Tiki. One word, so many images in your head when you hear it. Colorful drinks. Colorful shirts. Island décor. Here's the start of your next island escape. *Coconut bra not included.
Tiki. One word, so many images in your head when you hear it. Colorful drinks. Colorful shirts. Island décor. Women whose hips simply cannot lie. And up until just a few years ago, it would probably have conjured up either:
But not anymore.
Tiki has seen a resurgence just like the bygone eras of Prohibition-era (and pre-Prohibition) styles of drinking. And while pre-Prohibition tavern culture can find some of its roots in other countries (e.g. New Orleans bars’ having a French-feel), Tiki is actually uniquely American, even though it is an appropriation.
We can talk all day about the history of Tiki (and we have A Most Brief History of Tiki article for you), but Tiki came out of post-Prohibition Hollywood as an escape from the realities of a country in the depths of the Great Depression. Tiki, in its original form, was a release. There’s a degree to which that’s still true today, with the resurgence of this bar form in full swing across the country.
Okay, okay, okay—yes, this is a podcast about home bartending. And there are definitely some Tiki or Tiki-style drinks you should definitely be making in your home. But while we’re going to tell you about our home bartending experiments in Tiki, the best way to experience Tiki is to go to an actual Tiki bar near you.
Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin Cate
Tiki Pop: America Imagines Its Own Polynesian Paradise by Sven Kirsten
A Set of 4 Tiki Mugs to get you started.
But seriously, get yourself a Hawaiian shirt. It’s gonna be a tasty summer.