TIKI CULTURE

The Playboy Club Already Canceled; Pan Am Soars; International Exotic Cocktail Day Almost Here

"Two double Martinis, Jimmy...and whatever the lady wants."

Well, I guess my scathing review of the premier of The Playboy Club was on the mark. After only three episodes, the retro drama is off the air…So far NBC doesn’t even have plans to run off the remaining episodes in another time slot. Poor initial ratings and sharp viewer decline in the last two episodes (along with some squawking from a big-mouthed religious group who thinks Playboy is pornographic, ugh) caused the advertisers to jump ship. And without dough, there’s no show. Shame, since episode two was a thousand times better than episode one. Haven’t seen the third one yet.

Now…when you swing over to Pan Am, you can’t help but smile. They’ve really captured the era, and give people like us an hour a week to feel like we’re back in the days when you could get a real martini (in a real glass martini glass), complete with olives and pretty, smiling stewardess on an airplane.The story lines are solid and keep us interested, and peaks of vintage Cadillacs and Chryslers remind us of the days when the most elegant, luxurious and powerful cars were built in Detroit.

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Friday is International Exotic Cocktail Day!

At the Tiki Bar...

We’ve been waiting all year for Friday, October 7 just so we could drink a cool rum concoction! Ok, we didn’t wait. But what better way to pledge our allegiance to the Exotic Cocktail than to have a day dedicated to it? This Friday, raise a glass and toast your friends, family, boss, gardener, dog, whatever, wherever you are, whatever time you can make it. Celebrate International Exotic Cocktail Day with me, and show the world you’re a Tiki Drink Lover!

We’ll be celebrating at the famous Wreck Bar in Fort Lauderdale, watching Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid’s show through the portholes. Then it’s off to the Mai Kai for a nightcap. Hope to see some of you there!

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from the Tiki Lounge

Hotel, 1967 for Mod Movie Monday!

Here is one of those kool little movies lost in time, a slice of life from the late 1960s that takes a peak into the lives of people, from the lowly thief to a Duke and Duchess and everything in between, all trying to just get by.

Hotel, 1967

Starring Rod Taylor, Karl Malden, Melvin Douglass, Cathrine Spaak and Kevin McCarthy, and based on the novel Hotel by Arthur Hailey

The movie poster over there <— does a decent job of laying out what this flick is all about. Several different characters in different plot lines, all tied together by the Hotel Manager, Peter McDermott, played by the swank, sophisticated Rod Taylor. Talk about a real tight guy who had his act together, the Hotel Manager could take care of millionaire guests, handle the staff, help put together big-buck deals and swing with the craziest chick in the joint all with the finesse of a true gentleman…the only thing he couldn’t manage was to take a swallow of his drink.

Add in Karl Malden as down-on-his-luck petty crook, who’s specialty is lifting hotel keys from unsuspecting clients and burglarizing them while they sleep. Then pepper the works with a strange mystery, an age-old power play, a couple of hookers, some good ole’ fashioned racism (by the old guard, and how it’s totally uncool to the Manager) and a steamy romance. That’s Hotel.

The story takes place at the (then) 60+ year old St. Gregory Hotel in New Orleans (I’ve been trying to find out what hotel was used for the exteriors, but haven’t had any luck). The owner, Melvin Douglas, is facing a $2million loan payment that he just can’t meet, and will lose the hotel unless he gets either and injection of dough from the union (which he doesn’t want to deal with), or sells it to a real estate firm who will tear it down to build condos (sound familiar?). A third option presents itself when a rival hotel chain owner expresses a keen interest in buying the joint…but he has his own ideas how to manage the hotel, and that doesn’t sit so well with the owner…

Rod Taylor and Cathrine Spaak in Hotel, 1967

Parallel stories intertwine with the Duke and Duchess who are hiding a horrible secret, Karl Malden adding a little comic relief with is tip-toe snatch and run routine, and The Manager trying to keep tabs on everything at once. A couple of very swinging cameos by Carmen McRae singing in the lounge and a few scenes with Richard Conte (of Ocean’s 11 fame) add to the koolness of this flick. That and the fact that you’re watching a time capsule from 40+ years ago makes Hotel worth a watch.

Dinner & Booze: A swank hotel like this would no doubt have all the best on the menu -Waldorf salad, Delmonico steak, vichyssoise, and since it’s in New Orleans, catfish. Throughout the movie the Manager constantly tries to have a double whiskey at the bar, and is always called away before he can take a drink. You, however, can drink up!

Fun stuff: Karl Malden, after coming up short with his night stealing routine, says something along the lines of “Damned credit cards…nobody carries cash anymore!” Funny that 20 years later he would be doing those commercials for American Express cards…you know, “never leave home without it”!

Here’s a clip from Hotel:

-Tiki Chris reporting from the screening room over the beach at Tiki Lounge Talk, your web lounge for the koolest Mod Movie Mondays around.

Lake George Iced Tea: Your Weekend Tiki Bar Cocktail!

