GREETINGS & WELCOME to Aberdeen’s original grassroots music venue and authentic tiki dive bar :)
This is a bar where people from all walks of life mingle together. The person sitting on the next barstool might be an accountant, a dentist, a road sweeper, a punk rocker, a dominatrix, or an ambulance driver. Here, it’s who you are that matters, not how you make a living. Like all dives, this is a clandestine haunt, located slightly off the beaten track, where nobody outside of the clientele is likely to notice you coming or going. This is an antidote to reality, a mysterious destination for illicit rendezvous, and forging those unexpected friendships.
The interior is dimly lit in true dive bar fashion, mostly just illuminated by the ethereal glow of neon. The decor and fixtures are functional and hard wearing, yet somehow evocative of an archetypal road movie; this place can get raucous at the weekend, and is built to withstand unrestrained revelry. You don’t have to worry about spilling a drink or scuffing the upholstery, so feel free to let your hair down. People frequent this establishment for a good time. Some may opt to remain in their work clothes, others may choose to dress up, or dress down. Posing is fine, but passing judgement is off limits. While the décor may not be particularly palatial, the selection of music, the surreally exquisite restrooms, and the vast range of exotic drinks more than compensate for that. Krakatoa specialises in beer, cider, absinthe, and of course tiki.
Tiki is a sub-genre of cocktail that dates back over 80 years. Tiki is a timeless mix of rum, citrus, sugar, and water. These cocktails are extrovert: big, bold, and outrageously garnished. The mixology is pragmatic, and our tiki recipes stipulate ‘dirty dumps’, where the fractured ice in the shaker forms an intrinsic part of the drink. More reassuringly, whereas conventional cocktails are measured in ounces, Moorings tiki manifests in pints. Due to the quantities of ice used, and the citric acid content, tiki is perhaps the smoothest alcohol delivery system ever conceived, and almost certainly the least hangover inducing. Just don’t lick the flames! Ours is a specialised skill set, and asking our bartenders to make a martini is akin to booking The Temptations to play rockabilly, so please endeavour to stick with the script!
If you’ve ever had a hankering for booze served in a giant skull with half a jungle growing out of it, then this free spirited little dive bar, where everybody minds their own business, is the ideal place to indulge. However… while we may pay lip service to tiki culture, don’t expect a surfboard for a table, or to be served by scantily clad hula girls: fakery ain’t on the menu.
Enjoy your time here. Bask in the freedom, and in the unlikely event that someone enters your orbit uninvited, a nod to the bartender, and the nuisance will be quietly ejected with a minimum of fuss. We don’t care about a person’s attire, the only entry requirements are dignity, decorum, tolerance, and discretion. And never, ever, under ANY circumstances, throw up in the urinal. That’s all we ask. Thank you, we appreciate your patronage.