One of my favorite places in the world is a Tokyo neighborhood called Golden Gai which features some 250 specialty bars that seat 4 to 10 people, each with a surprising theme and a wealth of knowledge.
There are bars celebrating the music of the Who, Broadway, the Ramones, the exploits of Evel Knievel and my favorite, one devoted to the harmonica player Little Walter, to name a few. They are nicknamed “hovel bars” because they aren’t fancy, but for a lover of the topic, they are like going to college.
One of my friends described them as being an inch wide and a mile deep.
The owners serve drinks and play vinyl records and serve up the history of the artists they revere.
I was blown away in this Little Walter bar, a musician I bet 99 percent of readers don’t know anything about. (Here’s an aside you haven’t read anywhere else: when Carlos Santana stayed in hotels back in the day, he booked under Little Walter’s birth name, Walter Jacobs. The first time I interviewed him, he said I was the only reporter who knew that name, and he told me his playing style is influenced by harmonica players like Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson.)
So, here I was surrounded by photos of Walter and classic albums, some long unavailable anywhere else. I managed to have a deep conversation with the bartender, even though he spoke no English and I no Japanese.
But I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana…ha…and we jammed. It was one of the best moments of my life.
I bring this up because at least one local business has adopted the Japanese way, sharing a little-known expertise with customers.
Peter Drobac, who owns the restaurant Makai, on the Wharf (the one with the rotating bar), is an expert on rum who travels the world sampling it and has gathered 650 brands for you to choose from.
He gave us a two-plus-hour tasting and it was a college course on rum, something I knew so little about. You can read all about this rum baron in Joan Hammel’s cover story, one perfect for the holidays and your eggnog of choice.
His place will change everything you thought you knew about the libation. And maybe that’s a ticket for other businesses. Bring out something we can learn in your shop and make it a center for the topic. It can bring in tourists from all over the world.
We’ve got another place where that’s happening: cannabis dispensaries that want customers to smoke in their lounges and get educated. That’s in our news section. Should the county let it happen?
Lots more in this issue to get you ready for the holidays.
Enjoy.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
CRUNCHING THE SUN This shot was taken at Santa Cruz Harbor on 12/18. It was shot with an iPhone 14, then captured with a screenshot. Photograph by David Gorman, of Marina.
GOOD IDEA
Downtown Watsonville has been named one of California’s 10 newest state-designated Cultural Districts. The designation recognizes communities with distinctive arts and cultural identities and supports the growth of localcreative economies.
Watsonville is one of 10 new districts selected this year, bringing the total number of Cultural Districts in California to 24. Communities are chosen through a competitive, equity-focused process that evaluates community partnerships, local history, and the strength of arts and cultural programming.
The Cultural District designation will provide Watsonville with $10,000 over two years, official state certification, technical assistance, and access to statewide marketing and promotional resources.
GOOD WORK
Looking for a place to help out on Christmas? The Veterans Hall is holding its annual Christmas dinner 11:30am–2pm Dec. 25. They need volunteers to help feed the people who need it. There will be music and very good vibes. It’s free to attend. If you want to help out or donate, contact tw*********@***oo.com. There will be traditional food and vegetarian options. This holiday dinner has gone on for more than 36 years. They would also appreciate donations of cold-weather gear, coats and blankets. The Veterans Memorial Building is at 846 Front St. in Santa Cruz.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
‘Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity.’ —Rob Reiner
The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History and Musical Soulmates, in partnership with the County-Wide Black Student Union, will host a Community Kwanzaa Celebration on Dec. 27 from noon to 1pm at the MAH: 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. This family-friendly, intergenerational cultural gathering invites the public to celebrate African and African American heritage and unity.
This vibrant event takes place on Day 2 of Kwanzaa, which celebrates Kujichagulia, or Self-Determination. Musical Soulmates Performers Collab, alongside the Musical Soulmates Harmony Youth Choir, will present several uplifting musical offerings. It’s a chance to learn about Kwanzaa and to celebrate our community.
The event is free to attend. Guests can RSVP or learn more at
MilesBacker | Media and Communications Coordinator
E-BIKE PROBLEMS
This is in response to Dan O’Bannon’s letter of 11/16. I am a disabled senior and I ride an e-bike for convenience. I recently witnessed an incident where 4-5 youths on e-bikes zipped around a car driver who was slowing down to turn right into a driveway. This driver was extremely patient and courteous while the adolescent lads were very rude, swearing at this driver with no regard for how their behavior impacted others. Had I been 10 years younger I would have taken to social media and filmed this incident. I was astonished.
I’ve also experienced having to slow down in the bike lane for drivers turning and the blind spots cars have when driving. So all these quick-riding e-bikers need to be educated, not only bicycling skills, like what is a blind spot and the social etiquette of navigating this among other situations. Maybe a virtual reality course for preteens?
Mary T. Falk | Capitola
ONLINE COMMENTS
RE: POETRY IN SCHOOLS
This is an amazing program. As a teacher in NC, I developed a similar program for at-risk kids called “Basketball Poets,” winning an Innovation Grant and involving NC Poet Laureate Kay Byer and nationally known author Sharon Creech. This program ran for over 10 years until I retired in 2015. I still use poetry with teens as a substitute teacher and find the same power in kids’ voices expressed as poetry. The “proof is in the poems” for sure. I will be visiting Santa Cruz next spring and would love to meet Rising Voices students and teachers. I could volunteer as well. Please share contact info. Thanks. Soooo glad poetry is alive and well in the lives of teens in Santa Cruz.
I work in the county jail and have seen poetry transform incarcerated persons. Nancy and her team have done a fabulous job of getting the word out to unconventional populations that poetry is not scary but can heal.
Santa Cruz County is blessed with retail stores that offer creative options for gift-giving, from small to large. As they prepared for the holiday season, Good Times writers Elizabeth Borelli and Josh Logan hit the streets and asked just a few of the many entrepreneurs for some holiday gift suggestions.
Artisans & Agency
1368 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz | 831-423-8183
Linnea James is the current owner of Artisans & Agency, a downtown staple that, after surviving in various incarnations, will mark its 50th anniversary next year. She has deep roots in the local arts scene and even sold her own handmade greeting cards at the shop back when it was housed in a tent following the 1989 earthquake. “We just brought Marini’s Candies back to downtown. We are the only place here that has them now, and people really miss that nostalgia,” James says.
The Gems
• Doug Ross Tea Towels: New designs from the famous local artist, including “Sanctuary” and cat-themed prints.
• Marini’s Candies: Classic Santa Cruz saltwater taffy and chocolates.
• Mid-Century Modern Tissue Boxes: Recycled plastic covers shaped like Eichler homes.
• Glass Banana Slugs: Hand-blown glass ornaments made in California.
