Books & Tools
How's your Tiki library looking?
Here are the books and tools that the Grogalizer prefers. Any one of these would be a fine addition to your bar. The tools are tried and true for all your Tiki and mixological needs.
Drink Recipe Sources
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A decade's worth of tiki in the making! Cocktail Wonk's Matt Pietrek guides you through the basics of tiki, creating your own Minimalist Tiki setup at home, plus an ingredient-based analysis of the Minimalist Tiki "Classic Thirty" recipes. Next, go beyond Minimalist Tiki with in-depth how-to on recipe improvisation, exotic garnishes, and a Cocktail Wonk–style deep-dive into rum—the most comprehensive to be found in any tiki book! And introducing the new tiki vanguard — photos and profiles of two dozen world-class bartenders and bars on the forefront of today’s craft tiki movement, plus more than 100 original recipes. -
10th anniversary expanded edition! In-depth Tiki history with recipes, 14 of them never-before-published! Completely redesigned featuring new graphics and photos unique to this edition. Additional 26-page preface and 29-page afterward. -
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, in this James Beard Award-winning cocktail book. 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. 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. -
The global Tiki Drink revival is in full swing. But without Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log and Intoxica!, there’d be nothing to drink. These two groundbreaking books revealed the top-secret, never-before-published, “lost” exotic drink recipes from Tiki’s original midcentury heyday. Author Jeff Berry has unearthed a lot more recipes since his first two books, and picked up a lot more drink lore too. He’s spilling it all in Beachbum Berry Remixed, a completely revised and updated anthology of the Grog Log and Intoxica!, featuring 40 newly discovered, previously unpublished vintage Tiki drink recipes from the 1930s-1960s, 38 of the best new recipes from today’s Tiki revival, gathered especially for Remixed from the world’s top mixologists and cocktail writers, expanded drink history and lore, incorporating newly discovered information about the origins of the Mai Tai, Zombie, Suffering bastard, and other legendary Tiki mysteries. -
Picture yourself on a sandy beach, a faint breeze rustling the coconut fronds, the sun sinking in an orange sky. What are you drinking in your fantasy? Mai tai? Zombie? Beachcomber's Gold? All these drinks were created by the legendary mixologist Don Beach, a.k.a. Don the Beachcomber, a South Seas adventurer who dreamt up cocktails for everyone from Clark Gable to Marlene Dietrich to you. Don the Beachcomber's Little Hawaiian Tropical Drink Book contains thirty-nine of Don's best recipes including lû'au libations, Polynesian potions and tropical tonics, as well as invaluable mixing and bartending tips and advice on finding the best rums. So invite some friends over and get ready to enjoy the drinks of paradise, compliments of Don. -
Tiki bar mixology is a lost art--but the Grog Log rescues it. A twenty-page introduction traces the history of Polynesian Pop, then teaches you everything you need to know about how to make the Grog Log's eighty tropical drink recipies. Many of these recipes have never before been published anywhere--including vintage "lost" recipies by Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic, and long-gone Polynesian restaurants from the island of Manhattan to the islands of Hawaii. Profusely illustrated with vintage tiki menu graphics from the '50 and '60s, with cover art by famed Exotica artist Bosko. -
Elixirs Exotica! More lost recipes from the Golden Age of the Tiki Bar from the Polynesian Pop Scholar and Mixologist Jeff Berry, co-author of the praised Beach Bum Berry's Grog Log - dubbed "the best bar guide for tropical drinks ever published" by Joe Bob Briggs. Packed with vintage graphics on every page, and everything you need to know about making the perfect tropical drink. With additional commentary from Berry, and a cover by renowned tiki artist Bosko. -
