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FREAKY FOR TIKI
February 25, 2008  As a teenager living in Los Angeles, I used to save my money to dine. On my bicycle and later, a bright blue Peugeot Moped, I tooled around Beverly Hills and West Hollywood grabbing great Cal-Mex at Sundance Café, frozen yogurt from The Cultured Cow; burgers from Fatburger; and my favorite guilty pleasure, Rumaki (crisply broiled bacon- wrapped water chestnuts and chicken livers) and “virgin” tiki drinks from Don the Beachcomber. The Tiki décor, casual islandy vibe and incredible, decorative dish and glassware, were right up my alley. Flash forward about 5 years and I arrive in New Orleans to find Pontchartrain Beach’s Bali Hai and was lucky enough to get sip on a cocktail or two before it closed forever. On most weekends, my husband and I take out the Bali Hai tiki cups we saved and make Mai Tai’s or some other rummy concoction to drink...even when tiki drinks weren’t “fashionable.”
Like many things, tiki culture, drinks, and cuisine ride a trend rollercoaster. Over the  last several years or so, the ride is going up, up, enjoying a major comeback for a multitude of reasons. Leading the pack on this mighty, mighty redux is Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. Called “…the most rigorous tiki cocktail archeologist practicing today,” by rum authority and author, Wayne Curtis, Jeff is reinvigorating us all with great tropical drinks (tiki cocktails), both “lost” and newly concocted, as well as celebrating the making of the necessary and sometimes “exotic” ingredients while ensuring we are well fed Polynesian style too. Jeff’s four books on tiki culture, history, drinks, more drinks, cuisine, and the people behind it all, are required reading and a book shelf staple for home or master mixologists.  Three of the four of Jeff’s books are spiral bound and none-too-fancy, production-wise, but don’t let that be detraction, these books are crammed cover to cover with great images, information and recipes.
Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log - Vintage tiki menu graphics from the ‘50 and ‘60s, and cover art by brilliant tiki artist Bosko, accompanies 80 drink recipes from Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic’s and other by-gone Polynesian restaurants. Beachbum Berry’s Intoxica – Picks up where Grog Log left off with more drinks, tiki graphics and Polynesian pop culture.  Beachbum Berry's Taboo Table: Tiki Cuisine from Polynesian Restaurants of Yore – the history of tiki cuisine and a delectable collection of vintage Polynesian restaurant recipes for nostalgic dishes like Rumaki, Ginger Chicken Wings, Bongo Bongo Soup and some cool cocktails to pair. Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari – This volume is better produced, perfect bound and fat with glossy pages. The Beachbum explores “lost” tropical drinks, their recipes and tells the stories of the interesting people behind the drinks.
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Lorin Gaudin thinks, cooks, eats and writes about food, drink, culinary history, restaurants, dining and culture. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Theatre from Loyola University of New Orleans, and a culinary diploma from L'Ecole de Gastronomie Ritz-Escoffier in Paris. She is the host of her own weekend radio show, “All Over Food,” on The New 99.5FM – WRNO (www.thenew995fm.com), covering New Orleans’ amazing food, restaurants and dining scene and a contributing editor for Culinary Concierge Magazine’s New Orleans, Emerald Coast Florida and Dallas editions. Lorin appears weekly as a food and dining reporter on "Steppin' Out," WYES-TV, Channel 12, sits on the on the Advisory Board of the Museum of the American Cocktail and is Board Secretary for The New Orleans Society for the Preservation of Cocktails and Cuisine which produces the annual event, Tales of the Cocktail. She is a daily contributor to www.emerils.com, and her work can also be found in The New York Post.
One of the most often asked questions is about aperitifs – do they stimulate or deaden the palate? The answer lies in who’s providing the response. I’m a cocktail girl and in my opinion, a simple cocktail before dinner is a great way to start a meal. I do think there needs to be some time between the cocktail and the first course, but an aperitif is a beautiful thing.