—Joshua Logan
Cameron Marks
402 Ingalls St, No. 21, Santa Cruz | 831-458-3080
Cameron Marks is celebrating 20 years as a Santa Cruz style institution. Owner and co-founder Vanessa Ambrose is an Australian expat with a background in fashion design who used to dress rock stars like INXS and Nicole Kidman. She has built a space that feels more like a gallery than a store. Located in a repurposed industrial building on the Westside, the store features massive French doors from the 1880s, shipped all the way from Louisiana. Inside, the store is a masterclass in texture, color, and style where industrial meets eclectic design.
The Gems
• Baggu Bags: The ultimate in cool reusable bags, these durable, sustainable nylon totes fold up into a tiny flat pouch. The shop has bins full of them in every pattern imaginable.
• Pamela Love Amphora Necklace: By New York designer Pamela Love, this silver vessel can be filled with a favorite fragrance. Sleek, personal and unforgettable, it’s one of Ambrose’s favorite holiday picks this year.
• Master Shin’s Anvil Knives: These hand-forged blades are part of the shop’s deep selection of Japanese and Korean craft goods.
• Barebones Lanterns: Vintage-inspired lighting that is perfect for Santa Cruz outdoor living. Look for the Block Tower Lanterns or Edison Light Sticks which are consistently in stock and very giftable.
—Joshua Logan
BRIGHT IDEA Clementine & Co carries wares by local maker Santa Cruz Candle Company. PHOTO: Elizabeth Borelli
Clementine & Co.
126 San Jose Ave, Capitola | 831-400-2024
Clementine & Co. began as an interior design studio before evolving into the warm, light-filled boutique it is today. The owners’ design sensibility shines through in every corner—thoughtfully curated shelves, tactile textures, and a palette that feels both modern and deeply inviting. This charming Capitola Village shop blends artisan craftsmanship with everyday usefulness, featuring goods that are as functional as they are beautiful. With its approachable price points and impeccable taste, it’s a favorite stop for shoppers seeking inspired gifts, unique home accents, or that one perfect accessory to brighten a room or a mood.
The Gems
• Fuzzy fingerless hand gloves, super soft, stylish, and irresistibly giftable. • Turtle-knit poncho, the ideal blend of warmth and elegance. One size fits all, and multiple color options keeps holiday giving simple. • Santa Cruz Candle Company mason jar candles—locally made, vibrant, and “scentsational,” each one inspired by a favorite local beach. • Petite ceramic pinch pots that elevate any table. Fill with sauces, seasoned salts, or jams for a charming charcuterie detail.
—Elizabeth Borelli
Ethos
101 Capitola Ave, Capitola | 831-854-2490
Founder and owner Meredith Keet traveled and became deeply aware of just how much plastic we burn through without thinking. She opened Ethos to make low-waste living feel doable, not preachy. That intention comes through immediately. Ethos highlights its best-selling items directly on its site, and they are exactly the kinds of things you end up reordering once you try them.
The Gems • Mineral Sunscreen Stick: Reef-safe mineral sunscreen in compostable packaging.
• Vegetable Crisper Bags (VEJI): Reusable produce bags that actually keep food fresh longer.
• Leaf and Twig Safety Razors: Durable, plastic-free metal razors designed to last decades.
• Shampoo and Conditioner Bars: Solid hair-care favorites that travel well and cut waste.
—Joshua Logan
Homeless Garden Project
1338 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz | 831-295-6328
The Homeless Garden Project is far more than a store, it’s the heart of a social enterprise rooted in healing, dignity and transformation. The project’s organic farm provides agricultural job training, community connection, and a path toward stability for individuals experiencing homelessness. With 93% of trainees moving on to secure housing and full-time work, every purchase directly supports personal growth, skill-building, and long-term resilience. The newly relocated shop (across the street from the former Pacific Avenue location) offers a bright and welcoming space.
The Gems
• Handmade Dried Floral Wreaths: These capture the vibrant colors and textures of each harvest season. • Hand-printed Tea Towels: Perfect for hosts, cooks and kitchen décor lovers. • Garden-grown Botanical Shrubs and Syrups: Elevate cocktails, mocktails or desserts with farm-fresh flavor.
—Elizabeth Borelli
COLOR THERAPY Home/Work carries watercolor workbooks that can be used to create framable artwork. PHOTO: Elizabeth Borelli
Home/Work
100 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz | 831-316-5215
Boutique owner Sonia McMoran offers a laid-back destination for discovering carefully curated goods for the home and office, along with a wide selection of unique gifts. McMoran knows good design, having spent more than a decade reporting on interior design and technology trends for publications like The New York Times and Wired. While taking a hiatus from journalism, McMoran realized that what she loved most about her job wasn’t the writing, but the excitement of discovering cool products, and sharing her discoveries with the world. This was the inspiration for Home/Work.
The Gems
Watercolor Workbook: Fill in these lovely, nature-inspired line drawings and create framable artwork.
A Splash Will Do: Set of three handcrafted botanical beverage mixers, perfect for cocktails, mocktails or lattes.
Washable Wool Sweater: The warmth and classic allure of wool, without the complications.
Bestie Water Bottles: So cute, it’s hard to believe they’re so functional.
—Elizabeth Borelli
Sockshop & Shoe Company
1515 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz | 831-429-6101
154 Aptos Village Way, Aptos | 831-612-6495
17 Municipal Wharf, Unit E, Santa Cruz | 831-600-7370
What began as a tiny 450-square-foot storefront dedicated to quirky, character-filled socks has grown into a local institution. Family-owned since 1988, The Sock Shop has expanded into Aptos Village, bringing its joyful, personality-packed collection to even more shoppers. Known for carrying everything from bold novelty prints to high-performance footwear and eco-friendly designs, the shop radiates fun from floor to ceiling, inviting shoppers of all ages to embrace comfort, whimsy and a little everyday delight.
The Gems
• Fun, themed socks like “Ottermelon,” “Corgi Butt,” “Significant Otter,” “Socktopus,” “Santa Cruz Tentacles,” and “Santa Cruz Slug.” • Barefoot-style shoes for natural movement and all-day comfort. • YY Nation Women’s Fractus Cactus Sneaker crafted from vegan and recycled materials, stylish, durable, and planet-friendly.
—Elizabeth Borelli
NO BORING SOCKS The Sockshop’s stores in Santa Cruz and Aptos radiate fun from floor to ceiling. Photo: Elizabeth Borelli
Stripe
107 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz | 831-421-9252
Stripe has been a downtown fixture for 16 years, but Isabelle Coats just took the reins as owner in February. She’s kept the beloved “upscale casual” vibe while bringing back clothing, restarting First Friday art receptions, and leaning into the shop’s history—it was originally a pre-earthquake piano store, and yes, those massive chandeliers are a permanent fixture.
The Gems
• Flying Cow Ceramics: Locally made ceramics by Matt Lezin, who lives just a few blocks away.
• Anne Martinette Photography: Double-exposure film prints of local Santa Cruz landmarks, like the Boardwalk.
• Thymes Frasier Fir Candles: The cult-favorite holiday candle that smells exactly like a Christmas tree. (“That is a very strictly holiday thing,” Coats says. “People just ask for them… I have got to have them.”)
• Blackwing Pencils & Accessories: High-quality pencils famous for being used by John Steinbeck.
—Joshua Logan
Sweet Asylum
120 San Jose Ave., Capitola | 831-466-0361
Sweet Asylum sits just a block from the beach in Capitola Village, and it feels exactly like what its name suggests. Calm. Warm. Unrushed. Owner Stacie Basile moved the shop from downtown Santa Cruz to Capitola in 2008, intentionally shaping it into a place where people could slow down for a minute. The Gems • Pirette Fragrance Oil: A long-lasting rollerball perfume inspired by coconut, sunscreen, surf wax, and that sun-washed feeling after a day at the beach. • Sea-Inspired Jewelry: Pearls and hammered-metal designs that feel right at home by the water. • Leather Accessories: Vintage-inspired belts and leather cuff bracelets that elevate everyday outfits. • Soft Dresses and Tops: Eyelet cottons, ruffles, silks and cozy sweaters designed for real life, not just the hanger.
—Joshua Logan
Two Birds Books
881 41st Ave., Santa Cruz | 831-900-5588
Two Birds Books opened in late 2020 in Pleasure Point, bringing an independent bookstore back to Santa Cruz’s Eastside at a time when opening any retail business felt like a leap of faith. Co-owners Gary Butler and Denise Silva launched the shop driven by a shared love of books and a belief that print still matters. Butler points out that there isn’t another independent bookstore south of Two Birds until you reach Monterey.
The Gems • New and Used Books: Carefully curated fiction, nonfiction, sci-fi, literary classics, and kids’ books. • Snarky Socks: Playful, literary-themed footwear. • Greeting Cards: Witty, smart cards that actually feel worth sending. • Puzzles and Games: A rotating selection shows up in their holiday gift guides.
Santa Cruz County’s years-long effort to allow cannabis consumption lounges advanced this week, as the Board of Supervisors revised liability rules—like whether a lounge is responsible for a driving accident after a customer leaves—which could ultimately determine whether lounges ever open at all.
On Dec. 16, county supervisors passed an ordinance tightening regulations for cannabis consumption lounges, including provisions allowing the county to suspend or revoke a lounge’s license if a patron later causes a fatal DUI crash. But the board softened its original approach, giving local officials flexibility to impose suspensions rather than mandatory license revocations—a key shift sought by cannabis representatives.
The ordinance will return to the Board of Supervisors early next year for a second reading and final approval.
As jurisdictions across California continue to wrestle with how to regulate cannabis consumption in ways that protect public safety without unfairly penalizing licensed businesses, the issue of liability has emerged as a central point of debate.
Industry representatives who spoke at the meeting argued that the original language placed responsibility on lounge operators for actions beyond their control.
“This doesn’t seem logical,” said Darren Story, chief financial officer of Coastal Sun, a Watsonville-based organic farm that grows cannabis and other crops. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Story said the ordinance failed to account for customers who arrive already intoxicated or consume alcohol or other drugs after leaving a lounge. He compared the proposed liability to holding pharmacies responsible if a patient prescribed opiates later caused a DUI crash.
Bryce Berryessa, owner of Treehouse Dispensary and The Hook Outlet, described the original proposal as a “blanket revocation trigger” that exposed business owners to severe penalties regardless of whether cannabis was consumed on site.
“What’s missing is the model used by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control,” Berryessa said. “That’s a behavior standard tied to what the licensee did on site. Your clause doesn’t require any finding that the person consumed at the lounge, doesn’t require over service, doesn’t require a violation by the operator and doesn’t require proof the lounge caused the impairment.”
Berryessa also noted that the ordinance, as initially written, did not provide a clear path for businesses to appeal a license revocation.
Supervisor Justin Cummings echoed concerns about fairness, particularly when comparing cannabis lounges to establishments that serve alcohol.
“This doesn’t even mean they have to consume it on site,” Cummings said. “They could have driven in intoxicated, purchased products, left, and later been involved in an accident—and that retailer loses their license. That’s not fair.”
Cummings said consumption lounges can offer safer, more controlled environments for cannabis use, along with educational components focused on responsible consumption.
“There are instances where there are bad actors, and there may need to be a period of time where people need time out,” he said. “But revocation as the only option doesn’t allow any flexibility.”
In response to concerns raised by supervisors and industry representatives, county staff will revise the ordinance language to more directly tie penalties to evidence that a licensee over-served an intoxicated patron, rather than automatically revoking a license if a patron is later involved in a DUI incident.
The revised ordinance will also adopt a clearer definition of “intoxicated,” modeled after San Francisco’s municipal code, which defines public intoxication not simply as being under the influence, but specifically when that conditionmakes someone unable to care for their safety or the safety of othersorinterferes with or obstructs public ways.
Additional amendments include allowing county staff to enter combustion (cannabis smoking) rooms for oversight and enforcement, while prohibiting businesses from requiring employees to enter those rooms as a condition of employment.
Penalties will also be separated between lounge and retail operations, meaning a violation occurring in a consumption lounge would not automatically affect a dispensary’s retail cannabis license. The code will also be amended to allow license suspensions as an enforcement option, rather than revocation being the sole penalty.
The supervisors in November lowered taxes on the industry, which owners said are threatening to put Before that, dispensaries were charged a 7% gross-receipts cannabis business tax on all revenue, including non-cannabis items such as T-shirts, pipes and event tickets, in addition to a 15% state excise tax and a 9.25% sales tax.
Under the revised tax code, dispensaries will no longer pay the cannabis business tax on non-cannabis goods, which will now be subject only to standard sales tax. Sales generated specifically by consumption lounges will be taxed at a new 1% cannabis business tax rate.
“For the new tax provision, we can deduct non-cannabis goods from that total,” Berryessa said. “And they set the cannabis business tax for lounge sales at 1%.”
Berryessa emphasized that consumption lounges are unlikely to be major profit centers.
“I don’t think anyone operating a lounge believes it will be a big money-maker,” he said. “It’s about creating more third spaces—places for people to gather that don’t revolve around alcohol.”
He also argued that legal consumption lounges could reduce public safety concerns by discouraging people from consuming cannabis in cars or other inappropriate settings.
“There’s no public areas where cannabis can be consumed openly, socially,” he said. “What you have is a lot of people who are doing it in public places where they shouldn’t, whether that’s the beach or parks. A significant amount of people who are here are either tourists or renters—they can’t consume in hotels and they can’t consume in their apartments, because it’s a violation of their lease. So, a lot of them drive around in their cars and smoke weed.
“I think that having more third spaces, where people have a safe space to come and consume and get educated, will actually reduce the amount of impaired driving on the roads, because people won’t be getting high in their cars,” he said. “They will come here. They’ll have the opportunity to consume. Hopefully, they’ll hang out until they’re no longer impaired or they have a social situation where they’re going to bring someone who’s not going to be consuming at all.”
Not all supervisors agree. District 2 Supervisor Kim De Serpa has consistently opposed cannabis consumption lounges, citing concerns about impaired driving, enforcement costs and readiness.
