Tiki Nights are the new 'It' thing in the downtown Yakima bar scene! Who knew!

I first saw the swanky downtown bar and restaurant, E.Z. Tiger (222 E Chestnut Ave), mentioned in Sip Magazine's online blurb about their tiki drinks. It turns out my friend, Christian, was highlighted in the Sip article for her recipe concoction for the Tiki Tiger beverage (get the delicious recipe here). Her drink has stuff in it that I've never heard of like, Suntory Whisky Toki and yuzu juice, among other ingredients like grapefruit and pomegranate juices mixed with a honey simple syrup. Sounds tasty!

E.Z. Tiger is not the only downtown restaurant "jumping on that tiki train," as coined by E.Z. Tiger's manager, Heidi. I really love that phrase so I'm going to start using it! You can also hop on that tiki train at Cowiche Canyon Kitchen & Ice House Bar (202 E Yakima Ave). They are hosting "Tiki Nights" on the first Saturday of the month between now and September 2022.

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It's wild because just a week or two ago, I was thinking about checking out Frankie's Tiki Room during my upcoming trip to Las Vegas. I have never been to a tiki bar so I did some research on the "tiki" nostalgic craze. I know that it was especially popular during the time of 60s and 70s when Elvis was busy making those island rockabilly movies and shakin' his hips, like he did in Blue Hawaii.

One thing about throwing a spectacular tiki party that I think gets overlooked is that we must first respect the culture of the Polynesian and South Pacific Islander communities. Using certain tiki decor for your party that has representations of ancestral religious and cultural symbolism is inhumane, so let's be conscientious of that. You wouldn't want someone having a themed party that is an insult to your culture or religion, would you? Neither would I. Creating an island vibe for your party is one thing, but using carvings that depict the ancestral Maori-based artifacts is another. For more information about ways we can continue to respect our APIC community members here in Yakima County, check out apicyakima.org.

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