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Announcing the LUPEC BOSTON TIKI Bash!

Posted in Events, Fundraiser, Tiki, tagged LUPEC Boston Tiki Bash on October 20, 2009| 11 Comments »

SAVEDATE1

LUPEC is thrilled to announce our 3rd Annual Fall Fundraiser, the LUPEC BOSTON “TIKI BASH“, to benefit Cambridge-based non-profit organization, On The Rise!

On November 14 we’ll transform the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts into a 1950’s-themed Tiki party featuring retro-libations, live entertainment, dancing, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and our famous prize raffle. This is LUPEC Boston’s third annual fall fundraising event. This year’s beneficiary is On the Rise, a Cambridge-based non-profit that supports the initiative and strength of women living in crisis or homelessness. Tickets are $35 in advance/ $45 at the door and can be purchased this Friday at Grand in Somerville, Toro in the South End, Drink in Fort Point, Trina’s Starlite Lounge in Somerville, Buckaroo’s Mercantile in Cambridge, or online now at www.thebostonshaker.com.

The LUPEC BOSTON “TIKI BASH” will pay tribute to the 1950’s theme with of-the-era cocktails, Tiki cocktail demonstrations by some of Boston’s best bartenders, and live entertainment including acts by Thru the Keyhole Burlesque, Boston-based ukulele sensation Uke Springsteen, and other Island-themed acts. DJ Brother Cleve, a Boston institution, will spin ’50s-era music throughout the evening between sets.

Light cocktail party fare will be provided for the evening by some of the city’s most highly regarded culinary talent, including Mike Smith of Toro, Greg Reeves of Green Street, Island Creek Oysters will be on hand shucking their acclaimed “Duxbury Pearls”, and The Boston Derby Dames will skate around with sweets provided by Taza Chocolate.

A prize raffle will feature gift baskets from St-Germain and Brix, a one-of-a-kind handmade handbag from Nani designs, gift certificates donated from Toro, Trina’s Starlite Lounge, Franklin Cafe, Vee Vee, Fresh Hair Salon, and many, many more!

Click HERE to buy your tickets today!
(All credit card ticket purchases will be subject to a $3 per ticket processing fee)

Aloha!

Villa Victoria Center for the Arts
85 West Newton Street
South End, Boston, MA 02118
www.villavictoriaarts.org

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What We’re Drinking: The Mai Tai*

Posted in Events, Fundraiser, Tiki, Weekly Dig, tagged Don the Beachcomber, Donn Beach, Ernest Beaumont-Gantt, fresh lime juice, Jamaican rum, LUPEC Boston's Tiki Bash, Mai Tai, orange curaçao, Orgeat, Trader Vic, Victor Bergeron on October 16, 2009| 7 Comments »

*LUPEC Boston’s latest ruminations, in case you missed ‘em in this week’s Dig.

by Pink Lady

Ever tried a Zombie or a Suffering Bastard, or any drink served in a scorpion bowl or skull mug? With out-there names and kitschy vessels, tiki drinks are apt to inspire a giggle among cocktail neophytes. In their original incarnation, these were balanced, palatable drinks built upon rum, fresh juices and flavorful syrups—legitimate cocktails that would make modern bar snobs swoon.

The tiki craze has roots that reach all the way back to Prohibition, when thirsty Americans took to the Caribbean seas (where rum flowed freely) for rum cruises. They developed a taste for exotic island cocktails, meaning the market was ripe by the time Ernest Beaumont-Gantt opened his “Don the Beachcomber” bar in Hollywood in 1934, just after repeal. Victor Bergeron soon followed suit, revamping his Oakland eatery into “Trader Vic’s,” complete with South Seas décor. Post-World War II, the tiki phenomenon blossomed into a true craze that lasted well into the 1950s.

If Ernest Beaumont-Gantt, aka “Don the Beachcomber” and Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron were the emperors of American tiki, a cornerstone of their empire was the mai tai—a drink they both take credit for inventing. Trader Vic alleges he innovated the drink as a simple way to make use of a bottle of 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew rum from Jamaica in 1944. He served it to Ham and Carrie Guild, two friends visiting from Tahiti, and after one sip, Carrie pronounced it: “Mai tai—roa aé,” Tahitian for, “Out of this world—the best.” And the mai tai was born.

Don Beach’s last wife, Phoebe, purports to have written proof Don invented the drink, in the form of a letter from a journalist describing a 1972 incident where Victor confesses that Don was the drink’s true progenitor. Some say both accounts are false, and the drink originated somewhere in Tahiti. Debate rages on, even after the movement and its founders are long gone.

