Bootlegger Lounge

Bootlegger Lounge is the home tiki bar of Jim and Jewel Donahue in Novato, California, just north of San Francisco. The bar is in a large detached garage building behind their house, which has been converted entirely over to a tiki lounge. The couple did all of the work themselves, including the reed-lined ceiling, walls lined with bamboo and lauhala, a water feature, and a large number of beachcomber lamps and floats with controlled LEDs. There is a large, functional bar on one side, and a pool table at the other end of the space, and a seating area. The couple takes drink-making seriously, pulling inspiration from modern-day craft cocktail publications and making drinks using their own syrups. Most striking is the abundance of carved trim throughout the building, all done by Jim and Jewel, which blends traditional Polynesian motifs with nods to the Bay Area and to their hobbies, including local landmarks, bits of sci-fi, and outrigger canoe racing (the couple's many outrigger racing medals hang from the rafters). The name was chosen by Jewel, and was inspired by the use of old rum crates in constructing the bar.