The Six Tips I STOLE from Disney to Create My Home Bar

I’ve always wanted coming home to feel like I was entering my own immersive world — a haunted haven, a “Scaradise, an eerie oasis— my own spooky Shangrila.  I want to feel that immediate and definite separation between the outside world and my own world, to be whisked away from all the stress and become immersed, simultaneously, in both relaxation and thrills— in an indulgent and decadent land—at home— the Pretty Spooky way!

And because I am a Disney fan, I knew I needed to draw my inspiration from the most impactful methods used by the wizard of immersive world creation himself— Walt Disney!  In this video, I’ll share the “6 Tips I STOLE from Disney to create my own immersive home bar!”

For me, Tiki has some of the same elements of mystery, danger, and escapism as Halloween, with all of the nostalgia of the past.  

And as a former bartender, I know that the ritual of raising a glass and the shared experience of exotic flavors creates a celebration— making any day of the week, any time of the year, more special.

Stick around until the end, and I’ll make my signature cocktail: “Sip-Wrecked at the Sunken Compass”— and share my “Low Carb on the High Seas” recipe with you.  Plus, I save the EASIEST tip that anyone can steal from Disney for last, so you’ll feel inspired to create your own spooky paradise right away.

But, for now, we will focus on the reason you’re here:  “The 6 Tips I Stole from Disney to Create my Own Immersive Home Bar”— and how you can do it, too!

1. First, I knew that the magic of creating an immersive world is accomplished through theming— the telling of a story—of a place and a time, where nothing ordinary exists, where there is no hint of reality to ruin the fantasy.  

Disney does this using an overall motif, a slightly vague backstory with a reason for the land’s existence— including a general time period, a not-too-specific location, with a hint of mystery or adventure, so all visitors have plenty of room to let their own imaginations roam, to bring their own magic into the mix.  And, this enchanting place needs its own unique name that causes curiosity and beckons intrigued guests to find out more.  

For me, “The Sunken Compass” was a hint at a beautiful, uncharted island where storm-weary mariners purposely and repeatedly maroon themselves, over they years, always blaming faulty or lost (wink) navigational equipment for their deviation off course— or maybe it’s the mischievous mermaids that sabotage their equipment and lure them to this mysterious island.  Plus, there is a slight step-down into my bar, adding to that “sunken”, slightly transformative departure from the rest of the house.

How did Disney do this? Disney originally created several distinct “lands”, which all somehow seamlessly flow together: Main Street, U.S.A , Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland.

Although, I love them all, I bet you can probably guess which are my top two favorite “lands” at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.  And I bet most of you share the same adventurous and spooky favorites for the same reasons, too! Share your favorite “lands” of Disney in the Comments— and I’ll share mine— to see if we are all CRUISING to the same ADVENTUROUS, HAUNTED corners of the park as soon as the entrance rope drops.

2. Speaking of entrance ropes, the second tip I stole from Disney is creating a magnificent entrance.  Not only do you need a name for your space, but also a sign to designate the departure from the mundane.  The entrance to your space must feel transformative, special, and also obscure sight lines, so that there is a reveal as you travel deeper into the immersive world you’ve created.  It’s a mini-journey leading from one world to another. In terms of Disney, think of riding the riverboat, or traveling by train, passing under the Adventure Land sign and crossing the bridge, or turning the bend while strolling up Main Street to reveal the splendor Cinderella’s Castle. That’s the type of transformative entrance you’re trying to recreate!!  For The Sunken Compass, I created an overhead sign, a smaller lounge entrance sign on a brass stanchion with a velvet rope, and a lush, tropical, satin curtain, with lighting that starts to set the mood.

3. And, that brings us to our third tip to steal from Disney’s methods of creating an immersive world of your own— an ANCHOR— a focal point.  The Castle is Disney’s Anchor, and mine is the A-Frame hut over my WITCO dragon couch and WITCO Ship.  This sets the tone that you’ve left the storm-battered vessel behind and you’re now on some spellbinding speck of an island, somewhere in the far corners of some unknown sea.  This is the type of place where someone would want to be “Sip-wrecked” —at least for a while.  But, as legend warns, don’t stay too long, or else those who delight in the island’s bounty and sipped of its nectar, would eventually be transformed into the same sinister sea creatures that lured them there.  Men become scaly sea dragons and women become Sirens of the deep.

