Mystery, Mahalo, and Mafia!
Donn Beach, aka Don the Beachcomber, is the godfather of tiki bar culture. Without him, you wouldn’t be able to sip a Mai Tai or a Suffering Bastard in your favorite tiki bar (ours is Tiki Taky, but we’re biased).
In this the first of an ongoing blog series about tiki culture, let’s raise a tiki mug to the Donn of Tiki, who started it all. But you don’t have to read much further if words hurt your eyes (or you’ve had too many Mai Tais to focus). Just catch the latest documentary on tiki bar culture, The Donn of Tiki.
the man, the myth, the legend
Donn Beach, born Ernest Raymond Gantt in 1907, was a raging raconteur, imaginative impresario, and rum ravisher. In fact, the current craze in rum drinks started with Donn’s earliest cocktails, which consisted largely of large amounts of rum. Donn was born in Texas and died in Hawaii, and left behind just a boatload of tall tales revolving around globetrotting, glamor, and generous amounts of drinking. He ran an illegal speakeasy bar during Prohibition, and later opened his first bar in Hollywood in 1933, and called it Don’s Beachcomber. He legally changed his name to Donn Beach to divert suspicion from the speakeasy era of his life. Later, the bar name changed to Don the Beachcomber, and he began opening his tiki bars all over the USA.
Donn Beach shuffled off to do his bit in World War II. While cruising through the South Pacific, the island lifestyle made a huge impression on the young Lt. Colonel. After being injured in a U-boat attack, Gantt received a Purple Heart medal. He then ran the rest-and-recreation section for the officers. He began mixing his own signature cocktails with names like Q.B. Cooler and Test Pilot. Some very refreshed pilots painted his likeness on one of their B-26 Bombers, calling him Don the Beachcomber. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The donn of tiki
Donn Beach regaled Hollywood royalty with tales of the high seas, war heroes, and exotic adventures. This only added to his mystique–which suited him well. As his tales grew taller, he became a living legend. Donn invented the original tiki bar craze in the 1930s, and it continues to this day.
Soon his rivals began opening tiki bars of their own, stealing his recipes openly. One of his contemporaries was the equally legendary Victor J. Bergeron, aka Trader Vic. Trader Vic opened his first tiki bar in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thus began a friendly rivalry between two tiki titans. In fact, both men claimed to have invented the Mai Tai cocktail. However, Trader Vic’s opened more tiki bars globally than Don, and you can still drink in a Trader Vic’s tiki bar in 17 global locations. You can also drink in a few historic branches of Don the Beachcomber in the US.
sunny beach!
Donn Beach married ‘Sunny’ Sund in the 1930s and they ran the business together. As a young entrepreneur in her own right, Sunny helped Donn open a Don the Beachcomber in Chicago. Soon thereafter, things got a bit crazy. The couple divorced, and in the settlement, Donn was not allowed to open another establishment under the trade name. He was kept on as a figurehead and teller of tall tales. The Donn of Tiki documentary hints that our intrepid hero was in fact forced out of business by a bitter ex and her mafia cohorts. Who needs a rum drink?
headin’ to hawaii
After a whirlwind life of leisure, Donn relocated to Hawaii, where he stayed until his death in 1989. But Donn Beach left a lasting impression on Hawaii as well. Since Hawaii was not in the US at that time Beach moved there, he was free to open as many tiki bars as he wanted. He could even use the Beachcomber name.
Donn Beach opened many bars and theme restaurants in the Hawaiian Territory. His contributions to tourism earned him many awards and accolades. But we will always remember him (or Trader Vic) for the Mai Tai, and his lasting contribution to the tiki bar Polynesian escapism movement. And you can sip one of Donn’s drinks at Tiki Taky tonight. Make it a Mai Tai or Zombie, or dive into a sea of tiki cocktails in our own Prague version of the Polynesian escapism experience.
Contact Tiki Taky or reserve a table to secure your spot in paradise!