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.