 It was Yee who named the drink which, along with the films and songs, many other tropical drinks he invented, and tiki bars such as Trader Vic, did much to popularize a faux Hawaiian tiki culture, both in Hawaii itself and on the Mainland.The era was immediately pre-statehood, a time when Hawaii was thought of by most Americans as playground for the rich.Tourism and development was already significant, but all centered on Waikiki and at only a small fraction of today's levels – about 100,000 visitors per year then, compared to seven million today.