Stockcars, tiki bars and a trip on the Titanic
An interview with maker and tiki mug craftsman, Andrew Cooke from Kookie Tiki
A chance trip to London saw us taking a rather serendipitous visit to Trader Vic’s. A couple of Mai-Tais, Navy Grogs and a Scorpion Bowl later (I know right? there were only two of us!) and we were talking tiki (as well as dribbling slightly) with head barman OJ and manager Guy Le Gallais. To our delight, Guy produced from within the hallowed Trader Vic display cabinet, a tiki mug of mysterious and exotic origin…
As well as our werewolf friend skulking in the corner, that there is an original Trader Vic menu, kindly donated by a fan of the London bar
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Long of tooth and prim of hair, the mug resembled a well tailored lycanthrope of seemingly 50’s tastes. If provoked, you could see it would heartily take it upon itself to mutilate any little old ladies that came its way. Sitting there holding its tiny cup in its neatly trimmed, furry hands, all I wanted to do was stick some overproof rum in its little mug and set fire to the cute little bastard 
I restrained myself.
Instead, I asked of its origins. Created for Trader Vic’s 75th Anniversary, and inspired by Warren Zevon’s ’70’s hit ‘Werewolves of London’, it hailed from the distant and faraway island of Ireland. Northern to be precise. Its maker? A certain Andrew Cooke, artisan ceramics expert and owner of Kookie Tiki.
It was our duty to find this man and grill him within an inch of his life!
So, mix yourself a Piña Colada, sit back and enjoy the interview.
Q. Andrew, a pleasure to meet you. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Where to start?… I’ve just turned 52 and live in Dundonald, a suburb of Belfast, Northern Ireland with my wife Jean and our 19 year Daughter Chloe. A car body repairman by trade, I’ve also worked in the local aircraft factory as a fitter and self-employed restoring classic VW vans and cars.
Cars and motorbikes have been part of my life since I was a kid, my dad ran a figure of 8 stock car track here in the ’70s and had an old ’62 Buick. So American cars and the culture is in my blood.
The pic at the very top of this page shows a young Andrew with his father, getting his training wheels on early (REAL early!). Below, we have the stock car track in all its riotous glory!
Spending summers with family in Niagara Falls, I was introduced to Ed Roth when my mum brought a box of old plastic model cars for me. After that, my life was never the same. I love Kustom Kulture and anything mid-century Americana. I’ve a full kustom 1950 Chevy which I built from a pile of rust.
We also have an old ‘80s Winnebago LeSharo that we use for holidays or trips when trading at hot rod shows.
I’m happiest when I’m working on something or another.
A fine display of Andrew’s work at a local show. All exhibition photos taken by George Clarke
Q. What does tiki mean to you?
I just love the whole idea of escapism and going back to a mostly made up world. Coming from a mostly damp and cold climate, it’s the idea of the sun and chilling with a drink and good company that appeals to me.
Q. How did you get into tiki?
I was drawn to the art side more than the cocktails, as it ties in nicely with the kustom kulture scene.
I had to give up my trade due to health reasons (arthritis) – I was in a bad way at the time and at a dead end. I was always into drawing and painting so I decided to do a course at my local tech. This was the start of it. I completed a degree in ceramics in 2012. Then, a few years ago on holiday in Florida a mate of mine took us to Trader Sam’s and the Mai-Kai… and really, that was it…
…I had to make Tiki Mugs!
Billy the Carpenter and The Gill-man tiki mugs
Q. What’s the favourite mug that you’ve made?
It has to be ‘Billy the Carpenter’, the shrunken head mug, he’s my best seller so far, my own creation with a cool backstory.
He was a carpenter on the Titanic and was finishing off snags on the ill-fated journey. After being pulled out of the water by the Rev Smyth (another mug I make) they went to the South Seas to set up a potine still. I plan to get a comic storyline going sometime.
