“Rum was barely on America’s radar. But Donn [Beach] saw its potential and ran with it, mixing up cocktails that were as layered and intriguing as a good mystery novel,” according to Rumosphere.
Donn Beach, [born Ernest Gantt] in Texas in 1907, was an adventurer, businessman, rum-runner, and the founder of tiki culture. He established the first prototypical tiki bar—Don’s Beachcomber—in 1933 in Hollywood, California. Beach’s formative adventures began when he was 20 and left Texas to travel around the world. He worked on a yacht headed for Australia, via Hawaii, and he spent additional time island hopping throughout the South Pacific, absorbing Polynesian culture.
When Prohibition ended in 1933, Beach opened the first Don’s Beachcomber bar. He also started calling himself Donn the Beachcomber—in an effort to distance himself from having been a bootlegger. Beach is credited with establishing the entire tiki rum drink genre, including the Zombie, Fog Cutter, Tahitian Rum Punch, and Navy Grog.
“Inspired by his travels in the South Pacific, he gave the bar an exotic Polynesian vibe by decorating it with tiki carvings, thatched roofs, bamboo furniture, and fake rain falling on the roof,” according to Barstool Sports. “Hollywood celebrities and common folk alike would flock to the restaurant as its tropical oasis atmosphere made them feel like they were taking a mini-vacation.” Tiki culture grew immensely popular in the 1940s, and eventually there were Don the Beachcomber restaurants throughout the country. The Beachcomber motto was: “If you can’t get to paradise, I’ll bring it to you!”
In 1945 Beach gave control of the restaurants to his ex-wife and moved to the Territory of Hawaii. He opened the International Market Place in Waikiki, which eventually encompassed 50 shops, restaurants, and night clubs. And he established several more Beachcomber restaurants. Beach’s impact on tourism was profound, and he was honored with a House Resolution Tourism Award in 1957. He also played an important role in establishing preservation laws for the Lahaina Historic District, which was later designated as a Historic Landmark in 1962.
