Tiki VIP #17 Jason Alexander (Tacoma Cabana)

Jason Alexander

I’ll never the forget the first time I set foot in Tacoma Cabana.

Standing behind the bar was this dude wearing an Aloha shirt and fez on his head. I didn’t know anything about this guy, but he had a presence to him that made him really stand out. Without saying a word, the message was clear: I’m here to make Tiki cocktails and trust me, they will blow you away. This man was and is Jason Alexander. He is the owner of Tacoma Cabana. Let’s get to know Jason a little bit more…

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Tiki Bar Review #28 Otto’s Shrunken Head, NYC

Otto's Shrunken Head

Hey, this used to be Barmacy!

When I first walked into Otto’s Shrunken Head, I felt like I’d been there before. I lived in New York back in the early 2000s and before Otto’s was Otto’s, it used to be Barmacy. Barmacy was a bar that was supposed to be a pharmacy that turned into a bar. Pretty interesting idea, but a Tiki bar is so much cooler!

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Comparing Tiki Bars To KISS

Ray with Kiss Alive photo by Trash TV Streaming

“You wanted the best and you got them! The hottest band in the land: KISS!”

Back in the ’70s, KISS ruled the school. They were huge! There were KISS toys, KISS comic books, KISS, well, pretty much anything Gene Simmons could think of! KISS was so big that the band even had it’s own army, the KISS Army!

Kiss Army
Kiss Army

Why was KISS so big and why were they so successful? One reason: seeing KISS live was a breathtaking, rocking spectacle that couldn’t be duplicated!

Why?

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Tiki Bar Review #27 Forbidden Island Alameda, CA

Forbidden Island

Every painting starts with one brush stroke. Each stroke that follows can make the painting better or worse.

The same thing is true with building a Tiki bar. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination, or to how much you care about building something special. I don’t want to say there’s a right or wrong way to build a Tiki bar, but as they say, “The proof is the pudding.” There are definite reasons why certain Tiki bars have lines outside the door and why others close a couple months after opening. Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA is not the later! Forbidden Island is one of the oldest of the new Tiki bars, opening its doors a decade ago in 2006.

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Tiki Bar Review #26 New Luck Toy Seattle, WA

New Luck Toy

New Luck Toy: three words that have three meanings in Seattle, WA.

New Luck Toy used to be a cool, kitschy Chinese restaurant that was located in West Seattle. It shut down about a decade ago.

New Luck Toy is also a punk rock band from Seattle.

And as of October 2016, New Luck Toy is a brand new bar in West Seattle!

New Luck Toy Bar

And they have a slushie machine that pours out frozen Tiki drinks!

Ray with a Mango Scorpion
Ray with a Mango Scorpion

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Tiki Bar Review #25 The Monkeypod Wailea, Maui

The Monkeypod Kitchen
The Monkeypod Kitchen

Myth: There are tons of Tiki bars in Hawaii!

Reality: Well, not really…

The main appeal of a Tiki bar is to create the illusion that you are in a tropical paradise. When you’re actually in Hawaii, why would you need the illusion? You’re actually there! What’s tough is finding a bar that actually makes good drinks. All Mai Tais are not created equal in Hawaii and good luck finding a place that makes a good one. Well folks, if you happen to find yourself on the island of Maui you’re in luck. Head the directly to the Monkeypod!

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Tiki Bar Review #24 The Waldorf Vancouver, BC

Tiki Bar At The Waldorf Vancouver B.C.

If there is any Tiki bar that should get honorable mention, it should be the Waldorf Hotel in Vancouver, BC. The place is essentially a dance club. I can assure you, electronic dance music will be pumping out of the speakers—not Martin Denny. When I visited the Waldorf, I didn’t even have a drink. In fact, I don’t know if they even serve any Tiki cocktails at all.

So why am I writing about this place? Two reasons. Well, maybe three.

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A Pop-Up Tiki Bar! The Low Tide Lounge Seattle, WA

Lowtide Lounge at The Piranha
Lowtide Lounge at The Piranha

You should start a Tiki bar!

If I had a nickel for every time someone said this to me, I would be rich! Okay, well maybe I would have enough to buy a cup of coffee, but I digress.

Yes, starting a Tiki bar is a dream of mine, but it’s not easy and it’s not cheap. You need to find a place that’s in a good location and somewhere you can afford the rent. You also need a license to serve alcohol AND a license to sell it. I haven’t even talked about the money needed for décor.

One idea I thought of was doing a “pop-up” bar. I was down in Los Angeles and they got pop-ups for everything including food, clothing, music, and of course, booze. The idea is to rent a space out for a week, a month, or even a day. I thought a Tiki pop-up bar would be a great idea. Well, great minds think alike. Duffy De Armas made my a dream a reality! He opened the Tiki pop-up bar: the Low Tide Lounge.

Alison, Harvey, Ali and Duffy
Alison, Harvey, Ali and Duffy

Here is his story…

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