Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki
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- Create Date：2021-05-06 10:54:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Martin Cate
- ISBN：1607747324
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Summary
Cast aside your cares and worries。 Make yourself a Mai Tai， put your favorite exotica record on the hi-fi， and prepare to lose yourself in the fantastical world of tiki， one of the most alluring—and often misunderstood—movements in American cultural history。 Martin and Rebecca Cate， founders and owners of Smuggler’s Cove （the most acclaimed tiki bar of the modern era） take you on a colorful journey into the lore and legend of tiki: its birth as an escapist fantasy for Depression-era Americans; how exotic cocktails were invented， stolen， and re-invented; Hollywood starlets and scandals; and tiki’s modern-day revival。
Featuring more than 100 delicious recipes （original and historic）， plus a groundbreaking new approach to understanding rum， Smuggler’s Cove is the magnum opus of the contemporary tiki renaissance。 Whether you’re looking for a new favorite cocktail， tips on how to trick out your home tiki grotto， help stocking your bar with great rums， or inspiration for your next tiki party， Smuggler’s Cove has everything you need to transform your world into a Polynesian Pop fantasia。
Featuring more than 100 delicious recipes （original and historic）， plus a groundbreaking new approach to understanding rum， Smuggler’s Cove is the magnum opus of the contemporary tiki renaissance。 Whether you’re looking for a new favorite cocktail， tips on how to trick out your home tiki grotto， help stocking your bar with great rums， or inspiration for your next tiki party， Smuggler’s Cove has everything you need to transform your world into a Polynesian Pop fantasia。
Reviews
Katie
，
I went into this knowing literally nothing about tropical cocktails other than that I like the flavor profile。 And while I learned a lot of things about rum， cocktails， and mixology in general （from the perspective of a complete beginner， I can't speak for how valuable of a resource this would be for someone with more experience or someone who has read more than this one book on the subject）， the whole "tiki culture" thing made me feel kind of icky。 First of all， the people pictured throughout t I went into this knowing literally nothing about tropical cocktails other than that I like the flavor profile。 And while I learned a lot of things about rum， cocktails， and mixology in general （from the perspective of a complete beginner， I can't speak for how valuable of a resource this would be for someone with more experience or someone who has read more than this one book on the subject）， the whole "tiki culture" thing made me feel kind of icky。 First of all， the people pictured throughout the book are overwhelmingly white-- somehow the mid-century "tiki culture" garb managed to crank the whiteness up to 11。 Second， Cate's reasoning for how tiki isn't cultural appropriation is flimsy at best， and he spent more of his word count on the morality of wearing a vintage aloha shirt whose original owner is probably dead now than he did on the impact of colonialism on the islands that distill the spirits he loves so much （which is still a HUGE problem， btw） -- one of the only mentions of it I could find lets you know that rums are classified as "French" or "English" based on the country that colonialized the island upon which a particular rum is produced。 。。。more
Claudia
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If you've ever been to a tiki bar or a friend's party based on the tiki concept or are simply a fan of rum and exotic cocktails along with a Polynesian flare， this quite likely would be a book for you to read。 If you have already been bitten by the tiki bug， then this is a must-buy。From the brilliant color photographs and colorful illustrations from menus through the history of the tiki bar from Beachcomber Don and Trader Vic's to the history of rum itself， this book only starts with the fascina If you've ever been to a tiki bar or a friend's party based on the tiki concept or are simply a fan of rum and exotic cocktails along with a Polynesian flare， this quite likely would be a book for you to read。 If you have already been bitten by the tiki bug， then this is a must-buy。From the brilliant color photographs and colorful illustrations from menus through the history of the tiki bar from Beachcomber Don and Trader Vic's to the history of rum itself， this book only starts with the fascination， the sense of escape and wonder and mystery of the tropical islands of the South pacific and Caribbean that led to the fusion of culture and landback exotica called tiki。 Started in the 1920's， Don the Beachcomber opened in 1931 in Hollywood as an island rum shack with 'beach-combed' decorations and the origin of the "Zombie"。 