LoveIOM went for a Kiki
9th May 2022
We’ve been following Kiki’s on Instagram for months now, and as soon as we heard they were a LoveIOM merchant, we decided to make plans visit Kiki’s on a Thursday, and make the most of their ‘Aloha hours’ (happy hour, for those unfamiliar with Kiki’s lingo).
A selection of friends on-board, and last bus times noted, the group made their way from various offices around Douglas at 5pm for an evening of great cocktails. We were a big group of ten but there was more than enough room on their sofas and upcycled tables. Ours was decorated in Spice Girl theme.
On every table is a collection of multi coloured Leis so we popped them on, blissed out on comfy sofas, listening to chilled Caribbean tunes over the speakers.
Now, a fun fact about Kiki’s is that its commitment to a good straw has gone so far as to provide actual pasta in place of a paper straw. They firmly believe they work better than paper and that they give the drinker the best experience when sampling their cocktails (gluten avoiders amongst us, don’t worry! The server always asks about allergies first and will give you a paper straw instead). Amongst the cocktails we had this particular evening, one came literally with a blow torch to be set on fire (see that here), another came in a tin can and they all tasted amazing (but more on individual cocktails later).
Naturally we had to spend a lot of time getting some group pics in the very Instagrammable surroundings, so on the way out we got a variety of group shots in all different places in the bar… Don’t hate us, we like options! The door security even took a minute to get us in position to get the best picture of the night (and a sneaky selfie of himself too – the legend).
Here’s the premise of Kiki’s Aloha hours – between 17:00-20:00 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Kiki’s serves:
£15 bottle of Prosecco
£2.50 bottles of Sol
2-4-£5 Virgin Cocktails
£5 Frozen Cocktails
2-4-£12 Kiki’s Classic Cocktails and
£25 Pornstar Martini Sharers
Between the ten of us, we ordered almost the entire Aloha Hours menu and more, so by now we have tried plenty of cocktails Kiki’s have to offer. Here’s what we thought:
The Dirty Banana
Delivered in a ceramic bowl in the shape of a monkey head, this massive sharer cocktail was “like an alcoholic banana milkshake”. This cocktail is worth it for the receptacle it’s served in alone.
Cos Tonight Baby, I Wanna Get Tiki wit’ U
A fairly normal looking cocktail when served straight after ‘The Dirty Banana’, this pale yellow cocktail is served in a tall hourglass shaped glass. Four of us had this one and we concluded it was refreshing and tangy – exactly what was needed after a day at the desk.
Princess Peach (non-alcoholic)
This sweetly named drink came from the mocktail menu; small in size and peach in colour, this delightful drink was sweet and refreshing. This one was so popular, the person drinking it had two this night alone!
Kiki, Do You Love Me?
For all intents and purposes, this is a pinky, peachy mojito, and we write that as hard-core lovers of mojitos. We see this as our drink of choice at Kiki’s, as our fail safe, and as the one you start and end the night on. In short, this is the one for us... A classic for the ages.
Let’s Have a Kiwi, Motherf**ker
Another popular choice, this drink was had by almost half the group. A musty yellow colour, it came in a tall glass, topped with half a dried Kiwi. The flavours were smooth and subtle – a pleasure to drink. High praise indeed.
Knickerbocker
This is one we mentioned earlier and is fruity to say the least, served up in a tin can. With raspberry, triple sec and lime, it’s a juicy treat which can’t not be liked by all, no doubt.
Fantastic Mr Faux (non-alcoholic)
Another speciality from the alcohol free menu, this was a little cocktail, so small in fact, it was served with a half sized paper straw as standard – no pasta here. Size aside, despite being non-alcoholic, this drink packed a punch with a blend of apple, mint, lime, ginger and cucumber.
Painkiller
This cocktail was decided by Kiki’s special 8-ball cocktail - you order, they come back with their magic 8-ball, you shake it, they tell you what you’re getting! Like an orange-y pina colada, this was spicy in the back of your throat, in a nice way.
Zombie
This was the infamous cocktail that was set on fire with a blow torch. Now as we write this looking back at the menu, we see very clearly that “fire” is listed as an ingredient so we’re not entirely sure why none of us saw this coming. Nonetheless, the element of surprise really added to the drama, and we love nothing more than a little added theatrics to our drinks. Once the fire is out, this cocktail has more ingredients than you could shake a stick at: rum, absinthe, juice upon juice upon juice and of course, fire. It was reportedly extremely flavoursome.
Flanders Puck (non-alcoholic)
Our final cocktail is another from the non-alcoholic menu. This one was another pink and fruity number, with grapefruit, lime and soda. It was actually so well received by the first drinker, it was ordered again by someone else! Succinctly put, this drink was pink and bitter. Exquisite.
The long and short of this blog is that Kiki’s is brilliant, whether you’re meeting pals after work on a Thursday or Friday, using it as a starting point for your night out or potentially even a date, you cannot go wrong. Table service, great music and a huge range of drinks in an underground bar, what more do you want?
Know a Kiki’s fan? Buy them a LoveIOM Gift Card for their next visit! Paying for Kiki’s with your LoveIOM Gift Card means there are no transaction fees for the business and they can put every penny earned into more cocktails to create and vinyl to play to set the mood perfectly for your next visit!