Who invented the cocktail umbrella–and why?
Dear Cecil: What is up with those little umbrellas in exotic drinks? Who started it and why? — Terrence Fultz, via the Internet When this E-mail arrived, I glanced at the 3:05 PM time stamp and thought, boy, somebody’s starting in on the mai tais a little early. However, the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board informed me that cocktail umbrellas were a key element in the cult of the tiki, pointing me to www.tikinews.com. This brought up a picture of an Easter Island-type idol and a beautiful Polynesian maiden, her bare breasts peeking out from under her lei like ripe casaba melons. Above this was the headline, “We Worship Tikis.” I’m kinda partial to ’em myself, I thought, inspecting the maiden. No, no, the SDSAB informed me, the tiki is the carved idol. Lest you get the wrong idea, the tiki cult isn’t some weird Santeria thing involving goat sacrifice but rather a retro appreciation of the tiki bar, also known as a Polynesian bar, which specializes in island decor, exotic cuisine, an
When this E-mail arrived, I glanced at the 3:05 PM time stamp and thought, boy, somebody’s starting in on the mai tais a little early. However, the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board informed me that cocktail umbrellas were a key element in the cult of the tiki, pointing me to www.tikinews.com. This brought up a picture of an Easter Island-type idol and a beautiful Polynesian maiden, her bare breasts peeking out from under her lei like ripe casaba melons. Above this was the headline, “We Worship Tikis.” I’m kinda partial to ’em myself, I thought, inspecting the maiden. No, no, the SDSAB informed me, the tiki is the carved idol. Lest you get the wrong idea, the tiki cult isn’t some weird Santeria thing involving goat sacrifice but rather a retro appreciation of the tiki bar, also known as a Polynesian bar, which specializes in island decor, exotic cuisine, and tropical drinks topped with cocktail parasols and other fancy paraphernalia. The tiki joint, I was told, has played a pivotal
