How To Throw An Epic Tiki Cocktail Party - Flavour BlasterPosted by Liz Seyi on September 28th, 2022 A telltale sign of an authentic Tiki party is the Polynesian decor. Tiki began after the second world war after many American GIs were stationed in the Pacific islands to the North East of Australia and New Zealand which includes Papua New Guinea, The Cook Islands, Hawaii and Tahiti. We’re talking about coconuts, totem statues, driftwood, masks, fire torches, fishing nets, nautical glass, palm leaves and pineapples (not flamingos or pirates, which are more Caribbean in theme). If you’re making temporary changes for the evening, you can look for tableware, cushion covers, and drapes in traditional Polynesian prints. Head somewhere like LittleGrassShack.co.uk for supplies. One easy way to Tiki up your existing furniture is to head to the local garden centre and grab some bamboo canes. They can be hot glued for permanent fixings or strung together and temporarily cable tied onto just about any piece of furniture, including a home bar. You can grab authentic tiki glass and barware in stores like LoveTiki.com, DrinkStuff.com, TheTikiCove.co.uk and BarBits.co.uk. Pre-prep Your Cocktails It’s better to do a small range of cocktails well than offer a massive choice of cocktails made with no prep. If it’s an all-nighter, get one cocktail in a punch bowl or sharing pitcher to which guests can help themselves, one short drink with mostly spirits and one long drink with mostly mixer. One of the lovely things about Tiki is the laid-back vibes, so don’t get your knickers in a twist serving each guest a complicated, individually made cocktail. You can squeeze and blend juices a few hours before serving them, mix spirits, liqueurs and syrups 24 hours before serving them, and batch up the whole lot just before people arrive. Make jugs of pre-mix under the counter, then as each person requires a drink, just pour or shake with ice. Easy peasy. So with that in mind, we’ve ranked these drinks from easiest to make to most challenging, with number 1 being the most simple and number 5 being the hardest to make;
The Devil is in the DetailsIt’s the small finishing touches that make things genuinely awesome. Whether that’s the tiny cocktail umbrellas, pre-prepared fresh fruit garnishes for your cocktails, or an authentic piece of glassware that reflects the OG early1950s era. Fire is a huge part of Tiki culture. From real fire torches to flaming rum shots, you can head to any Tiki themed venue and see open fire as part of the theatre. Obviously in your own home, that could be a little dangerous. So use our Flavour Blaster Mini to produce flavoured smoke for your food and drink serves. Yes, by all means, lads, don a Hawaiian shirt, but source one in tapa print and maybe add a fifties style hat too (which includes trilby, porkpie, homburg, ivy cap, walking hat and straw hats). Ladies, it's perfectly acceptable to wear printed shirts too, but if you want to go dressy, think about the dress shapes of the late forties and early fifties. Drape your non-Tiki furniture with temporary materials, and put Tiki prints on the walls. Hide modern electronics, so people aren’t taken away from the illusion of being on a beach in a faraway place. Put out some nibbles, so your guests don’t get hungry and make sure drinking water is dotted around the room, as some of those rum cocktails are super strong. That’s EntertainmentOne of the main reasons Tiki flew off the chain as it did was the sudden popularisation of island culture. South Pacific, the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, was released in 1949, and a slew of Polynesian-inspired shows and films came out in the wake of its success. The music of this era was also massively influenced by Latin music, with dances like the Samba and the Tango catching on worldwide. It was also considered the golden age of Hawaiian music, which in the 50s merged with sounds like Exotica and Lounge. You could mix in influences from this era with more current island styles of music. Think Manu Chao meets Dawn Penn meets Perry Como. If you’re too short on time to make your own, here’s the Spotify playlist fromLondon’s legendary Tiki bar, Trailer Happiness. Tiki also offers great prop opportunities for a photo booth, and hula dancers or a game of limbo can help lift the party if you get into a lull.
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