It’s the perfect weather for tiki drinks, isn’t it?
I wouldn’t have said that a year or so ago (I’ve developed a taste for drinks I’ve considered a bit more ‘grown up’ – bourbon, whiskey and the like.) But thanks to two other OurPDX authors, I have grown to appreciate all things tiki late in life!
Our own Cami Kaos mixes up a mean tiki drink, for starters (several other OurPDX authors can testify to this after last Friday’s SLL podcast, to be sure.) But did you know DJtv owns a tiki bar? Sssh….don’t tell anyone, but she does. And it’s become my new favorite secret hangout, in fact. Especially this Wednesday.
Why? Read on…
If you visit Thatch Tiki Bar on NE Broadway, you’ll see three huge statues lining the back of the bar. These statues — lovingly called Baby Eaters, specifically Marquesan in origin — are carved from Iron Wood. If you look at the three as a series, the first is sitting on the baby (just like in the picture above), the second is eating the baby, and the third statue (complete with swollen belly) has just finished eating the baby.
Thatch worked with Tiki Farm to create the first Thatch Marquesan Baby Eater mug (it’s taken more than a year to finish the project from beginning with clay to firing to glazing to shipping, believe it or not!) And you can get one of your very own (or at least drink from one) at the Mug Release party this Wednesday, starting at 4 pm.
Mugs are $20.00 to take home (filled with a special cocktail created just for the mug), $15.00 just to take home. If you’d rather rent than buy, you can enjoy that special cocktail in it for $8.00, then WILL hand that mug back — right? Right! (Let’s just say that after some light fingered tiki drinkers over the years that the mugs will be watched carefully! And if you have a coconut cup at home that you don’t quite remember where it came from, well — shame might just be in order here. Just sayin’…)
DJtv told me more about the statues themselves:
The Marquesan Baby Eaters have a fairly significant place in Portland Tiki history. They first lived at Steve Crane’s Kon Tiki in the Sheraton, which is now the Double Tree Lloyd Center. When Tiki fell out of favor and the Kon Tiki went by the wayside, their cook bought almost everything and started the venerable Jasmine Tree downtown, along with his lovely wife.
In early 2003, he had a stroke and his wife started running the bar full time. But when the streetcar project condemned their property to build the (never built) street car lines, she just couldn’t face moving everything again. The day that we asked if we could take the artifacts over, she teared up, and said ‘bless you for making sure this lives on.’ It’s why we still serve the Jasmine Coffee on our menu.
When: Wednesday, July 1st – starting at 4 pm
Where: Thatch Tiki Bar, 2733 NE Broadway
More Details: Facebook, Twitter
{ 2 comments }
For REALS, me n Missus Advice Guy are considering coming out to this. It just looks like fun!
Thatch is an amazing place! Many happy memories there.
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