The Hukilau was back on the beach for 2022, hosting its many retro-themed Tiki festivities at a scenic hotel just north of Fort Lauderdale. The 20th Polynesian Pop weekender (the second longest-running in the world), featured four days of live music, educational seminars, cocktails and rum tastings, plus lots more. Click below for extensive photo/video recaps on social media. Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
The Beachcomber, a family-owned property in Pompano Beach, features lots of outdoor space just steps from the Atlantic Ocean. The Mai-Kai, the longtime host restaurant that remains closed for refurbishment, participated by serving cocktails and offering villagers drinks to go. The new ownership team also presented an exclusive symposium on the exciting new plans for the historic property.
The Hukilau 2022 – June 9-12 at the Beachcomber Resort & Club in Pompano Beach. Featuring live music (The Surfrajettes, The Intoxicators, The Manakooras, King Kukulele, Skinny Jimmy Stingray), symposiums (Ian Burrell, David Wondrich, The Mai-Kai, Rocket Betty, Spike Marble, Headhunter Ray, Jeff Ballard), 15 guest bars, rum tastings, luau on the beach, pool parties, Tiki Treasures Bazaar, plus more. Official website | Instagram | Facebook page and group
The Hukilau’s 2020 event in Fort Lauderdale may have been wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the Polynesian Pop lifestyle in the privacy of your own Tiki bar or with other villagers in your local scene. Following are a week’s worth of suggestions that pay homage to the participants, along with some ways you can lend a hand in these trying economic times. See below:Bonus recipe for The Last Fang
* Virtual Main Event at The Mai-Kai on Friday and Saturday, June 5-6
Many of us were looking forward to the 19th annual edition of the East Coast’s largest Tiki weekender on June 3-7 at the B Ocean Resort and The Mai-Kai restaurant. But we’ll have to wait for next year’s 20th anniversary to meet up with all our old friends, savor rum and Tiki cocktails made by some of the world’s top bartenders, dance to live bands and DJs, watch Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid and her aquaticats perform through the portals of Wreck Bar, plus so much more.
But as the shutdowns, stay-home mandates and restrictions due to the pandemic stretch into a fourth month, it’s possible to get a taste of The Hukilau without going far or putting yourself and others at risk. We’ve come up with ideas stretching over seven days, from educational symposiums to a special virtual event set for Friday and Saturday at The Mai-Kai. While The Hukilau’s kickoff party typically doesn’t launch until Wednesdays, we know many villagers like to arrive early and get a head start. The Hukilau 2019 also featured special events for bartenders starting Monday, so we’re following that plan.
Here’s an outline of suggested Hukilau-related things to do this week. If you have any to add, shoot us an email or a message on our social media pages: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Rum and education are two of the foundational elements of The Hukilau, so what better way to start the week than a special presentation by Matt Pietrek. The former Microsoft specialist and writer has turned his passion for rum and Tiki cocktails into a second career, earning an impressive three nominations in the upcoming 2020 Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail in July.
Matt Pietrek demonstrates a flaming garnish during his Okole Maluna Cocktail Academy class at The Hukilau 2019. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward)
Pietrek was nominated for Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing for an article on his long-running Cocktail Wonk blog, plus Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book for Minimalist Tiki: A Cocktail Wonk Look at Classic Libations and the Modern Tiki Vanguard, written with his wife Carrie Smith and released last summer. The blog is also among the heavyweight industry players nominated in the Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication category.
In his debut at The Hukilau last year, Pietrek did double duty with a symposium (How the British Navy Influenced the Birth of Tiki) and Okole Maluna Cocktail Academy class (Stocking Your Home Tiki Bar). Pietrek also joined The Atomic Grog for The Rums of The Mai-Kai: From the Back Bar to Your Glass, a special presentation and discussion in the main dining room at the historic restaurant. He was in the midst of digging up more fascinating facts for this year’s Hukilau guests when everything was put on hold.
But Pietrek has kept busy over the past several months with regular appearances online in a very active and engaged rum community. This new presentation covers The London Docks and Rums of the British Empire, an offshoot of his fascination with Navy Rum. Minimalist Tiki is a DIY effort by Pietrek and Smith, so you can support them directly by purchasing the book online.
If you need to stock up on some rum while planning your week of festivities, we recommend you support the brands who support The Hukilau with sponsorship money, free samples, and merchandise. Among the 2019 sponsors were Angostura, Appleton, Cockspur, Diplomatico, Don Q, Gubba, Hamilton, Lemon Hart, Orgeat Works, Plantation, Pusser’s, The Real McCoy, Real Syrups, Rhum Barbancourt, Rum Bar, Rums of Puerto Rico, St. Benevolence, Sandy Feet, Santa Teresa, Tiki Lovers, Swedish Punsch, Tanduay, and Worthy Park.
The Hukilau’s Okole Maluna Cocktail Academy classrooms may be dark this year, but there’s been no shortage of bartender knowledge spreading on the Internet, thanks to many talented mixologists around the world keeping their audience engaged. I’ve never seen so many professional recipes and trusted information available daily like it is now.
Oriol Elias presents a cocktail seminar on Tiki in Spain at the 2017 Miami Rum Renaissance Festival. (Atomic Grog photo)
Since the pandemic hit, Radev has been tireless. He launched “Mixology From The Fridge” on YouTube and Facebook, featuring dozens of entertaining how-to videos with recipes for cocktails, syrups and more. You can support Radev by watching his YouTube videos, buying his book and ordering items from the Laki Kane online store.
Radev joined forces with another online juggernaut, Tiki marketing maven and event organizer Jupiter Jones, for a weekly “Tiki Tuesday” broadcast on the Zavvy network of shows and podcasts. Their past guests have included Tonga Hut manager and rum/cocktail expert Marie King; Tiki and music historian Brother Cleve; and Trader Vic’s marketing exec Eve Bergeron, granddaughter of company founder Victor Bergeron. All of these VIPs had presentations or pop-up bars last year at The Hukilau, and Brother Cleve was scheduled to return in 2020 as a DJ.
The coronavirus pandemic is not yet in our rear-view mirror, but we’re happy to report that most establishments on this list have been back in operation for quite some time now. While “new normal” continues to be a way of life for everyone in the bar business, we’re happy to see many favorites again operating with an eye on a successful future.
We’ll continue to update this list periodically, concentrating on some key bars and restaurants that are still in transition periods. For the rest, we’ll leave most of the past news and updates documented below as a sobering reminder of what could happen again if we’re not diligent.
There’s never any guarantee of a fruitful future, so we encourage everyone to continue to patronize the online stores linked below and show your support in any way possible. This resource was created to throw a lifeline to struggling businesses in a trying time. Some would argue that’s the new normal.
We also urge you to also support the artists and merchants who are key parts of the industry, designing and producing many of the products listed below. You can find links to our favorites in the right rail of this blog post. You can also support them at events that have recently returned around the world.
SUPPORT TIKI BARS ONLINE
The following establishments are offering online ordering. If you find any broken links, please let us know and we’ll update. Also, please send us any additions to this list via email or as a message on our social media pages (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram).
Aku Aku, Orlando – This small and inviting mid-mod Tiki oasis near downtown has an online shop featuring gift cards, T-shirts, stickers and mugs. Artist Doug Horne signed his newest mug release, Invisible Man, on Jan. 22, 2022. It quickly sold out, but more were released in early March. Follow the Aku Aku pages onInstagram and Facebook for updates.
Archipelago, Washington, D.C. – The online merch shop for this island-themed neo-Tiki hotspot features a small but well designed assortment of glassware, including snifters and Mai Tai glasses along with a signature mug from Tiki Farm. Gift cards are also available. After operating outdoor patio seating for months, the bar closed in late December 2020 for a winter siesta. Takeout service resumed in February 2021, followed by patio seating. In mid-June 2021, Archipelago resumed indoor seating after 452 days.
The new Sneaky Tiki mug, designed for Sarasota’s Bahi Hut by RoboTiki.
Bahi Hut, Sarasota – This historic (est. 1954) but underappreciated Tiki landmark has shirts, pins and mugs available in its online shop. Recognized as the oldest Tiki bar in Florida, Bahi Hut is also site of the annual Tiki Fever event, with version 2.5 held Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, 2021. The bar reopened in October 2020 with both indoor and outdoor seating. In January 2021, a collector’s edition Tiki Fever mug featuring both Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid and The Disasternauts was released. The mug was designed by RoboTiki crafted by Eekum Bookum.
Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29, New Orleans – The bar and restaurant owned and operated by author and Tiki revival pioneer Jeff “Beachbum” Berry and his wife Annene Kaye is well represented in the BeachbumBerry.com store, including syrups and barware. While you’re there, pick up the Bum’s books so you can make the hundreds of tropical classics at home. Latitude 29 reopened in September 2021 after closing in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Before the storm, Latitude 29 had been open consistently since October 2020 in the wake of the pandemic. An exciting new mug release commemorated Spookilau 2021, when Oakwash produced 150 limited-edition Cursed Coconut mugs. Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Santa also returned again for another winter holiday season. The bar closed after ringing in 2022 but returned on Jan. 6. Before you visit, reserve a seat via Latitude29Nola.com.
