When the weather outside is, if not exactly frightful, then at least a little nippy, tiki bars around the South spring into action. Maximalist decor gets replaced with, well, even more decor. Tinsel and twinkling lights abound. The sixty-six Sippin’ Santa pop-up bars of tiki legend Jeff “Beachbum” Berry are no exception. But if you’re not up for facing the crowds at these Instagram-ready watering holes, rest assured you can bring all that charming kitsch to your own kitchen with Berry’s essential tips for hosting a holiday tiki party.
Decor: Over the Top
Berry, whose New Orleans bar Latitude 29 is a French Quarter favorite, has simple decorating advice: Make it “look like Christmas threw up” in your space. But instead of swapping out houseplants, picture frames, and vases for Christmas trees, paper snowflakes, and surfing Santas, just add them. In other words, more is more. “Double your holiday fun,” Berry says.
This is not the time for splurging at your favorite designer boutique. “It’s a dirty little secret; we got a lot of our stuff from Target and Amazon. It’s a matter of quantity over quality. When you cover every inch of a place, it doesn’t matter,” Berry says. If you’re really going for an authentic tiki bar look, pair cheap decor with a few classic pieces. “It’s almost like furnishing your house,” Berry says. “You could have a lot of stuff from IKEA in there, as long as you have one or two interesting conversational pieces there to spice it up.”
And the most important tiki bar rule of all: Don’t stress. “You’re here to have a good time,” Berry says.
Music: Eclectic
When the right combo of rum and repetitive Christmas music hits, it can put your guests right to sleep. “What the good bars do is they look for the more obscure stuff,” Berry says. “Everybody expects to hear ‘Jingle Bells,’ and when they don’t, they breathe a sigh of relief.”
Berry’s go-to artist is Charlie Halloran, a New Orleans–based musician with a calypso-inspired Christmas album (and a festive ode to Latitude 29). But no matter what you choose, Berry advises mixing up genres and tempos. “There’s Latin-flavored Christmas stuff. There’s Afrobeat Christmas. There’s Brazilian.” (For more listening inspiration, check out G&G’s ultimate holiday playlist.)
Drinks: Photogenic
What would a holiday tiki bar be without a blend of tropical flavors and seasonal spice? “The two styles vibe with each other in an unforced way,” Berry says. In fact, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and allspice are tiki staples all year round. But “you can’t just rename tiki drinks with Christmas names,” he adds. “You have to come up with drinks that reflect the flavors and the aromas of a Christmas dinner or Christmas party.”
The Sippin’ Santa pop-up at Prohibition in Charleston, South Carolina, recommends their eponymous drink as a great place to start. Check out their recipe for a classic holiday cocktail below. (Tip: Scale this recipe up to make a batch cocktail perfect for parties; because of how popular it is, Prohibition makes large quantities in advance.)
But maybe more important than the contents of the mug is the mug itself. “I like to think that people come because they love the drinks that I do, but I have a feeling it’s more about what the drinks are being served in,” Berry says. Berry’s iconic Sippin’ Santa mugs, down to the swizzle stick, are frequently found on eBay for hefty sums but can be purchased from his partner bars each season. But anything garishly festive or Griswoldian will do—just don’t forget the garnishes, funky straws, and tiny umbrellas.
Hospitality: Good Vibes Only
Berry’s final key to success is perhaps the most important pillar of any Southern party: making sure your attitude is just as warm as the rum in your stomach.
With the right mix of ingredients both in and out of the tiki mug, Berry hopes partygoers can get some respite from the real world. “I hope that time stops. This year, in particular, is a trying year for a lot of people. If you can stop doomscrolling for an hour or two in a tropical Christmas bar and have a little mini vacation, then I hope that’s what you get out of it,” he says.