“This is not an abstract concept,” De Serpa said. “You let people get super high and then they hop in their cars and pull out onto Soquel Drive, one of the busiest thoroughfares in our community.”
De Serpa opposed modifying the cannabis business tax, arguing that the revenue would be needed to regulate and enforce lounges if they open. She questioned whether adequate training programs exist for budtenders, noting that when the concept was first presented, no formal curriculum had been developed.
County public health officials are now developing a cannabis-specific training program modeled on alcohol safe-serve programs, and Berryessa said Treehouse plans to add additional layers of staff training and certification.
Treehouse has nearly 5,000 square feet above its current retail space that Berryessa hopes to convert into a consumption lounge, a project that would require significant investment in bathrooms, remodeling and ventilation.
“I would say six to 12 months is a reasonable estimate,” Berryessa said, depending on the length of the building-permit process.
In the meantime, Treehouse has already received approval from county and state regulators to host non-smoking cannabis consumption events and hopes to partner with local musicians and producers to host 21-and-over events after regular store hours—potentially as early as January 2026.
With the revised liability framework taking shape, Berryessa said he is cautiously optimistic.
“As long as there are no surprises, we’re excited to start moving forward,” he said. “We hope to have cannabis consumption events and activities scheduled starting next year.”
On a fog-softened evening in our surfside town, the most unlikely sound emanating from the Santa Cruz Wharf is the word “esters.”
At Makai Island Kitchen & Groggery, owner Peter Drobac is seated at a long wooden table lined with tasting glasses and a cleverly designed rum-map placemat, holding court on a subject most people only associate with pirates, mai tais and college regrets: Rum.
He is eager to dispel myths right off the bat. “Rum is not sweet,” he says. “It’s not sweeter than any other spirit when it comes off the still. The sweetness comes from what people add to it afterward.”
He says this with the calm conviction of a trial lawyer—which, until recently, is exactly what he was.
Today, Drobac is better known around the Wharf as the guy who turned a touristy restaurant into a tiki-inspired rum destination for tourists and locals—while quietly, thoughtfully assembling the third-largest rum collection on the West Coast. In fact, Makai now has roughly 560 different bottles, a rum lineup that puts it behind only Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco and Rumba in Seattle in terms of sheer size and variety.
In other words: one of the most serious rum collections in the country is now tucked into a breezy, waterfront restaurant on a Wharf better known for barking sea lions and clam chowder in bread bowls.
Years earlier, Drobac’s father co-owned Splash, another restaurant on the Wharf. Its struggles taught Drobac a lesson about clarity of concept—one he brought to Makai when creating a distinctly tiki identity.
“I thought the food was good,” he says of Splash. “But the atmosphere was kind of cold and sparse and it just didn’t work for locals. One of the biggest critiques I got was, ‘What are you? What are you trying to be?’”
Splash tried to be “modern California cuisine on the water,” he explains—an idea that sounded fine on paper, but never quite translated into a feeling. “If you have to spend a long time explaining what you are, you’ve already lost,” he says.
So when Drobac left his career as a lawyer to join Makai, he wanted a concept you could understand in a single glance.
“We decided we were going to be a tiki bar and restaurant. You’d know when you walk in exactly what it is and what you’re getting.”
TIKI TIME Besides its famous rotating bar, Makai on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is known for its colorful and magical Polynesian vibe. Photo: Tarmo Hannula
The décor followed suit: carved wooden masks, woven textures, lush plants, colorful island-inspired touches and big windows framing the stunning bay views. The cocktail list leaned tropical, bright and a little cheeky. The vibe became warm and transportive.
There was just one catch: At the time, Drobac didn’t know much about tiki. Or rum.
Drobac and his family also own Riva Fish House on the Wharf and he’d spent plenty of time behind that bar. So shifting into tropical cocktails—daiquiris, mai tais, zombies, painkillers—was a small step.
“The cocktails were easier because they required less knowledge,” he says. “You can learn recipes and balance. Building my rum-specific expertise was a much bigger dive.”
That dive turned into a full-on plunge. He started reading, tasting, calling importers and distillers, and seeking out the temples of rum. He visited Barbados and Jamaica, touring distilleries there. In Jamaica, he says, he’s been to every distillery—including a few that don’t usually open their doors to visitors.
“I sell so much rum now that the producers let me in,” he explains with a shrug. For certain brands, Makai is now one of their biggest accounts in the world.
The research trips sound glamorous, but they’re not exactly beach vacations.
“When I go, I’m not lying on the sand,” he laughs. “These distilleries are not in fun places. Especially in Jamaica—some of them are in pretty rough areas. If you’ve ever spent time in Kingston, you know it’s not exactly a resort town.”
The payoff is on Makai’s back bar. Row after row of bottles from Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Martinique, Belize, Puerto Rico and far beyond—India, Nepal, Hawaii, Louisiana. Some are molasses-based, some made from fresh sugarcane juice, some aged in ex-bourbon barrels, some in sherry or Madeira casks, some barely aged at all.
Drobac has tasting notes on most of them. He’s tried about three-quarters of his collection.
“Some of them I just know what they’ll taste like, so I don’t need to open the bottle,” he admits. “And some I don’t want to crack the seal yet.”
For many visitors, rum is simply “the thing in a rum and Coke” or the base of a tropical umbrella drink. Drobac’s mission is to gently blow up that notion. And he’s built the knowledge and expertise to do it.
“Rum is made all over the world—about 60 countries,” he explains during the tasting, slipping naturally into professor mode. “But there are four ‘big daddies’: Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique and Guyana.”
The common denominator is sugarcane. Beyond that, rum splinters into styles that can taste as different from one another as tequila does from oat milk.
There are two main starting points, he says:
Molasses-based rum. This is the byproduct of making table sugar. Sugarcane is crushed, the juice is boiled and refined into crystals, and what’s left over is thick, dark molasses. Add water and yeast, ferment that molasses, distill it—and you’ve got rum. “The vast majority of rums are made this way,” Drobac says.
Sugarcane juice rum. Instead of making sugar, some producers ferment the raw juice right after the cane is crushed. The result, he says, is “much more grassy, herbal and bold.”
In French-speaking regions such as Martinique and parts of the Caribbean, juice-based rums are called rhum agricole. When you see that term on a label, you’re looking at rum made directly from fresh cane juice.
Because that juice goes bad quickly, agricole-style producers have to be located close to where the cane is grown. “You basically have to ferment it within a day,” Drobac says. “It doesn’t transport well.”
Molasses, by contrast, is a stable commodity that can be shipped around the world. That’s how you end up with rum from places like Nepal—hardly a sugarcane powerhouse. In those cases, he explains, the producers are fermenting imported molasses.
Another rum myth Drobac likes to tackle quickly is color.
“A lot of people come in saying, ‘I like light rum,’ or, ‘I only drink dark rum,’” he says. “Those terms don’t actually mean anything.”
Yes, spirits pick up color from the barrels they’re aged in. But most rum producers also add caramel coloring, which doesn’t affect flavor but makes the spirit look older and richer than it may be.
