this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2024
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Tiki

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Description: Tiki culture is a celebration of tropical escapism. It's a longing for the time when Pacific islands were still exotic locales that inspired Donn Beach and Trader Vic to create their own versions back home. It all started in 1934 with the first Don the Beachcomber tiki restaurant, and was rejuvenated in the mid-90's with the printing of The Book of Tiki by Sven Kirsten. Pull up a chair, sip your Mai Tai, and study the tsantsa-covered ceiling while listening to the sounds of the Hukilau.

What is tiki: Things that are tiki: Tiki mugs. Tiki bars. Tiki cocktails. Aloha shirts. Luaus. Witco. Oceanic Arts. South Pacific culture. Trader Vic's. Don The Beachcomber. Martin Denny. Les Baxter. Mai Tais.

Things that arent tiki: Hot rods. Lowbrow Art (Rat Fink et al). Surf music. Jimmy Buffet. Margaritas. Science Fiction.

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What got you started with Tiki? My start was How To Drink and Greg's recommendation of Smugglers Cove. Read the book, started buying rum and planning a home bar lol. I had been getting into making cocktails but never thought about exotic cocktails before watching Gregs Mai Tai episode.

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[–] Mbourgon 2 points 10 months ago

Disneyworld. “It’s the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room, where the birds say words and the flowers croon…”

[–] Fondots 2 points 10 months ago

I always had a thing for Hawaiian shirts, and my tastes skew a bit kitschy, so tiki kind of seems like a natural progression of that.

In my early 20s, there was a seasonal outdoor "tiki bar" I frequented. It was not the place to go for good tiki drinks, but it was a fun time. They had a grill-your-own-food thing going on, they served a drink called a hurricane that more no real resemblance to any traditional hurricane except that it contained rum (and a lot of it) and they had a 2 per human limit on them. It was a fun time and that probably really planted the seed that I wanted my own tiki bar.

I'm not much of a beach guy, but I enjoy the aesthetic of palm trees and jungles and exotic trimes and such, so having that without all of the sun and the sand is very appealing to me.