Bespoke Tiki Bar Worcester Mugs From Keystones And Jägermeister
As part of the ongoing relationship between Jägermeister and Keystones Cocktail Club of Worcester, we’re really excited to let you all know that we will soon be receiving our new bespoke Tiki mugs. Exclusive to only a handful of venues, these mugs were original designed by the team at Jägermeister for the Mahiki Bar in London and were an instant hit with guests.
Jägermeister stated, “Due to their popularity, and simply how amazing they looked, we decided to start offering them to some of our best customers. All completely made to order, they can be truly personalised in regards to colour. For example, Keystones are the first and only venue to request and use red and black mugs. If there is one type of cocktail that really suits Jägermeister then it is the tiki cocktail, so the mugs complement this really well. It’s great to see a new Worcester tiki bar experience.”
JP, owner of Keystones Worcester explained, “The colours of Keystones are red and black but these are also very much the colours of Hawaii with its red lava and black sand beaches. That’s why they’re red on the top and black at the bottom. Hawaii, especially Waikiki beach, is one of the great spiritual homes of Tiki Culture just like California. Now, there’s a Worcester Tiki bar drink right here.
The new Jägermeister mugs started out in London and quickly gained something of a cult status. While still pretty exclusive there are great venues around Britain using them and their popularity has even spread already to Australia.
The carving or sculpture on the original islander tiki mugs from the 1920’s was said to represent the spirit of the bar or drink where they are used. These designs have stayed popular ever since. The original Tiki Mugs were shaped from wood or bamboo and depicted Tikis, carved Polynesian deities or ancestral figures and were often over stylised with traditional character features. These were said to be used at the first informal beach bars but ceramic quickly took over and the designs on the Mugs started to include Moai, the statues of Easter Island as well as totems, skulls and other island-based themes. Tiki mugs are now almost always made from glazed ceramic and should have no handles.
In keeping with this tradition, the new Jägermeister Tiki Mugs features the iconic stag that is an essential part of the brand. This striking identity dates back to Hubertus, a wildman of the woods who had a vision of a Stag with an ethereal light glowing between its antlers. He saw this as a sign and become a pioneer for the respect of nature and patron saint of hunters. Curt Mast, the creator of Jägermeister thought this powerful story was a perfect match to his newly created elixir that was rich with nature’s botanicals.
Tiki drinks and bars were originally inspired by the relaxed shanty beach bars of the Polynesian islands where rum-based cocktails were served to adventurers and leisure seekers in equal measure. The Tiki way of life captured the emerging spirit of exotic travel and even gave birth to its own genre of music making it perfect for a Worcester tiki bar.
Travellers returning from the islands were so inspired that they tried to recreate the ‘Tiki Magic’ in their own home countries. The creation of the first Tiki Bar outside of Polynesia is credited to Ernest Gantt who, in 1933, established ‘Don the Beachcomber’s Bar” in California and invented the famous Sumatra Kula and Zombie cocktails. Three years later in 1936 Victor Bergeron opened the world famous ‘Trader Vic’s’ in Oakland California and in 1945 invented the quintessential Tiki drink, the Mai Tai cocktail that is still drunk around the world today. He was also responsible for introducing the western world to the classic Tiki Mug and started importing them and selling them across America. So if you’re looking for a Worcester Tiki bar experience then you just found it.
Since the 1990’s Tiki culture has been making a huge comeback and tiki mugs are now even seen as collectable items. Jägermeister added, “Offering a cool and bespoke vessel fits in with our brand values. We aim to be bold, to do things differently than other brands and to create unique assets for bars.”