Trader Vic's in Oakland traded food and drinks for curios and the creator of the Mai Tai and Crab Rangoon。 But the fad was beginning to fade by the end of the 1960's and with the loss of those tiki bars， also faded was the knowledge of bartender techniques and the recipes of many drinks。In the 1980's - 1990's， the Tiki Revivalists - of which the writer is one - was finding a restaurant-labelled tiki mug at Goodwill。 Or maybe a menu or a matchbook and would attempt to gather information on these long-lost bars and restaurants。 And some of these same collectors would be the owners of today's tiki bars or the creators of the decorations that cover the walls。Dozens of recipes from the classical cocktails to punch。 'Exotic cocktail' creation techniques and prep for the home Tiki bar owner or the novice bartender。 The history of rum from pot belly stills to column stills to blended rums。 Rhum agricole - made from sugarcane - and rhum traditionnel - made from molasses。 The 7 different varieties of rum （and how their differences may affect the flavor） and examples of each level which means if you want to try your hand at sampling， there is likely one anyone's wallet can handle。 Resources and references as well as how to construct your own tiki bar with music and lighting and atmosphere。Cate - the actual owner of the renowned Smuggler's Cove tiki bar in San Francisco - seems more interesting in spreading the 'cult of tiki' and the appeal of good rum across the world than keep recipes that he has redacted and recreated。 Although there are a couple that he refuses to give the ingredient list *grin*The reader doesn't need to be planning a Polynesian-type party or want create their own home bar as an excuse for buying a copy of this book。 It's just a fun and informative read with lots of pictures of happy people in Hawaiian shirts。2021-082 。。。more
Frank
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Extensive and entertaining overview of tiki culture。 Plenty of drink recipes， although they all call for very specific ingredients which may not be all that practical。
Brian
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Such a great book from an authority on rum， definitely a great reference book I'll be referring to for years to come also。 Such a great book from an authority on rum， definitely a great reference book I'll be referring to for years to come also。 。。。more
Kim Demkovich
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A masterfully comprehensive yet approachable guide to tiki。
Cory
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The definitive tome on variation in rum and tiki cocktails both historically and in the modern day。 It was a pleasure to read all the way through， and will be a permanent fixture to my coffee table/bar cart for permanent reference。 Cannot wait to make it to Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco sometime to thank the Cates personally！ The definitive tome on variation in rum and tiki cocktails both historically and in the modern day。 It was a pleasure to read all the way through， and will be a permanent fixture to my coffee table/bar cart for permanent reference。 Cannot wait to make it to Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco sometime to thank the Cates personally！ 。。。more
Taylor Anderson
，
This book provides an excellent history of Tiki culture as well as dozens of fantastic tiki cocktail recipes。 The recipes consist of almost every cocktail you can get at the namesake tiki bar in San Francisco including all the basics like mai tais and zombies。 It also provides directions on how to make all the various syrups that are part of those recipes。 If you like tiki culture the history they provide is fascinating。 They also provide good resources for making your own tiki bar， hosting tiki This book provides an excellent history of Tiki culture as well as dozens of fantastic tiki cocktail recipes。 The recipes consist of almost every cocktail you can get at the namesake tiki bar in San Francisco including all the basics like mai tais and zombies。 It also provides directions on how to make all the various syrups that are part of those recipes。 If you like tiki culture the history they provide is fascinating。 They also provide good resources for making your own tiki bar， hosting tiki parties， and attending various tiki “conferences” throughout the country。 。。。more
Will Waller
，
