YOPO Tiki Bar
YOD Design Studio took inspiration from an ancient tribe, as does the menu and ingredients of YOPO Tiki Bar, a third-story bar with a space that embraces the beauty and warmth of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The YOPO Tiki Bar is located on the third floor of a restaurant and entertainment complex in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The YOPO Bar continues to get acquainted with the cultural and religious heritage of the ancient tribe of the Taino, the ancestors of modern Dominicans, and the Dominican mythology and shamanic rituals of the native Aborigines were taken as the basis of its concept.
Naming YOPO is formed from the name of the local long-standing tree of Jopo (Anadenanthera peregrina), which is a symbol of the region. The fruits of this tree are not only a source of food, but also a powerful tool that relieves stress and is used in ancient mystical rituals. The YOPO Bar offers guests exclusively copyright drinks, which is not entirely typical of the region. Mixologists create cocktails according to adapted historical recipes, some of them have more than a five-year history. The basis of most relaxing cocktails is the fruit of the above mentioned ritual tree Yopo.
The bar is a key element of the third floor, so it is located in the central part of the room, conditionally dividing it on the right and left wing. In the left wing there is a “tusovoy” zone, in the right – lounge space, where in the evening a sliding pergola opens. In the interior there is no extra decoration, because in our opinion, in this place it is not needed. As we worked with the ethnic heritage of the people secretly, we used local materials in decoration. Characteristic for the region is a stone made of sand and fossilized coral reefs, used for facing the façade, making washbasins, and walls and floors are paved with it. A spiral staircase march between the floors, including the walls poured from concrete with interspersed shells. The ceiling above the bar is covered with panels palm-felted with palm leaves.
The friendly atmosphere and mystical overflows of the moonlight, relaxing music and the quirky movements of shaman-myxologists who create sacred cocktails on the basis of the fruit of the yopo – these are the main components for restoring energy and strength and obtaining real pleasure and full immersion in the mysterious world of Dominican mythology.
Design: YOD Design Studio
Photography: Andriy Bezuglov
