Post #578602 by swizzle on Thu, Mar 3, 2011 2:46 AM

G'day Trav, as a fellow Aussie, albeit from Melbourne, just thought i'd give my two cents.

To me, Tiki culture and cocktails are interlinked and I became interested in both around the same time. Although I am not a bartender I have quite a vast knowledge about cocktails and spirits just because they interest me and i've read a lot about them. Because of that I have made some good friends who are bartenders because I think they had respect for me as I didn't enter a cocktail bar and ask for a bourbon and coke. I would usually let them make me whatever they wanted, generally with gin or rum (my favourite spirits) and would ask questions about the different brands they used, ratios, etc. and would question why they might have been using a certain recipe when it sounded different to what I had read about and was familiar with. Without sounding like I have an big head, everyone now calls me Tiki Rob and bartenders never really question, or disagree with me about my knowledge on tiki drinks because whilst they might be bartenders and I am not, they know that I am passionate about tiki/tiki drinks and probably know more about them than they do. I have had a few bartenders ask me why I dont work in a bar as I know a hell of a lot more than half their staff, but that's another story.

One bartender I met was into Tiki himself and we have become quite good friends because of our shared interest. He has worked at and managed several cocktail bars and plans to open his own bar soon. Now whilst he loves Tiki himself, he is NOT going to open a Tiki bar as he doesn't believe it would work, and I agree with him. He wants to open a RUM bar that will have a Tiki element to it without going all the way and over the top, but most likely in a second room. As I said, i'm no bartender but have discussed this topic at length with him and those in the industry, and no-one here seems willing to take the risk, but without trying you never know. It could go crazy there as it could here.

My point is, and my personal opinion, finally :), is that running a successful cocktail bar, which a Tiki bar would be, is already a competitive and difficult area to succeed in that requires a fairly large financial investment to begin with. I dont know what it's like up on the Gold Coast but I feel that we would have more people interested in Tiki here in Melbourne, although the climate up there is more appropriate, but still nowhere near enough to keep a business like a 100% dedicated Tiki bar, afloat. As others have mentioned, as you have yourself, you need and would have to offer beer, wine, etc to get the punters in and coming back. That's why my friend only wants to add a Tiki element to the bar rather than going the whole hog, as a Tiki bar in Aus. would just seem like a novelty and might not be enough to keep customers coming back.

I'm not sure if you've heard of the Hula Bula bar in Perth, but that is a 100% dedicated Tiki bar that has been running for several years now. I flew over a few years ago specifically to check it out, and it's awesome decor wise, but I must admit I wasnt blown away by the drinks. I got there Wednesday evening and went straight there and it was fairly quiet, but on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night it was PACKED. They had a happy hour, either 5-7 or 6-8, with I think $10 Mai Tais and just about everyone was ordering them, including guys in suits (I think I was the only person there with an aloha shirt on). Although I must say I'm not sure what everyone started drinking after happy hour was over. I cant remember.:D So it seems if it works over in Perth it's hard to think why it wouldn't work here in Melbourne and even more so where you are because of your climate. Who knows, but all the best if you give it a go. Let me know when/if it's up and running because i'd definitely come up to meet you and check it out.

P.S. Apologies to all that that took a while to get my point/opinion across. :lol: