"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 you tiki mug, give thanks to
Berry and all the wonders he has uncovered.
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