Storytelling is very important if it’s your own design, it helps to give the customer a feeling that they’re getting a real one off and it’s great fun. I really enjoy making bespoke mugs with names or a date on them, or if someone is looking for something really special that’s cool.
Q. Which artists have been most influential in your work?
There are so many amazing artists out there, I love to study their work and try to figure out how they did this or how they did that glaze effect. I do love VanTiki mugs, his mould making skills are amazing. Thor, Tikipop, minitikimeow, Turkey Merck are all incredible. I love seeing new mugs being made and seeing that you can survive as a maker.
Q. What part of your work do you find most challenging?
I struggle with the business side and the admin. I was diagnosed as dyslexic at the age of 40 whilst at university, so it can be a challenge. I’m lucky as Jean, my wife, helps with this side of the work.
Q. Do you buy your equipment or make it?
I built my first kiln and fired it with wood and waste veg oil – that was a bit of a beast! Electric kilns are a lot less labour but you can get some great effects with wood.
I more or less built my studio – it’s a bit crazy being an old WW2 Nissen hut, plus a few garden sheds with a bit of a tiki vibe going on.
Q. Which part of the creative process do you enjoy most?
I really enjoy designing and then making the master sculpt. Working out how to make the moulds really gets the old grey matter working!
Q. What advice would you give to your younger self?
I keep thinking it would have been great to follow this path when I came out of school, but really, I believe it happened when it did for a reason. I am a big believer in having a trade so if your dream does not work out at least you have that to fall back on.
Q. Thoughts for the future?
It would be great to get a larger mug collector base here in the UK. I am a one man studio and cannot compete on price with the larger manufactures, so getting the likes of Trader Vic’s to support artesian mug makers is a big step forward in getting a sustainable practice. If people can understand the time, skill and money it takes to get a mug into production, hopefully they will support the Artist Maker.
Q. Any advice for those just starting out in the ceramics and tiki scene?
Look at the history of tiki, its artists; immerse yourself in social media, books and get to know people. If you’re lucky enough to live near tiki hotspots, visit the bars and the conventions.
There are a lot of good mags and books on ceramics, but it’s so easy to find resources online that these are becoming a thing of the past. Ceramic Arts Daily is great and of course social media has changed everything.
Some quick fire questions for you Andrew:
Q. What’s your go-to tiki drink
It would have to be a Zombie.
Q. Which tiki drink are you dying to try?
The WHOLE Tiki-Ti menu and get my name on the wall!
Q. Favourite tiki bar?
The few I have been to it has to be the Mai-Kai, the place is just coming down with history. If the walls could talk!
Q. Which decade of tiki would you most like to visit?
Mid to late 50s, the cars and the style, it was just cool.
Q. Which legends of that era would you like to have a drink with?
Big Daddy Roth and Von Dutch, what a night that would be!
Q. Your ideal project?
I would love to design a mug for Tiki Oasis, that would be something, of course I would need to be set up in a nice studio over there in the sun, ceramics is real tough in our damp climate.
Thank you for such personal insights into both your life and work Andrew, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Sláinte. Here’s to visiting your studio in the sun and drinking a Zombie with you at Tiki Oasis (or maybe even some potine from a coconut half-shell with the Rev and Billy 🥥🌴 )
For more exclusive insights into Andrew’s work, take a look at our spotlight on his modern tiki mug classic, ‘Werewolf of London’ (also known as Victor 
).
And for those of you looking to get a hold of some of Andrew’s stunning work, here’s the lowdown:
- Instagram is the best place to find him as kookietiki
- Facebook: kookietiki
- Etsy: cookeceramics
- Email: [email protected]
- The prices of his tiki mugs range from £25 for a small one, to larger mugs at around £85.
For those looking to buy in bulk, the limit is around 100, with prices varying depending on size and level of detail.
Most of his orders are to the States, so shipping abroad isn’t a problem. 
We put a whole lotta love, lime and rum into our work, so if you think your friends would find this article interesting, we’d be thrilled if you could share it with them!
Thank you. Mahalo.
