Tiki News
Polynesian pop is more popular than ever now, and that means major media outlets are taking notice of its history, impact and revival.
Below are the most recent news articles investigating Tiki and Exotica culture. I’ll post more up as soon as they’re available, so check back regularly for updates.
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Behold: Longitude, Oakland’s new tropical cocktail bar
The East Bay’s newest tiki-style tropical cocktail bar is opening for Mai Tais this Friday at 4 p.m. in downtown Oakland. From exotic drink expert and former bar manager at Alameda’s Forbidden Island, Suzanne Long, Longitude takes over the former Disco Volante location at 347 14th Street.
And it’s quite a spot.
In the seven or so months since Long took over the building, she’s completely transformed the space into a lush slice of paradise. Interior elements include a small seated area with a covered thatch hut, a 28-foot bar made from two slabs of Monkey Pod wood imported from Hawaii, an upstairs mezzanine that overlooks the rest of the bar, lush foliage and colorful orchids, and a custom audio system that plays ambient bird calls over the speakers.
Unlike a traditional tiki bar, the interior design is not strictly Polynesian but rather evokes a general tropical theme, aided by the mostly east African art.
“I figured, why just limit yourself to one place when there’s a whole world out there to explore,” Long says. “I sort of look at Longitude as a ticket to adventure.”
Helping customers on that adventure will be the menu of tropical drinks ($9–$13). Those include everything from a classic Trader Vic’s–style Mai Tai to the Shrunken Skull with house made grenadine, two rums, and cinnamon to the Black Orchid, house-flambeéd rum cordial with Angostura 7 rum and citrus topped by an edible orchid with a real pearl (that you can keep). In addition to rum, the bar also carries a large selection of rare whiskeys, including several from Japan.
The food menu, meanwhile, mixes classic tiki fare such as crab rangoon and coconut shrimp with pub-style comfort dishes such as bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie.
Longitude adds to a robust tiki–style bar scene in the East Bay, which includes Forbidden Island, Emeryville’s Trader Vic’s, the Conga Lounge and Kona Club in Oakland, and Tiki Tom’s in Walnut Creek.
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday and Sunday, 4 p.m.–midnight, and Friday–Saturday, 4 p.m.–1:30 a.m.
Longitude: 347 14th Street, Oakland, longitudeoakland.com.
Pirate bartender is bringing Tiki back — one cocktail at a time
Brian Miller regularly dons war paint and a bandana — similar to Captain Jack Sparrow — when he makes Tiki drinks.
Brian Miller (third from left) and his swashbuckling cocktail crew
Bartender Brian Miller calls himself a pirate, and he looks like one, too, but he’s not sword-fighting for booty on a deserted island. For years, he’s been crusading for Tiki cocktails.ARTENDER
It’s not an easy fight. In recent years, tropical cocktails fell out of fashion, with city Tiki bars like Lani Kai and Painkiller closing. Even Hawaiian mainstays like La Mariana in Oahu often seem to be on the brink of sinking.
“Tiki has so many knives in its back,” says Miller, the head bartender at downtown’s exclusive, 12-seat ZZ’s Clam Bar (169 Thompson St.) and a fan of the tropical-drink tradition for years. “People say it’s all sweet, it’s all sugary, the drinks aren’t balanced, when actually it’s quite the opposite. These are really complex drinks; you can taste all of the ingredients. I’ve made Tiki drinks with gin, tequila, sake, Jagermeister and white whiskey.”
Now, Tiki is making a comeback, with top restaurants across the country adding tropical drinks to their menus, and Miller is the man to thank for the proliferation of Painkillers and Rum Runners.
Backyard Tiki Bar by Paige Russell
There's nothing like a tropical theme to properly set the tone for summer fun. So my co-worker Jonathan Odom and I set about to design a quick and easy-to-build backyard tiki bar that will be guaranteed to bring the Hawaiian party to any outdoor gathering. (Brainstorming session inspiration courtesy of Mike's Hard Lemonade!
Supply List and step by step instructions at Instructibles.com > Backyard Tiki Bar
Live the Luau Life: Top Tiki Bars in the U.S.
Tiki drinks have been on an exotic journey since Don the Beachcomber created the genre in the 1930s.
Inspired by that iconic Southern California watering hole, 21st-century bartenders are turning tiki into a mixology genre that’s an invigorating alternative to the popular manhattans and martinis. When done right, these drinks—often made with rum and fruit in elaborate Polynesian-themed containers—make you feel like you’re lounging under an umbrella inside an open-air shack on some distant beach.
They’ve become so popular that hot new restaurants and bars in America’s largest and most discerning cities are embracing the tiki theme. Here are seven great places to get your tropical drink on.
Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago
ZZ's Clam Bar, New York
Prime Meats, Brooklyn
Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco
Sonny’s Hideaway, Los Angeles
Drunken Dragon, Miami
Hale Pele, Portland, Oregon
Get your tiki on in DC
You’re lounging on the white sands of a Polynesian beach when you slurp the last of your mai tai. You motion to a cabana boy and settle back into your lounge chair while you await another fruity beverage.
