Jeff "Beachbum" Berry - Episode Twenty-Nine

Welcome back to The Tiki Talk Show! Following our brief hiatus, Ryley and Ellie sat down with a true member of the Mount Rushmore of the Tiki Revival, Jeff, Beachbum, Berry.

Jeff first discovered Polynesian Pop as a child in the fleeting glimpses he caught of Ah Fong’s restaurant bar in the San Fernando Valley. The intricate escapism always lingered in the back of Jeff’s mind, but it wasn’t until he reached drinking age that Tiki began to creep back into his life. Berry was searching Los Angeles for a decent drink at a time when he recalls even the Old Fashioned’s came blended. He found respite in the small, Hollywood staple, The Tiki Ti. These tropical cocktails served by one of Donn the Beachcomber’s original bartenders was a welcome change, but when he asked Mr. Buhen what he was putting in his drinks, Berry was met with a generic answer preserving closely guarded secrets. That moment hurtled Berry into the world of tropical cocktails and rum rhapsodies that were being lost to time. Decades of research, interviews, writing, and storytelling later, Beachbum Berry has saved these drinks from extinction and made them widely available to tiki lovers and craft cocktail aficionados the world over. The Bum has published seven books containing not only cocktail and food recipes but the history of their creation, the places that served them, and the people who created and served beverages that captured the public’s attention for decades. Now, Jeff and wife Annene own Latitude 29, their own cocktail bar in New Orleans, Louisiana, where locals and travelers alike and quench their thirst for a quality tiki cocktail and revel in the gorgeous theming and decor.

Go to https://beachbumberry.com to find Jeff’s books, the link to purchase his Total Tiki cocktail app, information on his restaurant, rums, syrups, and so much more. You can also find him on Instagram @official_beachbumberry and @latitude29nola.

Thank you for joining us for this episode. It’s so good to be back talking to revival heroes and sharing that information with all of you. We are looking forward to a few more episodes coming out this summer, Tiki Oasis in August, and our move overseas at the end of summer. If you’re interested in being interviewed, send us an email at thetikitalkshow@gmail.com. Click the link below to see our link tree and find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s been good talking to you, and until next time…

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-Ryley and Ellie