Zen Tiki Lounge

Audio file has been restored however the blog post is still being recovered. Please enjoy the audio and check back later for lots of pics from the event including the room parties.

Sunshine and Pumpkin hit the road and spend a night at the local casino. Lucky for them, Harrahs Southern California has a great craft called bar, Spiked. When two long time friends enjoy gambling, drinking and shenanigans its easy to have a good time.

Using just iPhones, recordings of the fun were put together and interspersed with great lounge music from the bands we have played previously on this podcast. Hear some of our favorites from Martini Kings, Nutty, Jill Martini and the Shrunken Heads and Marty Lush of DigiTiki.com and the Quiet Village Podcast.

Pumpkin gives the new tiki slot machine a try, gets a bonus.

There are so many “tiki” themed slot machines out there. Most of them are terrible. This one from Aruze gaming is actually pretty fun. The standard slot spins or OK, and don’t pay very well. This game is all about hitting one of the several bonuses or random payouts. When all 6 tiki flames are burning, you can trigger the wheel on any spin regardless of the symbols you hit on the reels. This bonus wheel gives you the opportunity to hit the GRAND jackpot that can be as mush as $20,000. Watch the video of Pumpkin playing and be sure to try this one if you see it at your local casino. We will be playing this one again.

Music on this episode from some of our favorite lounge acts. In order above: Girl with Emphysema by Mary Lush, Drink to Hawaii by Jill Martini and The Shrunken Heads, Purple Panther by Nutty and Aqua de Beber from the Martini Kings.

We love Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club and so should you. Get a new shirt each month. Soft cotton in both mens and women styles. Each month is a new logo from one of the many extinct tiki bars, restaurants, or palaces around the USA.

Don’t worry. Beings from other worlds have visited us and many of us have been probed without knowing, What you don’t know, can’t hurt? Or did it? Let’s drink!

New to the ZTL podcast is Ricky! He joins us for a wonderful conversation about sci fi, tiki events, adult shenanigans and lifes essential questions. Are tiki bars a universal phenononem? We think so.

What are you drinking? Sunshines version of a 1944 Mai Tai. You will enjoy a Mai Tai with Sunshine added. Listen for the recipe.

Other tidbits on this episode: Drag Queens, Star Trek is awesome, How do you want to die?, and so much more.

As of this post, there are just a few rooms left at the main hotel. Book and be one of us,. Or, grab a wristband and stay where you like.

So soft and comfy. You need a Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club shirt on your back. We LOVE them and you will too.

Sunshine uncovered a dozen or so audio clips in his iPhone. Put then together while drinking a Mai Tai and this episode is what you get. Hope you enjoy.

Our friends at Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club have just the soft cotton T for you. New design every month with a different classic tiki bar. We love Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club!

Please forgive the audio quality on this episode. It was a party after all. Tiki Caliente 13 finally arrived and is now in the rear view mirror. The crew from ZTL was in attendance (except for the reclusive Pumpkin) and we enjoyed every minute of the four day weekend.

On day 1 we pulled Rory Snyder up to the mic while experiencing the grand opening of Le Fern. Rory shared some of the backstory on opening his newest bar location at the world famous Caliente Tropics. Over the course of the interview you can hear the patrons of Le Fern having a great time ordering the daily sloshy and classic 70’s cocktails. Rory also shares some background on Sanchos’ the New Mexican joint on property, plus why we will NEVER see the old Cellar location reopened.

Listen to the first 30 minutes of this episode to hear Sunshine, Rory and Starshine shoot the breeze and take jabs at each other all in good fun.

Also on this episode we sit down with Bryan Azorsky of Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club. Its been almost 7 years since we first starting talking about the great shirts from the club and now we finally get to meet Bryan in person. The interview includes some nice info about Bryan’s past endeavors and the making of Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club as we know it now. Bryan has an interesting past working in many capacities and interest, Sunshine was all ears for the story behind this cool Guy. BTW, have you ever wanted to know how you can find a club shirt that you didn’t catch the first time? Listen to this interview for details plus some cool driving stories.

Over the years we have come to the conclusion that talking to you about the various room parties during the tiki weekend events isn’t the best approach. The picture below give you a small taste of what you can expect when hopping from hotel room to hotel room over the weekend. Themes this year were varied and quite fun. One moment you are having your tiki trinkets appraised and the next you might be watching a belly dancer while sipping a strong cocktail. Every team that opens their door for the room crawl is appreciated for their hospitality and effort.

