Cats Like Us Blog — Tiki

It's Halloween---oops I mean October! Some of us get pretty excited about this time of year... I'm here to get you inspired for a Halloween costume using what you may already have in your wardrobe! I've written about it before with a Little Black Dress Halloween Costumes, our striped Houdini Dress, Halloween with Vintage Clothing, Halloween with Retro Classics. A staple wardrobe piece in any vintage lover's closet is the tropical button down shirt. What ever you call it ~ a Hawaiian shirt, aloha shirt, tiki shirt, hang ten, or island shirt ~ it's a classic and can be found in any size in so...

I always say that Cats Like Us brings people together and I am very lucky to have met Derek Hendrickson one of the first days that Cats Like Us opened it's doors! He's the creator of Suffering From Elvis Disease, aka maker of satirical Elvis busts. About ten years ago we had him selling busts for an in-store event and I wanted to check in on him and see what's new in the world of Elvi, so here's a little interview... Can you explain why Elvis busts? Elvis, being the pop culture god that he was/is seemed like a rather easy target for...

With VIVA LAS VEGAS ROCKABILLY WEEKENDED less than 2 weeks away, we can't help but notice all the "first time what do I wear/do" posts on Facebook. Never fear guys and gals, we're here to share a few tips we have learned in our many trips to the event. What to do at VIVA The VIVA Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender itself is jam packed, so there's always something to do! It might seem obvious, but read the program and get a lay of the land, and the schedule of events and bands. Some vendors put discount codes in there too!...

  When we have a gathering for some tropical libations, we often get asked, "What are we listening too?!" To set the mood, we find ourselves putting on a few different artist's that embody the Polynesian Pop vibe. Music that transports us to a desert island, feeling the tropical breeze in our hair and the sunning ourselves on the sandy beach. Well, okay we're really just hanging out in our garage Tiki bar, but I'm trying to set the mood here, hahaha!!! Here are some of our favorite albums to listen to on a Tiki Tuesday or any day of...

Luau is a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment. Get a few free tunes for your next luau here.   Happy Tiki Tuesday! I wanted to share some of my favorite luau foods that I like to serve our guests when we are entertaining them in The Hut. There are a plethora of recipes to choose from (some versions are vegan and vegetarian), yet I like to keep things simple and tend to stick to the three major food groups; SPAM, pineapple and rum. Hahaha!!!    Spicy Avocado Dip-Recipe from the Retro Luau book by Richard...

This Beachcomber cocktail recipe is adapted from the original Beachcomber that is printed in the Trader Vic's Bar-Tender (1947) book.   Ingredients: 2 oz. Light rum 3/4 oz. Triple Sec 3/4 oz. Lime juice 2 dashes Maraschino liqueur 1/4 tsp. Simple syrup (optional) Method: You can blend ingredients with one cup of ice into a blender or shaken in a cocktail shaker and strained into a glass. Either way it's a great summery drink!   Cheers! -Meagan Kyla

Aloha from Lake George, NY! The Cats Like Us crew took a roadtrip to The Tiki Resort to join in all the fun and excitement for the Ohana, Luau at the Lake. Upon arrival we checked into the hotel, registered and got our swag bags which included the Cats Like Us swizzle sticks! Aloha!!! After settling in and changing into some tacky Tiki goodness, we did the traditional, 'tour the grounds and pose for pictures'. We haven't been to The Tiki Resort or Ohana for a few years, so it was fun to re-discover everything. Of course many cocktails were...

I was so excited when we got Beachbum Berry's latest book, Potions of the Carribean. So much amazing history and vintage recipes are packed into this book, like the La Florida Daquiri Number 2 that comes from the 1935 Bar La Florida souvenir recipe booklet. Bar La Florida also known as Floridita is a historic bar restaurant in the older part of Havana famous for it's daquiris and was one of Ernest Hemingways favorite hangout spots while in Havana. Most us know daiquiri's as being sugar-filled blender drinks, but this classic cocktail is simple, lightly sweetened and refreshing! Ingredients: 2 oz. Cuban rum*...

The Trader Vic Grog cocktail recipe is taken from the book, Beachbum Remixed. I highly recommend any of Beachbum Berry's books! Lemons and lemon juice always seems to be plentiful in our house, so why not mix up some lemony libations! Enter in the Trader Vic Grog that is is not overly sour or sweet, but boy does the dark rum flavor mix wonderfully with the citrus juices.    Ingredients: 2 oz. Dark Jamacian rum *see below 1 oz. Pineapple juice 1 oz. Fresh lemon juice 1 oz. Passion fruit syrup 1 dash Angostra Bitters   Method: Build cocktail into...

Phew! I just got back from a whirlwind weekend filled with rum, Polynesian delights, swimming and well, more rum, Ohana was once again a great time! This was our third year enjoying the scenic view of Lake George, NY while lounging about the pool at The Tiki hotel or peaking out the window and seeing the awesome Adirondack Mountains. View from our room We arrived on Friday around 1pm, the drive took about 5 1/2 hours and was a pleasant journey. Derek and I like to sing songs and crack lots of jokes, I think we both get a little...