Tiki doesn't have to mean plastic leis

Tag : Blended Blankets

When Jennifer Trainer Thompson learned she would be hosting a groupof museum curators at an outdoor party, she found herself leafingthrough old books for inspiration.
She stopped on a photo of a tiki party hosted by Don theBeachcomber, the legendary proprietor of Polynesian-themedrestaurants.
The backyard luau was set around a long row of beach blankets laidout like a long table on the grass. The ''island'' was outlined bytorches. The food was served from large platters and bowls set onbig banana leaves. The guests sat on the perimeter of the island.
''It just looked like people were having so much fun,'' she says.
The timeless beauty of a tiki-themed party means that you don'tneed to stick to plastic leis, puupuu platters and sickly sweet,cloying drinks served in tiki mugs and garnished with Day-Gloplastic monkeys. Surf, jungle or safari motifs are fair game.
''I think tiki continues to reinvent itself,'' says TrainerThompson, author of The Great Tiki Drink Book (Ten-Speed Press, 2002). ``I think it's enduring because of thenames, color and fun of it. You don't have to do kitsch. It can bereally cool and sleek.''
Pork, pineapple and shrimp are common ingredients in tiki food, butadding ginger, curry or coconut is an easy way to add a new tastetwist.
Trainer Thompson's recipe for Guava-Glazed Cocktail Ribs uses twovery au courant flavors -- guava and pomegranate -- to create a newsweet and sour combo.
Grilled kebabs are always a popular appetizer for summer, but arecipe we found for Garlic-and-Pepper Grilled Shrimp With Kumquatsis an extreme food experience that gives new meaning to hot andsour.
The zesty yet refreshing flavors of tropical superfruits such asguava, passion fruit and pomegranate help tone down the sweetnessof tropical drinks.
Be forewarned that many of the traditional cocktails, includingready-to-drink mai tais, hurricanes and zombies, contain widelyvarying amounts of alcohol.
Although pre-blended cocktails are convenient, part of the fun ofcocktails is making and tasting as you go.