Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki

The unlikely resurgence of the tiki craze—all punch, pineapple, and questionable Polynesian lore—is the subject of this comprehensive coffee-table book by Martin and Rebecca Cate, founders of San Francisco's acclaimed nouveau rum joint, Smuggler's Cove. Both book and bar respect tiki history while adapting the fruity classics for modern tastes and high-quality modern rums. Included are more than 100 recipes for single-serving classics such as the Mai Tai, Zombie, and Hurricane (lemon juice, passion fruit syrup, black blended rum, and a partially destroyed cocktail umbrella), as well as tiki bowls and punches for all seasons. Readers are introduced to tiki titans Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber, whose friendly rivalry and love of specialty drinks and forget-your-worries hospitality drove the fad throughout the 1950s and 1960s. By the late 1980s, the kitsch trappings (cocktail umbrellas, grass skirts, etc.) had fallen so far out of fashion that the trend seemed dead. Yet the craft cocktail movement's eye for novelty, plus the efforts of lifelong devotees such as recipe-chaser Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, have managed to turn tacky tiki tasteful once again.