All of us got on the bus at about 4:00 pm yesterday and headed for Fort Lauderdale and the world famous Mai-Kai Restaurant. This is a gang of rum judges headed for a Zombie judging and tasting and a Polynesian dinner show, so you can imagine the excitement from this group of weary travelers.
Upon arriving at the Mai-Kai we were whisked to the show room where we were treated to the seminar by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry. Jeff is a very interesting talker on the subject of Don the Beachcomber and the Zombie cocktail. ( a subject that I will pursue on a later date). Jeff took us through the history and the secrecy that Don the Beachcomber had to go to in order to preserve his magical cocktail. Jeff also made three of the "original" recipe zombies that he had recovered from former Don the Beachcomber bartenders families and passed them around through the group of Rum XP's. Jeff's knowledge of the recipes and the thinking of Donn Beach, this very inciteful mixologist kept our attention for the entire seminar.
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| The Winning Zombie |
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| Don Q's Zombie Team |
Next came the real fun, the Zombie judging. There were 6 different zombie makers there from all over the Caribbean and all were very skilled in the craft of zombie mixology. This was the start of the evenings degradation as we continued to sample the zombies over and over again to be sure of which one was really the best. Remembering that these drinks were floated with 151 rum and contained a fair amount of rum any way. Fortunately we all survived and were able to proceed on to a fine dinner and the Mai-Kai's incredible Polynesian Show.
The dinner a much needed break from the Zombie tasting that had gone on for a couple of hours. The chef's at the Mai-Kai provided us with a fabulous dinner that we enjoyed as the show come on. We were taken on a tour of the pacific and South Seas Islands in dance by a very talented troupe of performers. The dancers and the musicians kept us glued to the stage for the entire show. Very much the highlight of the evening, this is a show you need to see if you are in the Fort Lauderdale area. Don't forget the stop into the bar under the waterfalls and see the lovely Polynesian bartenders there as well.
The cocktail menu is a trip to the South pacific unto itself and the lovely bartenders can not only mix you a fabulous cocktail, they are a pleasure to look at as well.
Today, we are off to a Bermuda Triangle party that has great potential for being another exciting evening. ;o)