“You can have light rums that taste exactly like a dark rum,” he says. “If someone tells me they don’t like light or dark rum, I always challenge that, because those words are really about color, not flavor.”
Sweetness is another place where rum’s reputation gets muddled. Rum is often perceived as sugary because so many mainstream brands add sweeteners after distillation. But that’s a choice, not a rule.
“All spirits are made by converting sugars into ethanol,” Drobac explains. “That’s true for whiskey, vodka, gin. … Coming off the still, rum has no more sugar than any of them. Some rum producers add sugar later, like some whiskey producers add flavorings or caramel. It’s not automatically a bad thing, but you should know about it.”
POUR IT ON Tell Peter Drobac what spirit you like best and he’ll find a rum to suit your palate. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
When guests tell him, “I don’t like rum—I had a bad experience in college,” he always asks what they do like.
“If you tell me what spirit you enjoy, I can find you a rum you’ll love,” he says. “If you like whiskey, I can pour you a rum you’d swear was whiskey.”
If wine people talk about terroir and beer brewers talk about hops, rum nerds talk about “funk”—and not the musical variety.
Funk, in rum language, comes from compounds called esters—byproducts of fermentation that can smell like tropical fruit, overripe banana, pineapple fritters and sometimes more savory, barnyard-y notes. Long, wild fermentations and traditional pot stills tend to crank up those flavors.
Drobac pours a small splash of a Jamaican rum fittingly called Rum Fire into a glass and warns that this one is not for gulping.
“It’s unaged, pot stilled and it’s a funk bomb,” he grins. The aroma hits the table before the glass does: tasters suggest pineapple upside-down cake, banana bread, grilled tropical fruit, solvent(!) and something a little wild (or perhaps even medicinal?)
“It’s 63% alcohol,” he notes. “Swallowing it and just letting it evaporate on your tongue is an experience.”
Rum Fire is the kind of rum Makai uses by the half-ounce in tiki recipes where a little intensity goes a long way. At Hampden, the Jamaican distillery that makes it, they even use it as a type of hand sanitizer for visitors touring the production floor.
For Drobac, these high-proof, high-funk rums are where the spirit gets really exciting.
“A lot of the really expensive stuff we sell is cask strength,” he says. “That means the rum is bottled at the same high proof at which it was aged, instead of being diluted down to 40% alcohol like most retail spirits. I love that, because I feel like I’m tasting all the flavors of the spirit, not just water.”
For people who aren’t used to drinking at that strength, he admits, “it can just taste like a lot of alcohol at first. But once your palate adjusts, there’s so much going on.”
If fermentation is where rum’s personality is born, the barrel is where it grows up.
“The biggest thing that affects the price of a rum is how long it’s aged,” Drobac says. A Jamaican rum aged 11 years, for example, might command $65 for an ounce-and-a-half at Makai. He has pours that cost as much as $400 an ounce.
Almost all of Makai’s aged rums spent time in ex-bourbon barrels. That’s because American whiskey law requires new, charred oak barrels for each batch. Once the whiskey is done, those barrels are sold off, and many travel to the Caribbean and Latin America.
“You get concentrated flavors of the wood and whatever was in the barrel before,” he says. “Sometimes that makes the rum better. Sometimes, if it’s over-aged, you lose some of the wild character of the spirit itself and all you taste is barrel.”
Tropical climates kick the process into overdrive. Heat and humidity expand and contract the wood, pushing spirit in and out of the oak and speeding up extraction. They also accelerate evaporation—the so-called “angel’s share.”
“In the Caribbean, you can lose up to 10% of a barrel every year to evaporation,” Drobac says. “Over a decade, that’s almost the entire contents gone, which is one reason long-aged tropical rums are so rare and pricey.”
By comparison, barrels aging in temperate places like Liverpool, England might lose only around 3% a year. Some rum producers choose to ship to Europe for aging to preserve more volume, but many rum enthusiasts prefer the intensity of fully tropical aging.
“Where it’s aged matters as much as how long,” he says.
RUM NATION Who knew rum is made all over the world? The rum wall has it all. Photo: Tarmo Hannula
Put all of this together—molasses vs. cane juice, pot still vs. column still, tropical vs. continental aging—and you start to understand why rum can feel overwhelming to the average guest just looking for a drink with a view of the bay.
“When you have nearly 600 rums, it’s a lot,” Drobac admits. “People don’t know where to start.”
Behind the scenes, he trains his staff with the same diagrams and slides he uses for tasting sessions, walking them through fermentation, distillation, aging and regional differences. He also uses some of those geeky tools to keep himself organized: spreadsheets, tasting notes, lists of vintages.
He’s working on something more playful for guests: a “Rum Passport.”
“People will be able to start a journey, and we’ll guide them through it,” he explains. The first level will feature approachable, affordable rums—gateway bottles for people figuring out whether they like grassy agricoles, funky Jamaicans or smooth Latin-American sippers. If they want to keep going, they’ll move up to more complex flights.
“If you complete different passports, you’ll have tried great examples of all the styles I want to introduce you to,” he says. The idea is to give people a structured adventure, even if he’s not on the floor that night.
He’s also well aware that not everyone walking into Makai is there to get a Ph.D. in rum.
“We have people who come in who don’t care about rum at all,” he says. “They just want a really good, sweet drink, to enjoy the view and feel the vibe. Awesome. And then we have people who come in wanting a sophisticated experience with the spirit.”
Makai aims to do both: colorful tiki cocktails with paper parasols and careful, contemplative pours in small ornate glasses.
Ask Drobac how much rum he drinks, given his job, and he gives a practiced answer: “Not as much as I want to, but more than I should.”
It’s said with a grin, but it also hints at how fully he’s thrown himself into this world. Not that long ago, he was practicing law. Now he’s explaining the difference between oxidative and extractive aging to a rapt audience on a Tuesday night.
He insists he’s still early in his rum journey.
“I know a lot at this point,” he allows. “But there are people who’ve been doing this their whole lives.”
He hasn’t written the definitive rum book or launched a podcast or YouTube channel (yet), but he’s turned a once-confused Wharf space into something rare: a restaurant where you can order a coconutty crowd-pleaser, a classic basic-ingredient daiquiri or a $400-per-ounce, cask-strength powerhouse.
And if you’re curious, he’ll happily walk you through a mini Rum 101 while the waves slap against the pilings just outside.
He doesn’t have to finish the thought. Standing in front of shelf after shelf of amber and clear and mahogany bottles, it’s obvious what Makai has become—a delicious restaurant year-round, with one of the most impressive collections of rum you’ll find anywhere in the country…all right here in Santa Cruz on our beautiful Wharf.
One week still remains to participate in the annual Santa Cruz Gives fundraising event, which runs until Dec. 31. Below, Village Santa Cruz County shares the details of the program they hope to fund with support from Good Times readers. Also below, other nonprofits share their “elevator pitch,” explaining what they plan to do with the money they raise. To donate to any of these groups, visit santacruzgives.org.
