For anyone who is a fan of tiki culture, cocktail wonkery, good rum, and all other scintillating delights that emerged from mid-20th century pop culture, you should be regularly reading Jim “Hurricane” Hayward‘s Atomic Grog.
To catch everyone up on the past five years, Jim has put together a short history of the Atomic Grog. It includes all of the sites coverage of great people and events including:
- The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide (aka the Okole Maluna Society)
- The Hukilau The countries largest tiki festival.
- Great coverage of tiki historians including Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Martin Cate, Otto von Stroheim, Sven Kirsten, etc.
- Coverage of a smorgasboard of artists, musicians and other artistic individuals from the world of tiki and the modern Tiki revival including Shag, Kevin Kidney & Jody Daily, Tiki Diablo, Crazy Al Evans, Los Straitjackets, Dick Dale, Robert Drasnin, Wayne Coombs, etc.
Atomic Grog’s 5th Anniversary Party at the Mai-Kai
For the past five years Jim has been providing complete coverage of all things tiki with a delightful emphasis on his local tiki bar, the mystical Mai-Kai in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. To mark theniversary of the Atomic Grog’s creation, Jim is partnering with the Mai-Kai to hosti anng the Atomic Grog’s 5th Anniversary cocktail party on April 30th in The Molokai lounge at The Mai-Kai. The gathering with feature instrumental surf music from Skinny Jimmy Stingray, drink specials, giveaways, and more.
The party runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Skinny Jimmy will play three solo sets starting at around 6:30. In between sets, Jimmy and Hurricane Hayward will spin their favorite instro surf, exotica and retro tunes. They’ll also preview The Hukilau 2016 with music from the artists performing at the June 8-12 event at The Mai-Kai and Pier 66 hotel.
There will also be a Mai-Kai trivia contest with two winners receiving four-day Aloha Passes for The Hukilau. Other goodies will be given away including Atomic Grog T-shirts. Plus, we’ll have shirts for sale.
Happy hour runs from 4:30 (when the bar opens) to 7 p.m. In addition, the K.O. Coolerand Tahitian Breeze cocktails are the regular Saturday specials (half-price all night). In a nod to The Atomic Grog, the Yeoman’s Grog will also be half-price all night. And as a bonus for fans of The Atomic Grog’s Okole Maluna Society, a special “lost cocktail” will be available (between 6 and 7 p.m. only): The Demerara Float. This classic drink from the original 1956 menu packs a punch with two Demerara rums, including a floater of 151.
There will also be plenty of tasty food available with the recent addition of a special new small plates menu (steamed buns, tacos, sushi, et al.) in addition to the traditional pupu platter and appetizer menu that’s half-price during happy hour. The Mai-Kai’s new chef has given the kitchen a creative boost. You could also enjoy the party before or after dinner in one of the many secluded dining rooms, or take in The Mai-Kai’s Polynesian Islander Revue, the longest-running authentic South Seas stage show in the United States, including Hawaii.
The event will mark the debut of Deerfield Beach-based Skinny Jimmy performing solo at The Mai-Kai. His all-instrumental band is typically a power trio with a bassist and drummer, but he’s been working on special material designed to be performed in a more intimate lounge setting. Have no fear: He’ll be his usual bombastic self on electric guitar, but the role of the rhythm section will be played by carefully curated, pre-recorded backing tracks.
He’ll be playing en eclectic mix of some of his favorite surf, rock ‘n’ roll and exotica songs in three hour-long sets. Expect to hear everything from Duane Eddy’s Rebel Rouser to Herb Alpert’s The Lonely Bull to Blue Hawaii as performed by The Makaha Sons. This will be the first Atomic Grog anniversary party since our first birthday back in 2012, when Skinny Jimmy and his old band also performed.
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