Tiki Bar Rankings, Ratings, Lists & Articles on the Web

Here is a direct link to the download.

http://download.kcrw.com/audio/2460316/2460316_2015-04-01-185916.mp3

The Spiers interview starts around 19:30 and lasts about 9 minutes.

A very laudable attempt to set things right by Imbibe, and let those know who don't:

"Tiki is more than just a class of drinks. It’s an exotic culture built on an elaborate fantasy…"

http://imbibemagazine.com/los-angeles-the-birthplace-of-tiki/

..and good to have Jeff and Martin talk about the history, and especially, the elaborate environments like The Luau. All that was needed would have been a good VISUAL representation of that, some Poly pop eye candy - that is always more convincing than a thousand words.

Alas, I have no idea who chose MY back for the article, and I just wish there would be a little DOOR in the back of my head, so people could see all the Tiki splendor that I have seen, and which I am trying to share with the world! :)

Thanks for sharing that article in Imbibe Sven. Very cool!!! As far as I'm concerned, nothing beats the Tiki Ti. :)

Great shirt, Sven!
Nice article, but wish it was longer/went deeper than surface. Is there a more in-depth version in the print copy?
Cheers!
:drink:

"The 9 Brand-New Tiki Bars You Should Visit This Summer"
on liquor.com, some of our new favorites are on the list.

http://liquor.com/articles/new-tiki-bars-summer-2015/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Liquor%3A%20Total&utm_campaign=FA%20-%2006.01.15%20-%20Summer%20Tiki%20Bars#QccSdYuxvP1DRITP.97

Thanks, ATP. Ok, so the last one is in my city. I figure that means I should go and visit for the first time, ha...

Jacksonville has a "tiki" past and very little, if any, remains. If the Flask & Cannon is a real tiki bar, then its nice to see real tiki return to this city. There certainly are some great craft cocktail bars here.

Ace, you should check it out
& give us a review.

ATP, I will, and I'll take some pictures and share them here as well. Tonight I'm going to be at what has been, for me, the top craft cocktail bar in my city. Maybe I'll be able to hit it this weekend.

So many of the articles on tiki bars have been very shallow; I'm really looking forward to comparing my notes with their review.

From what I've seen, they are more of a high-end cocktail bar than a traditional "tiki" bar. But I would take that!

Just checked out this thread. Saying Hi Lance! Haven't seen you in a while and hoping it will be soon.

On 2015-06-02 15:16, TikiHardBop wrote:
From what I've seen, they are more of a high-end cocktail bar than a traditional "tiki" bar. But I would take that!

That's what I'm expecting as well, so we'll see how it goes when I visit, I'm prepared to have a very good experience based on what I've heard from a few folks.

Very close nearby is the Shim-Sham Room which is a similar non-tiki craft cocktail establishment. They do serve many classics, including some tiki drinks. Again, pride in craftsmanship is present. And I think they are related to, or owned by, the same folks who own the Dos Gatos bar downtown in Jacksonville which is my #2 bar second only to The Ice Plant in St. Augustine.

Interesting to me is that the Dos Gatos bar has been so successful that they have become very busy with "craft-cocktail non-comprehenders" who initially don't seem to recognize they are dipping a toe into the craft cocktail world. Instead, they are happy just to be drinking new and high-quality stuff -- and they are having a great time and definitely helping keep this place open and busy and popular. So much so that their patronage seems to have caused at least five other higher-end cocktail establishments to open in the city.

I think it has been many decades since Jacksonville, Florida, has enjoyed so many fine places where they truly serve good cocktails.

Oh yeah, and we finally have a good selection of micro-breweries all over town as well. I met a young married couple a month ago who came down from the Carolinas to do a beer tour here. They were using a "beer passport" book to tour a number of the breweries and were very happy to share some of their experiences and impressions. Beer tourism, similar to cocktail tourism, is a very encouraging sign in any city.

I came to Florida from Orange County CA 19 years ago. This city has really grown cocktail-wise in just the last 5 years alone.

Yeah, the one time I was at Dos Gatos, the drinks were really good, but DAMN was it LOUD!

"The Best Rum and Tiki Bars in Los Angeles"
Another list from Liquor.com, makes me wonder just who is putting these together?

http://liquor.com/series/the-best-rum-and-tiki-bars-in-los-angeles/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=LA_DMA_Smartlist&utm_campaign=5%20Shots%20-%2006.18.15%20-%20LA#o2ekaHJ1ukrGV7uu.97

On 2015-06-18 13:20, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
"The Best Rum and Tiki Bars in Los Angeles"
Another list from Liquor.com, makes me wonder just who is putting these together?

My guess: These are being put together by writers who may be more committed to writing and filling up column space than in doing deeper research and truly understanding the subject matter. They don't understand the underlying things involved and may simply be giving higher ratings to the lesser but "cleaner looking" and "more modern" venues.

Of course, I could go for the jugular, and simply suggest that they are trying to tickle the eyes of their non-discerning readers. But then those would be fightin' words, right? heh...

What Kind of Tiki Cocktail Are You?

http://liquor.com/what-kind-of-tiki-cocktail-are-you/#J9M3XqhKVq5ehOT1.99

Looks like those folks at Liquor.com are at it again.

Edit: I took the test and I am a "Scorpion Bowl"
I guess this is based on real science, so it must be true :lol:

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2015-06-19 14:55 ]

Ha ha. I know. I did that quiz earlier today. It says I'm a Mai Tai...hmmmm...

I just took this "quiz" because it's late, I have a cocktail by my side, and my defenses are down.

Like you ATP, I'm apparently a Scorpion Bowl. This despite choosing Don over Vic and falernum over orgeat. I suspect there may not be any actual data powering this quiz.

Kevin

Me three -- Scorpion Bowl.

I think their reference to "velvet falernum" instead of just "falernum" in one of the quiz answers is a partial giveaway that they don't really get "tiki" at all. To me, the Taylor "Velvet Falernum" is about as weak as you can get for falernum.

I did snicker at the multi-choice questions, myself.

http://www.thrillist.com/drink/san-francisco/bay-area-tiki-bars-san-francisco

Go see my builds at Forbidden Island, Kona Club and Longitude.

Ben, I love love love all the pics of Kona Club. Reminds me a bit of the dark, mysterious, magical feel of Kona Kai when I was a little girl. Thanks so much for sharing. I really hope to get out west someday and experience your work in person.

Tara

On 2015-06-22 09:16, RevBambooBen wrote:
http://www.thrillist.com/drink/san-francisco/bay-area-tiki-bars-san-francisco

Go see my builds at Forbidden Island, Kona Club and Longitude.

My only real issue with this article is that one never really tires of Smuggler's Cove!

The content fillers over at Liquor.com is making this a weekly thing now.

"The Craziest Tiki Drinks in the United States"

Read more at http://liquor.com/articles/most-outrageous-tiki-drinks/#rA5m791JBwlvKDfJ.99

Yet another "Top 10" list from USA Today.

Bringing tiki back: 10 best bars to order umbrella drinks
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/10greatplaces/2015/06/19/tiki-bars/28923907/

I hate that expression, "umbrella drinks".

Yeah, at a time when high-quality craft cocktails have made such a strong return to the American cocktail scene, it puzzles me how a journalist would embrace a word with such negative connotations in his title.

At least his list of bars is way better than all the others I recall seeing to date. He still doesn't get it though... Grrr!

Larry Bleiberg: I hope a Google search eventually shows you this comment about the crappy choice of wording for the title of your article. :P

Then you will love this one, Ace:

5 Classic Tiki Cocktails to Drink Before You Die!
Read more at http://liquor.com/slideshows/tiki-cocktails-to-drink-before-you-die/#ZVxzLcByo0ToHGUV.99

Hakalugi updated the thread title, I added "Lists" to it so as to make it a catch all thread
for all web related Tiki content on the subject matter.

I didn't know where to post this, until now. I was sitting in my doctor's office, this past summer, checking out the magazines and I ran into this: "The Tiki Cocktail Revival" article in the "Men's Journal" magazine (April 2015 edition). It's a small but potent little article. See scan below:

Better yet and more appropriate to this thread, here is the web link to the online version of the story:
http://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/drinks/the-tiki-cocktail-revival-20150320

I think the paper article is more eye catching. Also if you type "tiki" in the search window of the online Men's Journal", one can find other articles on tiki of some form. There are mentions of tiki bars from Squaw Valley to Miami and even a gear shift tiki on a custom Jeep Chief. Worth mentioning is another small article on the Tiki-Ti.

This report was featured on the MSN home page 10/26/2015 and is credited to Whitney Filloon from Eater on 10/15/2015. Her source is "an industry news magazine" - "Drinks International."

These Are the World's 50 Best Bars, According to 'Drinks International'
http://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/cocktails/these-are-the-worlds-50-best-bars-according-to-drinks-international/ss-AAfr8iL

The article begins very nicely by summarizing the US bars which made the list, and you'll see some tiki is definitely represented. Bold emphasis is my own.

Fourteen of them are in the U.S.

