TIKI CULTURE

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.

Noir Movie Monday: The Big Sleep, 1946

Phillip Marlowe is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time…and The Big Sleep is my favorite Marlowe movie, period. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, this cream of the crop Raymond Chandler Noir thriller encompasses everything Film Noir is about: The seedier side of life, making no distinction for class, wealth or education. Crime, and the inevitable punishment. Gambling. Loose women. Murder.

Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep

Swing by Marlowe’s scene and you’ll pick up some of the roughest, most colorful characters to hit the silver screen. The plot opens up easy but quickly thickens into a muddy soup of lies, blackmail and murder. Marlowe teeters between being one step ahead and one step behind throughout. But of course, using his wit and relying on a lotta luck, he comes out on top in the end, with a nicely wrapped-up little package: the case solved.

Bogie

Interesting notes: This flick was shot in 1945, but didn’t release until a year later. Pushed off by a plethora of war films, The Big Sleep premiered so late that wartime stuff (like the “B” gas ration stickers on the cars) was already out of date. There were even some late reshoots, adding Lauren Bacall into even more scenes. This ended up with the film having two separates prints: one that was released for the Army in ‘45, and the 1946 version that was released to the public with the changed scenes. I’ve seen both, plus a special cut that was put together later which has all the scenes put in together, and honestly I like the combined one the best. (Don’t know if that’s available, but I found a DVD with both versions plus The Maltese Falcon, Dial “M” for Murder and The Postman Always Rings Twice for $11.99 on Amazon.com). This was also the film that sealed the deal for Bogart and Bacall…He ditched his wife and married his co-star three months after the film was finished. Reportedly, guilt over his affair with Bacall led to Bogart’s over-drinking during filming, enough that he held up production on a couple of dates. Live hard, baby.

Food & Booze: The story goes that Phillip Marlowe introduced The Gimlet to America in The Long Goodbye. The original recipe calls for Rose’s Lime Juice, not fresh, and most Gimlet drinkers will tell you they prefer the time-honored recipe with the bottled lime.

2 oz Gin
1 oz Rose’s Lime Juice

Combine in a mixing glass over ice and stir; strain into a martini glass. Can also be served on the rocks in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wedge, plain and simple.

For dinner: “Somebody gunned Geiger or somebody got gunned by Geiger who ran away. Or he had meat for dinner and he likes to do his butchering in the parlour.” So, meat. Maybe Steak Tartare (From AllRecipes.com)

“Ingredients

* 1 pound finely ground beef tenderloin
* 1 teaspoon brown mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™), or to taste
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon brandy
* 1 pinch salt, or to taste
* ground white pepper to taste
* 1 egg

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the beef, mustard, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brandy, salt, pepper and egg until well blended. Arrange the meat in a neat pile on a glass dish, and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve as a spread on crackers or toast. The legend goes that Tartare tribes when fighting in the past didn’t even have time to stop and cook their food. They are said to have kept the meat underneath their saddles and mince it in this way. Today this dish is a gourmet classic. This dish is eaten like a pate, spread on a piece of warm toast with fresh tomato and onion rings on top. It is very important though to make sure that both the meat and the egg are very fresh because they are eaten raw.”

Yeah, really, that’s Steak Tartare. Raw egg, raw meat. Mmmm. That’s a trip to the emergency room waiting to happen if I ever saw one. Maybe just a New York Strip done medium rare and a couple of potatoes instead. Yeah.

-Tiki Chris Pinto reporting from the kitchenette in the snack bar at Tiki Lounge Talk, the Blounge for cool movies, exotic cocktails and Tiki-rama.

Oh, here’s the original trailer…

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!

New Tiki Cocktail Recipes Page Launched at Tiki Lounge Talk!

I know there’s a bizillion books and websites where you can find Tiki bar recipes, but I’ve found that trying to find a site that just has a kool list of kool drinks isn’t so easy. So here it is, a list of every cocktail recipe we’ve posted at Tiki Lounge Talk, from the cornerstone of Tiki Culture, the Mai Tai, to my own concoctions like The Tiki Galore.

It’s a fun list, in no particular order, and sends you to the original post where you’ll get the recipe and maybe even a movie idea and a few laughs. So fill up the ice bucket, light up the Tiki Torches and have a blast!

(Click on “Tiki Cocktails!” in the upper left corner of this site!)

By the way, if you want even more exciting exotic cocktails, check out:

Tiki Tender

The Retro Cocktail Cafe (facebook)

Perfect Cocktails

Tiki Drink Recipes

and Secret Tiki Drink Recipes

-Captain Mack reporting from behind the bar at Pirate’s Cove