This is a cocktail book par excellence。 There is so much to love about this book - it's conversational style， the terrific photos， the bibliography and resources in the appendix。 The best part I believe is the discussion of rum and how versatile a spirit it is。 I've begun using the list of rums to acquire a significant haul of different spirits， enabling me to have a fantastic assortment of tools at my disposal。 I will return again and again to this book for technique tips and for recipes。 Defin This is a cocktail book par excellence。 There is so much to love about this book - it's conversational style， the terrific photos， the bibliography and resources in the appendix。 The best part I believe is the discussion of rum and how versatile a spirit it is。 I've begun using the list of rums to acquire a significant haul of different spirits， enabling me to have a fantastic assortment of tools at my disposal。 I will return again and again to this book for technique tips and for recipes。 Definitely a must buy for a cocktail lover， and Tikiphile。 。。。more
vampiresarego
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If you can't get to paradise， I'll bring it to you！ - Don the Beachcomber If you can't get to paradise， I'll bring it to you！ - Don the Beachcomber 。。。more
Andrea Millares
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ok
Andrew Leon
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My wife and I have been dabbling with cocktails for a while now。 Well， a short while。Okay， it all started in 2017 when we went on our gold country trip and stayed in Columbia。 We had this pair of cocktails:[On my blog， there is a picture here。]which， I'm pretty sure， was the first time I'd ever had a cocktail。 Maybe I'd had a pina coloda -- I don't really remember when we started making those -- but that would have been about the extent of it。After or trip， we started trying cocktails when we wo My wife and I have been dabbling with cocktails for a while now。 Well， a short while。Okay， it all started in 2017 when we went on our gold country trip and stayed in Columbia。 We had this pair of cocktails:[On my blog， there is a picture here。]which， I'm pretty sure， was the first time I'd ever had a cocktail。 Maybe I'd had a pina coloda -- I don't really remember when we started making those -- but that would have been about the extent of it。After or trip， we started trying cocktails when we would go out to places that served cocktails。 Sometimes， we even looked for places that served cocktails as part of our decision process。 Of course， we don't really go out a lot， so it's not like it was something that happened very often。So we started making the occasional cocktail at home， especially pina colodas， the family favorite （because you can leave the rum out for the kids）。 I learned how to make margaritas。 But that's where we hit a wall， I guess， because my wife bought me a book， Be Your Own Bartender， and I learned how to make a daiquiri。 A real daiquiri， not those slushy monstrosities。We tried out other things from that book， but it was too all over the place。 I'm not saying it's a bad book or anything -- it definitely served a purpose -- but it only had a very limited number of drink options for any given category and it became a hassle trying to get just the various base alcohols for the different drinks。 That and we discovered that my wife really just likes rum。 Rum for cocktails， not on its own。 On its own， I'd much rather have whiskey， which I like straight， but I'm not going to drink rum on its own。All of which led to my wife buying for me for our anniversary this year the book at the top of the post， Smuggler's Cove， a book all about tiki cocktails， most of which are made from rum。 Nearly all， actually。 Did you know that cocktails originated with rum？ And， kind of， with pirates。 This is why pirates beat ninjas。 They fucking invented cocktails！ That's free information; I don't know if it's in the book or not。However， the book is full of all kinds of history， which I will get around to reading at some point。 I just haven't had a chance yet。 My attention has been on the cocktail recipes themselves， over 100 of them。 My personal favorite， at least so far， is the Planter's Punch。 Which is not exactly accurate， because the recipe in the book is just an example of -a- planter's punch。 It was just a catchall name given to a class of drink of which there were endless variations because every plantation owner had their own specific recipe。 My wife has discovered that she loves Mai Tais， which， by the way， despite its association with Hawaii， was invented right here in Oakland， California。 Also， by the way， the Hawaiian version， which adds pineapple juice， is vastly inferior to the original， basic Mai Tai。I'm actually a little upset with my book。 My wife got me this nice hardcover copy of it， and it's a first edition， and I am going to wear the shit out of it。 Not that I think this book will necessarily become valuable， but it ought to。 It's that good。Aside from being chock full of recipes， there is also a section about how to create your own cocktails。 I've been fiddling around in there quite a bit and have devised two of my own that I find quite tasty。 As I continue to experiment， I'll post my personal recipes here on the blog。 However， I'm not going to share recipes from the book unless I've adapted it in some significant way。None of the cocktails I'm making at the moment are as pretty as the ones in the picture above， but they are very good。 At some point， I'll start working on presentation and figure out how to make drinks as pretty as those up top。Anyway， if you're interested in cocktail making， especially rum and/or tiki drinks， I'd give this book a strong recommendation。Well， this became more of an actual book review than I'd intended， but I guess that's okay。 I'll have some cocktail recipes posted soon。 。。。more
