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Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari: 10th Anniversary Expanded Edition
When "Beachbum Berry’s Sippin' Safari" was first published in 2007, it ignited a global Tiki Drink revival by revealing the top-secret recipes of Tiki’s mid-century golden age, and the stories of the people behind them. This 10th Anniversary edition adds another 14 never-before-published classic cocktails to the mix, plus a 26-page preface detailing how the Bum discovered, decoded, and divulged the book’s long-lost recipes. Also included: a new 29-page Afterward charting the Tiki Revival that "Sippin’" inspired, with contemporary recipes from the movement’s leading lights across the U.S. and Europe.
This companion volume to Beachbum Berry’s award-winning Potions of the Caribbean is completely redesigned, featuring photos and graphics unique to this edition.
This companion volume to Beachbum Berry’s award-winning Potions of the Caribbean is completely redesigned, featuring photos and graphics unique to this edition.
- GenresNonfictionFood and Drink
315 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
7 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Beachbum Berry
7 books41 followersOne of Imbibe magazine’s “25 Most Influential Cocktail Personalities of the Past Century” and one of The Daily Meal’s “60 Coolest People in Food & Drink,” Jeff “Beachbum” Berry is the author of six books on vintage Tiki drinks and cuisine, which Los Angeles magazine dubbed “the keys to the tropical kingdom.” Esquire calls him “one of the instigators of the cocktail revolution” and Food & Wine “one of the world’s leading rum experts,” while Las Vegas magazine cites him as “one of the world’s leading mixologists.” Jeff’s been profiled in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, Wine Enthusiast magazine, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Florida Sun-Sentinel; he’s also been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Every Day with Rachael Ray, as well as on PBS Television, the Travel Channel, National Public Radio, and Martha Stewart Living Radio.
“A hybrid of street-smart gumshoe, anthropologist and mixologist” (The Los Angeles Times) and “the Indiana Jones of Tiki drinks” (The New York Times), Jeff has co-created Total Tiki for iPad and iPhone, a drink recipe app which Macworld magazine calls “beautifully rendered and, thanks to Berry’s tireless reporting, impeccably sourced.” He’s also co-created a line of Tiki barware with Cocktail Kingdom, which Imbibe hails as “especially notable because it revives old styles of essential glassware that were previously almost impossible to find.”
Jeff’s original cocktail recipes have been printed in publications around the world, from Bon Appetit and Fine Cooking magazines to such books as World’s Best Cocktails and the venerable Mr. Boston Official Bartenders Guide. And now his drinks are being served at his restaurant in New Orleans, Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29, which the New Orleans Advocate calls “a treasure chest of the tastes and attitude that first made Tiki so popular, curated by someone uniquely qualified for the task”; in its first year, Latitude 29 made the “best” lists of Playboy, Esquire, and New Orleans magazines.
Jeff has written for Saveur and Caribbean Travel & Life magazines, and has conducted tropical drink seminars and tastings across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.
“A hybrid of street-smart gumshoe, anthropologist and mixologist” (The Los Angeles Times) and “the Indiana Jones of Tiki drinks” (The New York Times), Jeff has co-created Total Tiki for iPad and iPhone, a drink recipe app which Macworld magazine calls “beautifully rendered and, thanks to Berry’s tireless reporting, impeccably sourced.” He’s also co-created a line of Tiki barware with Cocktail Kingdom, which Imbibe hails as “especially notable because it revives old styles of essential glassware that were previously almost impossible to find.”
Jeff’s original cocktail recipes have been printed in publications around the world, from Bon Appetit and Fine Cooking magazines to such books as World’s Best Cocktails and the venerable Mr. Boston Official Bartenders Guide. And now his drinks are being served at his restaurant in New Orleans, Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29, which the New Orleans Advocate calls “a treasure chest of the tastes and attitude that first made Tiki so popular, curated by someone uniquely qualified for the task”; in its first year, Latitude 29 made the “best” lists of Playboy, Esquire, and New Orleans magazines.
Jeff has written for Saveur and Caribbean Travel & Life magazines, and has conducted tropical drink seminars and tastings across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 23, 2020
Okay, so I don't know what's happening to me.
Is this a mid-life crisis, this whole tiki thing? Maybe. I picked up that California Tiki book last year without any idea of the effect it would have on me. Then my buddy Jeff and I started going to tiki bars, and Palm Springs came into my life, and we went to Smuggler's Cove and THEN I read the book by the owner of Smuggler's Cove. Guys, it's been a whirlwind.
