Post #669405 by Hale Tiki on Sat, Mar 2, 2013 10:55 AM

Agreed. I live in Pittsburgh, a place that has a cost of living that's much MUCH lower than LA. I don't know the figures, but Pittsburgh is approx half of NYC, so take of that what you will. But $12 for a good cocktail here is no sweat. The good craft cocktails here are $10-12 all day long. And for those that seek them out, there's not a second thought given to paying $12 for a finely crafted cocktails.

Here's my 2 cents as a home bartender with a larger liquor selection than most bars. First, get yourself every Beachbum Berry Book. Grab all the Trader Vic's books that you can. Do your research, and have them on hand in the bar. I'm sure the restaurant/bar will pay for them. These give not only recipes, but the history behind the drinks as well. Vic is often happy to talk at length about recipes. Do not go with the assumption that just because you can make a good cocktail, that you can make a good tiki drink. They're totally different animals. And as per your friend, no, the ingredients aren't there to sweeten it up. A good tiki drink has a balance of flavors. Make yourself Don's Punch, or a proper Mai Tai with Eldorado 12, Smith & Cross, homemade Orgeat, homemade rock candy syrup, and a fresh, organic lime. Taste the complexity in the flavors. A good tiki drink is no different than a good cocktail. Every ingredient is showcased and adds to the overall flavor of the drink.
If you have an iPhone, get the Tiki+ app immediately. It's a good primer, and is more immediate than getting the Berry Books. Go into the help section, start reading.
Now, as far as syrups and liqueurs go: you can make your own. Most of them, anyway. Orgeat, Falernum, Rock Candy, Orange Blossom Water, Grenadine...these are basic, and easily made. Others can be made as well. Do some research on here, you'll find a lot of recipes. You can also make your own rum in house using Martin Cate's recipe. I choose to do this, though I've tweaked it a bit.
Everyone above who mentioned designing a menu that revolves around a core set of ingredients is right. I would say that a menu of 10 drinks, which is a lot for a non-tiki bar, will require you to have at least 20 bottles of booze/ingredients on hand, as well as fresh fruits. Start making lots of drinks from those books. Find ones you like. Make them your own if you'd like, then develop your menu.
There is only two drinks that I know of that require a fresh banana to be put in the drink. So don't worry too much about that. If you want to make your own flavored liquors, your best bet is to start with a rum/vodka base, infuse the flavors, add simple syrup/sugar to get them to be around 20%. You could do well with reductions of the fresh fruits mixed with sugar as well.
If you REALLY want to get into making your own boozes, there's a German book, I believe, from the 1800s that has recipes for distilling just about any type of liquor you can think of. Although you can't distill them yourself, it may provide some insight as to what to put in them.
Lastly, make the Tiki Ti your new home. Taste their drinks. Observe them being made. You won't be able to replicate them because of their unmarked bottles, but that's your best place in LA to really experience a wide variety of traditional drinks. Get the Ray's Mistake, and the Uga Booga, and pretty much everything else on the menu. Bring your books with you to cross reference and make notes as you taste the drinks.