kon tiki opened its doors in 1958 and closed them in the early 80’s.
A once familiar signage
It began in Montreal when I accompanied my parents to a place called the kon tiki lounge. My dad didn’t drink but my mom liked to order a cocktail with rum & fruit juice in a hollowed out coconut. I had a Shirley Temple in a pineapple topped with a maraschino cherry and always an umbrella. The room was dark and exotic that had lagoons with running water, palm trees and blue, green and red lighting. It felt so grown up and indulgent. So when I moved to Vancouver one of the first things I did was pay a visit to Trader Vic’s at the Bayshore hotel. The chain was not nearly as intimate and they didn’t bother to fill up a pineapple but the cocktails were still tropical style.
In Palm Springs recently we visited a place called Bootlegger and the Tonga Hut. Bootlegger is very tiny, very tiki like and dark but the thing about the Tonga Hut is they have a secret room. I won’t tell you how to find it (it’s very cool) because then it wouldn’t be a secret. My friend disappeared in a flash behind a secret wall – that’s all I’m saying. I came across a website that explains Tiki Culture (yes, it is a culture onto itself). THIS IS IT:
The Tiki Lifestyle. Island Living. Retro Life. What is it all about?
Bootlegger, Palm Springs
Matchbox, Palm Springs. Okay, it’s not tiki but they have a firepit.
Well, it’s pretty simple. It’s all about living the goodlife the way the cocktail set did back in the day. Historically and geographically, Tiki is defined by Polynesian culture.
People who are into Tiki Culture, or the “Tiki Lifestyle” crave an escape from the fast-paced lives we live. We want to know we have a special place, whether physical or in our minds, where we can go to get away from it all. For many of us, it’s our own little Tiki Bar set somewhere in the corner of our home. For some of us, it’s the Tiki Bar down town or on the beach. For a lucky few, our entire lives (including our homes and businesses) are 100% Tiki with that distinct mid-century retro look and feel. Source: http://tikiloungetalk.com
This Smoothie recipeis not only very pretty to look at but it tastes good, takes little time to prepare and is the perfect drink for a Canada Daycelebration.
You can turn it into a cocktail by adding a bit of vodka to the mix. If you want a deeper red colour for the first layer, just drop in a bit of red food colouring until you hit the shade you desire.
Prep time: 10 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Red Layer:
1 cup of ice
1 frozen banana, sliced
2 cups strawberries, halved
½ cup pomegranate juice
White Layer:
¼ cup orange juice
1 cup of ice
1 cup of greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 frozen banana, sliced
Topping:
½ cup raspberries
Instructions
Red Layer:
Pour the pomegranate juice into the blender. Add in the strawberries, bananas and ice and blend until fully smooth.
Pour your red layer into the bottom of each glass, tap the glasses gently on the counter to help level out your smoothie.
Now place your glasses into the freezer to allow them to set while you’re working on the white layer.
White Layer:
Rinse out your blender and place the ice, banana, orange juice and greek yogurt into it. Bend until smooth and retrieve your cups from the freezer.
Gently scoop the white smoothie layer into the cups on top of the red layer, again tap the cup on the counter to level the contents.
Topping: Rinse your blender and puree raspberries then drizzle them on top for a red swirl.
TIP: If you want to make this for Independence Day on4th of July – use blueberries instead of raspberries for the topping.
Well, it’s pretty simple. It’s all about living the good life the way the cocktail set did back in the day. Historically and geographically, Tiki is defined by Polynesian culture.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
You must be logged in to post a comment.