Bothell is about 45 minutes north of Seattle. There used to be one reason why I would make the trek up and that is The North Shore Lagoon at The McMenamins Anderson School. But now I have second reason to come up to Bothell, and that is to visit my new friends Pete and Andrea Zeller and hang out in their living room turned tiki bar The Fo’c’sle! I don’t know how to pronounce the name of their tiki bar, but I know their address! Here is Pete and Andrea’s tiki story…
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Pete- We’re not far from the beautifully decorated NUI NUI, but, outside of that, Washington’s scene is more tiki adjacent and tropical rather than mid-century traditional.
What brought you into the tiki lifestyle and how long has it been part of your life?
Pete- Since childhood my parents regaled me with stories from the Hawaii Kai in New York City and showed me a ton of classic movies: particularly Hitchcock and Sean Connery’s run on Bond. From there I slowly grew enamored by the mid-century aesthetic. By the mid-nineties, I bought the Mondo Exotica CD and was immediately captivated. Soon after, I dug out my mom’s old peanut style Tiki mug and placed it on my dresser. I “borrowed” my dad’s Magnum PI style Aloha shirt and figured that this must be the pinnacle of Tiki lifestyle. What else was there? Lo and behold, I came across Trader Vic’s Tiki Party! And it was grass skirts and pua-puas ever since. Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour on YouTube truly helped fill in the gaps of Tiki lifestyle, and history.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Pete- My lovely wife found our bar while surfing online and we collectively fell head over heels! It was love at first sight. It was built in the eighties in Okinawa, Japan. As a former Marine who was stationed at Futenma on Okinawa, it was kismet! The bar and matching stools are made from Monkey Pod slabs which refract light smartly.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Pete- Our bar is named The Fo’c’sle! In David Grann’s book The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (a must read!), he describes the word as it was used by eighteenth century sailors to shorten forecastle—the crew’s quarters ahead of the fore mast. It reinvigorated my interest in the word. Who doesn’t love a word with multiple apostrophes, spellings, and pronunciations? I liked the idea that our fo’c’sle was all that was left of a trade ship that met misfortune and wrecked ashore on some tropical isle. The old scallywags then did what any old sea dog worth their salt and turned it into a rum tavern.
How far have you driven to buy something tiki that you saw online?
Pete- My wife and I traveled to Fiji to buy Tapa cloth, does that count?
What is your favorite Tiki drink? What do you think makes the perfect cocktail?
Pete- It would be easier to mention the drinks that I don’t like: I’m looking at you Jungle Bird and Shingle Stain! We try something new each week, and lately I’ve been enjoying The Molokai Mule and the Rongorongo. The missus fancies herself a Missionary’s Downfall from time to time.
We enjoy warm and bright cocktails and gravitate towards cinnamon, Orgeat, pimento. A well-balanced drink is worth the effort of squeezing fruits and batching syrups. It’s a bummer when you finally amass all the ingredients for something just to find the results lacking in refinement (i.e. Permanent Holiday Cocktail).
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Pete- I think we can all safely agree that the Mai-Kai, particularly now, is the end all be all. Having said that, I would be remiss to not mention my love for Hale Pele!
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Pete- Lighting, it’s tough to get just right. A good playlist of exotica music both classic and contemporary is also essential.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Pete- The Fo’c’sle is still in its Tiki infancy and there’s plenty work yet to be done on hiding the ceiling. But, we’re confident that it’ll get there.
Fair winds and following seas!
