Hollywood’s tiki bars: a lost history.
- Hollywood Origins of Tiki Culture: Tiki bars, popularized in the 1950s and 60s, weren’t authentic Polynesian imports but a Hollywood invention primarily attributed to Don the Beachcomber (Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt), a rum runner turned entrepreneur.
- Filipino Bartenders’ Crucial Role: Many iconic tiki drinks were created not by Don the Beachcomber himself, but by skilled Filipino bartenders, highlighting a significant, often overlooked, contribution to tiki culture’s development. The Tiki-Ti bar, one of the oldest surviving tiki bars, was founded by a Filipino bartender from Don the Beachcomber’s.
- Coded Recipes and Legacy: Tiki-Ti maintains its family legacy, with three generations of the founding family having worked there, preserving secret recipes and techniques passed down through the years, including coded drink recipes.
- Cultural Appropriation and Misrepresentation: Tiki culture’s imagery and artifacts were often appropriated from various Pacific Island and other cultures without proper recognition or understanding, creating a romanticized and inaccurate representation of Polynesian culture.
- The Impact of World War II and Hawaiian Statehood: Post-World War II openness to other cultures, combined with the 1959 Hawaiian statehood, fueled the popularity of tiki culture and its association with a romanticized vision of the Pacific Islands.
- Tiki’s Visual Lexicon and Resurgence: Tiki’s visual appeal, as documented by Sven Kirsten, extended beyond bars to encompass broader aspects of design, including amusement parks, motels, and even residential architecture. Kirsten’s “Book of Tiki” is credited with sparking a modern resurgence of interest in the theme.
- Modern Tiki Bars and Ethical Considerations: Contemporary tiki bars grapple with their heritage, some attempting to move away from cultural appropriation and offering more nuanced, ethical representations of the theme, focusing on escapism and immersive experiences while acknowledging the history of appropriation.
- Evolution and Adaptation: While many tiki bars closed during periods of waning interest, some survived and adapted, reflecting the evolution of tastes and concerns about cultural sensitivity. Newer establishments strive for more inclusive and responsible interpretations of the tiki aesthetic.