4.  Which, hints at the fourth tip to steal from Disney—balance the Pretty with the Spooky (Wink— see what I did there?) It can’t all be sparkly pink castles, or exquisite emerald-green isles.  That would get boring.  Danger, mystery, and thrilling adventure need to be in the mix to add excitement to the dullness of life and the day-to-day monotony.  That is why the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion always rank as some of Disney’s most popular rides.  And, some of these rides also include a cautionary tale, or a bit of a moral— we all know what happens to the Pirate of the Caribbean who plunder and pillage, or to reckless drivers in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, or.. to over-zealous Sunken Compass visitors who linger too long on this mysterious island surrounded by mermaids and sea dragons.

So, don’t get totally “Sip-Wrecked”, that would make your return trip to the mainland more difficult.  But, be sure to stick around long enough to see how the exotic scents and tropical flavors of this signature cocktail further enhance the experience and theming of “The Sunken Compass”.

5. And, the fifth tip that I stole from Disney is to hide EASTER EGGS!  How much fun is it to find the hidden Mickies, Mr. Toad in the Haunted Mansion Cemetery, or the house rules that state “Never throw Annette into the sea”?

I only have a couple of easter eggs that allude to the mermaids, dragons, shipwrecks and sunken compasses, so far. But, just like any Disney ride can expect periodic refurbishment and refreshing, no tiki bar is never finished.  There is much, much more to come at The Sunken Compass.  Be sure to keep checking-in to future episodes of “Pretty Spooky Presents…” to see how the theming and decor develops.  

In just a minute, after, a quick sip, I will share what is definitely the EASIEST tip that anyone can steal from Disney as tip 6. Let’s get a little “Sip-Wrecked” at The Sunken Compass first.

I have created an entire menu of lower-carb drink options, based on original Tiki recipes from the past, for several reasons.  While there isn’t too much that is “healthy” about any cocktail, personally, I just don’t need the added calories, carbs, or inflammation. So, wherever I can, I cut the carbs, but keep all the flavor!  I call this my “Low Carb on the High Seas” approach to Tiki cocktails.

The Sunken Compass guest menu describes the “Sip-Wrecked” cocktail as “An original recipe available only at The Sunken Compass — with delicate Rose, Orange Blossom & Vanilla, contrasted against strong flavors of Pomegranate, Lime, Ginger & super-funky Jamaican Rum.  Just like an old ship, it goes down too easy!”  

The name of this cocktail helps contribute to the theming, backstory, the cautionary moral, and hints at a little playful danger.  Also, just like Disney, it’s a little bit of an Easter Egg, and a pun, or play on words. We all know that Disney loves a good pun!

While we get a little “Sip-Wrecked” together, I’ll point out that the beautiful color, exotic scents and flavors all help contribute to the overall ambience, which leads us to the sixth and EASIST tip you can steal from Disney to create an immersive experience...

6.   … which is to use sensory experiences to transport yourself and your guests to a new place.  All it takes is a diffuser and a signature scent, the right lighting and transportive sound effects and music on timers, exotic flavors, in decadent, curated sips and snacks, ready to go at any time, textures that feel good against the skin, and even costumes or accessories that can be donned, like Micky Ears, to indicate your arrival to a new location and a new climate.  Once you have some basic idea of they type of immersive experience you want to create, even if you haven’t decided on all of the details, backstory, cautionary tale, or a name, an entrance, or an anchor point for your space, you can start with scents, put some lights and music on timers, and have themed snacks on hand.  The rest will evolve and ideas will continue to flow as you spend time in your space.

Use this as a guide to create a personalized “Scaradise”, tailor-made to your own spooky fantasies.  PLUS, you can dream and plan while getting “Sip-Wrecked” to inspire you and demonstrate just how far you can go with theming, and flavors.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you thought and how it went in the comments.  And I’d love to know which of these 6 tips you’ll steal first.

I loved being your Haunted Hostess.  You were a wonderful guest!  Welcome back any time! … Farewell until next time… 

P.S.—…fun awaits!