Honi Honi

Ferndale, oh Honi Honi,
You are my cocktail place,
And you got me wanting you!

The idea of an outdoor patio with a tropical theme was going to draw me in no matter what, given the brilliant success of the Oakland as a speakeasy. Sultry summer nights ripe with hard liquor, good conversation, and a bit of music struck with a steel drum band are a vast improvement over suffering another rerun or trying to deal with barbecuing and mosquitoes. Rainbow faerie lights and pufferfish hanging from the pergola cemented my affection -- a blowfish can improve just about any scene, and this one is already elegant. Tiki torches and a few dapper gentlemen and women serving up drinks add to the fine ambiance.

Cocktails here depart from the 20s and 30s ambiance of yore for the West Indies and the South Seas. Pineapples and sweet liqueurs join the splashes of aromatic rum, bourbon, and juices whipped to a pleasurable pitch. Drinks are served strong here, not the watered down daiquiris or rum-spritzed orange juice that appear on some vaguely tropical menus. The Mai Tai is a standard, a changing rotation skimmed up on a chalkboard based on the ingredients and whims of the staff. A sniff of the citrus and I was hooked from the get go, given my complete love affair with all things limey and Limey. There is a definite Trader Vic's undertone going on as near as my tongue can tell. A pretty little umbrella will transport you away from thoughts of rain and thunder.

The standing room status of Honi Honi will not appeal to some, and the lack of a ukelele or Polynesian dancer on the sand takes away a little of the charm. That said, for a nice night where you want to mingle and chat without breaking the Oakland's luscious code for polite, low-volume chitchat.

Jennifer's review piqued my interests so I brought a friend with me to check it out. The concept is great and I love the idea of a Tiki bar in Ferndale. I would love to see some wall to wall sand on the back patio along with the sound of breaking ocean tides to compliment the music.

The Hawaiian/surfer/Pulp Fictionesque music playing in the background sets the mood along with the colorful overhead light strands. A+ on ambiance.

My contention stands with the drinks I ordered. I got the Mai Tai and the Honi Honi which were the two mixed drinks featured on their chalkboard menu along with Modelo as a beer option. Based on my experience with Mai Tai's...the recipe, while open to interpretation, is usually dark and light rums, triple sec, almond flavor, orange curacao and a cherry OR sometimes uses sweet fruit juices (pineapple and/or orange) and maybe some grenadine, resulting in a sweeter type island cocktail.

The Mai Tai I had was tart and limey...true to form of the assuredly authentic Trader Vic's original recipe. The Honi Honi was explained to me as a Mai Tai with Bourbon. The problem was that they both tasted like gimlets. The only thing that really came through was the fresh lime juice which sadly didn't conjure thoughts of the islands for me. The Honi Honi had a thoughtful grind of nutmeg on top to kick up the aroma but the issue there was the super rough grind on the nutmeg didn't release any aroma and instead left chunks of nutmeg in my teeth. You guys desperately need to invest in a microplane grater if you're gonna keep this one on the menu.

That aside, great idea with room to improve. The standing room isn't too bad although some high top stools would go a long way for patrons!

Honi Honi, Honi Honi, in the melody of Mony Mony, Honi Honi

The idea of "tiki bar" makes me, and you and everyone both cringe and long desperately and thirstily for tropical drinks on a secluded island. First come the thoughts of fake fuschia orchids and green, tissue-paper grass skirts followed quickly by foofy umbrella drinks and Tommy Bahama shirts (only half-buttoned). It's hard to nail "island experience" in our mid-western backyards.

Yet, in the Oakland's backyard they're bringing the laid-back vibe of the islands with the refreshing cocktails we're looking for, minus entire fruits lying languidly in a frothy center. In the gesture of a wink, they do include the colorful umbrellas.

On a sultry night nothing beats a cool drink under puffer fish lights with a good friend (except maybe if the bar were in a pool...). The drinks are around $5 and include: Mai Tai, Honi Honi (Mai Tai mix with bourbon instead of rum), Modelo and some drink I can't remember because it's made with gin and it's strong like a rip tide baby.

It's standing room only, but you can always lean against the high-top tables if you get too drunk ;)

Honi Honi, Honi Honi.....