“Next stop, Chinatown,” he responds.
OK, so maybe you were daydreaming while uncomfortably sandwiched between two commuters on a Metro train. Reality bites.
For those looking to leave the real world behind for a minute, may we suggest an authentic tropical cocktail? The Tiki fad of the ’50s and ’60s is being rekindled at spots throughout the city where classic rum-and-fruit-juice concoctions meet delightfully kitschy decor.
At Jack Rose Dining Saloon, you’ll find an upstairs Tiki bar where the campy decor is inspired by that of Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber; reed mats and carved Tiki masks line the walls all summer long while classic cocktail umbrellas adorn drinks fit for a hula girl.
“We’re trying to provide as much of an escape here as we can,” says beverage director Trevor Frye, who makes his own citrus-infused vodka and mixes it in cocktails like the Orange Crush with triple sec, orange juice and Sprite. Tiki options are offered Thursdays through Saturdays until the weather gets cold, and they’re available at half price during happy hour on Thursdays from 5-10 p.m.
A few blocks away, Adam Bernbach of Doi Moi crafts elevated versions of Tiki standards. His tropical concoctions incorporate a wide selection of house-made ingredients — including roasted banana syrup, peanut-infused bourbon and tamarind soda — as well as creative spins on the classics: fresh pineapple juice runs through a soda siphon to give pina coladas a hint of carbonation.
Farmers Fishers Bakers in Georgetown provides 2-foot-long straws in its scorpion bowls, made for sharing and served with a riverfront view. You can taste your way through classic zombies (limit two per guest, lest the high alcohol content turn you into one), mai tais and a new collection of frozen blended drinks.
For eight years, The Majestic Cafe in Old Town has been serving up a slice of luau heaven with a Tiki drink menu that rotates every summer and is served in tacky ceramic mugs. (The Galeophobic and Proud, for example, is made with Cruzan light rum, Blue Curacao, kalamanzi (a limelike fruit) and citrus syrup, and arrives in a shark head with floating Swedish Fish.)
“I think anyplace is Tiki City,” bartender-owner Todd Thrasher says. “Tiki is really more a state of mind than a place.”
By that logic, we’re all just an umbrella cocktail away from cooling island breezes.
Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW; 202-588-7388,jackrosediningsaloon.com. (Dupont Circle)
Doi Moi, 1800 14th St. NW; 202-733-5131, doimoidc.com. (U Street)
Farmers Fishers Bakers, 3000 K St. NW; 202-298-8783,farmersfishersbakers.com.
The Majestic Cafe, 911 King St., Alexandria; 703-837-9117,majesticcafe.com. (King St-Old Town )
News Highlights 2013
Tiki Bar Spring Redfish and Trout Tournament- 11:46 am
The News-Press
First and second place cash prize, Third place $25 gift certificate to the Tiki Bar. Open to all ages. Junior division for ages 12 and younger: first place prize — four tickets to Disney World Orlando and a one-night stay at a Days Inn Orlando. Kayak ...Crane's BeachHouse Hotel & Tiki Bar launches Third Thursday Fun-Raisers
The Pineapple Newspaper
Cathy Balestriere, general manager of Crane's BeachHouse Hotel & Tiki Bar, today announced that the popular, Key West-style boutique hotel is launching its fourth annual series of Third Thursday Fun-Raisers to benefit local nonprofit organizations.
KON TIKI the movie 4/2013
Norway’s most expensive movie production to date
Thrilling 'Kon-Tiki' Trailer Swims With Sharks
Film School Rejects
After pulling in an Oscar nomination, Kon-Tiki is going to hit theaters on April 26th. The adventure film tells the story of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl who (in real-life) crossed the Pacific ocean on a balsa wood raft in a voyage that took 101 days.
Trailer for 'Kon-Tiki' ocean drama arrives
Mother Nature Network (blog)
Undeterred, he and five other adventurers traveled to Peru and built a primitive raft from balsa wood and other native materials, naming it the "Kon-Tiki." The adventure that unfolded has now been turned into an Academy-award nominated film slated for ...
Is Tiki Ti "Pulling a Bahooka"? - CityThink - Los Angeles magazine
“Doing a Bahooka” just became preservation slang for DEFCON 3. This afternoon, Tiki Ti in East Hollywood, L.A.'s second oldest tiki bar announced on ...
www.lamag.com/citythink/.../04/.../is-tiki-ti-pulling-a-bahooka
Bahooka's Tiki Decor Goes to Clifton's Cafeteria Downtown
Zagat (blog)
According to LA Mag's Chris Nichols, Andrew Meieran, owner of the Edison who's rebuilding Clifton's Cafeteria, bought all of the marquee items to decorate Clifton's tiki floor. "We'll have the tikis, the gas pumps, the canoes. The diving helmet is a ...
Tiki Highlights 2012
Jo's Kon-Tiki trip to save The Pacific
Reading Chronicle
"It is partly to remember the Kon-Tiki voyage in 1947, when the explorer Thor Heyerdahl set sail on a raft from South America to the Polynesian Islands.
