

Our first subject is a longtime friend and associate. He’s truly a renaissance man in the world of lowbrow culture. Just don’t try to pigeonhole him. He’s a fine artist, but he’s also a tattoo artist. He’s intelligent and soft spoken, but he’s also the quintessential heavy metal guitarist. His creativity seemingly has no limits. If you’re not familiar with Pooch’s work, we’ll let his official bio explain it best:

Continue reading “Take 5: Artist Mike “Pooch” Pucciarelli”