two per person only...

Yesterday early evening after twenty minutes of walk on Tamiami Trail passing by nothing but churches and inns I found The Bahi Hut Lounge. When I walked in nobody was around except Danny, the bartender who was hastily setting up the bar. To be honest I was in a good mood. I had a really early morning, flew down to Sarasota from NYC, finished all my meetings in time and I thought I deserved an early valentine's day celebration by my own. Bahi Hut or "The Bahi" as known among locals is a 55 year old Tiki bar with a famous secret Mai Tai recipe recommended by almost everybody in town with a cynical smile. Anyway, when I was checking the bamboos, small polynesian tiki statues, masks and paintings on the walls the regulars started to come in. TV's on the wall got switched on and ashtrays got placed on the bar counter. I ordered a pint of Amber Bock and a glass of Old Grand Dad to save my Mai Tai's for later. They have a strict two Mai Tai per person limit which you don't want to challenge. After socializing with Danny and the regulars for a while I ordered my first Mai Tai, It was delicious, so easy to drink but pretty damn strong... 


I think it was pretty obvious that I was a out-of-towner, all the locals were very friendly and chatting with them was extremely fun. Needless to say I ordered my second Mai Tai within an hour or maybe even earlier and after putting down the empty glass on the counter I suddenly started to realize why they set that limit... I am glad that they were not allowing a third one which I could easily order right away. I have to say it was a pretty funny scene to try to walk back to the hotel.  Actually now I am really curious about the secret recipe...

If for any reason you find yourself in Sarasota this place is a must. Order your two Mai Tai's, let yourself sucked in conversations with regulars and get wasted. You can always rent a room at the inn next to the bar if your legs refuse to move. What can I say? It was a very fun drunk night...

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