Aloha All,

It’s not easy researching the latest novel in the Tiki Goddess Mystery series. Today I went to hula practice where the true Hula Maidens were in good form. Some of them have recently learned to make their own practice skirts called pa’u skirts. One of the definitions of pa’u is “a woman’s skirt or sarong.” The skirts the dancers made consisted of 4 yards of print fabric and four rows of elastic at the waist/hip area. Unless the dancer wearing it weighs under 90 pounds, there’s little hope of looking like anything but a floral float in the Rose Parade.

Modeling the New Pa'u Skirts

Since I’m busy finishing up THREE TO GET LEI’D, I skipped the sewing bee, but I sent my sewing machine to stand in for me, which should count for something.

While I was home working up a sweat at the computer, I reached a point where I had to stop and I must now come up with a couple more  cocktails created by “Uncle Louie” (a fictional character in the Tiki Goddess Mysteries).

“Uncle Louie” has decided to create a flaming shot to commemorate a scene where the Hula Maidens nearly burn down their beloved Tiki Goddess Bar, the place where they hang out and hula and most of the scenes are set. While researching on the internet I discovered there are some rules of the road to think about while creating flaming shots and cocktails.

(Who knew?)

Keep Handy When Drinking Flaming Shots

1. Unless you don’t want to end up in the emergency room, never consume a drink while it’s still on fire. Extinguish it first.

2. Don’t serve flaming drinks to friends who are already inebriated. Note: Kind of takes some of the fun out of this if you ask me.

3. If you let the drink burn too long you might crack the glass…the alcohol will spill out and flames will spread.

4. Hide the crystal. Heavy glassware holds the heat better.

5. The shorter and rounder the glass the better. (Kind of like me.) They are easier to light.

6. It’s better to flame your drinks with the lights down low. The flames burn very blue and sometimes are hard to see unless you’re in the dark.

Extinguish BEFORE Drinking...Duh.

So that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Tonight I may try to concoct a few different versions of flaming shots. First I have to get my hands on either some 151 proof rum or some Everclear which is a high proof grain alcohol. Apparently these are the choices for the float atop the drink as these spirits ignite easily.

For now, stand back, stay tuned and have the fire extinguisher ready!

The Tiki Goddess