Trader Sam's Tiki Bar

"The Wicked Wench" in the Bottle. 

Last month, in between late night parade rehearsals at the park, Jody and I helped out on a pretty nifty project over at the Disneyland Hotel.  If you're a Tiki fan or Disney nut, you may have heard about Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar which opened in May.  You might even have already visited!

For the new bar, Jody and I scratch-built a one-of-a-kind scale model replica of the "Wicked Wench" - the ship that fires cannon balls over your head in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.  Our miniature version is rigged up to do a little trick.  I won't give away the surprise, but if you order a 'Shipwreck cocktail' ( a nice lemony Bourbon thing ), the boat in the bottle, um...well, it does something!

While the Imagineering team worked late into the night programming lighting effects and Krakatoa explosions, Jody and I rolled up our sleeves and painted the totems over the bar.  These are, of course, cast from the original molds created for the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction, and we picked colors to match, as near as we could, the original 1963 paint scheme of the show. 

If you find yourself anywhere near the Disneyland Hotel this summer, I recommend you drop in to Trader Sam's for a refreshing grog and any food item on the menu that is panko-crusted.  Sam's is easily the best bar in the resort and has become one of our favorite local hangouts.