Lake George Iced Tea Cocktail

In honor of Ohana: Luau at the Lake, currently swinging this weekend at the Tiki Resort on Lake George, NY, I thought it would be fun to feature something from the area. And bingo…maybe not so Tiki, but certainly welcome on any Tiki bar in upstate New Yawk,

Lake George Iced Tea

I couldn’t find any info on where this drink was first served or why it’s called the Lake George, so I’ll make something up.

Let’s pretend it was first mixed at The Sagamore Hotel on a hot July afternoon, when the bartender was asked to make something regional for a group of tourists from Millville, NJ. The bartender, not too smart but very good with mixing things, had just made a Long Island Iced Tea and used the last of his sour mix. Thinking fast (and being lazy), he came up with the Lake George Iced Tea, and used pineapple juice in place of the sour mix. Bingo. Works for me.

Here’s the recipe:

1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz white rum
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz triple sec
1 oz pineapple juice
Coke

The Sagamore Hotel, Lake George

Throw everything (except the soda, of course) into a shaker with ice and shake until the outside of the shaker is nice and frosty. Strain into a highball glass filled with cubes, and add Coca-Cola until full. Give it a quick stir and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Luau at the Lake

As most of you know, the second giant Tiki Party of the year is taking place right now on the Lake. Lots of kool bands, vendors, and cocktails are flying around The Tiki Resort, a fab 50s Tiki motel right off the main drag in Lake George Village. In fact most of the town (last time I was there) is sort of stuck in the 50s with modernization in between the fun old stuff, including mini golf, ice cream parlors, a wax museum and lots of souvenir shops.

Tiki Resort, Lake George

To all you swingin’ kats and kittens who made it up there this year, I hope you have a really great time! I was hoping to get there myself but it got scheduled way to close to The Hukilau to be able to do both. Maybe for 2012 the kats that run Ohana can coordinate with The Hukilau and Tiki Oasis to make things a little easier for us Tiki kids to hit them all!

-Tiki Chris reporting from behind the bar at Tiki Lounge Talk, the swingin’ blog for Tiki and Retro Culture Lovers

The RIGHT way to make a Martini. Period.

Martini

Had a little discussion among Twitter friends the other day about the Martini. It was basically a rant about how the Martini has been bastardized to the point of insanity.

Kids, a real Martini is Gin, Dry Vermouth and olives. Sometimes it’s ok to sub a twist for the olives.

THE MARTINI

• 2 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1 green olive or lemon twist for garnish

Dry Martini: less vermouth. In fact, most people today prefer less vermouth, to the point of 1/4 oz, a capfull, or even just rim the glass with vermouth. The first bartending gig I had, a guy asked for a Martini, Dry. He came back and asked for one extra dry. A little while later he came back and said it wasn’t dry enough. I poured a half a cap of vermouth into the glass, swirled it around and poured it out. fifteen minutes later he came back and said, “Just gimme gin and olives.”

Just a note: The classic Martini is not made with vodka. No. Not unless you are James Bond. Someone really should have come up with a different name for that, just like they did with the Gimlet, Rob Roy and Manhattan. Martinis are not made with flavored spirits. Cotton Candy Vodka and triple sec is not a Martini. And although some of these concoctions have fun names…like the Appletini, or the Remy Martini, obviously invented just for the names, they ain’t Martinis.

Just wanted to set the record straight. Go ahead and enjoy your Chocolate Martini, or your mint and basiltini, or your shrimptini, or whatever…as long as you’re having fun. Just remember, they ain’t Martinis, they’re cocktails, kids!

-Tiki Chris reporting from the zoo. That means I have multiple pets annoying me as I type.

The Hukilau 2011 and Conversations at the Tiki Bar

Stolen Idols at The Hukilau 2010

The Hukilau 2011

Hey swingin’ kats and kittens, just a reminder that The Hukilau 2011…one of the world’s largest, swingingest and longest running Tiki parties…is happening this June 9-12 in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Tikiphiles, Retro Hipsters, Jazz Cats; whatever your scene, if you dig Tiki or anything Retro, you neeeeed to be there.

Visit The Hulilau 2011 website for the down-low, with lists of very kool entertainment, books signings, art and more.

Also…for all you very hip kids who procure, create, carve, sew, assemble, and sell Tiki/Retro-related goodies, there are still a few prime vendor spots available, so get in gear and email Christi Crowe, Hukilau sponsorship, vending and/or advertising contact at christi@flagmarketing.com.

Conversations at the Tiki Bar

It’s nice to have friends all over the world. Thanks to teh interwebs, of course. I verily enjoy rapping with the swingin’ kats and kitties that dig the same jive I do. It’s fun here, but even easier over at The Retro Tiki Lounge on Facebook. Check it out, dig the photos, watch the videos, and feel free to join the convo. Lots of fun stuff going on over there! Plus admission is free, and the bar is always open.

Murder on Tiki Island

Most of you have already heard that my new novel is in the works…Murder on Tiki Island is right up your alley, believe me. It takes place at a Tiki resort in the Florida Keys in 1956, and is a retro-style pulp noir fiction with a twist of lime. Due out April 30, it will be available in softcover and eBook format on Amazon.com See the official website or join the fan page on Facebook for details.

Later swingers,
Tiki Chris P.