Talk Tiki to Me

Friday night we had a little get together that included lighting our drinks on fire, tiki dolls, and all the Polynesian flair I could find. But first, let me rewind to how it all started: with a trip to World Market, in which I fell in love with what they call a volcano bowl. You may also know this as a scorpion bowl, or you may have no idea what in the world I'm talking about, and if that is the case, dear friend, it's time for you to get acquainted. Please allow me to make a formal introduction:

Presenting the volcano bowl. Get inspired, people. 

That adorable, vintage-looking bowl holds 32 ounces of whatever kind of beverage you deem worthy, and the "volcano" part is where the magic really happens: you see, you add a shot of 151 proof rum and light that volcano on fire. Oooh. Aaah. Exactly.

I saw this bowl, and I immediately remembered a few years back when we had enjoyed a flaming drink out of one such container at a tiki bar we visited in the Virgin Islands. I have never been one to resist a gimmick, and so within a few minutes of discovering this volcano bowl for sale, I had already planned a little party for it in my head. This past weekend, we made that party come to fruition and, if I do say so myself, it did not disappoint.

I wanted to set a very Polynesian scene for our gathering, and I always think themes should ideally begin at the door. In the spirit of all things tropical, I made this fun and festive wreath out of drink umbrellas that really set the scene.

Welcome to tiki time!

I added a little "wildlife" out on our deck, just to keep us company. And then naturally, I moved on to the food and drink (priorities, after all).

You know, just monkeying around.

Because man cannot live on a volcano bowl alone, I set out some Trader Vic's Mai Tai mix (Trader Vic's was the first tiki-themed establishments to come to the United States, and its founder claims to have created the mai tai drink), locally produced rum from North Carolina, and a very appropriately attired bottle of Tito's vodka, plus plenty of fresh mint, pineapple, cherries and limes to help accessorize our cocktails of choice.

You're the Pina to my Colada.

Mai tai, anyone?

It has been almost unbearably hot here in Charlotte the past couple of weeks, so I wanted some appetizers we could make a meal out of that were filling but not too heavy to enjoy outside on our deck. Among our family and friends, there is a cheese ball recipe that I dare say has become infamous over the years. Over the course of my lifetime, if you attended a party in Toccoa, Georgia hostessed by Mrs. Ann Addington, her signature cheese ball was undoubtedly offered on the food buffet. It's light and delicious, and it became a sort of expected tradition at everything from baby showers to engagement parties due to its ever-present nature. I got (way too) excited when I was perusing Pinterest and saw a recipe that was very similar to what we have affectionately dubbed "Mrs. Ann's Cheese Ball," creatively elevated into the shape of a pineapple. I still used my old tried and true recipe, but I added a little flair by using pecans and top of a real pineapple to spruce this classic up a bit:

My pineapple pecan cheese ball. I think Mrs. Ann would be proud. 

And how cute is this baby pineapple?
I thought it was the perfect garnish for our tropical chicken salad plate.

I put Clint to work grilling shrimp skewers with tangy Polynesian sauce.

Since it was too hot to bake, we finished it off with some Hawaiian Rice Krispy treats,
topped with white chocolate, macadamia nuts, and mango glaze.

Clint got so inspired when he saw the food and the decor, he decided to break out his Hawaiian print shirt in honor of the occasion. When I told our friends what he was wearing, they got in the spirit of the evening and sported theirs, too! 

Perfectly attired for a Polynesian party.

Once the sun set, I filled our volcano bowl with the original recipe from Trader Vic's that dates all the way back to the 1940s. It was a potent concoction of fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, rum, brandy, and amaretto syrup...in short, dangerously delicious. We each had our own extra long straw to sip, and that high octane rum created an impressive flame!

Our flaming volcano bowl in action.

As you can probably guess, I loved every minute of it.

We had the most fun, kitschy evening with flaming rum punch, fresh shrimp right off the grill, and of course the company of great friends. I'm glad that simple volcano bowl inspired it all, and even though I've put it away for the time being, let me tell you: you can talk tiki to me any old time.

Cheers!