Here's the just-released annual list of the World's 50 Best Bars, as decided by industry news magazine Drinks International.

For the fourth year in a row, London's Artesian nabbed the top spot. Located at the swanky Langham hotel in the West End, Artesian is run by Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale and serves a different themed menu each year; 2015's theme is "Surrealism."

America's ongoing craft cocktail boom is well represented, with 14 bars on the list — more than any other country. Eight of them are in New York: They include Dead Rabbit at No. 2, Employees Only at No. 4, and, further down the list, Attaboy (11), Maison Premiere (23), Elephant Bar (24), Nomad Bar (36), PDT (37), and Mace (38). San Francisco has three bars on the list: tiki bar Smuggler's Cove (31), Trick Dog (40), and Tommy's (47). The only other American cities represented are Miami, with The Broken Shaker (14), and Chicago, with Aviary (29).

Behold, the full ranked list:
*

And then you can go through the usual click-fest to see each bar's photo, a description, and read all the ads in the margins.

Cheers!

Some of these bars have published MANY of their recipes in books. PDT is one example in the list above. While bars and restaurants may come and go, publishing books with food and drink recipes offer a way to preserve what they have crafted for future cocktailians, mixologists, and foodies.

On 2015-10-26 17:56, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Hakalugi updated the thread title, I added "Lists" to it so as to make it a catch all thread for all web related Tiki content on the subject matter.

Thanks ATP & Haka!

You got it, Ace!

bump

Cool article I found...Thought I would share. :)

Minimalist Tiki

http://cocktailwonk.com/2015/07/minimalist-tiki-what-you-truly-need-to-make-the-classics-at-home.html

I interviewed Martin Cate for an episode of my podcast ... really great to talk to him about Don Beach vs. Vic Bergeron and how tiki drinks are kind of the original mixology. Guys, I love tiki everything so much.
http://howitgotinyourmouth.com/pod-blog/2016/2/17/episode-7-tiki-drinks

So Food Network is getting on the "Best Tiki Bars" bandwagon, but with a couple notable missteps. Their list includes a San Diego bar which has not yet opened (which I'm certain will be worthy of a spot on any "best of" list once it is open), but does not include Pagan Idol in San Francisco (which is spectular) or the Mai Kai. Odd choices.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/photos/best-tiki-bars-in-america.html

Good info, Jen. It appears they had some sort of "big cities" criteria to make their list. I think that would cause the article to appeal to a greater number of their viewers, but it also causes them to omit some good bars. We're very fortunate that there are enough good tiki bars around the country that we get a bit ticked when some get skipped.

I noticed in the introductory paragraph the writer called "Don the Beachcomber" a different name -- "Don’s Beachcomber Café." I've never heard that before, not sure it's accurate.

I suspect that sometimes writers have limited time, and they can't dig quite as deeply as they otherwise would.

After carefully evaluating this tiki bar, which doesn't exist yet, we've concluded it's in the top ten of all tiki bars. Huh? Plus, the Mai Kai is NOT among the top ten tiki bars?? This has got to be one of the lamest "Best Of" lists yet.

On 2016-03-23 13:06, AceExplorer wrote:
I noticed in the introductory paragraph the writer called "Don the Beachcomber" a different name -- "Don’s Beachcomber Café." I've never heard that before, not sure it's accurate.

My understanding was that it was originally called Don's Beachcomber Cafe, and then changed to Don the Beachcomber later on.

On 2016-03-23 16:44, EnchantedTikiGoth wrote:
*My understanding was that it was originally called Don's Beachcomber Cafe, and then changed to Don the Beachcomber later on. *

Thanks, ETG. Again that could be a sign that the writer did some research but didn't have adequate time to do a thorough job. The writer's editor probably enforces a quota of some sort where they have to write X articles every week. So we get to read what may have been a rushed article...

We should contact the writer, announce a new grand tiki bar that's TWICE the size of the Mai-Kai, with TWICE the tikis-per-square-foot, and see if we make it to the top of the list. We wouldn't even have to build and open the place! hahahaha...

Actually False Idol IS one of the best tiki bars! Sorry Mai Kai, you should advertize more on the Food Network if you want to be one of the best! :wink:

More from USA Today...

America's Best Tiki Bars and Rum Lists

America's Best Bars for Rum Fans

Good share. It's nice to see some of OUR favorites finally make it on a major newspaper's list.

Note that many (or all) of these places are known for serving QUALITY drinks, regardless of what their décor looks like. Although, from the photos, good drinks do seem to go hand-in-hand with owners who also care about providing their guests with great atmosphere and interiors.