If California Tiki was a broad overview of the tiki movement in the 1950s and 60s and Smuggler's Cove gave a more specific look at the big names who pioneered the trend, Sippin' Safari goes a little deeper into the people who kept it going. Unsung Filipino bartenders and restauranteurs who mixed the drinks in the back rooms finally get their due here, with deep histories before, during, and after the tiki craze. At first, I wondered if these guys would have as fascinating a history as Donn Beach and Trader Vic Bergeron; boy, did I underestimate these lives.
And as Berry's roughly chronological guide follows the biographies of these amazing folks, it also charts the course of the entire tiki "thing" as it moved from Hollywood back to Hawaii. Discovering that Hawaii wasn't "tropical" enough for tiki aficionados was a major revelation for me. From Hawaii and California, tiki and Polynesian pop moved all over the country, landing especially in Chicago and Florida, and eventually New Orleans. All the famous bars - the Tiki-Ti, the Mai-Kai, the Luau - are profiled with tons of period pictures, along with drink recipes if you want to replicate the feel at home.
Now, I actually don't want to do that. I love exotic cocktails, but I love them in context of tiki bars. But the history of these drinks remains fascinating. It's almost art, the construction and execution of tiki drinks, and learning about the ways the drink mixes were kept hidden using unbreakable codes and how they were stolen and approximated elsewhere ... a lot of this is pop archeology. It's pretty awesome.
This is the 10th anniversary of Sippin' Safari, and I had no idea how major the impact of this book was. There were a lot of factors that went into the tiki resurgence, but this book was one of the major catalysts. I loved the long afterword that discusses the worldwide impact of the original book, and what's happening right now in the world of Polynesian pop. It also has a huge index of books in the back that I now must also read, because when I'm into something new, I don't stop until I get enough. And I haven't had nearly enough. I loved this book.
Is this a mid-life crisis, this whole tiki thing? Maybe. I picked up that California Tiki book last year without any idea of the effect it would have on me. Then my buddy Jeff and I started going to tiki bars, and Palm Springs came into my life, and we went to Smuggler's Cove and THEN I read the book by the owner of Smuggler's Cove. Guys, it's been a whirlwind.
If California Tiki was a broad overview of the tiki movement in the 1950s and 60s and Smuggler's Cove gave a more specific look at the big names who pioneered the trend, Sippin' Safari goes a little deeper into the people who kept it going. Unsung Filipino bartenders and restauranteurs who mixed the drinks in the back rooms finally get their due here, with deep histories before, during, and after the tiki craze. At first, I wondered if these guys would have as fascinating a history as Donn Beach and Trader Vic Bergeron; boy, did I underestimate these lives.
And as Berry's roughly chronological guide follows the biographies of these amazing folks, it also charts the course of the entire tiki "thing" as it moved from Hollywood back to Hawaii. Discovering that Hawaii wasn't "tropical" enough for tiki aficionados was a major revelation for me. From Hawaii and California, tiki and Polynesian pop moved all over the country, landing especially in Chicago and Florida, and eventually New Orleans. All the famous bars - the Tiki-Ti, the Mai-Kai, the Luau - are profiled with tons of period pictures, along with drink recipes if you want to replicate the feel at home.
Now, I actually don't want to do that. I love exotic cocktails, but I love them in context of tiki bars. But the history of these drinks remains fascinating. It's almost art, the construction and execution of tiki drinks, and learning about the ways the drink mixes were kept hidden using unbreakable codes and how they were stolen and approximated elsewhere ... a lot of this is pop archeology. It's pretty awesome.
This is the 10th anniversary of Sippin' Safari, and I had no idea how major the impact of this book was. There were a lot of factors that went into the tiki resurgence, but this book was one of the major catalysts. I loved the long afterword that discusses the worldwide impact of the original book, and what's happening right now in the world of Polynesian pop. It also has a huge index of books in the back that I now must also read, because when I'm into something new, I don't stop until I get enough. And I haven't had nearly enough. I loved this book.
June 29, 2020
Essential tiki cocktail reading and an ideal companion to the Smuggler's Cove book - where SG gives you a solid overview of the tiki timeline, Beachbum Berry dives into the lives of the cocktail creators and innovators.
February 10, 2020
Tiki history and recipes. Must read.
March 25, 2022
An excellent history of Tiki and the people who shaped it. I love how much detail Jeff "Beachbum" Berry gets on the people of Tiki, even those that are much less talked about (even though they were the ones mixing the drinks!). And that's not even getting into the drinks! These unearthed recipes are absolutely amazing and a must try for anyone getting into Tiki. This book is what brought Tiki back to the modern era and it does so with reverence to the people who shaped it from behind the bar.
