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the party to give his creation his full attention.
Cocktails, of course, are a main staple
at the Tiki party. The day of, he wakes at
7 a.m., gets in the shower with 20 coconuts
and cracks them open for the night’s
piña coladas. Someone is a designated
“juicer” and spends the morning juicing
oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes.
This year, there were five punch bowls
filled with elaborate mixed drinks garnished
with flowers and dry ice, in addition
to a long cocktail menu guests could
order from. Demerath spends most of his
time during the party in the kitchen as the
bartender, with some help from his bartender
friends.
Trista, who loves to cook, helped with the
food, using a neighbor’s kitchen all day as
the prep area. They had shredded Kobe
beef rolls, coconut shrimp, tropical fruits,
grilled ambrosia, Hawaiian meatballs, plantain
chips and guacamole.
The Beach Boys and other laidback, tropical
sounds set the mood for the evening.
They don’t skimp on any detail.
“If you do it the way I do it, it’s a very
serious thing to you,” Demerath said. “It’s
something that’s meant to be fun and fan-
INTERIOR DESIGN