THE SINKING SHIP sets sail

Bakersfield, California is an up and coming tiki hot spot. Who’d have guessed? Coconut Joe’s, a beach-themed eatery, has been pleasing tikiphiles traveling up and down the 99 for years. (Shh! It has an amazing secret tiki bar hidden away for private events in a banquet hall a few blocks over.) A proper tiki bar, the amazing Tiki-Ko, opened the doors to a slice of cocktail paradise in 2016. Now, after years of rumor, waiting, and much anticipation, a new bar has opened. The murky depths below Tiki-Ko have given rise to The Sinking Ship. Shiver me timbers and blow me down. This one seems to be another ship-shape winner.

Beyond the virtually nondescript black door at 1927 K Street and down a flight of stairs, submerged in the basement of the building that houses Tiki-Ko, rests the carefully crafted, barnacle-free barge known as The Sinking Ship. The new bar occupies the entire basement of the building Tiki-Ko is in, so Sinking Ship is twice as large as its parent bar.

Originally, the owner, Roy Scarazzo, told me that he envisioned the new bar as having a pirate’s cave feel to it. The final result is a nautically themed enterprise that was largely built out by tiki legend Tiki Diablo (who also helped immensely in the creation of Tiki-Ko). It was years in development (with COVID not helping things). About 6 weeks ago, the new place hoisted its anchor and opened its doors. The long wait was over.

The first thing you will notice when you arrive below deck is how spacious the place truly is.

Not only is their ample seating around the main floor, there are intimate, booth-like seating areas. These areas require a reservation and a deposit (which actually works towards your bar tab for the evening).

The variety of seats range from crates and chairs to benches.

One unique seating area featured a porthole through which fish could be swimming around.

The usual tiki bar kitschy decor is on the lighter side here—but that fits with the nautical theme. Even though there are still the classic touches, like a thatched roof over the bar, colored lighting, and vintage exotica playing over the sound system, it is clear that the Sinking Ship is trying to differentiate itself from Tiki-Ko upstairs.

Due to COVID, the staff was all wearing face masks. I looked to see who was working the bar. I recognized Bernard (because of his hair, glasses and thin frame) from Tiki-Ko. The guy next to him was new to me. He goes by the name of Spongie (really Jorge). There was another fellow busy in the corner of the bar. His mask didn’t afford me a good look at his face either. I had hoped that a bartender named Benny, who had been my welcome wagon the first time I set foot in Tiki-Ko back in 2017, would be working that day. Benny had been marvelous. He had been such a tremendous reason the bar had made such an indelible impression on me. However, in his black T-shirt and black mask, this third bartender just didn’t look like him.

For my inaugural voyage on the Sinking Ship, I had invited my friend John to drive up and join me. John had two friends with him, Brahma and Shirley. It was my first time meeting them.

Brahma was the designated driver, so he enjoyed Coca-Cola all afternoon. Shirley opted for Bud Light. (Not everyone gets the concept of a tiki bar and so beer is also served. It is Bakersfield after all… and Shirley could have whatever she wanted.) That left John and I to try the cocktails. The menu had a few Tiki-Ko classics, but also some different things as well.

For our initial drinks, John had a Zombie and I enjoyed a MaryAnn. I didn’t sample any of John’s drinks, because I didn’t want to risk marring the flavors of mine. The Maryann was sweet, perky, and refreshing. It hit the spot.

Round two had John trying a Jet Pilot and me having a Shark Attack. The Shark Attack was dessert sweet…with wonderful hints of strawberry amid the coconut and pineapple. The blood oozing out of the shark mouth and down the side was a nice, gory touch.

For round three, John went with a 151 Swizzle while I savored a Rum Barrel. My drink was absolutely perfect. Mmm.

The bar manager, Freddy, was a great guy. He kept coming by to check on us and answer our questions (and, of course, I had many). At one point, Freddy brought over a cocktail they were working on to add to the menu. Did we want to try it? It was called a Beachbum Special (named after famed tiki mixologist, Beachbum Berry, who has his own tiki bar in New Orleans). Shirley claimed it, but we all sampled it. DEEE-licious!

John and I both decided to order Beachbum Specials as well, even though they’re not on the menu. I went to the bar to get them. The bartender, who was making them, looked at me. “Don’t I know you?,” he asked. It was that third bartender, the mask he was wearing obscuring his features. As I looked at him, I thought could it be…?

“Benny?,” I asked.

It was Benny. And he remembered me? Wow! He couldn’t quite place me other than my having been upstairs at Tiki-Ko. He asked my name and also asked about my cane–which he said he didn’t remember me using before (and I’ve only been using it for the last year). I had only met him that one time before. Amazing!

The Sinking Ship’s actual bar doesn’t have a place for patrons to sit around it. So that banter with bartenders is missing. I would have loved to have chatted with Benny some more. He truly was a large part of why I was so taken with Tiki-Ko on my first visit. That was the only thing I found fault with–no seating at the bar. I guess this helps prevent the spread of COVID and keeps the cocktails flowing. Oh, well. I’ll have to catch you another time, Benny.

Anyway, our Beachbum Specials were quite delightful.

At some point I needed to visit the “Sailors” room and unload my own rum barrel. Of course I took pictures in there as well. I dug the porthole-shaped mirror on the back of the door.

The afternoon was fun. I had planned on only staying for a brief two hours cruise on the Sinking Ship…but we ended up staying aboard for four. Shirley said she didn’t want our time together to end. So, John had another Beachbum Special. For me, I asked Benny to make me something different, whatever he chose. I told him I trusted his judgement implicitly. He delivered something called an Ankle Breaker. OMG. Yum.

Not long before we left, Roy, the owner, came over with a tray. On it were four skull-shaped shot glasses. Because we had been having such a good time, he wanted to share something called a Kraken the Whip. Sooooo yummy. Creamy coconut, juicy pineapple, some mystery alcohol and 100% awesome. How nice. It was the perfect chaser to a perfect day.

While Tiki-Ko is still closed to undergo some upgrades (and how I look forward to that lil’ gem re-opening soon), the Sinking Ship is sailing along. What a treat our first voyage on it had been. However, it soon was time to go. Freddy the manager and Roy the owner had come over to thank us for our visit and bid us farewell. I do feel bad I didn’t get to say goodbye to Benny, though. There’s a chance I’ll be back at the end of August. Hopefully I’ll be able to rectify that. Anyway, we climbed the steps up from the cool cellar, into the glaring heat of the valley and it was time to say aloha. John had a driver, but thank goodness I’d developed “sea legs” while drinking down in the hull. (Or maybe that was just my usual neuro-muscular problems? Ha!)

It was great, as always, to have seen John. It was also great to make new friends with Shirley and Brahma. But Roy, Freddy, Bernard, Spongie, and (especially) Benny made the day extra special. They felt like new friends as well. It was hard to say ‘bon voyage’ to the Sinking Ship. I liked it a lot. Here’s to many, many years of smooth sailing ahead.

The Sinking Ship
1927 K Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 493-0006
Email: info@tiki-ko.com
Website: https://www.tiki-ko.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tikikobakersfield/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tikikobakersfield/?rf=457278721135822