Tiki bars became popular in the years following World War I, when air travel became more affordable and ideal tropical island vacations were on everybody's mind. People wanted to have a piece of the topical beaches, mixed cocktails and laid-back bamboo huts that they saw on television and heard people talk about. The tiki bar catered to this popular obsession perfectly. The first tiki bar was Don the Beachcomber, which opened in 1933 in Los Angeles. It had all the markings of tiki bars today: cocktail umbrellas, woven grass wall-coverings, bamboo bars and stools. Don the Beachcomber closed a few years after it opened, but many other bars followed, some of which are still standing. Here are some of the most popular tiki bars today.
Forbidden Island
For being one of the newest tiki bars on the list, Forbidden Island, in Alameda, CA, is one of the most authentically old-school looking of the bunch. As soon as you walk in you get the feeling as if in a classic '50s or '60s tiki lounge. Owners Michel and Emmanuel Thanos got ever part of the decor right. There are blowfish lamps, bamboo bars and private bamboo booths, a waterfall, and (more importantly) not a single television screen.
Trader Vic's
The founder of Trader Vic's is Victor Bergeron, who helped Donn Beach, owner of Donn the Beachcomber, popularize tiki bars and tiki culture back in the '30s and '40s. Today, Trader Vic's is an international franchise with locations in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, Emeryville, Destin, and Palo Alto, as well as 20 international locations in countries like England, Spain and Germany. The original location, however, is in Atlanta, GA. It has excellent bamboo bar and tiki decor as well as live music and different drink specials each day.
The Tonga Room
Located in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, the Tonga Room has a unique vintage feel. It is essentially a musical boat built in what used to be a swimming pool. The Tonga Room was purportedly the inspiration of Jimmy Buffet's famous song "Altered Boy". Patrons of the Tonga Room can relax under bamboo huts and enjoy the mixed drinks and South Seas ambiance, complete with occasional tropical storm sound effects and lighting.
Tiki-Ti
Tiki-Ti is a small, unpretentious, family-owned bar located in Los Angeles's Sunset Strip. It was opened in 1961 by master drink mixer Ray Buhen, who was involved in the original tiki bar craze at the Don the Beachcomber restaurant. Buhen's son and grandson are carrying on the tradition, mixing some of the best exotic cocktail drinks you will ever have.
0 comments:
Post a Comment