All this talk of the current renovation has had me reminiscing about how the bar used to look.

When I first came on board as Bartender almost two years ago, the bar was quite modest. The decor was there, but we certainly had to do a lot of work to get the bar to be the functional high quality cocktail making machine it is now.

Just to put it in perspective, the piece in the first picture used to stand in front of the bottles and it is the bar upon which I used to make drinks.

It’s very cute and retro, and now has pride of place in our “bachelor pad” lounge area near the stairs, but not very functional for cocktails. The first Christmas I worked at Tiki, we closed for renovations, and designed and built the monster bar that now dominates the venue (seen below).

The bar is absolutely magnificent, and functions like a dream. We have two stations, various fridges and freezers, and an extensive list of interesting spirits to play with. The construction of the bar was a turning point for this humble venue, and I still love it to pieces. Dave and Di have done an amazing job of building this place from nothing into the tropical wonderland it is now, and I am grateful that they let me play behind the bar.

Cheers,

Kev

Renovation work on the Tiki Bar rolls on!

The stairs to the toilet (bathroom for American readers with sensitive ears) are now for the most part complete! They have gone from… whatever the hell colour they were before … to a beautiful bright orange – I hesitate to call it “Jetstar Orange”.

This photo demonstrates the new hue of the staircase:

In this photo, you can see an excellent handpainted mural which currently lives on the stairs:

You really must visit and see the splendor of the new toilet for yourself. There has been talk of a grand opening, which will most likely include an original sonnet to the staircase composed especially for the event. Not to be missed!

As a reward for reading to the end of this post, here is a photo of our resident dish-pig helping out with the painting. Note, this is the outfit he normally wears when washing dishes – it’s necessary for the alcohol fumes and citrus acid

Cheers,

Kev

Hey there!

It occurs to me that some people who stumble across this blog may be travelers searching for things to do while in Melbourne. If you’ve come here because you’re in to Tiki, cocktails or sub-culture, I thought I could help out with some helpful pointers for getting the most from your visit.

Cocktails and Bars

Ok first of all, you absolutely must find a bookshop and arm yourself with a copy of Deck of Secrets‘ “Bar Secrets: Melbourne” and “Bar Secrets: Melbourne City Fringe”. These sell for under $10 each, and have 52 cards, each with a review, contact details and map for some of Melbourne’s nicer bars. Be warned that many of Melbourne’s bars are hidden away – it’s often quite a hunt to find the obscure alleyways where we hide our best venues.

Some of my picks for Melbourne Cocktail bars are:

1806 – A new bar run by Sebastian Reaburn, Melbourne’s mad scientist of Cocktails, and an avid drinks Historian. Seb is a veritable font of knowledge, and the drinks at 1806 are a testament to this (the name of the bar is a reference to the first written definition of the cocktail in the year 1806 – definitely a place for cocktail nerds like me).

Seamstress – Melbourne’s bartending dream team works at this new bar in Lonsdale Street. Headed up by Jason Chan, who has a knack for hunting down obscure and exotic spirits, Seamstress is a must-see bar.

Der Raum – world renowned cocktail bar doing lots of innovative “molecular mixology” stuff.

Golden Monkey – Asian inspired drinks and decor with ever-friendly staff, the Monkey has been the darling of the Melbourne bar scene for the last two years or so.

Murmur – Very low key “cuban-style” bar – this is a typically Melbourne Alleyway bar. Look for the giant chandelier in the alley.

Ginger – Head off the beaten track a little to Brunswick Street a bit north of the city, and you will find Ginger – a progressive cocktail bar with a great friendly atmosphere. After 3 visits, you’re practically family thanks to the most awesome hospitality of Alex Ross and her crew.

 Tiki Lounge and Bar – Hands down the best bar in Melbourne.   Exquisite drinks and impeccable hospitality are the hallmarks of this behemoth of the Melbourne Cocktail scene.  Plus, their head bartender is smoking hot.

Subculture:

Tiki seems to attract a lot of attention from the low brow art community and pop culture enthusiasts. Here are a few people in Melbourne who are doing their best to further the cause…

Outre Gallery – Lots of lowbrow art and artists – Shag, kozyndan, Niagara and many others, Outre is the place for Tiki artwork and books.

Route 66 – Clothing store specialising in rockabilly type styling, Route 66 often play host to bands in their Prahran store. Great people and strong supporters of Tiki Lounge and Bar.

There are a number of Burlesque troops floating around in Melbourne. Off the top of my head we’ve got HiBall Burlesque, The Town Bikes and Man’s Ruin (who I can’t find a site for after 30 seconds of intense googling.) They’re all well worth checking out.

I’m sure I’ve missed some vital stuff out – please feel free to drop a note in the comments if you’ve got anything to add.

Cheers,

Kev.