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Tiki Lounge:
Sippin' Safari"Sippin' Safari"
by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry
Club Tiki Press, 2007
     If anyone can be considered the modern Patron Saint of Tropical Drinks, it’s Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. His previous books The Grog Log, Intoxical!, and Taboo Table have become required reading to anyone who take their cocktail creation seriously. 
     His latest effort, Sippin’ Safari, not only is a search for classic tropical drink recipes, it’s also a look into the people who built and manned those famous tiki bars.
     The book starts with Don The Beachcomber’s first bar—the Hollywood nightspot opened in 1934. It explains how Donn Beach was booted from his own creation and how he went on to create other tropical bar. It also tells the history of other well-known bars such as Kelbo’s, Kon-Tiki, and the Mai-Kai—all with stories as exotic and fantastic as the tropical paradises they created.
     The most surprising part of the book is the life stories of the men who worked in the frantic assembly lines that were the bars in these establishments. These men were almost exclusively Filipino. In fact, many of these men shared similar experiences hiding from the Japanese in the Philippine jungles during World War Two. When they made their way to the states, they found a home in these bars where many led long and successful career. 
     The secret to their success and job security was the knowledge of the dozens of complicated drinks these bars served. Although they might work for a bar owner, the owner would never be told of the recipes. These tropical drink formulas where worth their weight in gold. In fact, most recipes if there were written down were written in code.
     That leads to Sippin’ Safari’s most important find—the original recipe to Don the Beachcomber’s infamous Zombie. Berry tells how he spent years tracking down the recipe. He talks about finding a coded version, then another coded version, then an earlier variation, and then a later variation. Through a lot of footwork, he was able to come up with at least three vintage versions of the drink. And the world is now a better place because of it.
   Berry, as the back of the book says, really is “the most rigorous tiki cocktail archeologist practicing today.” So next time you raise your tiki mug, give thanks to Berry and all the wonders he has uncovered.
Buy this book from


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Tiki Tales

"Olug House"--An bachelor partakes in some tropical pleasures...and gets screwed in more ways than one! (From an issue of Sheik from 1959.)

"Love in Samoa"--The soldier, the chief's virginal daughter, and the story he can never tell! (From an issue of Spree from 1958.)

"Girl on the Beach"--A boatload of sailors, a deserted island, and one very willing native girl. (From Sir! from 1958.)

"The Isle of Sex Starved Women"--The story of Rapa...where the gals outnumber the guys six-to-one! (From Sir! from 1958.)

"John Paul's 500 Native Brides"--The story of a sailor and how becomes the most desired man on the island. (From Sir! Annual Spring 1959.)

"Island of Too Much Love"--Get away from it all with this look at Polynesia paradise. (From an issue of Vue from 1959.)

"The Taming of Mrs. Drew"--See how a small South Seas island turned a henpecked husband into a real man! (From an issue of Sir! from 1960.)

"Rogues of Waikiki"--Learn all about the secret world of the Hawaiian gigolo! (From an issue of Rogue from 1959.)

"Passion In Paradise"--A man. A Woman. A deserted island. And lots of time on their hands. (From an issue of Modern Man from 1959.)

"The Isle of Lonely Women"--Two bachelors find their own Eden in the South Pacific (From an issue of Sir! from 1959.)

"Gauguin, Gau"--A bachelor writer asks the classic question, "What makes a Tahiti girl so irresistible?" (From an issue of Caper from 1960.)

"Savage Sex Is A Myth In Samoa"--National Geographic was never like this! (From an issue of Sir!: A Magazine For Males from 1950.)
 
 

Tiki Laffs
 
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JBP at YoYo Island

 

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