Jonathan
，
A very enjoyable， amusing， and easy to read book about tiki culture， exotic cocktails， and the brilliant marketing and hospitality of author Martin Cate and his world-famous San Francisco bar， Smuggler's Cove。 While historically， tiki bars would keep their drink recipes secret， Martin has included dozens of recipes from his James Beard Award-winning bar。 He encourages exotic cocktail enthusiasts to create and experiment in their home bars， host elaborate tiki parties， and develop lasting friends A very enjoyable， amusing， and easy to read book about tiki culture， exotic cocktails， and the brilliant marketing and hospitality of author Martin Cate and his world-famous San Francisco bar， Smuggler's Cove。 While historically， tiki bars would keep their drink recipes secret， Martin has included dozens of recipes from his James Beard Award-winning bar。 He encourages exotic cocktail enthusiasts to create and experiment in their home bars， host elaborate tiki parties， and develop lasting friendships in the reviving Polynesian Pop culture。 This book encapsulates one of the author's greatest pleasures: sharing and teaching the world about rum and its role in the growth of the tiki movement。 。。。more
Robert Meisch
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One of the best books about Tiki out there。 Great images， recipes history and a section about the history。 Love this book and refer to it all the time。
Göran Sandström
，
Possibly the ultimate tiki cocktail guide！
Greg
，
Yes， yes， it’s a book of drink recipes。 But I highly recommend it for a good read as well。
Hank
，
Fascinating ReadThis book exposes you to the mid-century American phenomenon of Tiki。 It goes all the way back to Tiki’s roots， explains its appeal and how it fell from grace， and covers the revival currently under way。 Along the way， it gives recipes for tons of exotic cocktails both classic and modern。 It even includes an extended explanation of the history of rum， how the particular distillation method used affects the final product， and the recipes indicate which type of rum works best。 It c Fascinating ReadThis book exposes you to the mid-century American phenomenon of Tiki。 It goes all the way back to Tiki’s roots， explains its appeal and how it fell from grace， and covers the revival currently under way。 Along the way， it gives recipes for tons of exotic cocktails both classic and modern。 It even includes an extended explanation of the history of rum， how the particular distillation method used affects the final product， and the recipes indicate which type of rum works best。 It closes with tips on tiki at home。I’m looking forward to putting my new-found knowledge to use。 。。。more
Kristin
，
My husband is a long time tiki fan so I’ve had a pretty good exposure to the culture （drinks， music， decor， attire）。 He’s collected quite a few related books so I decided it was time to start filling in my education - especially since we’ve seriously upped our at-home cocktail consumption during the pandemic。 Decided to start with this book which provides an excellent historical overview of the past and present of tiki by the legendary Martin Cate。 Plenty of recipes and specific recommendations My husband is a long time tiki fan so I’ve had a pretty good exposure to the culture （drinks， music， decor， attire）。 He’s collected quite a few related books so I decided it was time to start filling in my education - especially since we’ve seriously upped our at-home cocktail consumption during the pandemic。 Decided to start with this book which provides an excellent historical overview of the past and present of tiki by the legendary Martin Cate。 Plenty of recipes and specific recommendations regarding rum varieties and cocktail ingredients。 I look forward to someday visiting the book’s namesake。 。。。more
Dan Mccarthy
，
A great book full of information about tiki history， drink， methods， and materials！
Heather
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I was expecting a pretty coffee table book with some intricate recipes and instead got an essential reference guide for the history of tiki， the history of rum， and lots of interesting other histories along the way。 And it's pretty， too！ I was expecting a pretty coffee table book with some intricate recipes and instead got an essential reference guide for the history of tiki， the history of rum， and lots of interesting other histories along the way。 And it's pretty， too！ 。。。more
