TIKI CULTURE

The Blue Monkey: A Fast Tiki Drink Recipe for Another Week Gone by FASSST!

The Blue Monkey

Wow, seems like just yesterday I posted our Valentine’s Day movie special, and now it’s already Friday. I had a lot of fun ideas for this week, but life among the coconuts kind of threw me for a loop. Lots of kookie stuff going on…so without any more goofy excuses, here’s a quicky cocktail for the weekend:

The Blue Monkey

1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1 oz coconut rum
1 1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 oz pineapple juice

Fill a hurricane glass with ice, pour in the stuff and stir. Drape with orange, pineapple & cherry garnish, plus one of those little plastic monkeys that hangs off the side of the glass. This drink is sweeter than a lot of Tiki drink lovers dig, but you can level it our with a little more pineapple juice and some bitters.

Enjoy the Weekend, kids!

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from the lounge at Pirate’s Cove Tiki Bar, Florida

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Tiki Bar! Here’s An Affair To Remember, from 1957 for Mod Movie Monday

Here’s a special edition of Mod/Noir/Retro/Vintage Movie Monday for Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air, and it’s contageous…so grab your favorite guy or doll and watch

An Affair to Remember

from 1957 starring Carry Grant and Deborah Kerr. Absolutely one of the most romantic movies ever made, even hardened tough guys dig this flick. The plot is simple: Grant and Kerr meet by chance on a cruise ship and fall in love. They know their love is taboo, since they are both engaged to other people. But their love is strong, and they agree to meet six months later at the top of the Empire State Building. If I say one more word on the story I’ll give away the whole thing, so I won’t. I can tell you this is a beautifully made movie, with a fantastic score and lavish settings. Although Grant is in his early 50s (and Kerr in her early 30s) the romance works perfectly as Carry charms his way through the movie. Interesting notes: • The two lovers make their vow to meet at the Empire State Building at exactly the halfway point of the movie, 59-1/2 minutes into the 119-minute flick. • An Affair To Remember is listed as the #5 greatest romance of all-time by the American Film Institute. • This is the flick that was referenced in 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle. After the release of that film, a renewed interest in An Affair To Remember resulted in over two million video tape sales. My Take: I’ve never been one for romance flicks. My mother suggested I watch this movie many moons ago, and I guess she knew me well, because I loved it. I don’t exactly why…but it’s the kind of movie that appeals to everyone, not just chicks. Food & Booze: This is the perfect movie to watch while sharing some fondue and wine. Here’s a quick and easy recipe for perfect fondue: 1 lb shredded cheddar, jack, and/or Swiss cheese 1/4 stick butter 3 cloves minced garlic salt & pepper 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce flour 1-2 cups beer Toss the shredded cheese with some flour, just enough to coat lightly (this helps with the melting). Flatten one cup beer (by swirling) and add to heated fondue pot. Toss in the butter, garlic, and Worcestershire, and stir until butter is melted. Add a pinch or two of salt and a few shakes of pepper. Then add the cheese a little at a time, stirring constantly till you get a nice, smooth, cheesy fondue. Add a little more beer or more cheese as needed. If you put too much beer, you’ll get cheese soup. Too little and your fondue will be glorpy. Serve with toast points, apple slices, or fresh vegetables for dippin’. Mmmm mmm.

For a nice Valentine’s Day drink, try the Lover’s Cocktail here.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here’s the Trailer…

-Tiki Chris & Colleen reporting from the very romantic lanai at Pirate’s Cove Tiki Bar.

The Lover’s Cocktail: Your Weekend Tiki Bar Drink for Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day on Monday I thought it would be nice to feature

The Lover’s Cocktail

A gin concoction that’s easy to make and fun to drink. I couldn’t find any history on this drink so I’ll make some up.

Back in 1927 there was speakeasy in the basement of the Ritz Hotel in Atlantic City. Since prohibition made it difficult (but not impossible) to acquire good booze, the bartenders often had to make due with what they could get their hands on. An enormous shindig was held on Valentine’s Day that year, but the only liquor they had on hand was some watered-down bourbon and sloe gin…and not the best stuff. So one of the bartenders, a bloke that went by the name of Nickles, came up with this special recipe for the special day:

2 oz sloe gin
1 egg white
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp raspberry juice

Separate the egg white and give it a little whip…just a few seconds. Combine the sloe gin, egg white, lemon juice and raspberry juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake it up well and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with cherries on a pick and float a red rose petal on top. If the raspberry juice doesn’t give you a nice color, add a few drops of red food dye.The egg whites give the drink a little fuzzy fizz. If you’re scared of getting salmonella, substitute with a little soda instead, but it won’t be as good (or historically accurate, which I always strive to be.)

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from the speakeasy under the Tiki Bar at Tiki Lounge Talk! Stay tuned for more misinformation and cocktails!

2011 Hukilau (Fort Lauderdale) Website is now Live!

Ok swingin’ Tiki lovin’ kats and chicks, it’s time to start thinking of June, and the 10th Anninversary of

The Hukilau!

in beautiful, sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

This year’s Hukilau will take place from June 9th through 12th at Bahia Mar and Bahia Cabana Hotels just across from the white sandy beaches of the famous South Florida resort town.

This year promises even more great entertainment, great art, great gifts and great exotic cocktails. For a complete list of events, etc. visit The Hukilau website at www.thehukilau.com/2011.

Me, our friend Molly and my wife Colleen at the Mai Kai, Hukilau 2010.

This year also marks the 55th Anniversary of the World’s Greatest (IMHO) Tiki Bar, The Mai Kai. As always, the Saturday night extravaganza will feature dinner and Polynesian show at the Mai Kai. It’s fantabulous, kids!

I am also very excited to announce that yours truly, Tiki Chris will be helping out the fine folks at The Hukilau this year as Vendor Coordinator. So if you’re setting up shop at The Hukilau, I’ll be talking to you soon. For the rest of you kids, I’ll be there all four days so look me up! I’ll be the guy in the Hawaiian shirt

-Tiki Chris reporting from a cabana on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Tiki News: Hukilau 2011, June 9-12, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

In Honor of Tura Satana…The Astro Zombies for Mod Movie Monday

With the passing of another of Hollywood’s icons, Tura Satana, I thought it fitting to feature her this week. I already featured Faster Pussycat, KILL! KILL! in an early MMM (here), so from 1968, here’s the cult sci-fi classic

The Astro Zombies

starring Tura Satana, Wendell Corey, and John Carradine.

This is certainly one of those flicks that’s so incredibly bad, it’s incredibly good. Real, old-fashioned monster & mayhem stuff from the swingin’ 60s, complete with Tura who absolutely had one of the best racks in the biz, with an exotic, tough-lookin’ face to match. (My old man would have described her as “one tough broad”).

I’ve seen the movie, but really still am not sure what the hell it’s about. Something about killing people and using their parts to build a super-human or something or other. Who cares, with a chick like Satana in it, and Carradine acting like a nut, you don’t need much of a plot.

There are also some kool cars in the flick, plus very fun little windup robots. And the CIA. And NASA. Just see it.

Food & booze: I can’t even imagine what would go with this movie. Just order a pizza and beer.

Something very kool: Through the magic of Teh Interwebs I’ve met a lot of interesting kats and kittens. One such kat hails by the name of Will The Thrill, and he was the host of Thrillville, a west-coast vintage movie-show phenomenon that I wish I’d had the chance to catch in person. This kat had the honor of knowing Ms. Satana in person, and has a very nice tribute to her with a story and photos here at Thrillville.net.

Sayonara, Tura, and thanks for the memories. - Tiki Chris