Post #517107 by Swanky on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 5:10 PM

Hey Rob, I was at TV when I had these thoughts, so... I still go.

I'd sort of quote Sven about how his book made us imagine a place that maybe didn't exist. These home bars we are creating are a very refined and well executed idea of a tiki bar that may never have existed. We have elevated the places beyond maybe their ability to provide.

I have been in some great public bars that are the summit I aspire to. They drive me. And in a way, I will never reach it. Why? Because in my bar I have to squeeze the limes and crush the ice and usually make the drinks. And often it is just me and the wife and maybe a couple of friends. It honestly loses something, while it gains something else. It is a replica of the thing I seek, not the thing itself.

The real truth is: I build my home bar for my guests. The Hideaway may the the closest my guests will ever get to the Mai-Kai, Hala Kahiki or the Aku Tiki Room. I strive to make them feel what I feel when I am in those temples.

I miss you tiki bar! Can't wait to feel your energy again! June. June...

And in another can of worms, let me say that to re-create my bar, decor and construction, would cost in the neighborhood of $25,000. I went through my mug shelf alone and figure there's maybe $3k there. Of course the Big Guy is about $7k of that cost, so... But, like most of us, I did nearly all the work myself and I bought all my mugs at low prices. I spent more like $5-6k on my home bar. which is 12 x 19 feet. And I spent that money over about 8 years of collecting...