Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #108 The Taratupa Lounge Denver CO

Phil likes TV shows, a lot! He has a collection of tv shows and movies that’s so big that he has shelves and shelves of dvds. I honestly felt like I was in a video store but actually I was in his basement. What’s also in Phil’s basement is his home tiki bar. It’s called The Taratupa Lounge and it’s taken from the TV show McHale’s Navy.

Phil also likes 80’s video games, a lot! He has a second tiki bar with a bar top filled with almost every tv arcade systems from back when I grew up in the 80’s. He even has a Vectrex!

Phil also likes Tiki, a lot! And here’s his story…

 What is the tiki scene like where you live?

Phil- We have an incredibly strong and supportive scene here in Colorado. I got into Tiki in the early 2000’s, so I’ve seen the scene really grow. We have some great groups here including the Mauna Aloha Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Moai and The Denver Tiki Tribe who both host events in the Denver area.

There are lots of events such as The Tiki Rum-mage Sale, meet & greets and art shows, but probably the most unique event is the “Home Bar Tiki Tour”. We all hop on a bus and tour 3-4 home Tiki bars in the area (mine was one of the stops in 2019). Lina Dennison does an INCREDIBLE job organizing this and some other events and it’s such a GREAT way to meet new friends and see some of the creative work people have put into their bars.

We also have some great Tiki themed bars here in Colorado too. Tiki Boyd’s, a bar what was run by Boyd Rice was sort of a milestone here in Colorado when it opened in 2005. Sadly, it closed a year later but soon after we got The Adrift, Electric Cure (which is more Tiki adjacent), and Hell or High Water (a “Haunted Gay Themed Pirate Tiki Bar”) We also have Jungle close by in Boulder and the AMAZING Bar/Restraint Swaylo’s in Longmont. Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Santa popup bar opens during the holidays at The Arvada Tavern (which also has Benard’s Tiki Room upstairs). Colorado is a booming state and it’s been great to see the progress things have taken the past 20 years.

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

Phil- It’s always been in the background growing up. My parents honeymooned in Hawaii and I’d always run across my dad’s Hawaiian shirts or matchbooks from these cool Polynesian themed restaurants they used to go to in the 60’s. It was on a trip to San Diego with my parents and grandfather that really left an impression on me. We went to the “Hawaiian Punch Village” which was within Sea World and they had dolphin lagoon show, thatched huts and Tikis everywhere. But it was visiting the Bali Hai restaurant for dinner and seeing the Mr. Bali Hai out front that was the most profound memory.

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

Phil- I guess the concept of having a home Tiki Bar never really occurred to me until I visited Jeff Ellis’ Shark Bait Lounge. It’s an amazing dark Tiki hideaway and I always thought it would really be a nice place to escape to after a crazy day in the “normal” world. In the past, it was always a “wouldn’t it be nice to…” kind of thing, but when I was looking for a house, I always had building a Tiki bar in mind. Fortunately, I got a mid-century house with a finished basement, so it was the PERFECT place.

As with most bars it started in phases. The actual bar I have was actually the first piece of furniture I ever put in the house when I moved in. I found it in an indoor flea market buried in the back and rented a U-Haul and hauled it in the house before I even hired any movers to move the rest of my stuff. Then I started with simple things like fans, a few Tikis from Home Depot (who were selling Tikis from Tiki Diablo at the time) and some great paintings my (then girlfriend, now) Fiancé Andrea painted for me.

Phase two was when things really went into high gear. The first thing I did was take Bamboo Ben’s advice to paint the entire room black to hide the white walls behind the bamboo. Then I added bamboo fencing as a sort of wainscoting along with Lauhala weave above to hang pictures and such. On the other end of the room was going to be my home theater which was at first going to have an 80’s vibe, but to my surprise most of the materials I used for the bar weren’t that expensive and just though “fuck it” I’ll just “tikifi” the whole thing! Andrea has really helped this whole process become a reality by helping me purchase materials, her artwork and these awesome felting creations she makes that hang from the bar.  I think probably the most significant and personal thing I have in my bar are photos I found of my mom and dad’s trip to Hawaii. I proudly display these at the end of the bar! My father passed several years ago but it’s important he can be a significant part of it. Overall, the entire process took about 3 years to get to the point where it is now.

