Michael Grider Archives

NOTE: The Hukilau 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. A series of online events was held in its place. The 2019 recap below was posted before the pandemic. The Hukilau is returning to a live format in September 2021.

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The Hukilau’s 2020 entertainment lineup will be announced on Feb. 3, when event tickets and passes go on sale for the 19th annual Tiki weekender June 3-7 in Fort Lauderdale. While The Mai-Kai remains the nerve center of the Polynesian Pop celebration for the 18th straight year, most of the festivities will be centered at the B Ocean Resort on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

After five years as host hotel, the Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina closed for a years-long refurbishment and re-imagining on the day after The Hukilau 2019. To give you a preview of what you can expect during the whirlwind weekend, following is a look back at last year’s festivities. While this Top 10 list is nowhere near complete in capturing the diversity of activities that encompassed the five-day bash, it offers a snapshot of some of the more memorable moments.

See below: Bonus cocktail recipes from the Rum Island Pool Parties
Passion Fruit West Indies (Pagan Idol) | Playboy (Tiki Underground)

The Hukilau 2019 was held June 5-9 at the Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina, B Ocean Resort and The Mai-Kai restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. Featuring Tikiyaki Orchestra, Tikiyaki 5-0, Surfer Joe, The Volcanics, The Hula Girls, The Intoxicators, Gold Dust Lounge, Skinny Jimmy Stingray, The Swingin’ Palms, Slowey and the Boats, King Kukulele, Brother Cleve, Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid, Ian “Rum Ambassador” Burrell, and 25 top Tiki bars and bartenders from around the world.
* TheHukilau.com | Facebook: Page and Group | Instagram
Previous recap: The Hukilau 2019 photos and video from social media

Mahalo to the venues, the organizers, all the participants and (especially) all the villagers who attended. Special thanks to those who provided photos for use below. Here’s a sampling of what we enjoyed, in no particular order …

Continue reading “Photos: 10 highlights from The Hukilau 2019 in Fort Lauderdale”

The must-have Tiki bar accessory of 2018 may have been the custom swizzle sticks designed and made by California artist Michael Grider that take flaming cocktails to a new level.

Grider’s Torch Swizzle and the 2018 Mai-Kai Barrel Mug by Tiki Diablo. (Photo from GriderCo.Etsy.com)

It didn’t take long for these inventive items, priced at $25 each, to sell out on Etsy. Grider’s Torch Swizzle also requires a specially formulated lemon extract “Torch Juice” developed by Grider. Buy four and you got a free Torch Juice Kit.

But if you’re a procrastinator like me, you missed the boat when these first hit the Internet and took off like wildfire. The last batch was shipped in November. These are not mass produced, but hand-sculpted by Grider and then created using a centrifuge and a mold filled with hot metal. After the top is cast around a stainless steel rod, it’s hand-sanded and polished before it’s sent to be plated and receive a copper, nickel, or brass finish. Grider then completes each swizzle with patina, polish and a coat of clear enamel.

I hate to clue more people into this, but what the hell: A limited amount of torch swizzles will be up for grabs on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 6 p.m. (Pacific time). Grider and his wife Karissa promise that a few torches will go online for pre-order. They won’t be available again for a few months due to Michael’s upcoming surgery, so now’s your chance to snag one at the same $25 price tag, plus $15 for the juice kit. The kit includes Torch Juice in a reusable dropper bottle for easy dispensing, two replacement wicks, and four replacement screens. The free kit offers stands if you’re able to snag four torches.
Go to GriderCo.Etsy.com to pre-order