As far as posting this is concerned, I'm behind. Back on April 4th, during spring break, I had the chance to visit UnderTow in Phoenix, Arizona.
UnderTow is the stuff that tiki bar dreams are made of. Located beneath Sip coffee bar, UnderTow is supposed to be located in a ship of which the bar is in the hold complete with portholes that depict leaving port, sunset, moonrise, and even passing ships that fire cannons at UnderTow as it passes.
I made reservations (recommended, especially if later in the evening and on the weekends) and my party (John, Dianne, Dale, Peter, and I arrived as the bar opened at 4 p.m. Our friendly hostess, wearing a muu muu, greeted us and sat us at the corner table they had waiting for us. Good thing we made a reservation. Although it was early and the bar wasn't completely full, all other tables were for only two people. This was the only table that could accommodate more.
The two bartenders on duty were friendly and attentive and brought John a Zombie. According to Jeff "Beachbum" Berry in his book Sippin' Safari, the likely story of the Zombie's creation is described as follows on the back of a 1941 Beachcomber's menu: "The Zombie didn't just happen. It is the result of a long and expensive process of evolution: In the experiments leading up to the Zombie, three and a half cases of assorted rums were used and found their way down the drain so that you may now enjoy this potent 'mender of broken dreams.'"
Dianne ordered a Blue Hawaii.
Dale had some Japanese beer and Peter a Smoking Cannon. I got a Three Dots and a Dash.
I went on to consume a Jet Pilot. When I order the Jet Pilot,Dianne asked the bartender what it was like. She told us it was very similar to a Zombie only not as big. I had sampled John's Zombie and liked it so I decided to go for it. Although I had tried a Jet Pilot back at Archipelago in Washington D.C., I couldn't remember very well what it tasted like. This Jet Pilot very much indeed tasted similar to the Zombie.
After the Jet Pilot I continued with a Mai Tai. It was spot on and came in a clear glass with 3 different tiki faces embossed on it. Dianne told me she noticed in the menu that the glass was for sale. I double checked for the price and saw it was available for (I thought) a very reasonable $12 dollars. I bought two!
In addition, the art work on the glass was done by Danny "Tiki Diablo" Gallardo, who did the interior design of the bar. How awesome is that?!?
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| Back patio of Sip coffee bar |
