Drink With Polynesian Gods--At Home, In Your Tiki Hut Bar

If you've already decided to build or obtain a bar from which to serve drinks at home, why stop there? Why not go all-out and put together a bamboo tiki bar in your own home.

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Resurgence Of Tiki Culture

Tiki bars--that is, drinking establishments with a Polynesian motif that involved palm trees and bamboo and thatch furniture--used to be extremely popular in the United States. They went out of fashion during the 1970's, but these days, like all things "retro," they are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.

However, the way in which tiki bars are popular today is somewhat different from the way in which they were popular during the years 1947-1970. In the past, the tiki style was primarily confined to commercial drinking establishments and restaurants, especially in popular resort destinations such as Hawaii. These days, although tiki bars and restaurants still enjoy some of their former popularity, tiki has become an even more popular home decoration scheme. Tiki mugs are collectible items, tiki masks are considered ironically "hip" home decorations, and, in general, tiki party accessories a way to show off your individual good taste--your ability to know that something is "uncool" but to enjoy it nonetheless.

The Home Tiki Bar

Given all of these facts, what is the ultimate home tiki accessory? The ultimate way to show your guests your sense of taste, and a good time, all at once? It is the bamboo tiki bar--not in the sense of a commercial drinking establishment, but in the sense of a little stand with shelves made out of bamboo, with possible space for a mini-refrigerator, from which you can serve exotic, alcoholic, rum-based drinks with names like "Sex on the Beach" or "Death on the Islands" (that last one does not exist--yet!).

The bamboo tiki bar is an extremely versatile entertainment accessory. You can either build or buy these semi-portable structures, ranging in length from 3 feet and 4 feet, to 8 feet, and even to as long as 14 feet. If you properly season the bamboo to protect it from wind and water, you can have an outdoor tiki bar to use in your backyard. This is especially exciting if you also own a pool (warning: be responsible and avoid going swimming after you've imbibed). If you don't have a big enough yard, or simply want to be a little paradoxical, you can build your home tiki bar indoors. It can still have the thatched roof--an homage to the absurdity and delight of tiki culture.

The main two things to keep in mind when buying or building a bamboo tiki hut bar is to, first, make sure that you are using real bamboo and, second, make sure the bamboo has been treated with appropriate chemicals if you plan to keep the bar outside. A tiki bar made of plastic just doesn't have that exciting authentic, festive look of a bamboo tiki bar.