July 18, 2020
This book changed my entire perspective on tending bar, and made me fall in love with tiki drinks--all 10+ ingredients per drink. While I was already a huge fan of tiki prior to this book, I know now that tiki is where my bartending heart lies.
February 5, 2022
As expected from The Bum, a lavishly-illustrated, thoughtful, and well written travelogue through both time and space detailing the backstories of the great tiki and tropical movers and shakers of the original tiki, Polynesian pop fad inflorescence of yesteryear. Not only Don the Beachcomber (Donn Beach), Trader Vic (Vic Bergeron), and Steve Crane, but the men (and women!) who mixed and served the drinks, carved the statues, supplied the venues, and more! Tony Ramos, Sylvia Wu, Bob Esmino, Ray Buhen, Dick Santiago, Hank Riddle, Grace Buscher (of the Coco Palms), Harry Yee, Fred and Liz Dailey, Edward Malcolm "Mick" and Phyllis Brownlee, Pete Wimberley, Mariano Licudine, and more!
Of course, there's recipes too, mostly not to be found in Intoxica! and The Grog Log. A few overlap, but there's quite enough original content and new recipes to satisfy those who've mixed and/or drunk their way through Berry's earlier works.
Worth the time to lazily wander down memory lane - let the fascinating tales (and warm fuzzy feelings) wash over you as you not only read but drink along on this Sippin' Safari.
Of course, there's recipes too, mostly not to be found in Intoxica! and The Grog Log. A few overlap, but there's quite enough original content and new recipes to satisfy those who've mixed and/or drunk their way through Berry's earlier works.
Worth the time to lazily wander down memory lane - let the fascinating tales (and warm fuzzy feelings) wash over you as you not only read but drink along on this Sippin' Safari.
March 17, 2021
This is the Bible for tiki cocktail enthusiasts. Packed with tons of recipes dug up (and often deciphered with significant effort) from the annals of the golden age of tiki, this book is fantastic. Not only do you get delicious cocktail recipes, but you learn about the history of the owners and bartenders behind these drinks. Often these bartenders worked behind the bar for decades perfecting their drinks. Yes, you probably know Trader Vic, but this book will take you through the lives of the key players of this age, like Don the Beachcomber, The Original, who basically started the tiki boom that was emulated by others like Vic. While we’re in the midst of a great tiki renaissance in the US, this book walks you through a magical time when stars like Lana Turner and Howard Hughes were regulars at the new phenomenon of Polynesian restaurant and bars across America.
February 12, 2021
This is a great addition to a tiki library. You have to understand that this isn’t a cocktail book in the usual sense, although it does contain many recipes. It’s a history book, and rather than a bird’s eye view, it’s a social history about the bartenders behind these drinks, and focuses on their personal life stories. It’s about the folks in the back, behind the scenes (literally). While folks like Donn Beach, Trader Vic, and Steve Crane were the public face of these classic bars, these bartenders were the backbone which supported the bars and enabled the big guys’ success. Definitely recommended.
October 20, 2023
Sippin' Safari is THE book on tiki drinks and the men who made them.
If this was just a book of rediscovered and decoded tiki drinks it would already be an incredible work on its own, but the Bum was not content to just give us the drinks. He gives as much attention to the many hardworking men behind the bars who brought these drinks and culture all across America. The family stories are some of the best parts - incredible tales of young men captured in the Philippines under Japanese occupation and more. I had to read this book twice - once for the history and once more for the drinks.
If this was just a book of rediscovered and decoded tiki drinks it would already be an incredible work on its own, but the Bum was not content to just give us the drinks. He gives as much attention to the many hardworking men behind the bars who brought these drinks and culture all across America. The family stories are some of the best parts - incredible tales of young men captured in the Philippines under Japanese occupation and more. I had to read this book twice - once for the history and once more for the drinks.
April 2, 2021
I truly enjoy reading Jeff Beachbum Berry’s books. His profound knowledge, impeccable prose, witty style and self-deprecating humor make Sippin’ Safari a fun read. More importantly, here is a deep dive into a fascinating period of history in America, complete with Tiki drink recipes that make that history come alive. With this 10th anniversary edition, Berry adds another decade of history, where what started as a Caribbean-via-Hollywood story has been revived and evolved into an international craft cocktail phenomenon. Mahalo, Bum, okole maluna!
February 8, 2021
This book is amazing. Whether you know virtually nothing about tiki drinks recipes, history, lore, and culture surrounding it — or if you know a lot and want to dive deep into its hidden secrets — this book is tiki 101. And beyond. I highly recommend it!
January 27, 2020
Incredible! aside from the oddly out of place reference to presidents the author dislikes.
July 2, 2021
An excellent reference book and Tiki drinks and history.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews