|
print
Aloha! It's Time For a Tiki Party
The campy escapism that is typical Tiki makes it ideal for a fun, casual party. Try our four-step process to conjure up your own "island away from home."
A touch of Tiki history
Tiki culture is experiencing a resurgence in popularity with Gen Xers who missed it the first time around in the 1950s and 1960s, and with retro buffs interested in preserving cultural trends. The word tiki refers to the carved wooden heads created in Polynesia, which became emblematic of the Polynesian pop movement.
The Tiki phenomenon can be traced back to the early 1930s, beginning with the post-prohibition opening of a tropical-themed eatery by Donn Beac , aka Don the Beachcomber. In addition to tropical Asian cuisine and a big helping of colorful Polynesian culture, he served up rum-based umbrella drinks, in large part because of the cheaper availability of rum at the time, comparedwith other spirits.
Around the same time, Victor Bergeron opened his first Polynesian-style restaurant in California. The exotic food and tropical cocktails were quickly popular, and resulted in a chain of restaurants, which later (along with their proprietor) became known as Trader Vic's. (History is a little blurred as to which of the entrepreneurs first created the Mai Tai cocktail, but accounts seem to lean on the side of Don the Beachcomber.)
A few years later, soldiers began returning home from World War II with stories of exotic paradises in far-off lands. Those romanticized recollections, coupled with the release of the American movie "South Pacific" triggered an explosion in Polynesian pop culture that continued through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, eclipsed only by the birth of disco culture.
Four steps to a great summer party any time of year
The campy escapism that is typical Tiki makes it ideal for a fun, casual party. Try our four-step process to conjure up your own "island away from home."
1. Create a tropical paradiseInvitations: Get people in the mood right away with a teaser of what they can expect in the way of frozen cocktails, and make sure they know that if they don?t arrive wearing an aloha shirt or muu-muu, you?ll be providing them with a grass skirt and coconut bra. You can even find a Tiki background for your e-invitation at www.evite.com.
Decor: Of course, guests should be provided with leis when they arrive. Draping tables and your bar in grass skirts and string lights (keep the open flames and grass far away from each other) is a great touch. If it's starting to look like the set of Gilligan's Island, you're probably on the right track.
Lighting: Strings and strings of tiki-style patio lights, of course -- the tackier, the better! Outdoor torches are great touches as well.
Music: There are lots of Tiki albums available now, so you shouldn't have trouble finding them. A quick search under "Tiki" on www.amazon.com yields a good selection. A few ideas:
- Play Songs for the Suburban Savages (Tiki Tones)
- Skinny Dip with Don Tiki (Don Tiki)
- Ultra-Lounge: Tiki Sampler (various artists)
As with all casual parties where guests are likely to be mingling (probably with a drink in hand), plentiful finger food is the order of the day. Skewers, key to Tiki cuisine, are easy for guests to eat and even easier for you to prepare. A wide variety of meat, veggie and fruit skewers can be prepared or bought ahead of time and grilled as needed. Serve dipping sauces in hollowed-out pineapples and melons.
3. Tiki Bar: Make the cocktails part of the entertainmentHave a few blenders on hand and mix up some fun, frozen, rum-based concoctions. Plastic glassware works well, but hollowed-out coconuts and pineapples (if you're feeling creative) are even better. Plastic or wood Tiki mugs are great, too. And don't forget the fancy umbrellas!
A few of our favourite Tiki cocktails:
4. Have fun!Tacky Tiki culture inspires relaxation and the mood for fun, so be sure to have a few party games planned. Some suggestions:
- Do the limbo.
- Hire someone to teach your guests the fine art of hula dancing.
- Whack a pinata (it might not be a Tiki tradition, but it's good, campy fun).
- If you have the space (and preferably, the sand), set up a beach volleyball tournament.