Imagine: Your friend calls, saying she had briefly blacked out and fallen, hitting her head. She is on her way to Dominican Hospital via ambulance. You rush to the emergency room, ready to offer comfort, only to learn that she’s woozy, in and out of consciousness, and unable to provide the hospital with needed information. You know that she has an out-of-town son, but you have no contact information.
Instead of staying to comfort her, you must get back on Highway 1, driving south to her home during rush hour traffic, hoping that you can locate her meds and critical information when you get there.
Life is unpredictable. A medical crisis, dementia or death can leave everyone scrambling. Critical decisions about health, finances or legal matters are hard enough without the stress of searching for documents and passwords.
Village Santa Cruz County is a nonprofit, peer-support group of volunteers dedicated to aging better by increasing our social engagement, connections and mutual support. We share knowledge with each other informally but also with the community through our newsletter, presentations and workshops.
Our Santa Cruz Gives project for 2026, Preparing for Life’s Transitions: Workshops to Gather What’s Most Important, offers a systematic, proven method to organize and consolidate all essential information in one place—hard copy and digital. Topics covered include personal, legal, medical, financial, insurance, real estate, living options, daily living, crisis plan, home health, hospice and end of life.
Imagine:Your 19-year-old child, off to college for the first time, is in a horrible car accident. The hospital calls to inform you that your child is there and unconscious. You ask, “How are they? What is their status?” The nurse says, “I’m sorry, but I am not authorized to provide you with any information or allow you to make any decisions, unless you have the proper legal forms.”
Proactive planning for life’s transitions can save time, money, and heartache later. This is a gift for yourself and a legacy of care and responsibility for the people you love.
Our Santa Cruz Gives fundraising will raise money for the license and materials to offer this program to the Santa Cruz community. Please support our effort; go to santacruzgives.org. To learn more about Village Santa Cruz County, visit our homepage at villagesantacruz.org.
HOUSING
Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay—“Building affordable homes with a volunteer-led labor force and providing financing at closing for low-income, first-time homebuyers allows us to keep our local families local. For example, we recently provided mortgage assistance to a single-income household of seven and another single-income family of five on their first homes. We also have an affordable housing development to build 13 affordable homes starting in early 2026 in Watsonville on Evan Circle, and with interest rates and construction costs constantly on the rise, we are always seeking more funds to increase the affordable housing supply in Santa Cruz County.” —Scott Thomas, community impact manager
Homeless Garden Project—“Now in its 35th year, Homeless Garden Project is doing what it has long helped their unhoused clients do: find a home. After years of searching for a permanent home, HGP is beginning to cultivate annual vegetable production in its new footprint at its current site, Natural Bridges Farm. Homeless Garden Project hopes to gain the final entitlements needed to purchase 4 acres of farm land to build their permanent, consolidated site on the west side. Also of note is our forthcoming manual, Homeless Garden Project: A Guide to Transitional Employment and Therapeutic Agriculture, so that communities around the world can adopt their innovative model in their community.” —Paul Goldberg
Housing Santa Cruz County—“I spoke to a group of 30 families about housing advocacy, and I saw something heartbreaking yet powerful: a yearning for stability and home held back by barriers. That night, I planted a seed: everyone deserves a safe, stable place to call home. When I was invited back a few months later, I saw that the seed had begun to bloom, with hope in their eyes, voices raised, and a belief that change is possible.” —Elaine Johnson, executive director, Housing Santa Cruz County
Long Term Recovery Group of Santa Cruz County—“Five years after the devastating CZU Lightning Fire, many families still face a steep uphill battle to rebuild due to insufficient insurance, with only a fraction of homes completed. Our project—Rebuilding Homes, Restoring Hope—tackles this challenge by mobilizing dedicated volunteers and a licensed general contractor to bring fire survivors home. With your support through Santa Cruz Gives, we can build four homes over the next two years, turning profound loss into a powerful story of recovery and resilience.” —Tonje Wold-Switzer, executive director
Pajaro Valley Shelter Services—“We are helping adults become self-sufficient and end the cycle of homelessness for their children. On average 79% of families that come through PVSS move into permanent housing—those results are more than twice the average for similar programs in SC County. Single mother Ana no longer has to search for a safe place to park the family car each night. She no longer has to put her children to bed in the back seat.” —Benna Dimig
Wings Homeless Advocacy—“Imagine finally getting housed after spending months (or maybe even years) outside, but your children are still sleeping on the floor. For too many of our newly housed neighbors, like Sandra and her two kids, that’s the reality they face on their first night indoors. Wings Advocacy’s ‘Welcome Home’ program aims to change that by delivering beds and bedding so that the first night inside feels like home.” —Naiana Brum
From the opening strains of “In the Bleak Midwinter” sung by candlelight to the final rousing harmonies of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol overflows with communal cheer.
Thank you, Charles Pasternak, for once again turning adults into children who can lean into the timeless tale Charles Dickens gave us to enjoy.
The community, young and old, came with hearts wide open to the Vets Hall and left singing carols and wiping their eyes. I was among those in the full-house matinee last week, charmed by rustic vaudeville flourishes and the seemingly infinite relevance of this familiar tale.
Any attempt to compress Dickens’ exceptional (and highly sentimental) morality play into an hour and a half of panto, with a tiny cast and a few well-placed props, must of course skirt—nay, omit—some of the finer points of this Christmas story.
This production gives us the mighty Mike Ryan as the man so grumpy his very name is iconic. Scrooge. Bah, humbug! And yet his harrowing journey from past to future still has profound lessons and delights to offer.
No, it’s not Shakespeare, nor is it embroidered with elaborate sets and long passages of poetry. Actors literally reach across the imaginary footlights time and again. It is above all a show, happening in the vintage Veterans Memorial Hall, and the audience is bound to include squirming pre-teens amongst the parents and grandparents eager to introduce the next generation to the irreplaceable joys of stagecraft.
Thanks to well-placed music—and Charles Pasternak is right in his assessment of Sound Designer Luke Shepherd’s genius—and a cast of highly talented players, A Christmas Carol succeeds where it matters. For every rushed speech, there was the enchantment of authentic carols sung beautifully in four-part harmony. For the occasional thicker than clotted cream English accent, there were dancing and parlor games filling the modest stage with the stuff of long memories.
The sight of ridiculously talented Andrea Sweeney Blanco, shimmering in glittering white robes as the Spirit of Christmas Past, sends chills down the spine. We, along with the incredulous curmudgeon Scrooge, follow her as she shows him his life’s destructive milestones, the actions that led him to an existence of lonely greed.
Here’s where something disconnects in Pasternak’s ambitious adaptation of the novella. Too suddenly Scrooge bewails his sins and longs to make amends. Cue the ever-awesome Julie James. Clad in the most appealing Christmas costume ever devised (kudos to B. Modern), James as the Spirit of Christmas Present begins to show Scrooge the suffering of the everyday folk surrounding his tight-fisted accounting business. And here the chemistry among Eddie Lopez (many parts, including Bob Cratchit), Blanco and the amazing Charlotte Boyce Munson enriches the center of the story.
