Our Tiki Lounge

Aloha, Vintage-ista's! 

Here is how we do a tiki lounge at 5th Street Vintage! When my parents moved into their 8,000 sq/ft building very few spaces were livable. They spent several years restoring the building and it certainly was a "labor of love." However, there was one odd room they didn't know what to do with and it left them perplexed. The back of the Schmuck Building was once a mechanic's garage and was a very awkward space to say the least.  So, they came to the most probable solution...a Tiki Lounge! This entire room was created from things that have been donated, re-purposed, and scavenged. Here is a sneak peak into our South Pacific Tiki Lounge:

Any respectable tiki room needs a few key elements: good lighting, a bar from which to serve great cocktails, and comfortable seating! A 1960's wicker bar was transformed into our Tiki bar with a little paint and a straw canopy addition. We added brightly painted vintage bar stools and a retro picture of a Hawaiian Debbie Reynolds.
 

We've created a Tiki island feel with a dark green 1940's couch and matching chair. We re-purposed a 1940's bar cloth bedspread to create pillows and a blanket for a pop of color.

For the walls we used a 1950's map of South America which warms up the cold concrete walls as well as bamboo curtains to conceal the old garage door. We then inserted colorful fans for added color and vintage teak Hawaiian mask.

These photo cut-outs of vintage swimmers were hand painted by a friend and are a great way to start a party!

The true flair of the Tiki lounge comes from the details, such as retro Hawaiian scarves adorning the stairs, vintage inspired Caribbean Cruise Line and retro South Pacific Movie posters. Oh, and don't forget the palm trees...everywhere! 

Coconut candles, retro flamingos, and twinkle lights add that extra panache to our Tiki Lounge. Just don't forget the teak wood serving trays and you are set for the ultimate Tiki party!

The main purpose of your Tiki Lounge is create a space that gives you a feeling of being far, far from home. This space should be you're escape! I hope this gives you some inspiration for creating a space to throw your own tiki party--even if you are the only guest!

Aloha!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Thirsty Thursday: Hawaiian Sunset

Hello Vintage-istas!

The humidity has really rolled into the Midwest these last couple of weeks while we've been back visiting family, and boy we are feeling it. So much so, that its got us thinking, "if we have to put up with all of this humidity, we might as well be doing it sitting on the beach in paradise!" Keeping with our "paradise state of mind," this week's Thirsty Thursday installment features The Vintage Chanteuse's version of a mid-century cocktail titled the "Hawaiian Sunset."

We recently discovered this cocktail on a 1960's drink menu from a Hawaiian resort and immediately knew we had to share it with you all! If you search "Hawaiian Sunset cocktail" online you will find a mixture of versions based either in rum or vodka. We are going to use rum, based on the vintage menu we found. Rum is really a child of the Caribbean, but it was very common in the early days of airline travel to find rum used in drinks in Hawaii because it fit the American tourist's ideals of stereotypical "paradise." Also, this drink traditionally calls for orange juice and cherry juice, but we experimented with an orange and pineapple juice mixture with grenadine that we feel really gives this drink a tropical feel! With that in mind, let's take a look at our ingredients:

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz grenadine
• 2.5 oz orange & pineapple juice
• 1 oz club soda
• Maraschino cherry or pineapple (for garnish)

Preparation: First, begin by combining rum, grenadine, orange & pineapple juice, and grenadine in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until ice crystals begin to form around exterior of shaker. Then, strain over ice in Collins/cocktail glass, top off with club soda and garnish with either a maraschino cherry or pineapple wedge!

Recommended accompaniment:

For this drink's accompaniment, we recommend the title song from the classic 1961 film Gidget Goes Hawaiian, sung here by James Darren. So grab your sunnies, muumuu dress, and sun tan lotion and enjoy our version of the "Hawaiian Sunset."

Salut!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Weekly Playlist: Tiki Party

Hello Vintage-ista's!

A heatwave has hit the Midwest this week and the humidity is so high a haze is hanging over the buildings. So we've been thinking, if we are going to be putting up with all this heat it might at well be in a tropical paradise! This week is dedicated to Hawaii's favorite pastime....the tiki party! Yesterday's Lady and I will showing you how to take advantage of this perfectly tropical weather and host a vintage tiki party! Now, for starters here's a little steel guitar and ukelele to set the mood!

Aloha!

The Vintage Chanteuse