Tiki mug

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Cocktails served in tiki mugs LA Speakeasy Tiki Mugs.jpg
Cocktails served in tiki mugs

A tiki mug is a large ceramic cocktail drinking vessel that originated in tiki bars and tropical-themed restaurants. [1] The term "tiki mug" is a blanket term for the sculptural drinkware even though they vary in size and most do not contain handles. They typically depict Polynesian, mock-Polynesian, tropical, nautical, or retro themes, and as the term is used generically do not always emulate a tiki. [2] When used to serve drinks they are frequently garnished with fruit or decorative drink umbrellas and swizzle sticks.

Contents

Outside of tiki enthusiasts, the mugs are not commonly seen in use beyond tiki bars and restaurants, but some collect them as examples of kitsch. [3]

History

Moai statues, used as basis for a common tiki mug design Moai Rano raraku.jpg
Moai statues, used as basis for a common tiki mug design
A Fu Manchu mug Tiki4.jpg
A Fu Manchu mug

What many would consider to be the earliest US "tiki mugs" were ceramics in the shape of a skull or an ordinary ceramic vessel with a hula girl-related motif. Mugs meant to emulate a tiki carving, what some would consider to be a "true" tiki mug, did not come to the United States until the late 1950s. [4]

A little-known antecedent (and the possible inspiration) of these earliest US tiki mugs and other later US tiki-motif tableware, is a range of mid-century modern ceramic ware from New Zealand, made by Crown Lynn. Designed by Harry Hargreaves, the Wharetana Ware range assimilated Māori design, including tikis, in a contemporary way and, alongside items such as tiki ashtrays and salt and pepper shakers, included a tiki mug named "Ruru and Weku". This tiki mug dates from 1949, making it the earliest-known tiki mug in the world. [5]

Donn Beach, the father of Tiki, did not originally serve his drinks in ceramic vessels. An undated menu from his restaurant is labeled as "Don the Beachcomber's Delectable Thirty", which states "this souveneir menu is available at fifty cents". [6] The thirty drinks on the menu are shown in elaborate shapes and sizes, but the vast majority are in glassware and none depict a tiki. Discounting their shapes, the most unusual aspects of the vessels were for those serving the Pi Yi and coconut rum cocktails, which were hollowed-out baby pineapples and green coconuts, respectively. An expanded drink menu from 1941 that listed sixty drinks used similar illustrations, none depicting a tiki but still displaying hollowed-out fruit. [7]

Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide contains two pages of illustrations for the barware to be used with specific drinks. [8] It displays 30 different vessels, and as with Beach's menu the vast majority are glassware. Four of them are ceramic, however: a ceramic skull mug (for hot buttered rum and Coffee Grog), and a scorpion bowl, kava bowl, and a tall Fog Cutter mug all depicting islands scenes with native women. As the use of ceramic mugs started to expand many remained fairly basic, such as plain ceramic coconut shells or miniature rum barrels, but mugs became more stylized and some began to bear the name of the tiki bar that served them. [9]

Those in the shape of Easter Island statues (moai) are among the most common, fueled in large part by the popularity of Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition and 1957 Aku-Aku novel. [10] Steven Crane is largely credited with making "real tiki" carvings a major design theme in south seas inspired restaurants. [11] [12] The origin of who created and what was the first true tiki-shaped mug is frequently debated and has not been decided. [13] [14]

While some tiki mugs were meant to be close to accurate renditions of actual tiki carvings, regardless of whether such tikis were Polynesian, many also were simply aesthetic estimations meant to evoke a tiki image to mainland American consumers who would not know the difference. Asian themed mugs grew in popularity as well, depicting monikers for drinks such as the Karate Punch or Sumo Flip. Some mugs also became eponymous with the drinks they were served with and vice versa (examples including the Suffering Bastard, scorpion bowl, and Fu Manchu). [15] [16]

The 1960s saw the ceramic craft market, such as Holland Mold Inc., release tiki mug molds for the hobbyist to make and customize at home. [17] Vintage mugs, whether made by a professional manufacturer or by hobbyists, were once found in abundance on the shelves of junk shops in the 1980s and 1990s but became a sought-after item for those who were responsible for the revival of interest from tiki's heyday. [18] Such historical mugs were first systemically catalogued in 2003 by Duke Carter in a self-published book that was considered important to the renaissance of tiki culture. [19] [20] [21] [22] Some tiki mugs have become quite valuable, with one estimation of a single mug's worth in 2019 for the Parksmith Fertility Goddess Decanter coming in at over $5,000. [23]

Sizes

A volcano bowl Volcano drink.jpg
A volcano bowl

Although some mugs can be quite big, larger vessels are required for drinks meant to be shared. A scorpion bowl (also known as a kava bowl or tarantula bowl [24] ) is an oversized ceramic bowl meant for communal drinking through straws. [25] A variation is the flaming volcano bowl, which has a raised crater reservoir. This reservoir is typically filled with a small amount of overproof rum (151 or 160) and carefully lit on fire.[ citation needed ]

