Inside The Tiki Easy Bar, Hi-Wire Brewing's new tiki bar in Asheville
ASHEVILLE - A new tropical island cocktail retreat has blown into the city, shaking up the local craft beverage scene.
This month, Hi-Wire Brewing dived into the distilling world with the introduction of an in-house distilled alcohol program and a spirited tiki bar concept, The Tiki Easy Bar.
The Tiki Easy Bar, now open at 197 Hilliard Ave., is a unique addition to downtown Asheville and citywide, said co-owner Chris Frosaker. From its menu brimming with specialty-themed cocktails to its island-inspired design with an indoor thunderstorm system, Tiki Easy has quickly become the buzz around town.
“When people walk through the door, everybody’s face lights up,” he said. “It’s much bigger than some people were anticipating, and the attention to detail is crazy. There’s nothing like it in Asheville at all.”
In April, Frosaker told the Citizen Times that the inspiration to veer from the craft beer brewing sector and into the alcohol came out of his love for Mai Tais and visits to tiki bars in other cities. The distilling program diversifies the Asheville-based company that has greatly expanded across several states since its founding in 2013.
Yet, The Tiki Easy Bar may be its most ambitious endeavor.
“This was the hardest. This was our 13th concept combined with Asheville beer taproom, out-of-town taprooms and spaces,” Frosaker said. "Despite how many we’ve opened, this was the hardest one we’ve done just 'cause it’s our first foray into liquor and there’s just so much that goes into the details of what we did in here.”
Inside Asheville’s new tiki bar
On July 13, the bar made its official debut after a brief soft opening phase in the South Slope brewing district. Early reception has been positive for the “little oasis in downtown Asheville,” Frosaker said, and a surprise for the guests as well as the Hi-Wire team.
“It was a ton of work, and it absolutely surpassed our expectations of what we were shooting to go for,” he said.
The Tiki Easy Bar is accessible by cutting through the brewery’s taproom, giving it a speakeasy vibe – thus the name, “tiki easy.”
“Taking it easy” was another wordplay that motivated the name.
The absence of windows is a strategic design choice to create the effect of being “transported to a whole new world.”
“It’s kind of the whole point of tiki, in my opinion. It’s kind of that escapism and being able to check out of the real world for a little bit, and I think we nailed it,” Frosaker said.
To achieve the traditional tiki bar effect, the design incorporates warm, vibrant colors, bamboo-lined walls, glass fishing floats, tiki masks and other artistic elements spanning floor to ceiling in the nearly 2,500 square feet venue.
“We hand cut and placed every piece of bamboo and thatch. There are over 100 unique light features in here,” he said.
The biggest crowd-pleaser is the special effects that further create an immersive jungle vibe with the sounds of birds chirping and an automated “thunderstorm” show.
“It actually lightnings, and wind blows around in here randomly, which is pretty cool,” he said.
Tiki cocktail menu and more
The signature and traditional tiki drinks are made using Hi-Wire’s new line of distilled blended spirits, which has launched with rum. The full bar offers other liquors and brands to shake up guests’ drink escapades, too.
An early favorite is the ominously named Death Punch cocktail, made with Hi-Wire’s rum, bourbon, white rum, gin and various flavors of liqueurs.
“It’s kind of got everything in there,” Frosaker said.
The Berried Alive cocktail is made with rum and house-made mixed berry syrup.
Two styles of Mai Tais are available, which are Frosaker’s favorites.
Frozen and more traditional cocktails are on the menu, like Piña Colada, Painkiller and Bushwacker.
For those who are not rum drinkers, Frosaker recommends other house-made cocktails, the Manhattan, smoked Old Fashioned and the Tiki Jell-O shots.
Visiting Hi-Wire, The Tiki Easy Bar
The Tiki Easy bar’s hours will mimic Hi-Wire’s downtown taproom hours, 3-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 3-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday.
Hi-Wire continues to grow with taproom and bar concepts across the Midwest, South and Southeast regions.
The next to come is a new brewery tasting room that’s in its final stages of construction in Nashville, Tennessee.
“That will be our last planned expansion for the foreseeable future,” Frosaker said.
In addition to downtown, Hi-Wire operates RAD Beer Garden and Biltmore Village Production Brewery and Taproom in Asheville.
Other locations include Charlotte, Durham and Wilmington, plus out-of-state destinations in Birmingham, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; and the recently opened taproom in Cincinnati.
Brew news you may have missed
Hi-Wire announced the opening of its new tiki bar and distillery. Read here.
Asheville Brewing and Little Jumbo partner on new spirits brands and distillery tasting room. Read here.
Eurisko Beer Co. preparing to close in the summer/fall. Read here.
The Tiki Easy Bar
Where: 197 Hilliard Ave., inside Hi-Wire Brewing, Asheville
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 3-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday
Info: For more, visit hiwirebrewing.com and follow facebook.com/hiwirebrewing and on Instagram @hiwirebrewing_avl.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: The Tiki Easy Bar opens, a new tiki bar, distillery by Hi-Wire Brewing
