Monday, July 14, 2008

I Dream of Tiki Bars

Last night I woke up from a dead sleep and thought "hey, I'd love to open a nonalcoholic cocktail bar." So for the next hour I stared at the ceiling and planned it all out. ( I love insomnia!)
Really, its a great idea. I love drinking. I love the jazz bar ideal. Late night conversations, the mood, but I'm not a huge fan of hangovers, depression, fist fights, people throwing up, and impossibly loud music. Coffee bars are nice, but my neck of the woods they are often quite quiet and never open past 9pm. While I was pregnant I tried to still hang out in bars...not that fun. Once you take the alcohol out, the chairs are uncomfy and the mixers taste cheap and nasty. As for running a bar, wow! What a can of worms! Liquor license, city liquor taxes, state liquor taxes, insurance rates, bouncers, security cameras.
Anyway, I'd call my place Nada Colada. It would be a tiki bar; leaning more towards "60's slick" than "surfer cool". Very Shag. In fact, I'd use his poster art to decoupage the back of the bar chairs. (Awesome like this fun bottom chair but a bit more comfortable. ) And I've got designs for the glasses.
For equipment I'll need a juicer, a carbonation machine and I have an idea for a refrigerated barback but would probably need a custom build. I'm thinking I still want the usual bar set up too: soda gun, sink, dishwasher, ice bin ect.
I'd serve nonalcoholic versions of every cocktail I can... (faux cosmos and appletinis are easy, but faux vodka is a bit harder lol). Plus plenty of snazzy mixes: milk soda, ginger lemonade, tiki's revenge, shooters, uppers, downers... I've got so many ideas for drink recipes! But I think for the bartenders ease I'd sift it down to a 2-3 page menu plus snacks.
Oh and have you seen this crazy awesome tiki fireplace??

Golden Dream

  • 1 oz cream
  • 1 oz orange juice
  • 1/2 oz triple sec
  • 1/2 oz galliano
Orders: Fill shaker half way with ice, shake all ingredients until combined and chilled. Strain into martini glass.

Virgin Golden Dream
  • 1 1/2 oz cream
  • 1 1/2 oz orange juice
  • 1 tbsp orange marmalade

Orders: Fill shaker half way with ice, shake all ingredients until combined and chilled. Really shake the stuffing out of this one so that the marmalade dissolves. Strain into martini glass.


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