TIKI CULTURE

Puka Punch - Your Weekend Tiki Cocktail

Here’s one of those crazy Tiki bar drinks that we love to build because it uses just about everything behind the bar including the sink. Rum, rum, and more rum, fruit juices, Falernum…mix it all together and you get one of those drinks that is fun to make, looks impressive to your pals, and tastes pretty damned good. Plus it reminds me of the Puca rabbit Harvey, and that makes me smile.

Puka Punch

2 oz. white rum
3⁄4 oz. dark Jamaican rum
3⁄4 oz. 151-proof rum (optional)
3⁄4 oz. fresh orange juice
3⁄4 oz. pineapple juice
3⁄4 oz. passion fruit syrup
2 tsp. honey mixed with
2 tsp. hot water, chilled
1⁄4 oz. Falernum
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 oz. fresh lime juice
Pineapple slice, orange wedge,
and maraschino cherry

Toss 1 1⁄2 cups of ice cubes into a blender and crush em up. Add all ingredients except the 151, blend on high speed. Pour into a Highball glass or tall Tiki mug. Then slowly pour the 151 rum over back of a (vintage) bar spoon into cocktail. Garnish with pineapple, orange, and a cherry on a little plastic sword. Cool drink!

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from Pirate’s Cove Tiki Bar, on the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale, South Florida. Watch out for the alligators.

Huge 55th Anniversary Party at the Mai Kai Wednesday Night!

The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Wednesday, December 28: Swing on down to Fort Lauderdale’s historic Mai Kai Polynesian Restaurant and Tiki Bar for their

CUSTOMER CELEBRATION PARTY IN RECOGNITION OF
MAI-KAI’S 55TH ANNIVERSARY, 5pm-9pm

With platters spun by Mr. Jet Setter himself, D.J. MIKE JONES this promises to be a really fun party. There will be an extended Happy Hour and Complimentary buffet in the Molokai Bar from 5 - 9 pm. And the Mai Kai will bring out old scrap books for those that are interested in old Mai-Kai memorabilia! (I’ve seen these books, they are a rare treasure from the past)

If all goes well yours truly will be there, probably around 7 or 8. I’ll tweet when I’m there so if you make it to the shindig we can get together for a cocktail!

Hmmm…at the Mai Kai I’ve had the Mai Tai, Jet Pilot, Zombie, Barrel ‘o Rum and Pina Passion. What should I try next…

-Tiki Chris, reporting from US 1 & Oakland Park Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Alcohol-Soaked Eggnog for a Very Merry Tiki Bar Christmas

With Christmas just a few days away I thought I’d give you kats and kittens some retro Egg Nog recipes to get your Christmas shindigs really swingin’! After all, you can’t have a retro, mid-century-style Christmas affair without a generous amount of booze flowing. And the easiest way to get your guests sloshed is with a couple of cups of good, strong, traditional eggnog. With these recipes, even the most uptight conformists will have lampshades on their heads before Santa makes an appearance. But be warned…these concoctions have been known to make some guests disappear two-at-a-time (and sometimes three) to darkened, upstairs rooms while the party is in full swing in the parlor!

Easy: Tiki Chris’ Pirate-Style Eggnog Recipe

I’m kind of lazy when it comes to Eggnog, so my personal recipe is the kind that uses pre-made non-alcoholic nog kicked up with some good booze and spices.

1 quart good quality store-bought eggnog
About 1 1/2 cups Captain Morgan’s or Sailor Jerry Rum
2 oz Coconut Rum
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pour the nog into a large bottle and add all ingredients (start with ½ cup of rum and keep adding to taste). Shake vigorously and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving. That’s it…it’s delicious.

A little more involved: Vintage Style Eggnog Recipe, from Rumdood.com

Thanks to Hurricane Hayward of TheAtomicGrog.com for turning me on to this kool Eggnog recipe. Check out his blog for lots of great recipes and more…and also check out RumDood’s post with four more great winter cocktail recipes.

“Egg Nogg:
.75 oz Brandy
.75 oz Rum
.5 oz Sugar
3 oz Whole Milk or Heavy Cream
1 Whole Egg

Mix rum, brandy, sugar, egg, and milk in a mixing tin.  Fill the tin with ice and shake like your life depends on it. Strain into a glass or goblet and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.”

Christmas Yule Eggnog: A complicated but well worth it vintage recipe.

