Las Vegas bar plans party to honor the founder of Don the Beachcomber. Flaming drinks and Spam skewers will be served
The Golden Tiki, one of Las Vegas’ most distinctive Polynesian-themed watering holes, on Thursday evening will be hosting bartenders from several restaurants to celebrate the birthday of tiki culture founder Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt.
Gantt, who was born Feb. 22, 1907, earned the title as creator of the first Don the Beachcomber restaurant and lounge in Hollywood in 1933. Today, tiki bars with thatched roofs and exotic drinks are part of America’s pop culture.
The Golden Tiki, located in a nondescript strip mall about three miles west of the Strip, takes guests to mythical Flaming Skull Island.
Managing partner Branden Powers spared no expense in curating his collection of pirates, tiki gods and shrunken heads, buying some items from Disneyland.
“I wanted to create a place where people could escape their worries,” Powers said. “They can just escape reality. That’s the spirit of Vegas.”
Followers of tiki culture from all over the world make pilgrimages to Las Vegas, Powers said, passing up popular spots such as the Bellagio fountains and the Forum Shops for prolonged, and repeated, visits to his tiki bar.
“They wear everything from Hawaiian shirts to gowns when they come in here,” he said of the hard-core devotees.
Thursday’s party will feature local mixologists putting their spin on some classic Don the Beachcomber cocktails. Among them are independent mixologist Rebecca Hayden, Adam Rains of Flock and Fowl and Jessica Lee Westergom of the Black Sheep.
Specially priced drinks will be available from 9 p.m. to midnight.
Island specialties feature prominently on Golden Tiki’s colorful drinks menu. Included are the classic Mai Tai ($12); the Painkiller ($12) with Pusser’s Rum, fresh juices and Dole pineapple whip; and the Blue Lagoon ($10), a concoction of rum, Blue Curacao and fruit juices, served flaming in a custom tiki glass.
Info: The Golden Tiki, 3939 Spring Mountain Road; (702) 222-3196
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