O.C.'s tiki bar scene is still active
OCRegister
Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel is a tiki bar with obvious tie-ins to the ... The pseudo-Polynesian drinks include the obligatory multi-person monster, ...
Editor's Page: Tikis and TalentPub Review: Call Lane Social, Call Lane, Leeds
Yorkshire Evening Post
In the decade from 1945, a craze for Tiki Bars swept the United States, ... thatch and the treasure map ofTiki cocktails all play to the Polynesian theme. ...
HONOLULUMagazine.com
Example: this month's “The Tiki Tribe." Photographer Olivier Koning had ... tiki-themed paintings, the musicians keeping the '50s sound of Exotica alive. ...
Madison Street bartender Matty Durgin brings back the tiki tradition
Westword
6 2012 at 12:06 PM ?If you're looking for a proper tiki drink in Denver -- you know, a Polynesian-themed sour rum cocktail that soared to popularity in the ...
Voodoo Island Tiki Exotica Ball coming in September courtesy of ...
Westword
Mark your datebooks for Saturday, September 1, when the inaugural Voodoo Island Tiki Exotica Ball, a Labor Day luau, is scheduled to make its debut. ...
Variety of rare Oceanic art arrives on the auction block this ...
Art Daily
... diverse works from the regions of Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, ... Additional highlights will include a Maori greenstone amulet, hei tiki, ...
Plans for a new Denver tiki-themed bar are moving forward -- but ...
Westword
11 2012 at 4:04 PM ?Denver was slated to get a tiki bar, Mauka Tiki, in 2011, ... "complements the bar program," he adds, "it won't be Polynesian pub food. ...
Bamboo Tiki Room, Victoria Park
Calgary Herald
By Marc Rimmer, Calgary Herald December 29, 2011 The Bamboo Tiki Room has been the ... The space is adorned with five-foot Polynesian idols inset into ...
Tahitian Lanai brought tiki culture to Waikiki
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
As its name suggests, it was Polynesian-themed, with several ... It was an exotic outdoor restaurant and bar with tropical drinks and tiki-torch ambience. ...
News Highlights 2011
Bay Area's 5 Best Tiki Bars « CBS San Francisco
Tiki culture has as much connection to actual life in Polynesia as Full House does ... If you're really looking for sometiki/polynesian locations look at ...
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/top-lists/bay-areas-5-best-tiki-bars/
Bar Essentials: Aloha
Liverpool Confidential
In April 2011 it celebrated still being the only and finest Tiki bar, ... Aloha's mission is to bring the paradise ofPolynesia to The Pool of Life. ...
Aloha in Florida
Brisbane Times April 9, 2011
Most are holding ceramic tiki mugs, tall Collins glasses, or oversized snifters with ... a time when moody lounges of bamboo and exotic tiki carvings lit by ...
The Waitiki Festival of Music & Cocktails in Harvard Sq. Sunday
Boston Herald April 8, 2011
There's nothing like a little tiki music and drink to cap off an early spring ... the revitalization of mid-century tiki pop culture and exotica music. ...
Retro recipes updated with flair
Vancouver Sun, March 22, 2011
Some 30 years ago, I remember first trying these types of appetizers at the Polynesia-inspired Trader Vic's at the Bayshore Inn. Tiki cocktails housed in ...
NYC and New Jersey residents' tiki homes photo gallery
- NYPOST.com, February 16, 2011
Barry Kushelowitz has filled his entire tiny studio apartment with tiki exotica. His bed is covered with a velvet canopy. Kushelowitz's hallway is painted ...
WRFR-LP radio program schedule for Tuesday.
VillageSoup Belfast, February 15, 2011
Matt brings you the best in a mostly forgotten genre: Exotica music. Exotica was big in the late 50's & early 60's, and was a mixture of classic lounge ...
New Highlights 2010
Music We Missed: Waitiki 7 : NPR
NPR - Dec 24, 2010
President Obama is spending Christmas in Hawaii, so it's possible to imagine the First Family — or at least some of their Hawaiian neighbors — listening to music that sounds like Waitiki 7. The septet's album New Sounds of Exotica recalls…
Childhood memories spurred 'Tiki'
Honolulu Star-Advertiser December 12, 2010
Five questions for "Waikiki Tiki" author Phillip "Slash" Roberts, collector of antique aloha shirts and connoisseur of exotic music. ...
Taking tiki to the riverfront
StarTribune.com, December 9, 2010
Exotica is back. Popular during tiki's heyday of the 1950s, exotica is a form of jazzy lounge music spiked with jungle noises (think: shrieking chimps and ...
Gina Haase's passion for Polynesian culture and cuisine...
nj.com, Oct 13, 2010
Pupu platters? Not so much. Yet here, in a refurbished attic some 6,000 miles from the South Seas, a paradise has been propagated. Gina Haase has transformed the third story of the house where her father was born into her own private tiki…
The Way We Ate: Too Old to Tiki? - NYTimes.com
nytimes.com - Jan 20, 2010
In 1994, Ruth Reichl announced that New York had outgrown tiki bars...