Raising the Bar: Tiki!!!!

In 1934, a former bootlegger opened a 27 seat bar on McFadden place in Hollywood, California. This tiny little bar launched the career of one of the world's greatest bartenders and set in motion an unprecedented 30 year fad that influenced music, fashion, restaurant and hotel design and, of course, drinking.

That bartender was Ernest Raymond Gantt, or as he was better known, Donn Beach. That bar, Don the Beachcomber's, ushered in the Tiki era and provided the template for every Tiki bar to follow.

Walking into a Tiki bar at the height of its craze had to have been a surreal experience, as you moved straight from the Eisenhower era stylings of conservative suburbia into a darkened place draped in fisherman's nets, Polynesian masks, exotic music and most importantly, some of the craziest drinks ever invented.



The names of Donn's drinks alone inspire curiosity: Cobra's Fangs, Flaming Coffee Grogs, Nui Nui's, Missionary's Downfall's and his most famous creation, the Zombie (unless you count the Mai Tai, but that's an argument for another day). The other famous Tiki impresario Trader Vic, helmed an extraordinarily popular franchise that still exists in a few select cities and weighed in with his own impressive repertoire: The Fogcutter, Scorpion bowls and, well, the Mai Tai (ahem, I'm not getting dragged into this one).

So, what happened to that lost culture and all of those wonderful tropical drinks. Of course, times changed as did tastes. Looking back even now, the mere mention of Tiki conjures images of kitsch (some would say tackiness) and overly sweet cocktails (a by-product of slurpee style machines still prevalent in modern tropical bars).

Don't look now, but Tiki drinks and culture are making a small comeback. Perhaps the Hawaiian shirts, the shrunken skull necklaces and the Easter Island mugs will always carry the stigma of kitschiness, but the drinks are finding their way back onto hipster cocktail menus, proudly standing next to iconic classics.

As for the cloying sweetness? Several of the Tiki drinks can be too sweet for modern tastes, but the ones being re-introduced now by skilled bartenders all over the world highlight the delicate balance of rums, juice and spicy elements completely unlike anything else, and which lay at the heart of the unique charm of classical tropical drinks.

Such as this one, my personal favorite. The Test Pilot, by Don the Beachcomber, pictured above as captured by Blair "Trader Tiki" Reynolds.

Test Pilot (from Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's 'Grog Log')
1 1/2 oz. dark Jamaican rum
3/4 oz. Puerto Rican rum
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. Falernum
3 tsp Cointreau
dash Angostura bitters
1/8 tsp Pernod

Blend with 1 cup crushed ice for 5 seconds, then pour into double old-fashioned glass. Add crushed ice to fill. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Still curious about Tiki drinks? I give you these links....

The man most widely credited with the current resurgence in Tiki drinks is the aforementioned Jeff "Beachbum" Berry. He is the author of the widely influential 'Grog Log' and has a wonderful blog.

There are other Tiki enthusiasts who author wonderful blogs as well, two of the hailing from Portland, Oregon, oddly enough. They are Blair Reynolds and Craig Herrman.

There are two Tiki bars that seem to be considered the best at the craft these days, those being Forbidden Island in Alameda, California and Tiki Ti, from Hollywood (founded in 1961 by one of Don the Beachcomber's bartenders).

This, of course, is a glossing over of an incredibly rich history. I encourage you to follow the links and, hopefully, you'll catch the same bug I've got.

Then, my friend, we'll share a drink together.

Mahalo! (apparently, that's Hawaiian for thanks and gratitude and is a typical salutation in Tiki circles..... just so you know).

As always, love to hear comments from those more in the know than I. Share your favorite drink recipes, bars and memories in the comment field.