Nashville’s newest dining trend: tiki bars Three tiki bars are underway in East Nashville as tropical-themed bars enjoy a renaissance nationwide

Lizzy Alfs | The Tennessean

Nashville may be a long way from palm trees and coconuts, but that’s not stopping restaurateurs from bringing a little bit of the tropics to Music City.

Two tiki bars are under construction and another is in early planning stages in East Nashville, promising to bring colorful, elaborate drinks made with fresh juices and syrups to a city mostly void of tropical-themed watering holes.

“The idea of tiki is you’re walking into a room and want to forget everything in the outside world. It can give you the Caribbean feel if you’re not in the Caribbean, or the Southern California feel if you’re not in SoCal. It’s a very good place for escape,” said Kyle Lamoureux, who together with Dave Young, one of the owners of East Nashville’s The Crying Wolf, plan to open a tiki bar called Hubba Hubba at 912 Main St.

Rum is enjoying newfound popularity in the U.S., particularly high-end brands, and the tiki bar trend is being revived decades after the tropical drink bar heyday of the 1960s. Sales of super premium rum were up 8.3 percent in 2017 to $140 million, although overall rum sales dropped by 0.3 percent to $2.3 billion, according to the Distilled Spirits Council.

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Makers of craft rum are marketing the spirit as a more affordable alternative to craft whiskey, which is the darling of the liquor industry right now.

And from a mixologist standpoint, rum leaves a ton of room for creativity. Many bartenders consider tiki drinks to be the original form of “craft cocktails.”

“Rum is a spirit that can be manipulated in so many ways. It has a lot more layers than what people really think,” Lamoureux said.

Lamoureux, a bartender at The Crying Wolf, described Hubba Hubba as a “beach hut bar” with 1980s influences, an open-air feel, an outdoor patio and a small grass area for dogs. He and Young are particularly fond of a landmark bar in Los Angeles called Tiki Ti.

About a half mile north of where Hubba Hubba is planned, a creative trio of Nashville entrepreneurs are planning to open Chopper in August. The tiki bar at 521 Gallatin Ave. is the brainchild of Barista Parlor owner Andy Mumma, Bryce McCloud of Isle of Printing and Mike Wolf, a talented bartender who most recently established the bar program at Husk.

Wolf said the all-day bar will have a light and refreshing food menu led by Savannah Wright, with Japanese-inspired Sandos, rice bowls, salads and the occasional outdoor barbecue.

“We don't want to do any kind of vintage tiki bar. We've got a new story to tell and a new way of exploring that world. We've got robots to display that came from an undiscovered island in the South Pacific! What’s more fun than that?” Wolf said.

As far as crafting drinks goes, Wolf said the world of tiki is the ultimate playground for a bartender.

“If you’re into cocktails at all, you eventually uncover the world of tiki, or ‘tropical drinks’ and it’s an intoxicating sub-genre that can consume your thoughts and your fridge.”

“Further, if you find yourself in an establishment in a faraway city that not only can make a proper exotic cocktail, but serve it in beautiful ceramic mug adorned with flowers, tropical decor in the background, some Martin Denny on the record player, it's an immersive drinking experience you won't soon forget,” Wolf said.

Just a half mile north of Chopper at 1008 Gallatin Ave., Pearl Diver is planning a mid-July opening with Corey Ladd and Matt Spicher of applauded Treehouse restaurant and Ben Clemons and Jamie White of popular cocktail bar No. 308 at the helm of the new venture.

Spicher said the tropical lounge will celebrate the island food and beverage from South America to the South Pacific. Pearl Diver will feature food from Treehouse chef Jason Zygmont.

“We will feature some things that a tiki bar may offer, such as our namesake beverage, however, we are focused on providing guests the chance to experience the drinks, food and vibrant culture that led up to the tiki movement, born in 1940s Hollywood rather than an actual island, as well as offering our interpretation of where it’s going,” Spicher said.

As for making a delicious tiki drink, Spicher said “garnish is king as well as glassware presentation."

"That said, a cool glass and garnish does not make a good cocktail by itself," Spicher added.

Reach Lizzy Alfs at lalfs@tennessean.com or 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.