Lucky Cricket 2 for 2019 - Drinks and Mugs

Saturday, March 16, 2019

I started the evening with a Jet Pilot which the menu describes as: "Strong and bracing. Rums, falernum, cinnamon, grapefruit, lime, and bitters." Brandon started out with a Cherry Zinger which the menu describes as: "Frozen. Bright and refreshing. Local vodka with cherry, almond, lime, and secret bitters." It came in the Derek Yaniger  designed Kava Kava Man tiki mug pictured above. I ordered it as my second drink. I found it to be somewhat tangy which was nice as drinks of this nature in the tiki world can sometimes be over-sweet. So far I've had good luck with Lucky Cricket's tiki drinks!

The website describes the mug as follows Kava Kava Man tiki mug as follows: "Derek's take on the Kava Kava Man will bring a whimsical splash of FUN to your tiki mug collection. Featuring a stylized famished Kava Kava Man perched on a bed of lava rocks with a grimacing expression, he's seen better days. Dig the "Siamese Birdmen" on the reverse! Measuring 8" in height and has a 17 fluid ounce capacity."

Lucky Cricket offers mugs for sale and I found the one shown above to be so irresistible that I bought it and made it mine. This particular mug is called The Mystic by Joe Vitale. Lucky Cricket's website says, "The primary influence for 'The Mystic' was Joe Vitale's 2002 'I Dream of Tiki' mug. What you see here is a beautifully stylized tiki and in a wonderful glaze to boot! This design has a unique, creative vibe as well. The Mystic is 8" tall and has a 20 oz. capacity." I love it. 

Lucky Cricket 1 for 2019 - Jet Pilot & Lychee Coconut Bowl

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Lunch was a whole bunch of awesome. We had the Szechuan wontons to start (not pictured). Dale had the Hunan Chicken Salad (background) and I had the Kung Pao Shrimp Bowl (foreground). All of it was delicious. 

My second drink was the classic Jet Pilot. Dessert was the Lychee Coconut Bowl. It was too divine for words and, sadly, I didn't get a photo. 

I'd never seen a lychee before. Dale and I noticed what looked like oversized peeled grapes in the dessert. We assumed those were the lychee and our server confirmed that they indeed were just that. I've encountered tiki cocktails which have lychee juice in them but have never tried the fruit itself. 

Archipelago: Washington D.C. - November 24, 2017

Friday, November 24, 2017

Stephanie started out with the Puka Puka Punch which is a tiki drink that goes back to 1937. I went with the Joey's Banana Hammock. Why? Because my name in it and, well, just because. Both were incredibly tasty. Stephanie's second drink was called The Jungle Room Experience. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of that one. My second drink was the Jet Pilot.

Jet Pilot

The Jet Pilot was particularly intriguing to me because I didn't know this was a real cocktail.  Back in April when Dale and I visited John and Dianne in Denver we all headed to the city's tiki bar, Adrift. We met a colorful character at the bar who was 3 sheets to the wind and kept asking the bartenders to make a Jet Pilot. They wouldn't. I figured the reason was because it wasn't a real drink. I now think the real reason was because they may have cut him off as the drink is quite POTENT! The version at Archipelago  was even more awesome because it comes in a shark tiki mug. The kids all thought that was pretty cool. So did I.

Menu

Menu

Puka Puka Punch & Joey's Banana Hammock

Joey's Banana Hammock

Archipelago: Washington D.C. - November 24, 2017

Friday, November 24, 2017

As the Archipelago adventure started to wind down, it was time to start thinking about souvenirs. The shark mug the Jet Pilot came in was a must (see above photo). I also went with a mermaid mug (see photo below) which is much more light blue than it appears in the picture.  I discovered when we got home that she has a chip on her nose. No worries - built in character! I bought the 3 kids a mug of their choice as an early Xmas present. Which one did each one go with? The shark. I think we cleaned the bar's gift store out!