From the Old Mr. Boston Deluxe Official Bartender’s Guide (my version is from 1979, the recipe dates back to the late 19th Century:

Beat first the yolks and then, in a separate bowl, the whites of one dozen eggs.
Pour them together and add:

1 pinch baking soda
6 oz. gold rum
2 lbs granulated sugar (yes, that’s two pounds)

Beat into stiff batter. Then add:

1 qt fresh milk
1 qt sweet cream
2 qts blended whiskey or bourbon

Don't forget to have a tasty Camel cigarette with your Eggnog! Santa approved!

Stir. Set in the refrigerator overnight. Before serving, stir again and serve in punch cups with sprinkled nutmeg on top. Fannnntabulous stuff.

That should keep you kids hammered through the holidays. Don’t forget, you can always add more booze if it’s not strong enough!

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from under the Christmas Tree at Tiki Lounge Talk

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Cary Grant: Sophisticated Style for Retro Lovers

Cary Grant

This isn’t going to be a particularly original post, but a fun one nonetheless. Today’s post at the Tiki Lounge is dedicated to that debonair man,

Mr. Cary Grant.

Equally at ease in a wool suit playing a heavy, or goofing around in a tennis sweater, Cary Grant played every part with the sophistication and charm just not found in today’s movie scene.

Known for about a thousand great movies, Cary Grant’s career spanned over five decades and included such notables as The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), To Catch A Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), Houseboat (1958) North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963).

Six of his films are on AMI’s list of top 100 romantic films. He gave his entire salary for both Arsenic and Old Lace and The Philadelphia Story to the war effort. He turned down the role of James Bond in Dr. No because he felt at 58, he was too old to play the part (of course he was mistaken). He had his face on an American postal stamp and did almost all of his own stunts.

And he looked damned good in a suit.

Even in those days when men wore suits the way people wear ripped jeans and corny t-shirts today, the man had a way of letting those threads drape down, that set him off in some kind of mid-century GQ hipsterland.

Just dig this kat standing in front of that 1930s roadster. Sharp lapels, pinned collar, tilted pork pie. Now that’s how a man should dress, right?

Still lookin’ sharp as a tack, even as he got older. I think that old saying “men look more distinguished with age” originated with this picture. Dig those cuff links. Real men wear cuff links.

“A hat’s not a hat ’til it’s tilted”, the old song goes. Mr. Grant proves that point quite succinctly here. I wonder what color that tie was.

Even as the bad guy he looked good. Check out the dimple in the tie. I wonder if anyone but me and a few of you reading this even know how to do that with a tie.

This one almost makes me want to take up smoking.

Sure, these were publicity shots and clips from movies. The man was made up by the wardrobe and make up departments to look the part. Sure, it’s just a part, but it’s the part he played and made us believe.

This guy was the original Mr. Smooth; suave, funny and smart, tough when he needed to be and sweet when the ladies wanted it. Throw in the English accent and you’ve got the one and only Cary Grant.

-Tiki Chris P. reporting from the wardrobe department at Tiki Lounge Studios, Miami Beach

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Painkiller Cocktail Recipe - Your Weekend Tiki Drink

The Painkiller

As far as exotic cocktails go, The Painkiller ranks as one of the most famous…and most ordered…at the Tiki Bar. Along with the Navy Grog, Zombie, and of course the Mai Tai, The Painkiller has become one of the drinks most closely associated with Tiki. Kind of funny, when you realize the drink wasn’t concocted until the early 1970s…a time when the Tiki Bar craze was already beginning to fade.

Before the recipe I have to make a note that Pusser’s Rum, a brand that’s only been around for about 30 years, claimed and trademarked the cocktail “Painkiller”, claiming it was originally created using their rum. Uh…well, the Tiki community takes issue with that claim, but Pusser’s does own the trademark. Whatever…use any rum you want at home. I prefer Meyers for this blend.

The Painkiller Cocktail Recipe

2 oz dark rum
1 oz cream of coconut
4 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice

Shake all ingredients in a shaker until nice and frothy. Strain over crushed ice in a Tiki mug or Collins glass and garnish with a chunk of fresh pineapple…an orange wheel and cherry are nice with it, too.

Painkiller Tiki Bar, NYC

Many of have probably heard of this drink in the last year as it, and an NYC Tiki Bar that went by the same name, made minor headlines when Pusser’s sued the New York City Tiki bar “Painkiller” over rights to the name. It seems what Pusser’s was really pussed-off about was that they weren’t using their brand of rum…again, whatever. The bar had to comply with Pusser’s demands, and is now called PKNY. The REAL news to this story is that…hey! Another Tiki Bar opened in New York City! From what I’ve read it’s not a traditional Tiki Bar, but is still keeping the spirit alive.