It gets cold in Minneapolis in the winter, really cold! There’s not much you can do outside when it’s below zero, so what can you do? If you’re Teila and Aaron Lustig, you head downstairs to your home tiki bar and warm up with some Mai-Tais. Here is the story behind The Sunken Monkey Tiki Lounge …
What is the tiki scene like in Minneapolis?
Aaron- Small but growing. As far as establishments, Psycho Suzi’s is pretty much it. I consider ourselves lucky to not only have Suzi’s, but to live only about a mile away. It also holds special significance for us as we were married there this past October. The decor and atmosphere are great, as is the patio that overlooks the Mississippi river, weather permitting of course. The drinks are mostly their own concoctions with a few classics mixed in.
As far as cocktails go, in my opinion, some of the best tiki drinks in the area are mixed up by a local gentleman by the name of Michael “Mambo Mike” Koski. Mambo Mike has done a number of tiki pop ups at various local spots. We have a couple of tiki friendly music act, Exotik-a-go-go play a jazzy take on classic exotica, and The Intoxicats play a mix of exotica, surf, lounge, new wave, and put on one hell of a show. MNTIKI is our local Facebook group that was started by Lucas Mark, who also does The Meek Tiki blog. A number of the group members have home tiki bars. As of now, we don’t have solid plans but talks of doing a home tiki bar tour have been discussed.
What brought you into the “Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
Aaron- My first introduction into tiki was probably at thrift stores. Ever since I was a teenager I’ve been addicted to thrift store hunting. I used to go out browsing without anything specific in mind, just whatever caught my eye. I ended up with a few little Coco Joe’s or resin cast tikis, that was the extent of it for a while.
About three years ago we decided it was time to start looking at houses. I’m pretty sure the first time we walked down the stairs into what is now The Sunken Monkey Tiki Lounge, before we had even discussed if we were actually interested in the house itself, I said, “this would make a great tiki bar!” Three years later the collection has grown into what it is today.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Aaron- Ass backwards to be honest! When we moved in, the basement was white walls, popcorn ceiling, and tan carpet. I painted the walls green, built the bar out of pallet wood, started building lamps and putting whatever I came across up on the walls. This last winter we decided it was time to do what we should have done before anything else and put in wood look laminate flooring, a few types of matting, and wall and ceiling coverings. Which meant we had to gut everything that we had been adding for the last couple of years, rip out carpet and start from square one. After everything we should have done in the first place was finished, we hauled everything back downstairs from the upstairs storage space and fairly recently got everything put back together. Live and learn I guess.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Aaron- The sunken part actually came from the tiki bar name generator site. I thought it seemed fitting with the bar being in a below ground basement. The monkey part is from a nickname I had back in high school, as small handful of longtime friends still refer to me as that, but not many. When I saw sunken pop up on the bar name generator, my mind just automatically filled in sunken monkey and I liked the sound of it. Teila had a sign made up for me for Christmas and that cemented it.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Aaron- For Teila, Three Dots and a Dash. When that isn’t available a Mai Tai is a go to. For me, a Navy Grog is always a favorite. I really enjoy Demerara rums and the way the citrus and honey flavors blend together to make it a delicious cocktail.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Aaron- As far as the Midwest, Foundation in Milwaukee is our favorite we’ve been to. The amount of detail put into the decor, the lighting, the atmosphere, the cocktails, the service, all top notch. We had the chance to stay at the connected Airbnb, the Captain’s Quarters, which is amazing as well.
Recently we got the chance to check out False Idol in San Diego and were blown away. We were lucky enough to attend an event there hosted by Jason Lee of Jason Lee and The R.I.P. Tides called Guitars and Grog. It was really cool to get to hang out and play guitar in there with a very small group of tiki fans. With all the people that have had a hand in making that place what it is, it’s an amazing space. The local SD Ohana group came out for a meet up after the event and we got to meet a lot of really cool and extremely welcoming people. We had a blast.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Aaron- I’d say lighting definitely plays a huge part. I personally like dimly lit spaces with colored or flame-like low lighting. A good example of low lighting is Foundation. If you’ve ever gone in during the day, it seriously takes a couple of minutes for your eyes to adjust to the point where you can see much. A little disorienting at first but it really helps transport you into a different mindset.
Music can really make or break the atmosphere for me too. Another thing that adds a lot for me is layers of decor. I love going back to a place I’ve been before and noticing things I didn’t catch the last time. If done right, I think a proper tiki atmosphere will make you forget about what time it is, where you actually are, and about reality in general, and be completely happy with that.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Aaron- Sexy Parties!
