“The tiki culture, which refers to large sacred statues in human form, arose in the islands of Polynesia, and spread across the Pacific to New Zealand, Hawaii, and the United States. The tiki cocktail bar has its own outstanding identity: it revalued rum, which was considered a charmless drink, and combined it with flavored syrups and fresh fruit juices, spices. The sweet, the colorful, the exotic and the drinks that literally catch fire are famous hallmarks of this tradition”, reveals Ludovico De Biaggi, who drives “Oh no! Lulu!”, one of the main tiki-style pubs in Buenos Aires.
In this regard, the bartender Dear Fortunea specialist in tiki cocktails, explains: “It is a conceptual gastronomic movement and has very marked characteristics. Within the recipes we are going to find the same favorite distillate that is rum. Different types of rums, Jamaican, aged rums with a touch of wood and spices, also cinnamon syrups. We are going to find more complex recipes, coconut milk and fruit juices”.
“Years after its beginning, tiki cocktail bar is over 70 years old, different types of tableware began to be implemented. It could be coconuts or tiki glasses. The containers are representations of the statues that were made in the tribes in homage to the gods of the procreation of nature. I like to recommend cocktails that people can reproduce at home. That they adapt to home cocktails ”, suggests the specialist.
Dark Stormy, Mai Thai and Zombie are those indicated by Dear Fortune, which clarifies: “The first bartenders were very jealous of their recipes. It was said that they hid so they wouldn’t see how they prepared it, that’s why there were many variants of these cocktails. I recommend the dark Stormy because it is fresh and the Mai Thai because it contains amaretto and gives it a touch of nuts.. Tiki cocktails require collecting rums, preparing their own syrups and obtaining tropical fruits”.
There are places specialized in this type of drinks. Since its opening in 2019, “Oh no! Lulu!” is faithful to this aspect and serves its flagship cocktails in “tiki mugs” that are special ceramic glasses with representative shapes (sharks, skulls and more). The bar has its doors open to welcome visitors looking for a tropical paradise in Buenos Aires. The setting and style of the place, which has a huge totem as its center as a fake fireplace, is the downfall for lovers of photos and Instagram.
The gastronomic proposal of “Oh’No! Lulu” surprises because it includes specialties of Hawaiian cuisine with Asian and international touches, prepared by a quality kitchen: Onion Flower, Hawaiian Wings, Spring Rolls, Lacquered Pork Brisket, Pad Thai, various pokes. Those who want to try a little of everything can order the Pupu Platter -a traditional Hawaiian recipe- which includes a selection of appetizers.
During the Wednesdays of the month of March, Oh No! Lulu presents the cycle “Ladies in Red”which will receive four invited bartenders who will take the bar next to Campari: Agostina Elena (Sofa Bar), Mélany Marcati (Atlántico Flower Shop), Luli Calichio (3 Monkeys) and China Portela (La Uat). It will be from 8 pm and there will be guest DJs. The premises are located at Araoz 1019, Palermo.
The book “Tiki in Spanish” by Martin Tummino is the Spanish-language publication specialized in cocktails and gastronomic culture in Polynesia. There you can see curious elements such as the swizzles for the preparation of drinks. “It is said that the first Tiki bar opened in 1934, after the fall of Prohibition in California. It also attracts the montage of the setting and the scenographic, with a Hawaiian kitsh revival”, affirms the expert in cocktails from Polynesia.
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