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Tiki Central 20th Anniversary Party at Forbidden Island

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Tiki Central 20th Anniversary Party at Forbidden Island Attended a wonderfully produced event at @forbiddenisland yesterday. This was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tiki Central, a seminal resource in the resurgence of tiki in the early 2000s. The party included the Reverb Crash cocktail, the official cocktail of Tiki Central, along with the rest of the full menu of cocktails. There were special coasters and umbrella picks branded for the occasion. And there was a live link with other bars participating in the event. Music was provided by DJ Speakeasy Ray and DJ Otto. Forbidden Island owner Michael Thanos credited Tiki Central for being the place that spurred the people and components that allowed the bar to open in 2006. And Thanos is a true believer, as they say. He pulled out an amazing Tiki Central bowl that was produced back in the day, and even had postcards for tiki newbies to find and learn about the website. In a room filled with tiki nerds, it’s clear who the captain was this day. Tiki Central’s “vintage” early 2000s look and feel almost feels right at home related as a nostalgia nod in a subculture defined by nostalgia. It’s still a great resource to learn about tiki’s past, present, and future. #tiki #tikibar #tikidrinks #tikiculture #cocktails #craftcocktails #rum #rhum @speakeasy.ray @ottovs @michaelthanos

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Check out the Tiki Central website

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Doc Parks 40th Anniversary Party Recap

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Early entrant for Mai Tai of the Year I had a surprisingly great Mai Tai at the Doc Park’s 40th Anniversary Tour Finale. Not that I expect dull Mai Tais at a Doc Parks event of course, but the cocktails for this special event were largely batched since the location isn’t normally serving #tikidrinks. But, I must say, this one was really good. Actually, all the cocktails here were pretty good. What a great event put together by Park’s wife @handbagsandhappyhour. In a very classy move, Deb even called up Mrs. Mai Tai and @midcenturytiki (both celebrating birthdays that day) to help blow out the candles. The downtown Oakland location has a bar in one room and a stage/dance floor in another. And we got to experience some great vibey DJ music from @atownagency and then some burlesque dancers. The headliner musical act was APE, fronted by @crazyaltikis and a very tight group of talented musicians who play a mix of surf, calypso, Hawaiian, and exotica. Always love seeing APE and am looking forward to their long awaited second album coming this year. The souvenir glass design is by @tikitony and looks great. A really spectacular event and a testament to one of tiki’s master showmen, @doc_parks #docparksismyhomeboy #tiki #tikibar #tikiculture #cocktails #rum #rhum #maitai #1944maitai

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Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana Shopping Center to Close

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VenTiki Visit

Finally made it out to Ventura to visit VenTiki Tiki Lounge & Lanai.

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Finally made it to VenTiki @ventikivta Traffic was clear on Saturday on our way home from Palm Springs, so we had plenty of time to stop for lunch in Ventura to visit VenTiki. This has been on my radar for a while and glad to finally visit. We had a pretty great experience. First of all, the TV was showing the cult favorite The Forbidden Zone – a really weird and borderline offensive movie from 1980 that featured Oingo Boingo and music by Danny Elfman. That’s Danny there in his big scene as the Devil. Never in a million years would I have expected to see this in public. Food was very nice. I had the Spam Musabi and the Spamageddon Sliders. Both excellent and pairing well with my cocktails. I started with their Trader Vic’s Mai Tai (good) and the Reverb Crash (better). Mrs. Mai Tai liked her food and drinks too. Our bartender was friendly and efficient. VenTiki is pretty small on the inside but the patio seems welcoming and fun. Definitely want to return again. #tiki #tikibar #tikidrinks #tikiculture #cocktails #craftcocktails #rum #rhum #maitai #1944maitai #ventura

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Palm Springs Summary

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Palm Springs Tiki Summary If you're looking for a tiki destination, Palm Springs has a little bit of everything, and the four tiki bars are all in close proximity. Each place has their own charms and good reasons to visit, and so your preference might depend on your taste, which aspects of the venue are most important, the location, or even some small details. I am developing a rating system based on these four criteria. Drinks: quality, variety, price, consistency Ambiance: Decor, immersiveness, seating, special features Service: Hours, ease of service, friendliness Tiki Aesthetic: Totems, Polynesian and/or Nautical theme, music Ultimate Mai Tai Tiki Bar Ratings: Bootlegger Tiki 7.5 Tonga Hut 6.75 The Reef 6.75 Toucans Tiki Lounge 5 Interesting, my ratings on Critiki were in the same order: Bootlegger Tiki 8 Tonga Hut 7.9 The Reef 7 Toucans Tiki Lounge 5.4 Overall, Bootlegger Tiki was my top choice. With a great immersive experience inside (if you can hang with an occasional classic rock number) and truly outstanding drinks, this place was my number one and compares well to fine tiki bars nationally. But Tonga Hut was pretty close, and most certainly is the best one to take those new to tiki bars. Drinks were fine to excellent and the centrally located venue has a high seating capacity, perfect music, and great decor. Plus they have some great food, too. Service issues held the rating down for me. The Reef is also a destination that every tikiphile should seek out. The friendly hotel bar vibe is truly relaxing and they too have fine food and great music. Drinks and decor elements were more uneven, hence the slightly lower rating. But with a group of people? This might be the most fun place for an evening of drinks. Lastly, Toucans Tiki Lounge is a nightclub with a tiki theme and so isn't essential for hardcore tiki people. But, you might have a fun time anyway. #tiki #tikibar #tikidrinks #tikiculture #cocktails #craftcocktails #rum #rhum #maitai #1944maitai #palmsprings

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For more details about Palm Springs, check out the page: Tiki Travels – Palm Springs.

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2019 Tiki Bar Visits

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2019 Tiki Bar Visits I visited 52 commercial tiki bars in 2019, following 34 in 2018 and 25 in 2017. This upward trend will NOT continue in 2020 for various reasons. Some were “one and done” and am unlikely to vacation in “tiki dense” locations this year. The highlight was visiting @the_maikai_restaurant. And then some great excursions in Hawaii, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. And of course all the great places in California. Plus all the great people I’ve met and shared librations with – especially Mrs Mai Tai @juliebeane Most visited: 27 @thekontikioakland 8 @thezombievillage 7 @forbiddenisland 5 @hanahoutikilounge 4 @tradervicseville and @paganidolsf 133: the number of times this year I’ve walked into a tiki bar, home tiki bar, or bar with tiki event. #tiki #tikidrinks #tikibar #maitai #tikiculture

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