Tiki Holiday Gift Guide 2013

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Other Tiki Topics and tagged with Books, Christmas, Frankie's Tiki Room, gift guide, gifts, Kon-Tiki, Tiki, Trader Vic's London December 20, 2013

My long-suffering boyfriend can attest that people who like tiki can be picky and notoriously hard to shop for, so here’s some last-minute gift ideas for the tiki fanatic in your life!

1. “I’m Dreaming of a Tiki Christmas” sign

While browsing Etsy, I stumbled upon these cute wooden signs painted by DiamondDustDesigns. She has several holiday designs but my favorite is this “I’m Dreaming of a Tiki Christmas” sign ($13) with a clever reindeer tiki.

2. Beachbum Berry’s Potions of the Caribbean: 500 Years of Tropical Drinks and the People Behind Them Book

Jeff Berry‘s previous books Beachbum Berry Remixed and Sippin’ Safari present recipes for vintage cocktails — and the history behind them — in a highly entertaining and enlightening fashion. I have not doubt the same can be said for his latest, Beachbum Berry’s Potions of the Caribbean: 500 Years of Tropical Drinks and the People Behind Them ($35).

3. Trader Vic’s London 50th Anniversary Shirt

Trader Vic’s London has released a limited edition t-shirt ($30) in honor of their 50th anniversary. I love the tapa print juxtaposed with the architectural icons of Big Ben, Tower Bridge and “The Gherkin.”

Kon-Tiki © Nordisk Film

4. “Kon-Tiki” DVD/Blu-ray

In case you missed “Kon-Tiki” in the theaters earlier this year, the DVD/Blu-ray is now available for this thrilling retelling of Thor Heyerdahl’s raft voyage from Peru to Polynesia. You can watch the English version on Netflix Instant, but you’ll have to get the DVD/Blu-ray for the original Norwegian (with English subtitles) version.

5. Liquid Vacation: 77 Refreshing Tropical Drinks from Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas

Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas is one of my favorite tiki bars, so I was very excited when they published a book over the summer: Liquid Vacation: 77 Refreshing Tropical Drinks from Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas ($25). Each of the recipes for these original creations is accompanied by vibrant photography and fun illustrations.

Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde Book Review

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Other Tiki Topics and tagged with Books, Cocktails, Don the Beachcomber, Professor Cocktail, Recipes, Tiki, Tiki Books, Zombie, Zombie Horde December 12, 2013

The Mai Tai may be the drink most closely associated with tiki bars these days, but the Zombie is really where it all started. It was the mixological masterpiece of Don the Beachcomber (Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt), who also pretty much invented the concept of a tiki bar (i.e. a Polynesian-inspired place serving rum concoctions). Made with a blend of rums, citrus, spices, Pernod and bitters, the Zombie was mysterious, complex and potent.

It was so popular that opportunists began creating their own Zombies, some bearing little resemblance to the original article. Don the Beachcomber went to great lengths to keep his recipes a secret, so nobody really knew what went into the original Zombie until decades later when Jeff “Beachbum” Berry embarked to uncover it through exhaustive research and interviews. (His book Sippin’ Safari: In Search of the Great “Lost” Tropical Drink Recipes… and the People Behind Them was one of the main influences that really got me into all things tiki).

Now, David J. Montgomery (aka Professor Cocktail) has added another chapter to this intoxicating narrative with his recently published e-book Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World’s Most Lethal Drink. He unearthed and assembled more than 80 recipes for the Zombie, starting with the real deal and its earliest imitators in the 1930s on through the decades. Helpful “Professor’s Notes” accompany many of the recipes and warn readers as to which drinks are duds and which ones are worth recreating at home.

My favorites are the reinvented versions of the Zombie collected from today’s top tiki bars like Smuggler’s Cove, Mahiki and Frankie’s Tiki Room. And it’s not just tiki bars that are represented but also craft cocktail spots around the country, including PDT, Bar Agricole, Caña Rum Bar and Drink. It should also be noted that 10 of these recipes are Zombie Horde exclusives that have never before been published.

Zombie Horde is available as an e-book for $2.99, but there’s a paperback version ($13.46) if you’re old-school. The author has also just released another new e-book for imbibers: Professor Cocktail’s Holiday Drinks: Recipes for Mixed Drinks and More.

Tiki at the LA County Fair: Part Five

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Other Tiki Topics and tagged with Disney, Enchanted Tiki Room, LA County Fair, Tiki, Tiki Art October 11, 2013

Many people claim that Los Angeles has no seasons, so I suppose the L.A. County Fair is helpful in marking the end of summer. We cherish our annual traditions of riding the biggest Ferris Wheel (even though it’s sort of terrifying)…

…cooing at the cute baby farm animals…

…and eating ridiculous fried food. This year we tried the deep-fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Big Cup (pictured) and Chicken Charlie’s deep-fried cookie dough. Both were definitely winners in my book.

We scoped out the tablescaping contest in the arts and crafts building, too. Alas, there was no tiki-themed entry like last year, but I did enjoy this one for “It Happened One Night” that was set up as if the stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert had just stepped out for a moment.

New for this year were shows by Mermaid Melissa, a legit underwater performer who can hold her breath for five minutes. We were pretty underwhelmed by the size of the traveling tank — but how could we not be after seeing Marina the Fire-Eating Mermaid at the Wreck Bar earlier this summer? The kids (and one kinda creepy dude) seemed to enjoy it, though.

The highlight of this year’s fair was the giant exhibition Pencils 2 Pixels: The Art of Animation. There were displays for the biggies like Disney, Dreamworks and Sony Pictures Animation, but there was also representation of stop-motion animation (“Pirates! Band of Misfits”), Japanese anime and video game animation.

We’re pretty fond of cartoons around our house, if you hadn’t noticed by the frequent “Tiki on TV” posts I write. I’m pretty sure I squealed with delight when I spotted this animation cell from “Jem and The Holograms.”

Part of the exhibit was dedicated to a gift shop where I found this Disney art giclee of James Mulligan’s “Tiki Trouble” ($595), featuring Stitch and the tiki poles from inside The Enchanted Tiki Room.

There were cut-outs and set pieces where you could take a picture in the living room of “The Simpsons” and the Mystery Machine from “Scooby Doo.” Of course I had to pose with the Moai-inspired home of Squidward Tentacles from “Spongebob Squarepants.”

We wandered through a few of the other expo buildings with their in-person infomercials and among the vendors was a booth with all kinds of piñatas, including this tiki-ish one. That’s one way to take out your aggression for those Party City-style tikis! Though buying them would just encourage them to make more, so never mind.

The Tiki Chick

A California girl chronicling modern tiki culture

Category Archives: Other Tiki Topics

Tiki Holiday Gift Guide 2013

Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde Book Review

Tiki at the LA County Fair: Part Five