When properly made, a mai tai is a revelatory cocktail; it’s no wonder Americans clamored for this delightful beverage and its tiki cousins for decades. Start your own tiki craze at home with one of these as you get in the mood for the LUPEC fall fundraiser this November: It will be a tiki bash of epic proportions.

MAI TAI

2 oz aged Jamaican rum

0.75 oz fresh lime juice

0.75 oz orange curaçao

1 tsp orgeat syrup

Shake well with ice and strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel, a mint sprig and, if possible, an exotic orchid

CIN-CIN!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE LUPEC TIKI BASH SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH! CHECK BACK SOON FOR DETAILS!

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Go Tiki Yourself

Posted in Beachbum Berry, Campari, Rum, Tiki, Trader Vic on June 24, 2008| 3 Comments »

When The Weekly Dig‘s Christine Liu asked the LUPEC ladies to advise her readers on summertime drinks, we enthusiastically obliged by studying up and drinking our way through the books of Beachbum Berry and Trader Vic. Check out our story in this week’s Dig! But could it additionally be possible to get one’s tiki on in Boston?

Because of the Puritanical background of Massachusetts one may assume that our fine state was never a part of Tiki Nation. Not so, my dear friends. In fact the Boston area was a hotbed of tiki torch amusements. Those of you who have been in the Boston area for a while will remember Aku Aku, the Polynesian delight that used to occupy the space that now holds Jasper White’s Summer Shack near Alewife Station. Boasting sister locations in Worcester and Newton, Aku Aku offered up Polynesian fare and stand up comedy that one could wash down with delicious tiki libations. Heading back to mid-century, Boston hosted Kon-Tiki Ports in the Sheraton at the Prudential Center, Trader Vic’s in the Park Plaza Hotel, the Polynesian Village in the Somerset Hotel, Bob Lee’s Islander in Chinatown, and the Hawaiian on Boylston St.

And let us not forget the Aloha Lounge!

Talking about tiki of yore can make one thirsty. Fear not! We may not be able to sit in the Kona Hut of the Polynesian Village, but there are still options for those of us longing to have our engines revved by a Jet Pilot. On Beacon St in Newton we find South Pacific. This unassuming store front in a strip mall hides a secret tiki enclave featuring bamboo, tiki fixtures and murals.

Want to head someplace more accessible by T? Head on over to East Coast Grill in Inman Square and limbo on in to the Lava Lounge. This Cambridge institution is known for quality seafood and BBQ, but we heart East Coast Grill for it’s tribute to Polynesia. Order up a Pu Pu Platter, sip on your Erupting, Flaming Volcano (serves 2, limit two per couple) and enjoy the sites!

Next on our field trip of all things tiki we find ourselves in Medford at Tiki Island. Although it’s not as elaborately decorated as it’s tiki predecessors, Tiki Island happily boasts “Exotic Polynesian Tropical Drinks.” Who are we to say no?

On Route 1 in Saugus, we find the Kowloon. Established in 1950 by the Wong Family, the Kowloon is a New England Polynesian institution. After passing through the entrance guarded by a 15 foot tiki you have the choice of sitting in the Volcano Bay Room, the Thai Grill Room, the Luau Room, the Hong Kong Lounge or the Tiki Lagoon while you sample an eclectic menu of Szechuan, Cantonese and Thai food.

Heading to the Cape for a long weekend? Don’t forget to stop by Tiki Port in Hyannis! Since 1977 the Tiki Port has been serving a blend of Cantonese, Szechuan and Mandarin cuisine along with an extensive menu of Polynesian drinks.

Back from your long weekend and in need of something refreshing to erase the memories of bumper to bumper Cape traffic? Park your car, grab your friends, hop on the T and bang the gong at Pho Republique. Their Scorpion Bowl boasts mango, pineapple, passion fruit and an assortment of rums. Yum!

The post-war Golden Era of Tiki may have passed, but that doesn’t mean a new generation can’t live it up Island-style. Also, when’s the last time you went to Saugus? Put a little rum in your summer by taking a pilgrimage to any of these Tiki spots. Or mix up one of these bad boys in the comfort of your own home/Island Oasis.

JUNGLE BIRD
.75 oz Campari
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup
4 oz fresh unsweetened pineapple juice
1.5 oz dark Jamaican rum
Shake well with plenty of ice cubes and pour into a double old fashioned glass or a tiki mug. Garnish with an orchid, plus a maraschino cherry speared to lemon and orange wheels. Place a lei around your neck and enjoy.

From the Aviary Bar of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, circa 1978.

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