Tiki cocktails with their flamboyant decorations and multi-colored cocktails create a strong perception within any bartender’s mind. Developed in the United States, these blends were conceived somewhere in the mid 1900s, however, their origins go even deeper into the history as these cocktails can be traced back around the tropical regions of the Caribbean and Asia region. It is common for Tiki cocktails to be associated with a family or gathering occasion as it has the ability to teleport the consumer to a tropical paradise where their drinking experience is enhanced. Center focused around tiki that blend together huge amounts of culture and creativity are a necessary part to the story of modern history.

The Origins of Tiki Cocktails

The first Tiki cocktail can be dated back to around the post-prohibition times in America. That e the country was new to drinking culture and so creating new and distinct drinks that would appeal to a large audience was the goal. This trend spawned the idea of what a tiki cocktail should look like and the two men who established this trend figuring out what a tiki cocktail is and setting the standards required were Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt and Donn Beach and this was back in the late 1930s.

Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt, more famously known to the world as Donn Beach, is primarily recognized to be the person who created the tiki cocktail. Beach had opened up a bar in the early 1930s called the ‘Don the Beachcomber', which was situated in Hollywood, California. The design aesthetics of this bar were inspired by the south seas, for instance, the presence of bamboo furnishings, thatched houses and tropical décor. There was also a Beach’s element to his drinks that assisted in making this experience more ‘out of this world’. He poured rums together with coconut and many other tropical blends in such beautiful mixtures that just one sip would simply take you to the beach. These whimsical types of drinks, boasted bright vivid colors and contained depth with their countless mixed aromas and flavors which made drinking a pure tropical experience. A few of the most well-known Tiki cocktails today include the ones Beach invented himself, including the Mai Tai and Zombie.

Around the same time, another entrepreneur, Victor Bergeron, who was also the proprietor of Trader Vic's, an establishment in San Francisco, started to try out the recipes for cocktails and tropical drinks. Despite the fact that Bergeron did not blaze new trails in the creation of the so-called tiki drinks, his restaurant developed a reputation for having unique cocktails, and he is often remembered for his style of making the “Mai Tai” and other drinks. The history of tiki is one of a fierce rivalry between Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s, with both of them contending that they were first to mix the Mai Tai and each influenced the history of tiki cocktails in a different fashion.

The Ingredients from the Islands

As its name suggests, tiki cocktail was inspired by the Caribbean as its central theme, and thus, Caribbean, South Pacific and Southeast Asia flavors can always be found in its recipes. A creation closely related to tiki is rum, which in turn represents the sugar-rich crusted islands. This is precisely the reason as to why tiki cocktails are always infused with rum because it is tropical in taste and can be enriched with numerous flavors.

Tiki cocktails include a wide variety of rum combinations. However, the final flavors vary as the type of rum used in the cocktail differs. Rum types used in tiki cocktails include light rum, dark rum, spiced rum, and overproof rum. For example, dark rum is widely known for its rich flavors and vanilla scents. On the opposite side, light rum is more neutral.

Other than rum, fruits of the tropical kind are important ingredients in the making of tiki cocktails. Pineapples, oranges, common, and limes are some fruit juices that are added to the drink, which in return balances the sweetness and acidity in them. These fruity flavors complement rum perfectly as they create a refreshing drink. Additionally, almond, spice, and pomegranate flavored syrups such as orgeat, falernum, and grenadine are added for flavor. Sometimes these syrups are added to sweeten a drink while other times they are added to enhance the overall multi-layered profiles of the tiki cocktails.

With regard to tiki cocktails, they generally incorporate the use of herbs and spices. Ingredients like mint, cinnamon, and bitters are added to provide additional warmth to what is normally a fruity and tropical classic drink. The spices also complement the sweetness from the juice blends while enhancing the overall drinking experience.

The Culture of Tiki Cocktails

Tiki cocktails were not only about the beverages; rather, the drinks were part of a broader experience. The environment around tiki bars was equally important in promoting these drinks. In the late twentieth century, it became fashionable to frequent tiki bars in Hollywood and New York. The decor of the bar, which was surrounded by a tropical atmosphere, offered an escape into a completely different world where the worries of city life ceased to exist.

The decor of tiki bars was influenced by an imagined South Pacific decorated with bamboo furniture, carved wooden masks, torches, and multicolored lanterns. As the term evolved, so did their dress code; bartenders who were later termed ‘mixologists’ adorned Hawaiian shirts and other assembler tops. The overall setup was meant to hold the customer in a fictive imagination waiting to be transported to an idyllic, uninhabited part of the world.

But the tiki bars were also places of experimentation where bartenders would make ornate drinks that were also quite decorated. For instance, many of the drinks were offered in unusual pineapple, coconut, or animal-themed mugs and glassware. Tiki cocktails were often elaborately garnished with an assortment of decorations which included paper umbrellas, cherries, and even burning fruits. The intention of the drink was to make the clientele see and feel everything that was set in front of them, thus giving them an experience rather than merely a beverage.

Additionally, the interest that Americans had in tiki bars represented a greater postwar fascination that was centered on the South Sea Islands as well as other islands. Seeing movies, the presence of soldiers in the Pacific Theatre in the Second World War and interest in traveling caused the US to start appreciating Polynesian islands and their people. The admiration for tropical islands and nations during the time was portrayed through art, music and, of course, during this period, cocktails.