Skip to content
Latest:
  • Hawaii Tomorrow 1966 by Bob Van Dorpe and Herb Kane
  • Exciting Don the Beachcomber Announcements
  • Traveling Lightbox to Shoot Ephemera and Digitize Documents Everywhere
  • Mourning Andree Doucet
  • South Pacific – Hollandale FL
Mai-Kai: History and Mystery Book

Mai-Kai: History and Mystery Book

History & Mystery of The Iconic Tiki Restaurant

  • Buy the Book
  • Calendar Girls
  • Mugs
  • Postcards
  • Author

Articles

Articles Ephemera 

Traveling Lightbox to Shoot Ephemera and Digitize Documents Everywhere

February 14, 2021February 16, 2021 swanky 1 Comment digitizing large documents, lightbox, photographing menus, photography lightbox, traveling lightbox

I spent a great many hours creating and testing a technique I use to photograph items and digitize archives around

Read more
Articles 

Cultural Appropriation And Tiki

June 11, 2019December 31, 2020 swanky 2 Comments

I first became interested in Polynesia via Trader Vic’s in Atlanta and vintage records by Alfred Apaka and Ray Kinney.

Read more
Articles Ephemera Mai-Kai Girls Staff 

Leonce Picot 1932-2018

August 27, 2018August 23, 2021 swanky 5 Comments leonce picot

Leonce Picot 1932 – 2018 When I began researching the Mai-Kai book in earnest, the first person I tracked down

Read more
Articles Events 

Swanky’s Tiki Pecha Kucha

March 20, 2018 swanky 0 Comments

Pecha Kucha is a worldwide series of presentation all with the same format: 20 images which each displaying for 20

Read more
Articles Events 

Inside the Desert Oasis Room Podcast

August 29, 2017August 29, 2017 swanky 0 Comments

During the west coast book tour, and actually during Tiki Oasis, I stepped away for an hour with Adrian “Polynesian

Read more
Articles Cocktails Ephemera Staff 

Mariano Licudine – “The Houdini of the Liquids”

July 27, 2017July 27, 2017 swanky 13 Comments cokctails, filipino, florida, fort lauderdale, Mai-Kai, mariano licudine, mixologist, tiki

Mariano Licudine didn’t get the coverage I wanted in the book. I just was too pressed for time. I hope

Read more
Articles Ephemera Mai-Kai Girls Staff Uncategorized 

Donna – Happy Talk January 1963

December 1, 2016 swanky 0 Comments calendar, Mai-Kai, pimms, tiki

The Mai-Kai created the Happy Talk newsletter to send out to the snowbirds back home to help keep them in

Read more
Articles Cocktails Ephemera Staff 

The History, Mystery and Community of Tiki Bar Loyalty Clubs

August 27, 2016 swanky 1 Comment Mai-Kai, okole maluna, tales of the cocktail, tiki

A nice article on Tales of the Cocktail about drinking clubs at Tiki establishments. There is a chapter in my

Read more
Articles Celebrities Ephemera Mugs Staff 

South Pacific Hollandale Florida Video

April 23, 2016April 25, 2016 swanky 4 Comments faalia, florida, history, hollandale, lundy nelson, south pacific, tiki

An interesting bit about the history of one of the Mai-Kai’s rivals, the South Pacific in Hollandale Florida. None of

Read more
Articles Ephemera The Building 

Model in the Gardens

February 28, 2016 swanky 0 Comments ad, Mai-Kai, model, tiki

March 1964 image from the Mai-Kai’s “Happy Talk” newsletter. The Mai-Kai was the backdrop to many ad campaigns.

Read more
  • ← Previous

Buy The Book


Click here to get a signed copy of the Mai-Kai book from the author. $35 shipped via Media Mail

Recent Posts

  • Hawaii Tomorrow 1966 by Bob Van Dorpe and Herb Kane
  • Exciting Don the Beachcomber Announcements
  • Traveling Lightbox to Shoot Ephemera and Digitize Documents Everywhere
  • Mourning Andree Doucet
  • South Pacific – Hollandale FL

Blog Categories

  • Articles (11)
  • Celebrities (11)
  • Cocktails (14)
  • Ephemera (30)
  • Events (21)
  • Mai-Kai Girls (17)
  • Mugs (5)
  • Products (7)
  • Staff (22)
  • The Building (13)
  • Uncategorized (2)
  • Vintage Travel (2)

Recent Comments

  • EXCLUSIVE: New details on The Mai-Kai renovations, new merchandise revealed at Inuhele 2023 in Atlanta – The Atomic Grog on Mariano Licudine – “The Houdini of the Liquids”
  • UPDATE: Cool off this summer with takeout cocktails from The Mai-Kai – The Atomic Grog on Mariano Licudine – “The Houdini of the Liquids”
  • UPDATES: Latest news on The Mai-Kai renovations and reopening in 2022 – The Atomic Grog on 2018 Molokai Bar 60th Anniversary
  • Geoff Bush on Hawaii Tomorrow 1966 by Bob Van Dorpe and Herb Kane
  • Mai-Kai cocktail review: Robust flavors and potency are hallmark of 151 Swizzle – The Atomic Grog on Mariano Licudine – “The Houdini of the Liquids”

RSS RSS Feed

  • Hawaii Tomorrow 1966 by Bob Van Dorpe and Herb Kane

Site Pages

  • Author
  • Buy the Book
  • Calendar Girls
    • 1963 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1964 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1966 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1967 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1968 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1969 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1971 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1972 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1973 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1974 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1975 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1977 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1978 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
    • 1979 Mai-Kai Calendar Girls
  • Celebrities
  • Events
  • Mugs
  • Postcards
  • Press Materials
    • Charles McKirahan Tour
    • Mai-Kai 1960
    • Mai-Kai Walking Tour
    • Patreon Limited Edition in Mai-Kai Blue by Tiki Diablo
    • Release Event
    • Tiki Diablo Tupaupau Book Release Bowl
  • Tiki History Presentation
Copyright © 2023 Mai-Kai: History and Mystery Book. All rights reserved.
Theme: ColorMag by ThemeGrill. Powered by WordPress.