Tiki swizzle history, discuss

While researching plastic swizzles as a way of dating a defunct bar, I ran across two interesting articles on the history of swizzles by Stephen Visakay, author of Vintage Barware: http://cocktails.about.com/library/weekly/blswizzle.htm
http://cocktails.about.com/library/weekly/blswizzlegs.htm
This has me wondering about the history of tiki swizzles in particular. Whats your best guess as to the age of the oldest one you have? Does anyone have any bakelite or glass tiki swizzles? (probably not, I am guessing)
Have any of you author-types ever interviewed the powers that be at Spir-it, the still-extant company founded by Jay Sindler, who patented the swizzle in 1934? If they were a supplier of swizzles to tiki bars, their records could be very interesting, IF they'll share anything of them. http://www.spir-it.com.

I have just a few older swizzles. My favorite, and I am sure, the oldest, is a see-through, light green oar with GRACE LINE imprinted in plain block letters. It was a passenger line that was sold in '69. I'm guessing it may be from the mid-sixties.

My parents collected swizzle sticks like people collected matchbooks from restaurants, clubs and airlines in the 60's and early 70's. Being serious here; it seems the swizzle sticks started becoming scarce about the same time "The Playboy Clubs" started closing down. They had tiki themed swizzle sticks in their collection so I know they are out there.

Swizzle sticks are a hobby of mine and Tiki sticks are at the top of my list. Since the topic came up I thought I could share a little info and a few from my collection.

The oldest swizzle sticks are as ancient as Polynesian Pop itself, if you look at early Don the Beachcomber bar menus you’ll notice them holding the garnish.

The stick pictured is made of wood with the logo burned into it, I have two different styles of these.

Some of the oldest swizzle sticks had paper inserts, or had the logo etched into the glass, shown a glass stick from Trad’r Sam San Francisco but it’s silk screened so it’s probably not too old.

By the early 60’s plastic sticks had become an art, some of these swizzles are unbelievably amazing in detail. One of the benefits of finding an old stick is you can get some idea of how big an operation the establishment had going. The more money they had the more elaborate the sticks (generally) where.

Although it’s a good idea to do research I don’t recall seeing many Spir-it Tiki sticks, they may be out there but I haven’t seen them. Like classic Tiki bars, the great companies from the 50’s and 60’s that made the best sticks are long gone.

My very best Alohas,

Bosko

[ Edited by: TIKIBOSKO on 2004-10-24 15:48 ]

amazing collection, I am jealous. I also collect these but they are not as exciting.

We found a box of about 50 or so swizzles in a thrift shop in Bend, OR, for $10 we got the whole lot, which included these three swizzles:

We'd seen the Disneyland one in an antique mall a few weeks earlier for $10, and despite feeling like that was a ridiculous price to pay for a silly little hunk of plastic, it was hard for us to leave it behind... there was much rejoicing at finding this whole set. The others are a Hawaiian Village swizzle, and a Trader Vic's war club swizzle.

There are a bunch of very cool non-tiki ones in the set, too, I'll post about them in Beyond.

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-13 12:34 ]

http://www.swizzledd.com/

Doris helped immeasurably in gathering info for the Tiki Gardens Memorial.

And she has the largest collection of leilani mugs I've seen in person.

DD (as in swizzledd) is superstar. A real sweetie.

For my Savage Renewal post, here's my Tiki/Hawaiiana Swizzle collection:

on the left from top to bottom: an unmarked palm tree, Don the Beachcomber (I believe from the Waikiki location), the Sheraton Maui Hotel, Maui, Hi, the Golden Cape - Kauai Surf Resort, the Matson Line, and the Hale Koa Hotel "On the Beach at Waikiki."

In the middle from left to right: the Maui Hilton, an modern unmarked Moai, and my TV's Menehune.

On the right from top to bottom are: "Stolen from the Lahaina Broiler - Lahaina - Maui," Kauai Surf - Kona Inn - Manaloa ("Inter-Island Resorts"), 2 TV's Menehune picks, and the Chief's Hut at the Cinerama Reef Hotel - Waikiki.