Before you can say “God Bless Us, Every One,” Scrooge has been shown the inevitable sorrows of a life lived without compassion or generosity. Determined to make amends, he immediately starts becoming someone of whom it would be said, “he was a man who knew how to keep Christmas.”
Between the gorgeous carols—“Deck the Halls,” “Good King Wenceslas,” “The Holly and the Ivy,” and more—and young players Lincoln Best (bravo!) and Sigrid Breidenthal, who portrayed the Cratchits’ children, there were few dry eyes in the house.
It’s true that the English accents were often way too broad, and way too quickly delivered. Many passages were almost unintelligible, especially to those not weaned on BritBox. And the precarious spiral staircase set likes to shimmy and shake.
Yet there’s no denying the generous spirit that brings Pasternak, his co-director Alicia Gibson and his cast of all-stars down from DeLaveaga Park to strut their stuff among us, at a time of year when we need exactly this sort of sweet stagecraft. And above all the Yuletide message of compassion and connection polished to a diamond’s edge by Charles Dickens.
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens and adapted by Charles Pasternak, plays through Dec. 24 at the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Hall. Tickets: $20–$69. santacruzshakespeare.org
Each year around Christmas, hundreds of dance companies across the world put on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, giving young dancers and community members a chance to gather and share in its whimsical holiday magic.
Whether it’s Tchaikovsky’s music, the ever-changing choreography or simply going out to the theater with your family, this holiday tradition has something for everyone.
At the International Academy of Dance, the Nutcracker is more than a holiday production. It’s a masterclass in education, discipline and professionalism; teaching dancers young and old how to work, have fun and build community through long rehearsals, sacrifice and the joy of performance.
For IAD’s youngest teachers, Ally Dunn and Shayla Hill, the Santa Cruz City Ballet production has been a constant in their lives.
“I started at around 7 years old as a lamb and a little angel. As I got older, I realized how important the show is for the community, and the bigger roles feel amazing. Snow always gets a huge reaction. Every year the show changes, new costumes, new choreography. It’s fun seeing it evolve,” Dunn says.
Some of the lessons that have stuck with Hill are those surrounding discipline and inner strength; learning to balance dance, life and work, and going through the world with kindness and grace.
One of the biggest days during Nutcracker season for these two lifelong friends included working the downtown Santa Cruz Christmas parade in the morning, running rehearsals through the afternoon, and then sitting down for this interview.
“When I’m at the studio, I focus on the studio. When I’m at school, I focus on school. In my downtime, I schedule everything out; an hour for rehearsal work, an hour for schoolwork. It’s definitely a skill I’ve had to learn. This year has been one of my most challenging; transferring schools, commuting for Nutcracker, doing upper-division classes, and working another job. But I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t miss the Nutcracker.”
As a mentor now, Dunn urges young dancers to stay present in the experience and continue to take the lessons with them as they go into a performance in front of hundreds of people at Cabrillo’s Crocker Theater.
“Enjoy it while it’s happening because it goes by so fast. Be mindful. Give yourself credit. Going onstage in front of hundreds of people is not easy, no matter your age.”
For Dunn, the moments of recognizing how far she’s come—seeing herself reflected in the eyes of the kids—bring her the most joy as a mentor and teacher. She knows exactly what it was like in their little shoes only a few years ago.
“My favorite part now is being backstage and seeing how excited the little kids are. It’s a full-circle moment of thinking, ‘That was me,’ and now I’m the person they look up to.”
Co-directors Vicki Bergland and Shannon Chipman feel that watching Dunn and Hill grow has been an extremely rewarding arc of their careers. “It’s amazing that something they started out with as young children is something they still cherish today, and it’s been incredible to see how they have grown as young women over almost two decades and have become role models for the next generation.”
This year, Dunn will be dancing in the roles of Spanish Chocolate, Snow and Waltz, as well as working behind the scenes supporting dancers onstage and off. She has rehearsed the Queen’s Rats, Petite Rats and the Fight Scene, in addition to Mini Mice, Dolls and Spanish Chocolate.
Hill will be reprising her role as Archangel and will be in charge of the “Big Room” backstage, where all of the youngest dancers share the excitement of Nutcracker, including “Ballet Buddies,” where older dancers are paired with younger dancers to support and encourage one another. She also has been rehearsing Reindeer, Marzipan (Lambs) and Petite Tea.
Additional rehearsal assistants include Bergland, Chipman and Hope Jamieson. “It is wonderful to have such an amazing team that is so capable and talented,” Chipman adds. “We are delighted that dancers from ages 4 to 72 grace the stage in our Nutcracker each year. It is truly an honor to be a part of each dancer’s unique journey and witness their tremendous growth through the years. It truly feels like magic.”
Santa Cruz City Ballet performs its ‘Nutcracker’ at 1 and 4:30pm on Dec. 20–21 at Cabrillo College’s Crocker Theater. Tickets: NutcrackerSantaCruz.com.
There is an unspoken, sometimes very (very) heated debate about which Santa Cruz band has had the most reach, had the most influence outward and still continues to produce music. And for your consideration, with 58 years in the game, is Snail, performing at the Felton Music Hall on Dec. 20.
Snail began in Santa Cruz in 1967, and their name has nothing to do with their cousin, the banana slug, that was running things up the hill at UCSC.
“The late, great co-founder Ron Fillmore came up with the name,” recalls the other co-founder, Bob O’Neill. “He was our original drummer. We had a high school gig, and the bookers wanted to know what the name of our band was. And we all had a bunch of names—Snail was the best, but we didn’t like that either. We used it and said we’ll change it later and we never did,” O’Neill laughs, in between a rehearsal session.
What began as a musical experiment between two local high school kids resulted in two full-length albums on the historic Cream Records label. Soon to become a favorite of Bay Area promoter Bill Graham, Snail toured nationally with Styx and the Doobie Brothers. Snail also charted on the Billboard Top 100 Charts (#93 and Cream Records first time charting) with their song “The Joker.” They also appeared on American Bandstand—“We lip-synched; every band did,” says guitarist Ken Kraft—and played shows with Santana, Taj Mahal and Iron Butterfly, to name a few high points from their long list of accolades.
Original members O’Neill and Kraft still keep the epic stories of touring alive, and their sudden explosion into success, but it was Kraft whose medical emergency derailed the trajectory. “It was a week before my 30th birthday and I had a brain hemorrhage and I was in Dominican for two and half months. There was a year of recovery and everyone in the band still needed to make a living,” Kraft says. Original bassist Brett Bloomfield and drummer Donny Baldwin left to become the rhythm section of the Jefferson Starship.
An interesting, and brutal, side note is that Baldwin physically attacked and hospitalized Starship singer Mickey Thomas and was summarily thrown out of the band. He bounced around with the Jerry Garcia Band, but was notoriously added to the history books under “worst band fights.”