Sancho’s is now OPEN at the Caliente Tropics. Currently the restaurant is serving breakfast/brunch and lunch but will offer dinner in the future. The current menu offers something for everyone, meat eater or not. The plates are large and priced reasonably. The house margarita is a great place to start your adventure. Starshine says DON”T MISS the Michelada. We must say that in typical Mexican restaurant fashion we were seated quickly and food arrived fast. Great service.

Whats a Fern Bar? Great question. Our interview with Rory Snyder will help explain that in his own words without us adding our own commentary. Le Fern is a good size location with a very nice ambiance created by lots of dark woods and ambient lighting. You can really get out of the sun and heat of Palm Springs when visiting Le Fern. The bar offers a daily “sloshy” drink and each one we dried was worth the tasting. This is just one of three food and beverage locations at the Caliente Tropics also including The Reef and Sancho’s Restaurant. Try them all.

We LOVE Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club. Listen to this episode to find out how you can snag a shirt, or better yet click the pic and follow to their store.

Neighbor Nicole joins us in the Zen Tiki Lounge for her third visit. Since she liked one of our previous cocktails so much we are again pouring Moog Over Rita. This take on a Rita is both sweet and savory with passion fruit and Chile vodka. Click the link above for the recipe and try this one for your self.

Nicole is joining Sunshine to talk about a project that is a long time in the making. Anita Mai Tai will someday be Sunshines official drag persona. Anitas look is being worked on and Nicole is leading the effort to design a wig and makeup routine that will give Anita a signature look. Sunshine will bring the personality, of course. Follow Anita Mai Tai on Instagram to see the progress…its going to be slow BTW.

Mentioned on this episode is the Elevated Craft cocktail shaker. This shaker is awesome for a few reasons but here are our favorites. Keeps your drink cold for hours once sealed. The lid is a measuring cup. It fits in a cup holder…although you should never drink in the car. And its stainless so easy to clean. Take a drink to the beach or wherever and it will be cold many hours later. Holds 3-4 average size drinks.

As of posting this episode, wristbands for TC 13 are on sale. Get them fast! The event will be sold out momentarily. Rooms at the host hotel are already sold out but you can book many of the cool Palm Springs hotels nearby and walk. We will be hosting a room party as always plus so much great music, food, pool time, desert fun and much more.

We are BACK! Its been a busy and odd few months. Haven’t posted a podcast in a few months. Below are pics from our super fun Bewitched themed party at Tiki Caliente 12. Copalli rum sponsored our cocktail called Bewitching. Serving over 250 drinks in 90 minutes, we know it was popular. If you haven’t tried Copalli we recommend the silver for an awesome Mojito or Daiquiri. We used the barrel rested in our signature cocktail at the event. Below from left to right are Aaron, our devoted rum sponsor. A full cast from the Bewitched party. Endora (Sunshine) playing bartender. And a shot of some of the revelers enjoying themselves.

The first of our Holiday gift ideas is from Cocktail Cadre. This line of shirts, mugs, posters and more are essentially architectural renderings of some of your favorite alcoholic drinks. Sunshine is wearing the Manhattan t-shirt during this episode. Cocktail nerds will love these designs and enjoy wearing them.

Click the pic below to find out more about Copalli Rum. We wouldn’t recommend if we didn't love it. There is a place on the bar shelf for both of these offerings. Try gifting this and grabbing a bottle for yourself. We found them at Hi Times, BevMo and Total Wine.

Another idea for the liquor fan in your life. We tried this scotch and fell in love. Its lightly smoky, fruity and has some nice aged qualities. Enjoy this neat or on the rocks. We have not tried this in a cocktail yet but there is still time for that. Try Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve.

May we suggest a gift for someone who has nothing or everything. Most people like to color, paint, be creative. These Cat Butt coloring books belong on your kitchen fridge. Include a nice set of coloring pencils and your special someone will have hours a fun. Or misery. Perhaps a restraining order filed against them.

Just visit Amazon and search for “catbutt coloring book” and you will have about 100 options. We like this one.

Its Time! Sunshines Very Spicy Rum season. Watch this video for quick instructions and make your own spiced rum. Once you try Sunshines version you can adjust the ingredients to your preferences. There really is no way to mess it up…..sort of.