TIKI CULTURE

Happy Repeal Day! Drink Up!

December 5th marks the 79th anniversary of overturning one of the dumbest amendments ever added to the American Constitution: The 18th Amendment, also know as PROHIBITION. This was a perfect example of how a small but vocal group of dingbats could manipulate the government into getting their way. Thank God we don’t have that today (yes, that is sarcasm). Anyway, the 18th Amendment made it a federal offense to make booze or even just take a drink. This was supposed to stop men from become alcoholics, beating up their wives, losing their jobs, etc. etc. and to keep women from losing their virtue, becoming prostitutes and having any kind of fun whatsoever. Instead, it created the bloodiest band of criminals in our history: Gangsters. Finally, on December 5th, 1933, the federal amendment was repealed, and eventually (though not fast enough for most people) the states all repealed their individual laws. Well, most of them. As far as I know you still can’t buy booze from a liquor store in Atlantic City on Sunday night, and Ocean City, NJ is still a dry town…meaning yeah, you can’t even get a glass of wine with dinner. Then again, it’s kept Ocean City kind of nice. And it’s a short drive to Somers Point to Circle Liquors.

Here’s last year’s post, that I though was a lot of fun and worth reposting:

On December 5, 1933, the United States came to its senses and ratified the 21st Amendment, repealing the most ridiculous laws ever enacted in America…Prohibition. Yes, in case you missed that little tidbit in History class, from 1919 to 1933, it was illegal to make, sell, import, export, drink, look at or dream about alcohol. These laws were pushed through by a small but loud group of extremists who kinda thought making liquor illegal would stop people from drinking it, thus ending all problems of crime, mental illness and poverty in the US.

Boy, were they wrong.

In walks Al Capone, and a whole lot of other smart guys like him. Up starts bootlegging. Crime shoots up, innocent people are killed (or jailed for having a slug), distilleries go out of business and moonshiners rake in the bucks. Yea, that worked really well, huh?

So in 1933, in the height of the Great Depression, the government ratified the repeal of these silly laws. YAY! Depression lessened immediately, gangsters went legit, and even though the economy was still bad nobody cared because they could get tanked on Jack while digging the tunes of Benny Goodman and Cab Calloway. If it weren’t for Hitler, the 30’s would have turned out all right.

So celebrate today with a swig of your favorite booze, a shot of hooch, a teacup of gin, a pull of beer or a refined cocktail in a highball glass. Whatever your pleasure, imbibe…for today marks the milestone when the US Government decided they should stick to governing and leave individual freedoms alone:)

Cheers, baby!

Note: If Prohibition had actually worked, this would not be Tiki Lounge Conversations. It would be “Tiki Juice Stand Talk” and the conversations would be about playing Lawrence Welk tunes on my C-melody sax while drinking lemonade and driving my 1984 Chevy Citation. YUCK-OLA

Learn a little more about Repeal Day at http://www.repealday.org/

-Tiki Chris P reporting from the party room at Tiki Lounge Talk, the alcohol-endorsing blounge for Tikiphiles and retro swingers.

Have a MAD MEN Premier Party, 1960s Style!

These cats know how to have a party.

I know that everyone who reads this Blounge is excited about the new season of MAD MEN finally starting. Sunday, March 25th, 2012 marks the beginning of the 5th season of AMC’s hit show - and what better way to jump into the swing of things than with a retro-style cocktail party?

There are fun, quick, easy tricks to throwing together a last minute party. As long as you have friends that can make it, planning a Premier Party is a snap.

Invitations: This is an informal get-together, so a phone call (or that new-fangled email) is all you need. The show starts at 9pm, so start the party earlier. I’m starting mine at 7:30, so people will be able to have a light dinner before coming over, since I’ll only be serving hors d’oeuvres.

The Theme: Make sure everyone knows this is a MAD MEN theme party. They must dress to impress, as close to 50s-60s as possible. Even if you don’t have actual retro or vintage clothing, this is easy to pull off…men wear a jacket and (thin) tie, pocket square, fedora if you have one. The women wear cocktail dresses, heels, hair up; the fun is in trying to mimic the look. Some of your friends will have era-appropriate garb, and that’s even better. Just remember - no jeans, no sweats, no t-shirts, and hell-no clothes with designers’ names on them. How gauche. Anyone shows up like that, throw them the hell out.