In 1980, the television show that thrust Robin Williams’ particular brand of lunacy into America’s households was Mork & Mindy. In its first year, it was the third-most-watched show in America, with 60 million people viewing each episode. And there, next to the front door inside Mindy’s apartment, just above Jackson Brown’s album cover Running on Empty, is the album Snail, by Snail.
“One of the guys from our record label, who I don’t remember his name, was going out with one of the girls who was involved in the production of the TV show. And they just liked the way it looked. And Robin Williams liked the way it looked. And so they just ended up using it,” Kraft remembers.
Within this thread of minutiae, one might also point out that Mindy’s father, in the show, owned Fred’s Records, and in every third bin one can glance Snail’s album.
Maybe it’s the logarithmic spiral of the shell, the golden ratio of being a band for so long, that keeps Snail together and playing. Their last gig was three years ago, and before that another decade before a reunion took place. If you just listen to the banter between Kraft and O’Neill you get the sense that the years of brotherhood have mind-melded them into one brain.
“We were just starting to grow our hair long,” Kraft begins.
“Yeah. I was a hippie and I’m proud of it,” O’Neill caps.
“I didn’t wear shoes on stage for two years,” Kraft says.
For some bands, the years drive members apart. For Snail, they’ve only grown closer.
Snail will play at 8pm on Dec. 20 at Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, Felton. $50. feltonmusichall.com
There’s a reason Dry January has become a trend, and it’s not because happy hour gets canceled. December’s merrymaking can easily turn a corner, when a night of good cheer becomes next-day remorse.
For those of us who enjoy a good glass of pinot or a flute of chilled bubbly, the holidays are a whirl of food, friends and rituals that practically require a raised glass. Parties are plentiful, dinners stretch late, and before we know it, “just one more” becomes the seasonal soundtrack. Overindulgence doesn’t usually announce itself. It sneaks in wearing tinsel.
I get it. Awkward social situations are easier to navigate with an extra splash of courage—whether that’s a stiff cocktail or a generous pour of wine. Alcohol can feel like social armor, helping us tolerate long conversations, complicated family dynamics, or the annual reunion with a brother-in-law whose toupee seems to get worse every year. Add in the pressure to make everything perfect—gifts, meals, moods—and it’s no surprise many of us reach for another drink to take the edge off.
Which is all well and good…until it isn’t.
What many people don’t realize is that the spike in holiday drinking is significant enough to have earned its own medical diagnosis: Holiday Heart Syndrome.
The term describes a temporary abnormal heart rhythm—often atrial fibrillation—triggered by binge or heavy drinking, even in people with no history of heart disease. It was first observed in otherwise healthy individuals showing up in emergency rooms after weekends or holidays marked by celebratory excess. Stress-related drinking counts too. The heart, it turns out, doesn’t care whether you’re toasting or coping.
So why does alcohol consumption climb so reliably this time of year?
First, it’s the norm. Alcohol is woven into holiday traditions, from office parties to family dinners to New Year’s Eve countdowns. When gatherings multiply, so do opportunities to drink.
Then there’s stress and self-medication. Travel delays, packed calendars, financial pressure and emotionally charged family encounters can push even the most grounded among us toward a liquid buffer.
And finally, the rampant availability. Alcohol sales surge during the holidays for a reason. We’re culturally conditioned to equate drinking with celebration, relaxation and reward.
The risks, however, are more than a rough morning-after.
The holidays see a notable rise in binge drinking, especially around New Year’s Eve. Clinically speaking, binge drinking means four or more drinks for women and five or more for men in a short period of time. That threshold is easier to cross than most people realize, particularly when drinks are strong and pours are generous.
There are also health consequences, from hangovers and sleep disruption to injuries, anxiety and alcohol poisoning. Alcohol interferes with restorative sleep, dysregulates blood sugar and amplifies stress hormones, creating a vicious cycle of fatigue and irritability.
And then there are accidents. Increased drinking is linked to higher rates of traffic accidents, falls and mishaps, especially in unfamiliar homes, icy sidewalks, or late-night settings where judgment is already compromised.
None of this means you need to avoid drinking entirely, unless you want to, or feel bad when you say yes to a second craft beer. It does mean a little intention can go a long way.
Start with moderation, imperfect as it may be. U.S. dietary guidelines suggest no more than two drinks for women and three for men in a single day. New guidelines are suggesting no more than four drinks a week for women and six for men. Easier said than done, yes, but planning ahead helps.
Take a moment to decide before the event how many drinks you’ll enjoy. Personally, I love a good glass of red wine as much as the next gal, but I like to stop there, so I sip very slowly. Saying no to those well-meaning offers for a refill makes it easier to hold myself accountable.
Instead of spending the rest of the evening feeling left out, I pour sparking water and a splash of cranberry juice into a wine or champagne glass, add a squeeze of lime, and forget I’m not technically imbibing. The placebo effect works, even when you know it’s a ruse.
If you’re entertaining at home, our local Staff or Life or Shopper’s Corner carry a nice variety of booze-free alternatives, including locally produced Living Swell kombucha.
Eat and hydrate. Protein-rich nibbles, like seasoned nuts or crudité with hummus, slow alcohol absorption, while alternating drinks with water keeps dehydration at bay. This one habit alone can dramatically change how you feel the next day.
Plan your drive home. This one is non-negotiable. Designated drivers, public transportation or ride-share services are all part of responsible celebration.
Know your limits. When you or someone else recognizes some tipsiness, recognize it’s time for a reprieve.
And most importantly, listen to your body. The holidays are already demanding. For some people, limiting alcohol, or taking a complete break, isn’t deprivation; it’s a relief.
That’s where Dry January comes in. Not as punishment, but as a reset. A chance to notice how you sleep, how your mood stabilizes, how your energy returns when your nervous system gets a break.
In a season that encourages more—more parties, more food, more spending—choosing a little less can be quietly radical. And your heart, literal and otherwise, may thank you for it.
Editor Brad Kava reflects on Tokyo’s Golden Gai bar culture, local rum expertise on the Santa Cruz Wharf, and how small businesses can become centers of learning and connection.
Readers write in on a Community Kwanzaa celebration at the MAH, e-bike safety and etiquette, and the impact of poetry programs in schools and county jails.
Village Santa Cruz County and other local nonprofits share how they plan to use Santa Cruz Gives donations to support aging, housing stability, disaster recovery, and community well-being.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol fills the Veterans Memorial Hall with carols, humor and heartfelt warmth, inviting audiences of all ages into Dickens’ enduring story of compassion and renewal.
For dancers at the International Academy of Dance, Santa Cruz City Ballet’s Nutcracker is more than a holiday tradition—it’s a formative experience in discipline, mentorship and the joy of performance.
With nearly six decades of history behind them, Santa Cruz rock legends Snail return to the stage for a rare performance at Felton Music Hall, carrying forward a brotherhood forged in the Bay Area music scene of the late 1960s.
Holiday celebrations often come with raised glasses and lowered limits. A look at why seasonal drinking escalates—and how moderation can protect both mood and heart.