Matt Clark
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I've been cribbing and mixing recipes contained within this book for a few years now but I decided it was time to get my own copy - I'm so glad I did and I read it from cover to cover。 Much more than recipes - this is a complete tiki resource covering history， culture， and techniques informing one of the great bars in the US。 The recipes are great but what's greater is that the Cates' book provides you a leaping off point - I have so many ideas of things I want to try or create after reading thi I've been cribbing and mixing recipes contained within this book for a few years now but I decided it was time to get my own copy - I'm so glad I did and I read it from cover to cover。 Much more than recipes - this is a complete tiki resource covering history， culture， and techniques informing one of the great bars in the US。 The recipes are great but what's greater is that the Cates' book provides you a leaping off point - I have so many ideas of things I want to try or create after reading this （not to mention a bunch more books I'd like to read）。 This was a great reminder that as much as cocktails are about having delicious drinks - it's a culture， an aesthetic， and a history that have drawn me in over the years。 。。。more
Christiana
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My friend declared this the summer of tiki and who am I to argue？ This is kind of considered the tiki cocktail bible of our time and with good reason。 Even once I excluded the recipes with ingredients I couldn't possibly justify buying （absinthe， for one）， there was still plenty of tasty cocktails to try and execute。 My friend declared this the summer of tiki and who am I to argue？ This is kind of considered the tiki cocktail bible of our time and with good reason。 Even once I excluded the recipes with ingredients I couldn't possibly justify buying （absinthe， for one）， there was still plenty of tasty cocktails to try and execute。 。。。more
Cory Blystone
，
An incredible journey of discovery and rediscovery of all aspects tiki， heavy on the rum just like a good exotic cocktail should be。 Cate has created an indispensable resource that is equally at home with the exotic cocktail novice and expert alike， providing fascinating history and explanations filled with humor and flush with the exciting， mysterious， and budget-bustingly dangerous side of tiki。 I will be pouring over the recipes and rum recommendations before every tiki party I throw， and fea An incredible journey of discovery and rediscovery of all aspects tiki， heavy on the rum just like a good exotic cocktail should be。 Cate has created an indispensable resource that is equally at home with the exotic cocktail novice and expert alike， providing fascinating history and explanations filled with humor and flush with the exciting， mysterious， and budget-bustingly dangerous side of tiki。 I will be pouring over the recipes and rum recommendations before every tiki party I throw， and fear the more I do， the more our little garage oasis and attached sideyard lanai will spill out into the rest of our humble abode。 Then again， as Cate points out time and again in Smuggler’s Cove， part of the tiki experience is the escapism。 This book has been an escape and an inspiration， as well as taking away some of the mystery surrounding rum that I never even knew existed。 Now on to take the advice of Cate and make some syrups， mix some fresh juice and rums， garnish， and experience the escape of an exotic cocktail！ 。。。more
Laura
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An essential for anyone who loves rum and/or tiki。 I use their rum index as a cross reference all the time。
Michael
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This is full of that aloha spirit we want to feel going into a tiki themed bar。 Welcome， relax， enjoy。 There are great recipes and guides to drinks， decor， history， materials needed to open a bar， and rum。 Lots of rum descriptions and backgrounds。 It is a guide to open a tiki bar and that’s why a friend bought it for me。 I found it helpful and inviting。
Will
，
Surprisingly light on the fascinating history of tiki， surprisingly heavy on a self-serving， self-mythologizing narrative that nearly completely obscures the inherent racism of tiki culture and the strange cultural appropriation of it。 It is extremely uncomfortable to see photo after photo of white people decked out in other cultures’ garb。 However， what else should I expect from a book from a tiki bar？ Well， I should expect drink recipes and there are plenty of those。 I’ve tested a number of th Surprisingly light on the fascinating history of tiki， surprisingly heavy on a self-serving， self-mythologizing narrative that nearly completely obscures the inherent racism of tiki culture and the strange cultural appropriation of it。 It is extremely uncomfortable to see photo after photo of white people decked out in other cultures’ garb。 However， what else should I expect from a book from a tiki bar？ Well， I should expect drink recipes and there are plenty of those。 I’ve tested a number of them out and they are quality。 And ultimately that’s what I should judge this book on， not the page-count padding filler surrounding them。 。。。more