Beachbum Berry uncovers the forgotten secret food recipes from Polynesian restaurants of days gone by. Beachbum Berry's Taboo Table is a cookbook done in a style similar to the author's two drink recipe books, Beachbum Berry's Grog Log and Beachbum Berry's Intoxica. Taboo Table features famous "lost" and exotic recipes (most ironically created in the USA) for appetizers, entrees and desserts. There is also a fascinating and informative history of tiki cuisine from the first Polynesian settlers to the last remaining Polynesian restaurants. Vintage menu art as well as new, tiki-inspired artwork dot every page, making Taboo Table a must-have for people looking for a nostalgic trip into a lost part of exotica. By Midwest Book Review Beachbum Berry's Taboo Table: Tiki Cuisine From Polynesian Restaurants Of Yore is a unique collection of South Sea themed vintage recipes that is enhanced with an informed and informative history of tiki cuisine from the first Polynesian setters to the last remaining Polynesian restaurants. From Crab Rangoon; Shrimp Luau; Chicken of the Gods; and Javanese Lamb Sate; to Shellfish Polynesian; Pitcairn Salad; Mai Tai Pie; and Molokai Mule, this compendium of dishes and drinks is a welcome and recommended, spiral bound and celebratory addition to any multi-cultural kitchen cookbook collection. -
In this book, Berry not only offers up tantilizing new drink recipes, but tells stories about some of the most famous figures of their time. The Bum applies the same dogged research to the untold stories of the people behind the drinks. Stories culled from over 100 interviews with those who actually created the mid-century Tiki scene -- people as colorful as the drinks they invented, or served, or simply drank. -
Winner of the 2014 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book, Beachbum Berry's Potions of the Caribbean strains five centuries of West Indian history through a cocktail shaker, serving up 77 vintage Caribbean drink recipes - 16 of them lost recipes that have never before been published anywhere in any form, and another 19 that have never been published in book form. Even more delicious are the stories of the people who created, or served, or simply drank these drinks. As a hybrid of street-smart gumshoe, anthropologist and mixologist (The Los Angeles Times), Jeff "Beachbum" Berry is uniquely qualified to tell this epic story-with-recipes, lavishly illustrated with vintage graphics and rare historical photos. Other Tiki Resources
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By the Grogalizer's creator: In 1956, a few brash young men created the Mai-Kai Restaurant and bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by poaching key staff from Don the Beachcomber's, a Polynesian-themed Chicago restaurant. The Mai-Kai became the playground of celebrities and playboys, and the beautiful women working there used it as a jumping-off point for adventure and fame. Through first-hand stories and more than 400 images, this book documents the history, allure, and enduring legacy of the mid-twentieth-century Tiki era. Focusing on the period 1955 to 1971, it is the story of how the Mai-Kai and its iconic elements came to exist, and the men and women who shaped it and went on to shape the world. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Mai-Kai is the only place on earth that still serves the "Rum Rhapsodies" that kicked off that indulgent era. Tools
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The best measuring device for your bar! This top down design makes it easy to see when pouring. No more bending over to see the level or picking it up to see if it's right. -
If you aren't using one of these "electric swizzle machines" you aren't making your Tiki drinks correctly! This is the only way to flash cool with minimal dilution, while also aerating your cocktail to achieve the best flavor. -
The best cinnamon syrup for making your Tiki drinks properly. BG's syrup is strong, and we suggest cutting it in half to get a proper taste. But it is the proper flavor, which is the important thing. -
A must for great 151 Swizzles and you can make syrup from the used ones! Ceylon is the proper cinnamon for both jobs. -
You'll need a good muddler with a textured end to make a variety of drinks, and a bar spoon for manual mixing and getting cherries out of that jar. -
A must for mixing, this strainer my OXO is ideal. -
To cover various strainer needs, this set has it all. -
These large snifters are perfect for making a Black Magic or Mutiny or other appropriate cocktail. -
Call it a chimney or Collins or Zombie glass, regardless you need a set. -
The work horse of the Tiki cocktails is the double Old Fashioned glass. Almost everything is served in these. -
Reproduction of the classic Pearl Diver's glasses. -
Reusable straws that also cool as you sip! -
Eco-friendly and style appropriate bamboo straws. -
100 bamboo knot skewers for your garnish game or appetizers, etc. -
The ideal way to make perfect snow ice for your Navy Grog ice cones, ice shells and various "carved ice" creations.