Free Tiki Bar Plans from Lowe’s

If you happen to subscribe to Lowe’s Creative Ideas for Woodworkers magazine, you probably noticed that this month’s plans focused on Creating a Tiki Bar.  As always, the plans provided a cut list and reliable step-by-step approach to building a very nice tiki bar.

This Lowe’s guide comes quarterly and often features some really nice designs for a variety of items for around the house.  It may not be too late to snag the Spring/Summer 2009 issue featuring the Tiki Bar plans, so call them at 877-569-3702 or subscribe from their website.  The subscription is free.

If you missed the boat on this opportunity, you can always check out our listings of tiki bar plans.  We might have exactly what you are looking for.

Stocking Up: More Booze Options

Though we delved into how to stock a home bar on a budget in a previous post, finding ways to stretch your booze budget is always worth discussing.  Imbibe Magazine is out with some specific recommendations on alcohol to consider if you (like most of us) want to stock your bar with a useful selection of spirits but aren’t ready to commit a couple months’ pay to do it.

The author recommends a few brands for each alcohol category.  The suggestions stay away from some of the more expensive, top-shelf brands and focus instead on less pricey alternatives.  Please note that there are several types of rum you will want to buy if you plan to mix a lot of tiki drinks, but the rest will provide you with a solid foundation to keep a broad range of guests satisfied. Read the rest of this article »

Captain Sqully Pirate Tiki Mug

Amazon is selling this cool-looking Captain Sqully tiki mug.  It is a truly original tiki mug design, featuring skull pirate aboard a little pirate ship.  If you are looking for a few tiki mugs to round out your home tiki bar, this is a nice choice that is sure to impress your guests.

The mug is 8 1/4 inches tall and will hold 16 ounces of your favorite rum concoction.  Take a look at our tiki cocktail recipes if you need a few suggestions on how to fill it!

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Tiki Bar Happy Hour: The Spinnaker Swizzle

If you are looking for a new cocktail to add to your tiki arsenal this summer, this month’s Esquire has one recommendation: the Spinnaker Swizzle.  This tiki cocktail recipe features bitters and Grand Marnier, if those happen to be twists that delight your palate.

Combine in a tall (12- to 16-oz) glass:

• 1 ½ oz aged, light-bodied rum (such as Cruzan Single Barrel or Flor de Caña 7-year-old)
• 1 oz Linie Aquavit
• ½ oz Grand Marnier
• ½ oz rich simple syrup (made by stirring 1 cup demerara or other raw sugar and ½ cup water over low heat until sugar has dissolved, letting it cool, and bottling it)
• 1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• Fill with shaved ice, stir until the glass frosts, add more ice, garnish with a sprig of mint.

Mix one up and test it out!  If you stumble upon any tweaks that make it even better, please share in the comments! Read the rest of this article »

More Tiki Party Tips

Springtime is upon us and it is time to start planning to throw a tiki party at your new tiki bar.  From time to time we like to throw out ideas that we stumble across to help you throw the perfect tiki party.

Tiki Evites - the fine folks at Evite now have a few nifty tiki-themed templates to get your guests into the right mindset right from the start.  Evite has become the standard in inviting guests to any type of party and these are a-ok.

Set up a House Drink Menu - some of your guests will know their tiki drinks, some won’t.  Pick out a few of your specialties and scribble them onto a chalkboard.  This will help your guests feel more comfortable as they select a cocktail and will limit your ingredient shopping list a bit.

Proper Tiki Tunes - we’ve provided a few suggestions in the past and probably should do another music list soon.  Spend some time loading up your iPod with a respectable island playlist.  You cannot expect to set up a snazzy tiki bar, mix up a round of stiff rum concoctions, and expect your guests to be content with ZZ Top (on second thought, maybe you can…).

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Things to Consider When Designing a Home Bar

When building a new tiki bar at home, it is vital that you spend some time up front giving serious consideration to the type of home tiki bar experience that you are looking to create.  Will you be serving up enough beers to warrant a kegerator?  How far are you building your tiki bar from your existing refrigerator/freezer?

There is an excellent post over at the KegWorks Blog on things that should be considered when designing your home bar.  It asks some of the fundamental questions that you should be asking yourself before you start buying bar plans, materials, or your home tiki bar kit.  Of course, most of these options will be largely impacted by your budget and space available, but they are still important questions to address.  Refridgeration, theme, sink availability, and bar mobility are just a few of the factors that should be considered. Read the rest of this article »

Stocking Your Home Bar on a Budget

In a bad economy, owning your own tiki bar is as smart as ever.  As consumers worldwide tighten their belts and spend less on going out, you can save a bundle by staying in and mixing up those Zombies at home.

As with anything else, staying within a budget requires planning.  The Herald-Mail has a few suggestions on keeping your costs down when stocking your home bar.  The author suggests limiting your spend on mixers and using fresh ingredients to save a few bucks.  Of course, it is important to focus on liquors you really need when stocking your bar.  Pick out a few recipes with some common ingredients before hitting the liquor store.  The last thing you need when walking in is a credit card and great imagination.

One tip referenced in a previous post was to pick up one bottle of liquor with each paycheck.  This will keep some variety in your bar and help prevent you from walking out with $300 in booze.

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Planning Your Home Tiki Bar

One you come to the realization that you could own your own little tiki bar, it can be tempting to jump right in and let the bamboo fly.  However, the most impressive home bar setups require detailed planning before building begins.

If you are thinking about building your own tiki bar at home, there are a few things to consider before you get started.

Where to build - chances are, you’ve already decided where to construct your home bar.  Whether you have an unfinished basement, vacant dining room, or poolside patio to work with, get your available dimensions in order so you can plan properly.

Materials to use - are you looking for a bamboo tiki bar?  Two by fours?  Railroad ties?  Consider the types of materials you have available, the space you’ll be working in, and how you’d like the finished product to look.

Bar kit or custom build - Depending on how much time and money you are looking to spend on your tiki bar, you will need to decide between a tiki bar kit or custom build.  If you opt to build it yourself, there are some excellent tiki bar plans available.

Cool bar mods - You may want to modify your design to work in nifty features.  A tiki god, cool lighting, flatscreen television, or a kegerator can all add a defining touch to your home bar and make it worth adjusting your design.

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The P.I. Hawaiian Idol Mug

The best detective in all of Hawaii has been commemorated in the most important manner possible - on a tiki mug.  Tiki Farm brings us the P.I. Hawaiian Idol Mug, complete with mustached goodness. Ferrari sold separately.

A few Magnum, P.I. trivia tidbits, courtesy of Wikipedia:

• Tom Selleck won an Emmy for his Magnum role in 1984
• His commitment to the show forced Selleck to pass on the Indiana Jones role in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• A Magnum, P.I. movie is rumored to be in the works, with Matthew McConaughey in the starring role
• On My Name is Earl, Earl Hickey dresses up as Magnum for Halloween one year.

Anyway, this is a really cool tribute to an 80’s classic.

Home Tiki Bar Ideas

If you are looking for ideas on tiki bar decor for your home bar, check out this thread at Tiki Central.  Forum members have added their photos over the past couple of years and it has turned into an excellent collection of tiki bars built in basements and backyards.  It is definitely worth bookmarking if you are planning to build your own tiki bar or looking add some authentic touches to your current setup.

There are a lot of incredible designs in this thread, but this one is probably my favorite.

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