Newspaper article, “Taking the tacky out of Tiki (drinks)” - Tiki Drinks and Food

Q Quince_at_Dannys Tiki Socialite Command Records International HQ Joined: Mar 29, 2004 Posts: 197	Q Quince_at_Dannys Posted posted on Mon, Sep 9, 2013 10:04 AM This article takes the same amnesiac stance as many of its ilk--that the tiki revival is somehow anathema to the resurgence of "craft" cocktails when in fact the research of Jeff Berry (who is too modest) was a CATALYST of that revival. (That's how I remember my experience in the periphery of this whole thing in the 90s anyway.) I recall spending a lot of time seeking out good mixology bars so that we could enjoy a drinking experience comparable to the transcendant homemade drinks we were regularly making out of the then-brand-new Grog Log. My first visit to the Mai Kai was a revelation; and that was when the craft cocktail revival was in its infancy... and nonexistent in my Milwaukee/Chicago/Minneapolis travels. "Not a kitschy tiki bar... we're taking these cocktails very seriously..." I wonder if he's heard of the Mai Kai (or Tiki Ti, or Smuggler's Cove, or Three Dots and a Dash, or the Tonga Hut, etc. etc. etc.) By the way, that corn drink at Eat Street Social's Torpedo Room IS fantastic. They're doing some things right with the drinks, even if their cocktail-snootlyness sometimes gets in the way of the tiki goodness. On 2013-09-08 08:21, bigbrotiki wrote: "While temperately embracing elements of tiki decor — check the thatched-roof bar, 8-foot marlin and variety of tiki mugs — Kosevich says the Torpedo Bar is all about the cocktails. “We’re not opening up a kitschy tiki bar,” he said. “That’s not what this is. We’re taking these cocktails very seriously"

This article takes the same amnesiac stance as many of its ilk--that the tiki revival is somehow anathema to the resurgence of "craft" cocktails when in fact the research of Jeff Berry (who is too modest) was a CATALYST of that revival. (That's how I remember my experience in the periphery of this whole thing in the 90s anyway.) I recall spending a lot of time seeking out good mixology bars so that we could enjoy a drinking experience comparable to the transcendant homemade drinks we were regularly making out of the then-brand-new Grog Log. My first visit to the Mai Kai was a revelation; and that was when the craft cocktail revival was in its infancy... and nonexistent in my Milwaukee/Chicago/Minneapolis travels.

"Not a kitschy tiki bar... we're taking these cocktails very seriously..." I wonder if he's heard of the Mai Kai (or Tiki Ti, or Smuggler's Cove, or Three Dots and a Dash, or the Tonga Hut, etc. etc. etc.)

By the way, that corn drink at Eat Street Social's Torpedo Room IS fantastic. They're doing some things right with the drinks, even if their cocktail-snootlyness sometimes gets in the way of the tiki goodness.

On 2013-09-08 08:21, bigbrotiki wrote:

"While temperately embracing elements of tiki decor — check the thatched-roof bar, 8-foot marlin and variety of tiki mugs — Kosevich says the Torpedo Bar is all about the cocktails. “We’re not opening up a kitschy tiki bar,” he said. “That’s not what this is. We’re taking these cocktails very seriously"

Post #692972 by Quince_at_Dannys on Mon, Sep 9, 2013 10:04 AM