Red October gone awry in Philly.

Before I went down the Tiki rabbit hole and discovered the wide world of rum, I was a gin drinker. My original favorite spirit of choice only came in two varieties for me: Tanqueray for gin & tonics and Bombay Sapphire for martinis. Shaken not stirred. As I’ve developed my palate for rum, I haven’t forgotten about gin. Besides discovering several Tiki drink recipes that feature gin, I’ve also uncovered some new gins of interest.

Throughout my Tiki journey, I’ve always been adventurous in exploring new places. I mean this in the literal sense. Besides having a strong virtual presence, I enjoy visiting Tiki bars in faraway places, often in cities I’ve never visited before. Many of these visits were in conjunction with business trips. I’m happy to bring my coworkers along and introduce them to proper Tiki temples as I explore.

Sometimes, my inspiration comes from a most unlikely place. Like attending an ice hockey game in Allentown PA leading to discovering a Surf music band from Chicago. But I’m getting ahead of myself. In my younger days, I played goalie for an ice hockey team with a great group of guys. One of those guys was Dave West, a younger guy from the Midwest who had moved to the Lehigh Valley.

Worlds colliding: Maryland edition. By day, I sell energy for Constellation, who is headquartered in Baltimore MD. I travel there for meetings 4-5 times per year, as it’s only about a 3-hour drive for me. I love walking the Inner Harbor, chowing down on crab cakes and Maryland crab soup, and catching the occasional Orioles or Ravens game.. By night (and weekends), I’m a Tiki enthusiast.

Here we go again. 4 years ago, I told you my first story about hats: A Tale of Two Cities, or, My Hat Story. Last month, it was a story about My Hockey Sweaters (and Patches). Today I go back to hats. This is really a story about art, which is near and dear to my heart, just in cap form.

Today the ice hockey playoffs begin. These are the best postseason games in all of sports, culminating in one great team hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup, the oldest championship trophy competed for in …

Dear Friends of Ukraine, 📢 russia HONORS PALM SUNDAY BY KILLING UKRAINIANS HEADED TO CHURCH! 📢  Two russian ballistic missiles targeted civilians headed to Palm Sunday services in Sumy, Ukraine's ...