Any story behind the name of your bar? 

Phil- I wanted to find a unique and appropriate name that not only reflected the bar itself but also my personality and interests. I’m a huge fan of classic TV, so I wanted to somehow incorporate one of those elements. I was thinking something like The Hawaiian Eye (since it was one of my favorite shows) or The Shell Bar (the bar from the show) which was kind of a lame and generic name. So, I thought about the roots and origins of many Tiki bars which were opened by servicemen in WWII who were stationed in the South Pacific. I didn’t need to look any further than one of my favorite WWII TV shows based in the South Pacific, McHale’s Navy! “Taratupa” was the name of the fictional base on the show, so “The Taratupa Lounge” was created! I also have an autographed picture of Ernest Borgnine proudly hanging on the wall (a result of the only fan letter I wrote to anyone) I also wanted a “mascot” for my logo and purchased a piece of clipart of a penguin as General MacArthur. I love penguins and he also looked like my favorite character from the show, Captain Wally Binghamton played by Joe Flynn. A good friend of mine who is a graphic artist altered the clipart and created the sign.

What is your favorite Tiki drink? Why? 

Phil- Two of my favorites are the Polynesian Paralysis (I love orange drinks), but probably one I invented myself which I call (of course) “The Taratupa” which consists of Southern Comfort, brandy, pineapple Juice, Cran-pomegranite juice and a dash of lemon juice. I really like rum based drinks, but this one is really a nice full taste profile and tastes very “tiki”.

What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own! 

Phil- For home bars, as mentioned before, The Shark Bait Lounge is probably my favorite and most of my inspiration. I just really like the atmosphere and Jeff and his wife Amber have done some really creative things. As for actual businesses, I really like The Tonga Room in San Francisco. I mean, they got a lagoon in the middle of it, how can you top that! Recently though Andrea and I discovered Tiki Tatsu-Ya while we were in Austin. It’s a smaller place with a really good atmosphere but the drinks are KILLER. If you order one of the large “bowl” drinks such as the “Stranded on Saturn” and “Skeleton Cruise” they come with a floor and light show when they serve you! Also, they have a HUGE rum list and be sure to check out the “secret” menus which are under the raised coral reef parts of the menu at the bottom. We’re thinking of making another trip out there JUST to visit this place!

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

Phil- Lighting is a HUGE factor, you can create such great atmospheres with lights which, with today’s technology, you can change the mood with the push of a button. Artwork is also important, I have a few authentic works of art from Fiji which are always conversation pieces, the more authentic is the key because you don’t want to get your decorations from a party store. And of course, music is essential. Much of my bar was inspired by the song “Lujon” by Henry Mancini. It’s such a beautiful, relaxing song and I wanted to build an atmosphere to fit.

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

Phil- Well unfortunately The Taratupa Lounge in its current form may be going soon. My fiancé and I are getting married in 2024 and will be moving into a new house after that, however, it will live on in the new place. We will be adding a new spin on it and have some AMAZING ideas. I won’t give it away, but we’ll certainly have you back to see it!

Anything else you would like to add?

Phil- We have such a great time with the place. Andrea and I are huge horror fans, especially for the horror host Joe Bob Briggs. We watch his current show The Last Drive-In which streams live on the Shudder network, and have a tradition of inviting friends over and Andrea invents horror-themed tiki drinks. We’ve also had some celebrities visit the lounge. I’m friends with Jackie Neyman Jones who played Debbie in the movie Manos: The Hands of Fate. She was visiting Colorado and brought her to the lounge. The added surprise is when she asked if we would be interested in seeing the newly filmed (but not yet released) sequel Manos Returns. After a little arm twisting, we had the Colorado “premiere” here at The Taratupa Lounge!