Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #78 The Parrot’s Perch – Niskayuna NY

When people think of New York, they immediately think of New York City. But there is more to New York than just the Big Apple, there’s the rest of the state and it’s huge! Niskayuna is located above Albany, and I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of Niskayuna until now. Brendan Halayko and his wife Beth live in Niskayuna and they have an awesome home tiki bar called The Parrot’s Perch. Here is their story …

What is the tiki scene like where you live?

Brendan- Unfortunately, this corner of Upstate New York is completely devoid of a tiki scene. You’d have to go to New York City or drive at least an hour to find something.

What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?

Brendan- It always seemed like such a fun and positive thing and I’ve always been into that sense of fantasy and escapism. I’ve wanted to have a home bar like this for a long time but it wasn’t until the last few years that I really started pushing the idea and getting into the tiki scene. Seeing other people’s home tiki bars online blew me away and influenced mine a lot.

Can you give a little history of how it all came together?

Brendan- My wife, Beth, made a list of essential renovations our house needed. My wife put on the classics – hardwoods in the family room, renovate a bathroom, new front steps and railing, etc. A home bar was at the top of my list. While some of the other renovations were completed first, we had a garage that both of our cars were just a few inches too big to fit into. One night we brought down a measuring tape and a post-it note. Beth drew up the layout and the dimensions of the bar on the blue 3×3 post-it and The Perch was born! We had help from family but my father-in-law, Alan, was an integral part to the whole process. He’s a master carpenter and built the bar out of walnut and cherry and then he and I built the shelving around it. There is no way any of this would look the way it does without his incredible work. If I had done this on my own, the whole bar would have collapsed under the weight of a rum and coke.

Any story behind the name of your bar?

Brendan- We played around with a few names. Beth was stuck on it having the word “Plank” in the name and for a while I wasn’t sure we’d ever get over that, though many were really funny. After a slew of plank related names, Beth suggested, “The Parrot’s Perch,” and I put in “The Blasted Parrot”.  We eventually settled on The Parrot’s Perch because we thought nicknaming it “The Perch” sounded great and we figured parents of our kids’ friends may be less skeptical sending their kids over to a bar without the word “blasted” in it.  Alan also built a really nice, wooden perch for our parrot, named Big Al, that sits on the bar.

What is your favorite Tiki drink?

Brendan- I’m really into the Planter’s Punch. I know there’s a lot of variations of it in the tiki world but the recipe I use is very fruity with a few different juices. It’s at the top of the Perch’s drink menu.

Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?

Brendan- I think there’s a few requirements that you need to nail. Lighting is one of the key elements. I’ve always loved dark bars and I think the candle light and various colored lighting really add to the atmosphere. We wanted to make sure that you really felt like you were going somewhere else when you stepped in the bar and despite some of the complaints from some of our older relatives, we’re keeping it dim.  We really wanted to create a new environment that told a story with The Perch.

I’m big into details with decoration so I wanted people who came into the bar to always be looking around while they’re hanging out. I didn’t want to just throw stuff on the shelves or walls. I wanted it to have a purpose. We’ve been working on smells too so I’ve been agonizing over candles! We don’t want it to smell too fruity or tropical but I think a real authentic pirate bar would smell awful. So, we’re just trying to get somewhere in between with a smoky rum flavored candle. We’re close. Music is also such a big part in creating the right environment. As much as I want to play punk or metal in this bar sometimes, it’s just not appropriate. It would take you right out of the moment. You’ve got to have the right music to set the mood and create the right atmosphere.

What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?

Brendan- We’ve had a ton of fun hosting people there or having some date nights so we hope that it will continue to help us escape through our long and terrible New York winters. We’re being cautious with Covid so hopefully when this has cooled down we can get more people over to enjoy it.  I’ve designed some t-shirts and postcards for friends and family who came over. I’d love to create some more “Perch Merch ” and would eventually like to get the bar’s own Tiki mug made.

Anything else you would like to add?

Brendan- We want to thank our First Mate’s Mug Club members (who have custom, handcrafted mugs on the shelves) for their initial help in creating the bar. Thanks for the spotlight and giving us a chance to share our story. Tiki with Ray rules! Long live the home bar. Cheers!