The Process…
Captian Dan’s Tiki Menu
Creating a tiki menu is an exhilarating special endeavor that blends craftsmanship, creativity, and a touch of escapism. Start by immersing yourself in the origins of tiki culture, drawing inspiration from Polynesian aesthetics not just Hawaii. This background informs every choice, from the graphics to the ingredients.
Rough Sketches
It is very important that a designer does their research on every project. It helps prevent ignorance and allows for the designs to be more fluid! Each drink is vibrant and unique in flavor aswell as appearance. I’ve hand drawn each of them to reflect this; not a single one is the same!
The Kaieteur Swizzle for example was initially difficult to approach because I had never heard of it before. It is named after the great Kaieteur falls in Guyana, a country that is known for its rich molasses rum! The “Lélé”or swizzle stick of which the drink is named, refers to the tool used to mix drinks in a swirling whisking fashion. It is traditionally carved from branches of the Quararibea Turbinata tree (or the swizzle stick tree)! I designed the drink with all of this in mind.
When approaching the actual design I wanted to draw more attention to the meaning of the name and the beauty of the falls. I drew a traditional swizzle stick to tie in the culture aswell as the name of the drink. Finally, I garnished the drink with the national flower of Guyana, the Victoria Amazonica, which is the world second largest water lily!
