Thatched roof, bamboo walls and tables, tropical music playing in the background like a light breeze causing palm trees to sway, and potent rum drinks. The latter of which may cause the patrons to sway like those palm trees.
These are all elements that make up the definition of a tiki bar.
The word tiki comes from tiki gods, who hold a presence in the Polynesian culture to bring a specific god’s power (or mana), such as protection for disease or the making of bountiful crops. The are like the Greek gods, only in a tropical location.
Thus, anything associated with tropical beaches and destinations applies to tiki bars. Including carvings of tiki gods, with tiki gods on special glasses in which the drinks are served.
True tiki bars have many of the elements of the South Pacific as decor, and drinks with the name reflecting that lifestyle: the Tide Ripper, Navy Grog and Chief Lapu Lapu, just to name a few.
They can be but are not necessarily located in tropical location. Tiki bars can be hundreds of miles from the nearest beach. For example, there is one in Munich, Germany, which is known more for its Oktoberfest celebration, and for good reason.
There is a bit of a misnomer about tiki bars and that is that they all must have dark interiors and be full of tiki decor. This is not true, for by broad definition a tiki bar can be any place that has tiki decor and a touch of tiki.
This means that a beach bar with a thatched hut count as a tiki bar. In fact, those places are the true essence of a tiki bar, where you sit on a barstool with your toes between the sand.
Tiki bars can be upscale or they can be dive bars. The quintessential elements are that they serve tiki drinks (mostly made of rums and juices) and they they have some type of tiki decor. And they also must have the “tiki attitude,” which can be be described as how the customers feel after they have had a few of those tiki drinks.
Fun and friendly.
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• 5 Essential Elements Of A Tiki Bar
All tiki bars are a lot of fun!
I’ve never been to a Tiki Bar but it looks like a lot of fun.
I have however been to a part of Disney called the ‘Tiki Lounge’ … not the same but still lots of fun !