Jason Turnbaugh lives in the most perfect place to embrace the Tiki lifestyle: Southern California. Within a couple hours, Jason can be in Palm Springs, San Diego, or Los Angeles. Jason takes full advantage of his location and frequently visits all the cool Tiki bars So-Cal has to offer. When it came time to put together the Drunken Monkey, Jason pulled his influences from all these cool Tiki spots. Needless to say, his place is amazing! Here is how the Drunken Monkey came together…
What’s the Tiki scene like in Southern California?
Jason- We are really lucky to live in Southern California, which is surrounded by Tiki. We live right down the street from Trader Sam’s and twenty minutes from Don the Beachcomber. Forty-five minutes away in LA are Tiki Ti, Tiki No, Tonga Hut, and Pacific Seas. Within an hour and half, we can hit up Palm Spring for the Reef, Tonga Hut, and Bootlegger Tiki, or go south down to San Diego for Bali Hai, the Grass Skirt, and False Idol.
Don the Beachcomber has monthly Tiki markets where we find great stuff for the bar. There also is Oceanic Arts in Whittier. We joined the Coconut Club Nights that has been putting on monthly events at the Pacific Seas. We’re also lucky to live within driving distance of Tiki Oasis.
What brought you into the “Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
Jason– I remember loving Disneyland’s Tiki Room and having a lot of Hawaiian shirts as a kid, but I think I really got into it about fifteen years ago. My roommate at the time was throwing a Hawaiian-themed birthday party for his then girlfriend. Her brother brought over a backyard “Tiki” bar and I told my friends I thought I could build something much better. They said, “Then do it!” Since then, I’ve built six freestanding home bars, been to Tiki Oasis seven times, collected over 200 mugs, and traveled to bars all over the country (we try to find the local Tiki bar near wherever we are vacationing).
What made you decide to build your own Tiki bar? Any story behind the name “the Drunken Monkey?”
Jason– I had always wanted to build out a full Tiki room to keep my bar in, but never really had the space. A little over a year ago, we moved into a house that had a freestanding outdoor patio that we never used. I started trying to come up with ideas on how to convert it without damaging the structure and then it all fell into place pretty quickly.
I have loved monkeys ever since I was a kid. So, “the Drunken Monkey” just seemed appropriate.
Can you give a little history of how your bar all came together?
Jason– I had been collecting ideas from all of our favorite bars by doing little drawings of what I wanted it to look like. When I had enough ideas, I just made a trip to Oceanic Arts in Whittier and the local lumber yard for supplies. It started out as a single wall that turned out pretty well.
After the first wall, I realized sitting with your back to it, you had to look at the blank stucco of the house. So, I built out some walls to cover that up. It still didn’t feel like a complete space because of the white plastic corrugated ceiling. That took some time to figure out how to cover without damaging the plastic. Once that fell in place, it really started to feel like a bar. After that, I took ideas I liked from other bars. Hanging glass buoys to create an open air “wall” came from the front window of Lost Lake in Chicago and a freestanding wall to cover a jasmine plant came from a wall design I liked from Ventiki in Ventura, CA.
What is your favorite Tiki drink? Why?
Jason– I’ve always liked the Chief Lapu Lapu as I am a big fan of passion fruit. After building the home bar and starting to learn to make my own drinks, I became a big fan of the 1960 Rum Barrel (Ports O’ Call) recipe from Beach Bum Berry’s iPhone app.
What is your favorite Tiki bar, not including your own?
Jason– I’ve been to a lot of Tiki bars all over the place (including the Tiki Bungalow in Beijing, China) but I think my favorite right now is False Idol in San Diego, CA. I love the décor and they have great drinks and super-friendly staff.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Jason– A Tiki environment needs to feel completely immersive. You need to be able to escape the world around you. I like to be able to look anywhere in the space and find something interesting and fun to look at. I like the space to feel tight and closed in and dark. Lighting and music are just as important as the space itself.
Do you feel that music has an important role in creating a great Tiki experience? What would be some of your favorite artists and albums?
Jason– I have a 600-song Tiki playlist on an Amazon Echo Dot that plays out to a bluetooth speaker/light bulb hidden inside a Deadhead Rum bottle casing. When I got that working and hung up, it made the space feel like it was complete. I have tons of exotica and Hawaiian music, but my favorites right now are definitely Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny.
What does the future hold for you and the Drunken Monkey?
Jason– The bar is finally at a point where I am willing to start inviting people over, but it will never be done. It’s a living thing. Every time we go somewhere new, I get new ideas of things I would like to do. I’ve already been expanding into a grassy area behind the bar with a skull fire pit and larger Tiki carvings. I would like to try my hand at carving into the dark wood that’s already up on the walls.
I also have the design for a mask/logo that I would like to make into a sign, custom swizzle sticks, a Mai-Tai glass, and maybe a custom mug someday.
Anything else you would like to add?
Jason– I got into Tiki thinking it was a fun, inclusive thing for everyone. I have, however, noticed lately on Tiki websites and social media pages an eliteness and snobbery from people claiming to be leaders in the community. People online seem to be so vicious and judgmental as opposed to helpful and willing to teach people new to Tiki. It would just be nice to see people welcoming others into the community with helpful tips and a friendly attitude rather than being smug @$$holes, for lack of a better term. There are lots of great people out there, but there’s been a few times I’ve just wanted to bail on the online community as it doesn’t seem that friendly at times.
I’m not a fan of hardware store “clown Tiki” or surfboard beach bars, but people may have a different starting place to get into the hobby. I’m sure I have stuff in my bar that doesn’t appeal to everyone and that’s fine. It’s my bar and I love the space I’ve built. Just remember to like what you like and make it your own.
