Overview
Put on your best Hawaiian shirt because the folks from Earls Juke Joint in Newtown have opened up a sneaky tiki bar in Enmore dubbed Jacoby's Tiki Bar — and they are both within walking distance of each other.
The new bar takes its inspiration from tiki-obsessed psychiatrist Dr Lawrence Jacoby from cult TV series Twin Peaks. Diehard David Lynch fans should be able to uncover a few other nods to the famous director scattered throughout the venue (at least, that's what my log tells me).
The one rule of tiki bars is that you need to go all out. Subtlety be damned. The intimate 60-seater venue has been tastefully decked out in banana leaf wallpaper, a rattan thatched ceiling and carved wooden Tiki figures. It manages to look actually cool rather than too kooky or creepy.
The drinks menu centres around ten tiki cocktails, which are mostly rum-heavy concoctions illuminated with bright, tropical flavours. From the list, you can't go past James and the Giant, made from Bulliet bourbon, spiced peach ice tea syrup, apricot brandy, and, to top it all off, absinthe. And then there's the Voodoo Grog — a drinking bowl filled with two types of rum, allspice, passion fruit syrup, honey and lime.
However, it's the tiki mugs that really steal the show. These ones are served in beautiful glazed vessels depicting shrunken heads and conch shells, while silly straws, swizzle sticks, and flaming fruit make for a highly memorable experience.
As for the wine selection, in true Lynchian style, they're divided by colour — perfect for those in the mood for a straw yellow or garnet red. The bottled beer range includes Hawaiian Kona Big Wave Golden Ale and Sierra Nevada Tropical IPA, while the taps include Jamaican Red Stripe Pale Lager and Grifter Serpent's Kiss.
All drinks come with a free bowl of banana chips, and if you're looking for a real meal, the bar offers pizza delivery from Manoosh — just order at the bar.
Oh, before you go, no trip to Jacoby's is complete without a trip to the bathroom, although be careful lest you stumble into another dimension. The back hallway has been kitted out in red velvet curtains and black and white chevron tiles to perfectly recreate niwt s'kaep suomaf der moor — ahem — Twin Peaks' famous red room.
Images: Katje Ford.
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