Food: We’re going to keep it vintage style: Chips and dips, cheese cubes (I got Havarti, Gouda, Cheddar and Port Wine), crackers, Jello, pepperoni slices, some vegetables, black olives and mixed nuts. That’s plenty for a cocktail party like this, and it’s all easy to put together.

Booze: Spend a few bucks and buy a couple of bottles of booze that still have the same labels they did 50+ years ago. Here are some suggestions:

Displaying liquor that hasn't changed their labels in 50 years can really help set the mood, and show your friends how hip to the MCM vibe you really are.

Stoli Vodka
Johnny Walker Black Label
J&B Scotch
Seagram’s VO
Seagram’s Seven
Seagram’s Gin
Bacardi Rum
Appleton Estate Rum
Meyers Rum
Canadian Club
Crown Royal
Jose Cuervo Gold
Cinzano Vermouth
Jack Daniels (Green or Black Label)
The Glenlivet Scotch

All of these bottles look authentically mid-century, and will look great on the bar.

Actual Cocktails: Sure, you can make any of the old-school recipes that were famous at the time. But if you want to keep your party simple, choose from this list of era-appropriate cocktails and offer them to your guests:

(EASY)
Martini
Manhattan
Old Fashioned
Grasshopper

Bacardi Cocktail
Cuba Libre
Daiquari
Cosmopolitan
Whiskey Sour
Amaretto Sour
Bloody Mary
Gibson
Rob Roy

(A LITTLE MORE INVOLVED, and a lot more Tiki)
Singapore Sling
Mai Tai
Zombie
Mojito
Navy Grog
Dark n Stormy
Jet Pilot

Having vintage/retro glasses & decor can really add to the ambiance.

Drink Recipes for all of these cocktails can be found on the Tiki Lounge Drinks Page, or at the AMC MAD MEN Cocktail Guide. Make sure you have lots of olives, cocktail onions, lemons, limes and other garnishes on hand.

Decor: If your home is furnished in mid-century modern decor, you won’t have to do a thing. If not, thing subterfuge. If you can keep your party to one or two main rooms, try to remove or hide any modern electronics, digital clocks, photos, paintings, etc. Spend a few clams and buy some 50s-era style lamps, clocks, album covers, anything to set the mood (You’d be surprised how many inexpensive, MCM style things you can get at places like Target and Ikea, in a pinch). Or go to the local party store and get some streamers, cut-outs and balloons to transform your party space. Colored bulbs - red, green, blue - can do wonders to make a space feel partyish in a 50s way. Print-outs of old ads, and of pix of the MAD MEN show can also spice things up. Serve your food in vintage (if you have it) or retro-style dishes, use umbrellas and swords in your drinks, stick frilly toothpicks in your cheeses and you’re on your way.

Music: Before the show starts, you’re going to want some era-correct music playing in the background. I would suggest the albums Getz/Gilberto, Music from Peter Gunn, Birth of The Cool, and anything from The Ultra Lounge series. There’s also a new collection of cool vintage tunes called “This is Vintage Now”, available for download.

Games: A good drinking game is to take a drink every time someone on the show takes a drink. Or every time Draper makes a face. Or both. Either way you’ll be plastered by the fourth commercial. Another game is to do a sort of MAD MEN themed Charades. Each person picks a character out of a hat, then mimics that character - but without speaking. First person to guess right gets to take the hot secretary into the other room for five minutes…

The Show: Don’t forget, the point of the party is to watch the show. Make sure everyone’s drinks are filled and the hors d’oeuvres are finished being served before 9pm, and also make sure there are enough seats for all your guests. Finally, dim the lights before starting the program. From what I hear, people always used to dim the lights before watching TV in the old days.

Have fun, party people!

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from the Party Room at Tiki Lounge Talk

For more tips, see my post on having an Atomic Cocktail Party.

