Mai Tai or malt monster? Have both at these kitschy-cool tiki bars.
SMUGGLER’S COVE
650 Gough St., San Francisco
DETAILS: Nearly 200 rums, expertly mixed Prohibition-era and Caribbean drinks, and a true tiki spirit earned this NOPA-area lounge the title of Cocktail Lounge of the Year at the 2011 Nightclub and Bar Awards.
COCKTAIL: Tour the obscenely huge rum menu by working from a classic Cuba Libre (that’s rum and Coke) to the spicy-strong Jet Pilot, a blend of Guyanese and Jamaican rums, Herbsaint, falernum syrup, cinnamon and more.
BEER: Nearby Thirsty Bear Brewing crafts the house Smuggler’s Brew, an organic brown ale brewed with tropical spices.
TIP: Rum buffs should aim for the top of the Rumbustion Society, a three-tier program (with quizzes!) that teaches drinkers the dram’s finer points as they work their way through the Cove’s bottles.
DR. JACBOBY’S SECRET COCONUT
736 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta
DETAILS: The Bookhouse Pub operates this tiny (read: just four stools and one totem pole) tiki outside its main bar during warm weather; in the offseason, it hosts Tiki Tuesdays in the stained-glass-clad beer bar.
COCKTAIL: Sip the Dark and Stormy—Goslings Black Seal rum topped off with lime and ginger beer—from a keepsake glass; order it “electric” and feel the burn from a half-ounce of fresh ginger.
BEER: Nearly 20 drafts pour gems like Wild Heaven Invocation; dozens of craft bottles range from Abita Jockamo to St. Bernardus Abt 12.
TIP: Come with foodie friends and share the white Cheddar-loaded smoked trout mac and cheese, or hoard the peach-and-mustard-glazed pork loin for yourself.
PAINKILLER
49 Essex St., New York City
DETAILS: Tiki with a splash of the ’70s, this bamboo-and-graffiti-clad Manhattan lounge mixes up more than 100 tropical cocktails with house-made syrups, creams and curaçao; fresh-squeezed juices; and generous doses of rum.
COCKTAIL: The bar allows guests just one Queen’s Park Swizzle, a brawny lime-mint cocktail starring rum and syrup based on golden Demerara sugar.
BEER: Crack open an island-minded Red Stripe, or sip a Dark and Stormy, a rum-ginger-beer cocktail.
TIP: Grab a few very brave friends and order the seriously strong Zombie Punch Scorpion, a rum-absinthe concoction that spews dry-ice smoke in a bowl meant for sharing.