Mystery, Romance, and Adventure

Aloha, ahoy, aha!

In case that didn’t make it clear, we’re talking the drinks of Trader Sam’s. I visited with the tiki bar with a twist once or twice, and maybe a few visits more, during my recent trip out to Disneyland. My goal, seeing as how it had been seven years between visits, was to make sure to try all of the drinks that came with specialty glassware that I could pack and take home, especially since most of these drinks also set of storytelling effects within the bar. Let’s go through Trader Sam’s menu and talk about what we sampled.

Hippopotomai-Tai (Light and Dark Rums, Orange Curacao, Almond Syrup, Organic Agave Nectar, and Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice) – Dare to enter the pool with… Bang! Bang! Two shots of rum! Don’t worry this drink is only dangerous when you start to wiggle your ears.

Krakatoa Punch (Reserve and Spiced Rums, Tropical Juices, Almond Syrup, Hibiscus Grenadine, and Sam’s Gorilla Grog) – There’s no escaping falling in lava with this exotic eruption of flavor.

Shipwreck on the Rocks (Bourbon with Freshly Muddled Lemon and Mint with Organic Agave Nectar) – Have too many of these and you’ll be setting a course of Davy Jones’ Locker!

Shrunken Zombie Head (Reserve and Aged Rums, Tropical Juices Falernum, and Cinnamon) – Every time business shrinks for our head salesman he celebrates with one of these supernatural potions.

Uh Oa! (Light and Dark Rums, Orange, Passion Fruit, Guava, and Grapefruit Juices, Falernum, Cinnamon, and Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice) – Whoever is brave enough to conjure up this concoction cursed by Uh Oa, the tiki goddess of disaster, must be forewarned: When you mess with Polynesia, the tiki gods will squeeze ya (often with a lime)!

That’s a lot of rum, which is precisely what you would expect from a tiki tavern, right? The drinks at Trader Sam’s are strong, which means you get exactly what you pay for! Of the bunch, the Shipwreck on the Rocks, Hippopotomai-Tai, and Shrunken Zombie Head seemed to have the most adult beverage bang for the buck. For my part I preferred the Shipwreck on the Rocks, but I’m a bourbon kind of guy. The Krakatoa Punch was pleasing to the palate, but not overpowering, and seemed to be a winner amongst the other castaways I washed ashore with at Trader Sam’s. I tried the Uh Oa with a pair of friends and found that it was as much fun to play with as it was to drink. We may have gotten carried away with the cinnamon, leading to it being the heavy flavor in the drink for us, and why I ended up with cinnamon all over my camera and clothes…

I final word about the drinks of Trader Sam’s, the menu isn’t where the drinks stop. They know their traditional tiki beverages as well as anything here. Also, with the tie to all things adventure and Disney, they also know their way around some of these staples as well. Read between the docks here folks, we’re talking Kungaloosh! Both the original and the blended, whipped cream topped versions. When I uncovered this little nugget, it may have made my day!

I’ve yet to find something on this menu that disappoints, which is saying something for a bar with a Disney side. Don’t think you have to order the drinks in their collectable mugs, they are available without just as easily. Take time to talk to your server and the bartenders, they know the stories and their drinks and will get you something to put a smile on your face before you can say tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room!