Rotgut.org Blog: #5703 - 4 Kahuna's Tiki Lounge, Fort Worth, TX

Sunday, May 05, 2024

#5703 - 4 Kahuna's Tiki Lounge, Fort Worth, TX - 4/5/2024

4 Kahunas Tiki Lounge is not in a location where you stumble upon it by accident -- unless perhaps you took a couple wrong turns coming home from a Cowboys game. So I was quite glad that my research had included it on the list of DFW area bars to check, and with few expectations, it exceeded my tiki hopes. From a non-descript warehouse and freeway sort of neighborhood, one steps into the 4 Kahunas to find just the right sort of lighting and vibes. And the tiki drinks were quite nice in both the drinking and the presentations -- in my case engagingly prepared and served by bartender Maggie, who was a whirlwind of drink making mixed with friendly chatting.

Re. the creation of the drink program, the Dallas Observer wrote:

"To help the four friends create a respectable tiki program (because, yes, it can be done wrong), they brought in Brad Bowden. Bowden started the weekly tiki program at Lounge Here and has made a name for himself in the Dallas tiki scene. (Yes, it's a thing.) He brings his laid-back elegance to the program and doesn't take any shortcuts when it comes to ingredients — think fresh-squeezed juices and housemade orgeat and syrups. The lounge even makes its coconut cream, and it's decadent."

This article and some others also state that the 4 Kahunas (J.P. Hunter, Scott Smith, Chris Powell and Randy Shepherd) originated the idea for the bar while visiting Frankie's Tiki Room in Las Vegas. However the bar's web site itself tells a very different story, and in light of the entire tiki movement's well earned reputation for never swerving from a rigorous adherence to the exact truth, I think we must rely on that version of the origin story:

"As the word spread that Lord C.C. Bigsby was missing, a brave band of four brothers set out to sail the seven seas to find him - and perhaps have an adventure or two along the way. Not long into their journey, adventure found them (in the way of a tropical storm) that marooned the brothers on the very island where Lord Bigsby was last rumored to have been seen. The island's infamous witch doctor wasted no time in capturing the brothers, and she boasted they would soon share the same deadly fate as the island's king had bestowed upon Lord Bigsby!

The brothers put their heads together and thought fast. Surely the rum in their battered ship's cargo hold could help them! They began crafting drinks for the king with the rum and the island's many fresh fruits. So pleased was he with their tropical concoctions, he declared the four brothers Kahunas (wise men) and made the witch doctor grant them one wish! They wished to use the king's radio, called for a rescue and imbibed with the king, witch doctor, and other islanders while waiting for their lifeboat.

Now that they're home, the Four Kahunas hope you enjoy the drinks they've created in honor of their Polynesian adventure!" (4kahunas.com)