Post #726044 by Hurricane Hayward on Fri, Aug 22, 2014 11:55 PM

I think people are coming around, at least down here in South Florida. Especially in the cocktail scene. Rum is certainly on the upswing. The Miami Rum Fest gets bigger every year, and more and more craft cocktail bars are popping up with rum and Tiki cocktails. I just wrote a story on my blog about the "Summer of Rum" and all the bars featuring special cocktails and tastings. Awareness of Poly Pop on a larger scale is a tougher nut to crack, but having The Mai-Kai still around and thriving certainly helps. We have a chance to hook the younger folks if we maintain a dedication to quality when it comes to drinks, artwork, decor, etc.

For many reasons, Florida will always have a huge segment of the population that's perfectly happy with a lackadaisical approach to "tropical themed" establishments, and there's nothing wrong with that. We're a lot closer to the Caribbean than the South Pacific, after all. My only problem is simply with the semantics. I wish I could tell people I work with that I'm into Tiki bars and not have them think that I enjoy hanging out in dives and drinking cheap beer.