A day off, and your weekend Tiki Cocktail: The Tropical Sunrise

Tropical Sunrise

It’s been a rough week, kids…no doubt you saw there was no Mod Movie Monday this week. Been crazy-bizy with work (good), writing (better), and of course, drinking exotic cocktails (best). I’m racing to get Murder on Tiki Island finished for the April 30th debut, and it’s taking a lot out of me. So I took the day off from work, have been doing some writing, and will begin drinking those exotic cocktails any minute!

Here’s a fun and easy on that tastes great at any Tiki bar or poolside cabana. The Islanders’ answer to the Tequila Sunrise, here’s…

The Tropical Sunrise

In a shaker, combine:
crushed ice
2 shots spiced rum
1 shot triple sec
2 shots orange juice
2 shots pineapple juice
Grenadine

And shake, baby, shake! Strain into a tall glass filled with ice, drizzle with grenadine and garnish with orange slices, a pineapple wedge and a cherry. Preferably on one of those little plastic swords. You ever see the drink swords at the Mai Kai? They’re HUGE! I think they must have them special-made, cuz I ain’t seem em anyplace else that big. Anyway, there’s you drink…cheers!

-Tiki Chris P reporting from behind the bar at Tiki Lounge Talk, the Blounge for Tiki and Retro Lovers around the world. Come and visit me and my lovely wife Colleen at The Hukilau 2011, here in fabulous Fort Lauderdale, June 9-12!

Super Bowl Sunday at the Tiki Bar

I had a really fun post featuring the artwork of Doug Horne, Tiki Artist Extraordinaire for this weekend, but realized it’s Super Bowl Weekend…which means most people in the country have their mind on chips, dips, and footballs, and probably haven’t even thought about stopping by the Tiki Bar this weekend! That’s all fine and kool too, so here’s a little football trivia from the past. I’ll put up the swingin’ post on Doug later this week.

Since there’s still a few hours before the game, here’s a couple of last-minute ideas for your game day party:

Check out the Tiki Drinks page for some ideas beyond cheap beer

Check out the Luau page to turn your Super Bowl Party into a Super Bowl Luau

Check out the Atomic Age New Year’s Cocktail Party page and apply the ideas to your Super Bowl Party. (Ok, that might be a little too much)

Here’s the trivia…

The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. It was played between the Nat…ional Football League (Green Bay Packers) and the upstart American Football League (Kansas City Chiefs). The Packers beat the tails off the Chiefs 35-10. Although it was the first Super Bowl, it wasn’t called the Super Bowl until years later when the name caught on. So the first Super Bowl wasn’t really the Super Bowl. Crazy 60’s hippies.

Your Weekend Tiki Cocktail: Don the Beachcomber’s Navy Grog

Imagine yourself sitting on a beautiful, white-sand beach, the Pacific Ocean in front of you, majestic black mountains behind you, a pretty native girl laying in the sand next to you wearing a grass skirt and flower leis, and assorted cases of exotic rums strewn across the beach, washed up from a pirate wreck, there for the taking. What’s a person to do? How about mixing up a big pitcher of

Don the Beachcomber’s Navy Grog

As far as I can find through my limited (and alcohol enhanced) research, Don concocted this cocktail around 1941. A little simpler than drinks like the Zombie, it’s easy to make, tastes good and will knock you on your ass. (Supposedly he limited his customers to two of these strong-arse drinks).

Here’s the scoop:

1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Bacardi Silver, Meyers White)
1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Myers Dark, Coruba Dark, Appleton Estate)
1 oz Demerara Rum
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
3/4 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Honey, warmed
Club Soda

Shake everything but the soda up in a shaker and strain over rocks in a tall Tiki mug. Top it off with the soda and give it a quick stir with an appropriate swizzle stick (a flamingo, Tiki head, or something vintage. Don’t be lazy and use one of those plain plastic ones with the little ball on the end and nothing else). Garnish this masterpiece with a combination of lime, pineapple and cherry on a sword, and if you can, add an orchid. Fantabulous, man! Make sure you set up one for your half-naked Hula goddess laying next to you. (Hey, we can dream, can’t we?)

-Aloha from Tiki Chris, reporting from a little island somewhere in the Pacific surrounded by rum and pretty Hula girls. Tiki Lounge Talk, where your Tiki fantasies come true. Or at least sound like they do. You know what I mean.