Welcome to Tiki Month at Supercall , a time to discover the best cocktail , masses and cultural moments that have made this tropic drink trend so interesting .
A Brief History of Tiki
birth out of a Depression - era need for escapism , the tiki furor go in 1933 with Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt . You probably know Gantt as the man who opened Hollywood ’s famous Don the Beachcomber restaurant ( who subsequently legally switch his name to Donn Beach ) . After the tiki spot advance massive popularity among celebrities of the thirties and 1940s , it was only a topic of time until other restaurateur start to simulate his tropical style . Close behind Beach was Victor Jules Bergeron Jr. who open Trader Vic ’s in Oakland , California , and is wide credited with introducing orgeat to the masse shot .
As servicemen returned home from the South Pacific in the late 1940s and early fifties , tropical shirts andMai Taisin tow , the tiki movement gained mainstream popularity . With the economy warm , many families had the way for alien tropical travel . Elvis starred inBlue Hawaiiand the musicalSouth Pacificwas a Broadway hit . Tiki culture was everywhere .
The tiki trend started to go bad down in the 1970s due to several reasons , such as the high disk overhead that come with pee high - quality element from cabbage , demanding training for staff and a sluggish thriftiness . Many high - end tiki establishment were storm to close up their door , and places slinging cheap , sugary drinks were the only unity that remained .
The Tiki Revival
Tiki made a small retort in the 90s , but timbre drink did n’t necessarily take back with it . It seemed mass care more about the Hawaiian shirts and tropical decor than the cocktails . But with the craft cocktail boom of the early aughts came a reincarnate zeal for tiki , with cocktail historians such as Jeff “ Beachbum ” Berry lead the charge with script likeBeachbum Berry ’s IntoxicaandGrog Log .
Tiki is all about workmanship , which only come with recitation . That ’s why we ’re dedicate an integral calendar month to tiki finish and technique . Donn Beach and Trader Vic always insisted on fresh juices , homemade syrups and quality spirits in their drinks . Then there ’s the endless accoutrements and garnishes . Tiki cocktails also have notoriously long ingredient lists , and learning how flavors marry to produce a proportionate drink is a very important part of the process . Once you ’ve made a few , however , we think you ’ll find they propose a richness and complexity not observe in simple cocktail .
This calendar month , we ’re plunge late into everything from tiki garnish and glassware , to the history of the Hawaiian shirt and how to make falernum . total with us on our tropical journey , and you ’ll be well on your way to tiki professional by the clock time Labor Day rolls around .
