Puka Bar, Long Beach, CA (bar) - Locating Tiki

W WooHooWahine Grand Member (8 years) Mission (Impossible) Viejo, Ca Joined: Mar 04, 2005 Posts: 3457	W WooHooWahine Posted posted on Thu, Aug 9, 2007 4:08 PM A NIGHT AT THE PUKA BAR Puka is a taste of the South Seas in Long Beach Byron Mathis concocts exotic cocktails in his tiki lounge. By Heidi Siegmund Cuda August 9, 2007 BYRON MATHIS, who spent five years slinging cocktails at the Bigfoot Lodge, took a roundabout route to Long Beach. Like a tattooed Tom Cruise in "Cocktail," the bartender perfected his art in L.A., New York, New Orleans, Hawaii and San Francisco before opening up his own tiki lounge. A little over a year ago, he teamed up with custom motorcycle builder Larry Settle, who owns a chopper shop in Harbor City, to open up Puka Bar in an industrial stretch of Long Beach. And the locals are saying mahalo. "I'm a huge fan of Hawaiian and Polynesian style," says Mary Pagoni, an art director who's been frequenting Puka since it opened. "It's the most authentic tiki bar I've ever been to. And Byron's a real mixologist. He knows how to create a perfect mai-tai." "I've traveled the world, visiting every port town you can think of," says Richard Ferry, a ship hand who makes his way to Long Beach every few months. "This place is reminiscent of some of the best ones I've seen in places like the Virgin Islands and Indonesia." Credit Mathis, who takes his work seriously. From his design, which is spot-on tiki chic, to the cocktails, he says he gave it all he's got. "It's all about the right ingredients," he says. "From the smile on your face to the music to the way we create our drinks, it's a no-fail recipe." Mathis took five weeks to revamp the bar from a low-key dive to an authentic tiki bar. Among the design highlights are bamboo walls and ceiling lamps created from real blowfish. Hula hoops hang on the walls in case clubbers want to try out their hips (they do, and often) and black-velvet nudes of pin-ups hang on the walls. We couldn't resist taking a peek in the men's room, which looks like the inside of a volcano, with blackened textured lava-like walls. The crowd is just what you'd expect from Long Beach. It's a nice mix of rockabilly hipsters, urban professionals, refinery employees, longshoremen and sailors. The common denominator? The cocktails. There's the Land Pirate, a whiskey-based drink with a secret sauce that's like an Old Fashioned turned on its head; the Snow Monkey, a frothy tequila confection which includes banana liqueur, fresh pineapple and coconut; or the Lemmynade, a rum-based cocktail with dark brown sugar and fresh lemon juice. Although the Puka Bar offers DJs six nights a week, regulars come in early and drop a buck in the jukebox. Among the highlights: Elvis, Throw Rag, the Distillers, Iggy & the Stooges, Bill Withers, Flogging Molly, the Groovy Rednecks, Tom Jones and Sublime -- all nice ingredients for a swell time. "There's a couple things missing," Mathis says. "Like the Ramones and the Damned. But we're working on it." But Puka Bar regular Johnny Fouts says it's all good. "It's my favorite spot to go to in Long Beach," he says. "It's just a beautiful bar." -- [email protected] -- Puka Bar Where: 710 W. Willow St., Long Beach When: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily Price: No cover; 21 and older Info: (562) 997-6869; http://www.pukabar.com

A NIGHT AT THE PUKA BAR
Puka is a taste of the South Seas in Long Beach
Byron Mathis concocts exotic cocktails in his tiki lounge.
By Heidi Siegmund Cuda
August 9, 2007

BYRON MATHIS, who spent five years slinging cocktails at the Bigfoot Lodge, took a roundabout route to Long Beach.

Like a tattooed Tom Cruise in "Cocktail," the bartender perfected his art in L.A., New York, New Orleans, Hawaii and San Francisco before opening up his own tiki lounge.

A little over a year ago, he teamed up with custom motorcycle builder Larry Settle, who owns a chopper shop in Harbor City, to open up Puka Bar in an industrial stretch of Long Beach.

And the locals are saying mahalo.

"I'm a huge fan of Hawaiian and Polynesian style," says Mary Pagoni, an art director who's been frequenting Puka since it opened. "It's the most authentic tiki bar I've ever been to. And Byron's a real mixologist. He knows how to create a perfect mai-tai."

"I've traveled the world, visiting every port town you can think of," says Richard Ferry, a ship hand who makes his way to Long Beach every few months. "This place is reminiscent of some of the best ones I've seen in places like the Virgin Islands and Indonesia."

Credit Mathis, who takes his work seriously.

From his design, which is spot-on tiki chic, to the cocktails, he says he gave it all he's got.

"It's all about the right ingredients," he says. "From the smile on your face to the music to the way we create our drinks, it's a no-fail recipe."

Mathis took five weeks to revamp the bar from a low-key dive to an authentic tiki bar. Among the design highlights are bamboo walls and ceiling lamps created from real blowfish. Hula hoops hang on the walls in case clubbers want to try out their hips (they do, and often) and black-velvet nudes of pin-ups hang on the walls.

We couldn't resist taking a peek in the men's room, which looks like the inside of a volcano, with blackened textured lava-like walls.

The crowd is just what you'd expect from Long Beach. It's a nice mix of rockabilly hipsters, urban professionals, refinery employees, longshoremen and sailors.

The common denominator? The cocktails.

There's the Land Pirate, a whiskey-based drink with a secret sauce that's like an Old Fashioned turned on its head; the Snow Monkey, a frothy tequila confection which includes banana liqueur, fresh pineapple and coconut; or the Lemmynade, a rum-based cocktail with dark brown sugar and fresh lemon juice.

Although the Puka Bar offers DJs six nights a week, regulars come in early and drop a buck in the jukebox. Among the highlights: Elvis, Throw Rag, the Distillers, Iggy & the Stooges, Bill Withers, Flogging Molly, the Groovy Rednecks, Tom Jones and Sublime -- all nice ingredients for a swell time.

"There's a couple things missing," Mathis says. "Like the Ramones and the Damned. But we're working on it."

But Puka Bar regular Johnny Fouts says it's all good.

"It's my favorite spot to go to in Long Beach," he says. "It's just a beautiful bar."

[email protected]

Puka Bar

Where: 710 W. Willow St.,

Long Beach

When: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily

Price: No cover; 21 and older

Info: (562) 997-6869; http://www.pukabar.com

Post #324528 by WooHooWahine on Thu, Aug 9, 2007 4:08 PM