Cara Wood
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This is part bartender manual， part history book。。。all island escape。 Cate and Cate have done their homework sharing a living history of tiki culture in the US and a serious look at rum distillation and varieties。 It's my new go-to resource for technique and recipes！ This is part bartender manual， part history book。。。all island escape。 Cate and Cate have done their homework sharing a living history of tiki culture in the US and a serious look at rum distillation and varieties。 It's my new go-to resource for technique and recipes！ 。。。more
Kevidently
，
Late last year， I had the pleasure of visiting Smuggler’s Cove， in the midst of a tiki bar crawl in San Francisco with my buddy Jeff。 The whole tiki bar culture has been new to me， and kind of overwhelming。 Those who know me know that I rarely relax， and the whole point of tiki is relaxation and escape。 Also， I don’t really drink that much。Except 。。。 maybe now I do。 Because tiki bar crawls are not really unusual for me anymore。 I’ve developed a taste for rum along with my interest in the mystery Late last year， I had the pleasure of visiting Smuggler’s Cove， in the midst of a tiki bar crawl in San Francisco with my buddy Jeff。 The whole tiki bar culture has been new to me， and kind of overwhelming。 Those who know me know that I rarely relax， and the whole point of tiki is relaxation and escape。 Also， I don’t really drink that much。Except 。。。 maybe now I do。 Because tiki bar crawls are not really unusual for me anymore。 I’ve developed a taste for rum along with my interest in the mystery and wonder of the wholly imagined and absolutely real culture of tiki。Martin and Rebecca Cate’s book is partially about the history of their bar - which is astounding - but it’s also the history of everything in the exotic world of tiki。 It touches on all the mainstays: Donn Beach and Trader Vic， the origins and evolution of tiki bars， the history of a movement that was largely invented by frustrated mid-century men who needed a release valve。 But the Cates go deeper， and we get into the history and manufacture of rum （and rhum）， a chapter I thought I would find dull but was actually fun and informative。 Near the end， there are tips for starting your own home tiki bar， how to throw the best tiki party， and where to get aloha shirts that won’t embarrass you when you travel out to the Tiki Oasis gathering。 Sprinkled throughout are classic and new tiki cocktail recipes， some - like the mai tai - with accompanying histories， all fascinating。It may not be the definitive history of the universe of Polynesian Pop， but it’s damn close。 All I want right now is an A-frame roof， some exotica on the jukebox， and a chilled rum cocktail in my hand。 Reading this book made me feel like all those things were happening。 I LOVED this book。 。。。more
Nick
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Great read for those starting out in tiki！I have been making recipes out of Beachbum Berrys's Remixed for over a year now。 I read Smuggler's Cove to expand on my tiki knowledge and it did just that。 Really useful to understand the rums to use and how they are made。 Technique and extra recipes on homemade ingredients were also very useful。 Great read for those starting out in tiki！I have been making recipes out of Beachbum Berrys's Remixed for over a year now。 I read Smuggler's Cove to expand on my tiki knowledge and it did just that。 Really useful to understand the rums to use and how they are made。 Technique and extra recipes on homemade ingredients were also very useful。 。。。more
Josiah
，
This book had everything。 A history of tiki culture， rum， advice on your own tiki parties， and amazing drink recipes。It's full color and vibrant in just the physical sense of the book。 Buy it for the drink recipes - and just great practical advice on better tiki drink making - but actually read it for the fascinating cultural history of polynesian pop。 I highly recommend this。 This book had everything。 A history of tiki culture， rum， advice on your own tiki parties， and amazing drink recipes。It's full color and vibrant in just the physical sense of the book。 Buy it for the drink recipes - and just great practical advice on better tiki drink making - but actually read it for the fascinating cultural history of polynesian pop。 I highly recommend this。 。。。more
Tim Jarrett
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