Tiki Bar Review #15 Tiki Ti Los Angeles. CA

I have a guilty pleasure: Kodachrome pictures!

Time machines haven’t been built yet, so the closest you can get to going back in time is looking at old pictures. Sadly, most pictures were taken in boring black and white back in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. Usually the film was cheap and those pictures have faded away anyway. Kodachrome pictures are different. They look vibrant, colorful, and alive. These pictures really are the closest you can get to seeing what the past was like. Or maybe there is another way to experience the past:

By tasting it!

Ray Buhen opened Tiki Ti in 1961. What makes Ray Buhen special is that he worked at Don the Beachcomber. Not just at a Don the Beachcomber, but at the Don the Beachcomber! I’m talking about the first one ever, the one Ernest Gantt (aka Donn Beach) started! This is a big deal, because if anyone knew how to make the classic Tiki drinks, it would be Ray. Most of the drink recipes have been lost over time, so it’s hard to really know what ingredients were used or even what a drink actually tasted like.

Ray knew these Tiki secrets when he opened Tiki Ti and people have been filling up the place ever since. Ray’s son, Mike, came on board to help in the early ’70s and never left…

Oh, did I mention that Tiki Ti is a family business? Mike’s son Michael is behind the bar as well. That’s him on the left…

The first time my friends took me to Tiki Ti, I was surprised how tiny the place is…

The entire place is literally one room! The bar spans the left side of the room and tables and chairs fill up the right side. That’s it!

I don’t think I have to tell you that Tiki Ti gets crowded, but not just because it’s small. It gets crowded because of the drinks…

Let’s talk about the drinks at Tiki Ti. I’m going to say this now: Tiki Ti makes the best drinks I’ve ever had. Hands down. I’ve been to a ton of Tiki bars, including some of the more “craft cocktail” places. Where Tiki Ti has everyone beat is that their drinks just taste good. Really good. When I have a drink at Tiki Ti, two thoughts go through my head, which are simply this: I don’t know what I’m tasting, but I want more of it.

Pictured below are my two favorite drinks at Tiki Ti, the Ray’s Mistake and the Firefly…

Ray’s Mistake is a drink Ray Buhen made by accident when trying to make an Anting Anting and added the wrong syrups. The customer didn’t care, took the drink, and fell in love. A Tiki classic was born! What’s in a Ray’s Mistake? I have no idea. I really don’t know. I’ve heard it has rum in it. I’ve heard it has gin in it. I’ve also heard it has both rum and gin in it. Again, no one knows for sure. The only thing I do know is that I want a Ray’s Mistake right now! Fun fact: Ray’s Mistakes are only six bucks every Wednesday!

The pink drink to left of the Ray’s Mistake is called the Firefly…

I asked Mike himself what is in this incredible drink. He said almond and rum, but I really couldn’t tell for sure. All I can say is this: if you could taste the color pink, a Firefly is what it would be.

There are over 90 Tiki drinks to choose from at Tiki Ti and there’s even a checklist if you want to try them all.

If you want to taste what people were drinking at Don the Beachcomber back in the ’30s, you don’t need a time machine, you just need to head down to Tiki Ti!

P.S.- bring cash! Tiki Ti is a cash only business.

Here is Tiki Ti’s website.

And Facebook page.