Large shells or their ceramic counterparts are also sometimes used for communal drinks, such as in the Chin Tiki Special. The Mr. Bali Hai mug comes with a lid that has two holes in it for multiple straws and sharing.[ citation needed ]

Manufacturers

Though hobbyists and ceramic artists, in a small capacity, have continued to make these mugs at home, larger manufacturers have mass-produced restaurant and bar promotional souvenirs. The two largest mass producers were Orchids of Hawaii and the Otagiri Mercantile Company (OMC). [26] [27] [28] [29] Other smaller manufacturers included Daga and Westwood, with most made in either Japan or Taiwan. While some were marked with manufacturers' stickers or etched with mold numbers, many were blank and were designs stolen from competitors. Some vintage knock-off mugs were of poor quality, while others were as crisp as the originals. There is speculation that in some cases the same manufacturer may have sold the same mug under two different company names. [30]

Mugs promoting the podcast Tiki Bar TV Tiki7.jpg
Mugs promoting the podcast Tiki Bar TV

The "tiki revival" of the 1990s [31] and then 2008 onwards [32] saw both the new production of historical styled mugs as well as variations that would have in the past seemed potentially out of place in traditional tiki bars due to advancements in glazing and other ceramic technologies. Custom tiki mugs started to be made as an advertising tool for use outside of establishments that would be considered strictly as tiki bars. Examples included a mug for the podcast Tiki Bar TV , as well as a complete set of Star Wars -themed tiki mugs. [33]

21st-century variations

While the main Polynesian and nautical themes for traditional tiki mugs still remain, newer tiki mugs continue to stray much further from the standard formula that was used by Orchids of Hawaii and OMC.

Mugs depicting actual people or characters such as Don Ho, [34] Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, [35] Margaret Thatcher, [36] Sven Kirsten, [37] Donn the Beachcomber, [38] and Magnum P.I. [39] started to be produced.

Tiki's historical basis with drinks such as the Zombie and Corpse Reviver, along with the use of early skull-shaped and shrunken-head mugs, became a catalyst for more overt "monster"-themed mugs. [40] [41] [42]

In a similar fashion, Tiki's link to Atomic cocktails and drinks such as the Test Pilot, Astronaut and Space Needle eventually led to mugs in the shape of rocket ships and early science fiction robots with names such as "Tron the Beachcomber". [43] [44] [45]

As aspects of tiki culture became more mainstream, virtually any uniquely styled ceramic mug began being labeled as a "tiki" mug, which saw some pushback among purists. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiki culture</span> Pseudo-Polynesian decor and themes

Tiki culture is an American-originated art, music, and entertainment movement inspired by Polynesian, Melanesian, and Micronesian cultures, and by Oceanian art. Influential cultures to Tiki culture include Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, the Caribbean Islands, and Hawaii. The name comes from Tiki, the Māori name for the first human, often represented in the form of hei-tiki, a pendant and important taonga. The hei-tiki was often appropriated by Europeans as a commercialised good luck charm, hence the name of Tiki culture. Despite spanning over 10,000 miles and including many different unrelated cultures, religions, and languages, Tiki aesthetic is considered by some to be amalgamated into one "fantasia of trans-Pacific cultures" and "colonial nostalgia". Because of this, and the simplistic view of the Pacific taken by the aesthetic, Tiki culture has often proved controversial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zombie (cocktail)</span> Cocktail made of fruit juices and rum

The Zombie is a Tiki cocktail made of fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums. It first appeared in late 1934, invented by Donn Beach at his Hollywood Don the Beachcomber restaurant. It was popularized on the East coast soon afterwards at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Donn Beach was an American adventurer, businessman, and World War II veteran who was the "founding father" of tiki culture. He is known for opening the first prototypical tiki bar, Don’s Beachcomber, during the 1930s in Hollywood, California, which was expanded to a chain of dozens of restaurants throughout the United States. He later built the International Market Place and additional establishments in what was then the Territory of Hawaii. He married three times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trader Vic's</span> Polynesian-themed American restaurant chain

Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. founded a chain of Polynesian-themed restaurants that bore his nickname, "Trader Vic". He was one of two people who claimed to have invented the Mai Tai. The other was his amicable competitor for many years, Donn Beach of the "Don the Beachcomber" restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swizzle stick</span> Small stick used to hold fruit garnishes or stir drinks

A swizzle stick is a small stick used to stir drinks. The original swizzle sticks were created in the 18th century at a rum plantation in the West Indies using the branch of the Quararibea turbinata. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, stir sticks made of glass were created to shake out the bubbles from champagne, whose carbonation caused indigestion for some drinkers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiki bar</span> Bar with a "Tiki" or Polynesian theme

A tiki bar is a themed drinking establishment that serves elaborate cocktails, especially rum-based mixed drinks such as the Mai Tai and Zombie cocktails. Tiki bars are aesthetically defined by their tiki culture décor which is based upon a romanticized conception of tropical cultures, most commonly Polynesian. Some bars also incorporate general nautical themes or retro elements from the early atomic age.

A Scorpion Bowl is a communally shared alcoholic tiki drink served in a large ceramic bowl traditionally decorated with wahine or hula-girl island scenes and meant to be drunk through long straws. Bowl shapes and decorations can vary considerably. Starting off as a single-serve drink known as the Scorpion cocktail, its immense popularity as a bowl drink in tiki culture is attributed to Trader Vic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flaming volcano</span> Large tropical group cocktail

Flaming volcano is a large tropical group cocktail typically made with rum, brandy, pineapple juice, orange juice, and orgeat syrup. Many variations exist, and the cocktail in the 21st century is more about the presentation than an adherence to a set list of ingredients. It is usually a multi-user drink, served to a group in a special vessel known as a volcano bowl, which is a decorative ceramic bowl designed with a rising central hub feature resembling a volcanic cone. The cone includes a "crater" reservoir which can be partially filled with rum or another flammable liquor. The crater liquor is carefully ignited when serving, creating a mild volcanic ambiance with its central blue flame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Stephen Crane</span> American actor and restaurateur (1916–1985)

Joseph Stephenson "Steve" Crane was an American actor and restaurateur. A Columbia Pictures actor in the early 1940s, Crane opened the Luau, a popular celebrity restaurant, in 1953 and established a successful 25-year career in the restaurant industry. In addition to his own accomplishments, Crane is often remembered as Lana Turner's twice ex-husband.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahooka</span> Bar/restaurant in California, USA

Bahooka was a Tiki bar and restaurant in Rosemead, California, United States. The Bahooka was well known for its many fish tanks, one of which held a famous and frequently photographed pacu fish named Rufus. The bar was also known for serving over 60 different kinds of Tiki drinks, including their Jolly Roger Bowl and flaming drinks such as the Flaming Honey Bowl and their eponymous Bahooka Bowl. The Bahooka served Polynesian fare such as teriyaki chicken breast and their signature "Exotic Ribs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar</span> Themed bar at Disneyland Hotel

Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar is a tiki bar located at the Disneyland Hotel in the Disneyland Resort of Anaheim, California, that opened in May 2011. Named one of the top five tiki bars in Los Angeles by LA Weekly, Trader Sam's is one of many tiki bars gaining popularity throughout the United States, and even the world, in what some call tiki's "third wave". It is not to be confused with the San Francisco, California tiki bar Trad'r Sam founded in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffering bastard</span> Type of cocktail

The suffering bastard is the name for two different mixed drinks, one being more of a standard cocktail associated with World War II and the other being more of an exotic drink associated with Tiki bars. As is the case with many cocktails, there are multiple recipe variations and historical origins have been argued and changed over time. Two of the earliest recipe versions have very different ingredients. One from bartender Joe Scialom (1942) calls for brandy and gin, while another from Tiki pioneer Victor J. Bergeron primarily uses rum along with "secret ingredients" and is known for being garnished with a cucumber.

The Q.B. Cooler is a vintage tiki cocktail invented by Donn Beach that calls for a mixture of several rums, two syrups, fruit juices, and honey, mixed with club soda and dashes of Pernod, bitters, and grenadine. Another version purported to be from 1937 is slightly different and calls for varying rum proportions and ginger syrup in place of the fassionola and Pernod.

The Sumatra Kula is a vintage tiki cocktail invented by Donn Beach that calls for light rum, equal parts orange, lime and white grapefruit juices, and is sweetened with a diluted honey mix.

The cobra's fang is a vintage tiki cocktail invented by Donn Beach that calls for a mixture of rums along with fassionola and falernum syrups, the juice of orange and limes, and a dash each of bitters and grenadine. The recipe from the book Hawai'i: Tropical Rum Drinks & Cuisine By Don the Beachcomber calls for it being garnished with fresh mint and a lime wheel, although a length of spiral cut lime peel made to look like a snake is used for aesthetics in some cobra named cocktails.

Mr. Bali Hai is a tiki drink served in a special mug at the Bali Hai restaurant on Shelter Island in San Diego, California. The drink has had different recipes over the years, but a prominent version from the 1970s calls for 1 1/2 oz of dark Jamaican rum, 1 oz light Puerto Rican rum, 3/4 oz coffee flavored brandy, 1 1/2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice, 1 oz lemon juice, and 1/2 oz of sugar syrup. The mug has the same name as the drink, Mr. Bali Hai, and comes in the shape of a headhunter's head with a removable lid.

The Fog Cutter is a vintage tiki cocktail frequently attributed to being invented by Victor Bergeron that calls for a mixture of several liquors, the juice of lemon and oranges, orgeat syrup, and cream sherry. It is high in alcoholic content and has been called the "Long Island Iced Tea of exotic drinks." It has historically been served in special Fog Cutter ceramic mugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Berry (mixologist)</span> American author and mixologist

Jeff "Beachbum" Berry is an American restaurant owner, author, and historian of tiki culture, particularly the drinks associated with the tiki theme. In addition to researching and reconstructing lost recipes, he has invented and published his own cocktail recipes.

The PB2Y, or PB2Y Gremlin, is a tiki drink created by Victor Bergeron as part of a series of "gremlin" drinks for his Trader Vic's restaurants during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Dots and a Dash</span> Tiki bar in Chicago

Three Dots and a Dash is a craft cocktail tiki bar in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

References

  1. ↑ Robert Sharp; Nicole Weston (1 June 2015). Tiki Drinks: Tropical Cocktails for the Modern Bar. Countryman Press. ISBN   978-1-58157-596-5.
  2. ↑ Carter, Duke (2003). Tiki Quest. Chicago: Pegboard Press.
  3. ↑ Martin Cate; Rebecca Cate (7 June 2016). Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki. Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony. ISBN   978-1-60774-733-8.
  4. 1 2 Lecaro, Lina (15 May 2015). "Where did the tiki mug come from". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 2024-04-12. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  5. ↑ "Log in".
  6. ↑ Bitner, Arnold (2001). Hawai'i Tropical Rum Drinks by Don the Beachcomber. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing. p. 46.
  7. ↑ "1941 Beachcomber Menu". scholarsarchive.com. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Bergeron, Victor (1948). Bartender's Guide (Reprint ed.). Garden City Books. p. 18.
  9. ↑ Kirsten, Sven (2000). The Book of Tiki. Taschen. p. 55.
  10. ↑ Kirsten, Sven (2000). The Book of Tiki. Taschen. p. 119.
  11. ↑ "LA public library data base". dbase1.lapl.org. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  12. ↑ Kirsten, Sven (2000). The Book of Tiki. Taschen.
  13. ↑ Carter, Duke (2003). Tiki Quest. Chicago: Pegboard Press.
  14. ↑ "What was the first tiki mug?". tikiroom.com. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  15. ↑ Carter, Duke (2003). Tiki Quest. Chicago: Pegboard Press.
  16. ↑ Bergeron, Victor (1948). Bartender's Guide (Reprint ed.). Garden City Books. p. 433.
  17. ↑ "Items Manufactured by Holland Molds". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  18. ↑ Carter, Duke (2003). Tiki Quest. Chicago: Pegboard Press.
  19. ↑ "A chat with Duke Carter". maitaionline.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  20. ↑ "Tiki quest collecting the past". news.critiki.com. 14 November 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  21. ↑ "Tiki Mugs, with Duke Carter". tradertiki.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  22. ↑ "Tiki quest mug". www.ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  23. ↑ "Statistics". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  24. ↑ "Tarantula Bowl". cryptotikimugs.net. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  25. ↑ Duggan McDonnell (2015). Drinking the Devil's Acre: A Love Letter from San Francisco and her Cocktails. Chronicle Books. pp. 94–97. ISBN   9781452140629 . Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  26. ↑ Carter, Duke (2003). Tiki Quest. Chicago: Pegboard Press.
  27. ↑ "Orchids of Hawaii Mugs". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  28. ↑ "Made in Japan". francinesfigurines.com. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  29. ↑ "15 Terrific Tiki Mugs". weburbanist.com. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  30. ↑ Carter, Duke (2003). Tiki Quest. Chicago: Pegboard Press.
  31. ↑ Humuhumu (15 December 2016). "Early Modern Tiki: What the Tiki Re-emergence Looked Like". critiki.com. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  32. ↑ Lewis, Mark (1 July 2008). "Tiki Time".
  33. ↑ "The 25 craziest tiki mugs you need". supercall.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  34. ↑ "Don Ho". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  35. ↑ "Beachbum Berry". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  36. ↑ "Peak inside London's most whimsical drikware factory". punchdrink.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  37. ↑ "Sven Kirsten Mug". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  38. ↑ "Donn the Beachcomber Mug". tikiroom.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  39. ↑ "Magnum PI Mug". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  40. ↑ "New Universal Halloween Tiki Mugs". bloody-disgusting.com. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  41. ↑ "Horror in Clay". shop.horrorinclay.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  42. ↑ "Merch Hut". frankiestikiroom.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  43. ↑ "Tron the Beachcomber". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  44. ↑ "Mixxit Rocket Mug". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  45. ↑ "Robot tiki mug". danefield.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.

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