Colonel Tiki
aka. Craig Hermann, Colonel Tiki LLC – Portland, Oregon, United States
Craig 'Colonel Tiki' Hermann was born into Tiki: Growing up in the 70's in Southern California, he spent his toddler days playing in his backyard jungle of ponds, waterfalls, overgrown vegetation, bamboo fences, colored lights, and tikis. In the late 90's, Craig moved to San Francisco and investigated local bars while taking part in the swing dance revival with his wife. A chance trip to the Tonga Room and joining up with other geeks on a Yahoo! discussion group (which would later become Tiki Central) re-kindled that which was lost in the faded dreams of the 70’s.
"The Colonel," nick-named for his (at the time peculiar) choice of facial hair and bombastic playful buffoonery, has been involved in both the Craft Cocktail and Polynesian Pop communities for a quarter century. He has given seminars and led talks at various cocktail and Tiki events, he was a founding member of the Cocktails & Spirits Online Writers Group (CSOWG), and his cocktails have appeared in cocktail books, magazines, and have been featured at multiple Tiki bars and events.
Craig & his wife Heather 'Tikimama' Gregg, created, & organized the Portland, Oregon event “Tiki Kon.” With a group of creative friends, they developed a weekend event from the 2nd annual "NorthWest Tiki Crawl & Original Home bar tour." Over the next ten years, Tiki Kon would grow and change in fashion with the PNW 'Ohana involved. In 2013, As the last original founder, Craig handed the reins over to the next generation. In the final decade of the event, Craig continued to support and contribute to Tiki Kon and was able to concentrate on his particular focus: Cocktails, decor, and overarching theming.
Craig continues to consult and teach as "Colonel Tiki" when and wherever he can. Craig seeks to evangelize whole ingredients, deliberate technique, ethnobotanical appreciation, and the academic geekery associated with flavor theory, mixology, technology, and showmanship.