And my Non-Tiki Swizzle sticks are Here.

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance 2005-09-15 21:43 ]

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-16 14:54 ]

If you'd like to start collecting tiki swizzle sticks, or add to your collection, I have a nice grouping for sale on ebay. It ends tomorrow.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Tiki-Swizzle-Sticks-and-Mug-Hawaiian-Isle-Miami_W0QQitemZ6241029936QQcategoryZ10905QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Although it’s a good idea to do research I don’t recall seeing many Spir-it Tiki sticks, they may be out there but I haven’t seen them. Like classic Tiki bars, the great companies from the 50’s and 60’s that made the best sticks are long gone.

Bosko

Bosko, I just got this a few days ago. It was made by Spir-it. I have been trying to find something on this place (Hawaiian Room Hotel Lexington New York) It's hard to read from the scan. Anyone have anything on this place?

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-05 19:53 ]

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-05 19:54 ]

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-11 19:42 ]

That's the Hawaiian Room in New York, here's the entry in Critiki:

http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/location.cgi?loc_id=351

And here's a mug in Ooga-Mooga:

Hawaiian Room Tiki Mug

AHHH very cool! Thanks!

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-05 20:17 ]

Here's one of their business cards.

On 2006-01-05 19:52, tikimecula wrote:
Bosko, I just got this a few days ago. It was made by Spir-it. I have been trying to find something on this place (Hawaiian Room Hotel Lexington New York) It's hard to read from the scan. Anyone have anything on this place?

The only thing I can tell you about the Hotel Lex was that I lost my virginity there. :lol: The Hawaiian Room was gone by then.

Tikimecula, did you see this thread with the photo from the Hawaiian Room?

Here is another??

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-11 19:43 ]

Found one more, I can't find anything on?

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-16 14:55 ]

I believe the one on the right has the Air New Zealand logo.

I started a catalog page for my Swizzle sticks Here

http://www.allcasinodice.com/sticks/Swizzle%20Tiki/A%20Tiki.htm

I don't have them all up yet, but it's a start. If you know the Name or location where I don't have it listed please let me know?

I also have Extras/Traders on some. if you want to trade let me know.

I don't have a collection, but would like to know if there is a place I could have some tiki swizzles made with MY tiki bar name etched in them for all eternity???

I searched online for a plastics supplier awhile back and couldn't find anything. Maybe I'd have to be a real bar owner to get something like that??

LavaLounger

http://www.spir-it.com./

From the first post.

I checked their site, they don't have what I want. I want to either design my OWN "souvenir" tiki swizzle stick and have them imprinted with MY tikibar name or a find a place I can get tiki swizzle blanks that I can have imprinted. Anyone know who or how??

Thanks,
LavaLounger

Here is one i found

http://www.harco.on.ca/plastics/cust_stirrers.html

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2006-01-16 15:15 ]

Tikimecula - thanks for the link! That's what I was looking for. Min order 10,000....LMAO!! I can build a deck with them!

Might have to settle for something plain. :::sigh:::

LavaLounger

Did each of the well-known establishments have customized swizzles? I notice that many shared the same style or design and simply had their name imprinted on them. Others had customized swizzles featuring a signature tiki or figure on it. Was there any other factor, other than cost, which may have prohibited the larger restaurants from having custom swizzles made? There seems to be a number of places which do not seem to have customized ones. Has anyone ever come across a swizzle from the following:

Hawaii Kai
Tiki Bob's
Tonga Room
The Tikis
Ren Clark's Polynesian Village
Kowloon
Islander (Bob Lee's, Los Angeles, Stockton)
Outrigger (Mark Thomas')
Aloha Jhoe's

[ Edited by: cocktailmonkey 2006-01-19 23:50 ]

Here's Hawaii Kai, It's made of wood. Also I put up a postcard/matchbook from the Hawaiian room.




Hope that helps.

Here is the inside of the matchbook.