When you have rum, time is flying.
Just like Todd Ulmer, the Tiki Acou hive in downtown Tiki, has been appearing on the radar of Ramrunners since 2014.
While Ulmer, who has a contribution to Orlando’s nightlife, includes the Lodge, Frosty Christmas Lounge, and Mucho, clearly loves good themes, the tiki culture that emerged in the 1930s has a very passionate global follow.
They will take effect at Caribe Royale Orlando on April 4-6, with the second annual Tiki Gogo Go event returning to Tiki’s second round.
Ulmer pours and sells Aku Aku products along with popular Orlando locals with South Sea expertise.
Tiki lovers are fun and enthusiastic crowds, Ulmer says. And they know theirs.
“I was preparing to open Aku Aku when I saw a website called Critiki that reviewed Tiki Bars,” he recalls with a laugh. “Just seeing local bars shredded on that site took another three to six months of research.”
Tiki was more than just an ornament he learned.
“It had to be a lot of different elements. Cocktails. Music. Everything has to be right because it’s so important to those who go. I had to take the time.”
Time itself has seen the decline and popularity of the tiki, like the tides of the South Seas.
It started in the 1930s with Don the Beach Commerce. His real name is Beaumont Gantt, says Arthur Booth, the owner of the suffering bastard, a tiny Titan of Tiki, hiding in a Toffee music box in Sanford.
“He was exposed to rum at an early age by this grandfather,” says Booth, a number of liquor-related historians, including Tikibur.
“The Bar aesthetic,” he points out. “It came from everything I gathered while traveling when I was younger.”
It is a fusion of styles, in the bar itself and in the glasses, or mugs, which themselves are wildly popular collectibles, Ulmer will be selling his own limited-edition versions at the event, joining staffers from the Suffering Bastard, Permanent Vacation and Otto’s High Dive as they pour hundreds of drink samples to eager Tiki-a-Go-Go attendees.
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Last year’s first event was very impressive, Ulmer says, it was easy to come back. The programming and products are amazing, he says.
“From mugs to lamps to interior decorations to custom outfits people make, everything is creativity and artistry, really spectacular.”
However, mini-puosers to the resort are available in full size and full strength at Aku Aku, but both have a few of the same.
“I started the menu with eight drinks,” he says, “Now I have something like 28.”
Having won the dead man’s rum barrel, a highly popular classic drink, Ak impressed many homemade delights, including ingredients such as grenadine, honey syrup, and almond forward tissues, fresh juices, and of course “tons of lamb.”
In the realm of Tiki, Ulmer says, there are crossovers in other interests like burlesque and rockabilly.
Also Disney. This is why fermented liquor bird mugs ($200) are so popular. Inspired by Doug Horne’s Tiki artwork, the take has long been obsessed with Ulmer’s purchase (and ultimately Mugmaking), so Horne has offered a very tight spec for Piedeed’s Tikis Proprietor, Jason Vitril.
“It takes about five hours to draw each full-color version of the mug,” Ulmer says. The all-orange “fade version” ($150) is a bit easier to make. Each time Vitril serves a batch, both are sold out completely. They are also on hand at Tiki a Go-Go and are expected to fly off the shelf. The collector can meet the horn there or attack aku aku that he sells (and signs what is already on sale) the day before.
With the first $20 mug on eBay for over $200, Ulmer still orders products from abroad, but these collaborations compare to domestic and local artists.
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“It costs a little more, but it seems that customers really appreciate the craftsmanship,” he says. “I do too.”
Do you want to reach out to me? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @Amydroo or the Osfoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
If you’re going
2nd Tikia Go Go: April 4-6, at Caribe Royal Orlando, 8101 World Center Drive, Orlando. Tiki-A-Go-Go Adventurer’s Pass is suitable for the entire weekend (accommodation not included). For more information or to purchase, please visit tikiagogoevent.com.
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