Drinking with Epicurious

The Tiki Revival (Again) and More Tropical Fruit Booze

By James Oliver Cury



I'm old enough to remember a few tiki revivals. In the 1970s, my parents took me to Trader Vic's where the hosts gave rock-candy cocktail stirrers to kids (which I treated like lollipops). Another revival centered around music: In the early 1990s, hipsters embraced  old artists like Martin Denny and newer acts like Combustible Edison while sipping Scorpions (especially inside the Tonga Room in the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel).

So far, 2009 is poised to be yet another tiki revival year. The evidence:

The Los Angeles Times reviewed the Polynesian-themed Luau restaurant in January.

The Wall Street Journal discussed how tiki culture originally grew up during the Great Depression... and is back again for the New Depression.

And the Chicago Sun-Times proudly covered the re-opening of, yes, Trader Vic's in the ground floor of the Newberry Plaza Building earlier this year.

Pineapple pops up in more than a few new liquor bottles, too: Tanteo just released a Tropical 100% De Agave Tequila and Skyy Infusions recently announced it's added a pineapple vodka to the lineup.

If you like pineapple, check out our pineapple-rum cocktails or, more specifically, the recipes for a Mai Tai or a Zombie. Or the lovely pineapple-chili margarita (pictured).

Are pupu platters next?

Previously: The Top 5 Misconceptions About Scotch Whisky



Read more from the Epi-Log at Epicurious.com.