To go along with the St. Patrick's Day theme that we stretch out as long as possible every year, we bring you our newest drink toy:
(photo courtesy of Fun Express)
Shamrock shutter shades! Shutter shades have easily been our most popular drink toy in the history of Bahama Mamas, and when we found this shamrock-shaped version, we knew we had to have them.
We've had lots of drink toys over the years, but recently it's become clear that the trinkets you love the most are the ones you can wear. Moustaches, glasses, pretty much anything you can put on and take a picture of yourself in.
Our latest tropical drink, the Jersey Shore, recently made its debut, and Dave was looking for the perfect toy to serve with the drink. He found these fabulous shades:
The gummy stars are another option with the drink. We thought the stars were funny- kind of a joke on the "stars" of the reality series.
The toys arrived on Friday and the bartenders started handing them out that night. They were immediately a hit. I've never seen so many pictures from the Sandbar show up on Twitter in one night, especially of drink toys.
And of course, on Saturday night the staff had fun with them too:
You can see more pictures on our Facebook page or our Flickr photostream.
Apparently there's a holiday for everything.
I discovered today through the magic of Twitter that today is National Rubber Duck Day. You know what this means- you all need to come to the Sandbar tonight for Tropical Drink Night and enjoy some rubber ducks with your drinks. I'm pretty sure we still have rubber duck keychains available.
Bring your favorite rubber duck toys from the past and show them off! Leave a comment and let us know what your favorite rubber duck toy is- we've offered all kinds, from cowboy ducks to cheerleader ducks to nurse ducks.
This Wikipedia entry about rubber ducks contains everything you ever wanted to know about the little yellow toys. The Guinness World Record for largest rubber duck collection stood at 2,583 rubber ducks in 2007. We're not going to try to beat that one.
I couldn't find any information quickly about how or why National Rubber Duck Day began, but here's another fun little tidbit about rubber ducks making their way around the ocean.
Sundays aren't usually a busy day at the Sandbar- they're laid back and slow, a good day for idle chatter with the bartender or even watching TV with the jukebox turned a little lower than normal. Last Sunday was an exception.
Some of our Margarita Monday (and some other nights of the week) regulars are experiencing some life changes: Briana graduated, Amerika is moving to New York City, and Phil had a birthday (but he's not going anywhere that we know of). So, what better way to celebrate than to open a few hours early for Sunday Funday!
Of course there was a shotski for six, featuring the Fail Whale shots:
We ate Choco Tacos and cookies; drank Bahama Mamas and beer and Beachtini's (some drank more than others, ahem); and socialized. Oddly, there was no hurricane or mermaid, but there was a ceremonial signing of a dollar bill that was later stapled prominently on the wall.
The party might have carried on into the night if it wasn't for a certain popular TV show that was ending its run on Sunday night. It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially one that was nice enough to enjoy the patio.
It's always a sign of a good time when you have a pile of tropical drink toys at the end of the party. Thanks to everyone who came in on Sunday, come back soon!
Photos courtesy of Phil Martinez and his fancy camera.
Twelve extremely cool Sandbar themed gifts would seem like an easy blog idea, but I have to admit it came to me in a very roundabout manner.
The other day at my "real job," I got a rare spam email. I say spam only because it was an unsolicited email from a company I've never heard of, but it wasn't anything sneaky or poorly spelled. It happened to have pictures of cute socks, so I clicked to their website and promptly fell in love.
Hence, the inspiration for "12 Days of Sandbar Christmas Gifts."
Day 1: Shark Bite Socks
Anyone who loves our famous Shark Attack drink needs a pair of these socks. How could you not smile when wearing something like this?
Day 2: Palm Tree & Coconuts Salt & Pepper Shaker
I died laughing when I saw this set- it's exactly the sort of cheese that we love at The Sandbar and would be a perfect gift for our annual holiday gift exchange. Somehow I think boys, especially, might like this one.
Day 3: Pirate Lego Magnets
We love all things pirate. And who doesn't love Legos? They even have real magnets so you can keep them on your fridge or your file cabinet or wherever else they'll stick.
Day 4: Parrot Christmas Holiday Tree Art Thing
Not really sure where to start with this one. Most of the 12 days of gifts are things I'd dearly love to own. Not so much this one. It's rather unique. I suppose if you like to feed the birds, and you like parrots, and Santa, then you might like this. (It kind of looks like a rainbow-ish Jayhawk, too).
Day 5: Tiki Tissue Box
Can't get enough of the Sandbar hurricane and Tiki Ted? Get a Tiki Tissue Box. This box is sized to hold a standard tissue box, and he'll blow Kleenex out his nose. Really, I can't make this stuff up.
Day 6: Mermaid Cookbook
Need a gift idea for kids (or fun-loving adults)? Check out this mermaid cookbook, with recipes like Sea Foam Foats and Goldfish Gorp. I actually own this cookbook (thanks to Michelle!) and can vouch for it's coolness.
Day 7: Jimmy Buffett's new CD, Buffet Hotel
I should be slapped upside the head with a giant vinyl shark for forgetting that this CD was released just a few days ago (December 8, to be exact). Jimmy Buffett, hero of everyone who needs a little escape from life now and then, has another new CD just in time to fill your stockings.
Day 8: Beer Chapstick
Some of the options above a little too spendy for you? This stocking stuffer will set you back about the price of a drink. Yum, beer flavored kisses.
Day 9: Great White Shark Slippers
For all the shark lovers out there, here's a little something for your feet to keep them warm. I wonder if these come in Dave's size…
Day 10: The ShotCarver
Make your own shot glass using a piece of fruit and this little gadget. See, I'm helping you find ways to make drinking alcohol just a little bit more healthy.
Day 11: My Little Sandbox
Need a reminder of the beach for your desk? A toy for the kids when they can't go outside? Here's your very own tiny sandbox to play with when you need some stress relief.
Day 12: Mermaid Wine Bottle Holder
Our last gift in the series. A hand cut, hand finished, colored steel mermaid is ready to hold your favorite wine bottle. Ironic, a little, since we're not exactly a wine bar. But it's a neat gift anyway.
We hope you enjoyed our 12 Days of Sandbar Christmas Gift series! We'll do it again next year.
We just ordered some brand new drink toys! We've never had these toys before (that I remember anyway), and they'll be here in time to celebrate Thanksgiving.
(Image from Fun Express)
Everyone seems to really like the finger puppets whenever we decorate drinks with them, and we're trying to take advantage of the toy variety that the holidays provide.
Speaking of Thanksgiving…usually we are open for business that night for all the Lawrence locals who need to escape their families. However, it depends on what our staff is doing and if someone wants to work. We'll keep you posted.
See what's happened in Thanksgivings past. Maybe whoever works this year will renew the old tradition of counting the dollar bills on the wall.