New York City s Latest Cocktail Trend: Tiki Drinks Are Back!
Not long ago, serious craft cocktail mixologists might have scoffed at a drink menu loaded with tropical punch bowls and island-inspired concoctions. A host of Manhattan bartenders, however, have changed their tune and tiki drinks are again having a moment in the sun. Perhaps it’s a reaction to the overly complicated, serious craft cocktail movement. Bartenders are finally ready to let loose and have some fun.
Cocktail lists of late are brimming with fruity, rum-soaked creations, from classics like the Piña Colada to more inventive twists like the fruity Shark Eye (served in a shark-shaped cup, no less). Here, a few of our favorite spots around Manhattan to cool off with one of these tropical treats.
Photo: Courtesy of Robb Vices / @robbvices1/5Mother of Pearl
95 Avenue A, New York, NY, 212.614.6818
This new East Village cocktail bar, situated in the space formerly known as Gin Palace, boasts a menu full of postmodern Polynesian food and boozy tropical drinks curated by chef Andrew D’Ambrosi (of the neighboring Cienfuegos and Bergen Hill); drinks by Thomas Chadwick (Dram) and Jane Danger (of Death Co., The NoMad Bar, and PDT); and owner Ravi DeRossi (of Death Co. and Mayahuel). The Shark Eye, which is served in a shark-shaped cup, is a blend of passion fruit, lemon, maraschino, bourbon, tiki bitters, and curaçao (something that has been popping up quite a bit on the menus at specialty cocktail spots as of late). Another crowd-pleaser, the Imperial Bulldog, features more unconventional tiki drink mixings like aquavit, raspberry, pineapple, and cachaça. And, if the drinks don’t already make you feel like you’re on vacation, the setting will: It has open-air windows, plus pineapple, palm frond, and Hawaiian-print motifs.
Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Krieger2/5Grand Army
336 State Street, Brooklyn, NY, 718.422.7867
In the way of tiki cocktails, the Surfliner is the drink to order at this Boerum Hill seafood bar by Noah Bernamoff (of Mile End), Julian Brizzi (of Rucola), Daniel Krieger, and Damon Boelte (longtime bar director of Prime Meats). The electric green cocktail is a mix of “Navy-strength rum,” allspice dram, blue curaçao, orgeat, lime and pineapple juice, and bitters. If that doesn’t fit the bill, opt for the Boardwalk Flyer, with aged cachaça, Carpano Bianco, mole bitters, fresh lime, and banana liqueur. While you’re at this breezy hangout, which opened in May, make sure you try the top-notch oysters, too. They do not disappoint.
Photo: Courtesy of Island Outpost / @islandoutpost3/5Miss Lily’s 7A Cafe
109 Avenue A, New York, NY, 212.812.1482
The drink menu at this popular East Village Caribbean restaurant (a more relaxed offshoot of the original Greenwich Village outpost) is brimming with sweet rum punch drinks. The Lily Colada is memorable, with vanilla bean–infused Mount Gay Rum, half-and-half, and nutmeg; as is the Frozen Dark Stormy, made with Kelvin Slush Co.’s ginger slush and Bacardi dark rum. The Lily’s Punch, with pineapple juice, fruit punch, orange juice, and Wray Nephew overproof rum, is also no joke. If you order a pitcher of this one, make sure to order the famous jerk chicken or the grilled corn to balance it out.
Photo: Courtesy of Oleanders4/5Oleanders
160 North Twelfth Street, Brooklyn, NY, 718.218.1088
Oleanders, the restaurant and bar inside Brooklyn’s McCarren Hotel Pool that opened this summer, is inspired by another throwback trend: the fern bar. Think Cheers: dark-wood bars decked out in—you guessed it—ferns and featuring flavorful cocktails. Oleanders restaurateurs Joe Carroll (of Spuyten Duyvil, St. Anselm, Fette Sau) and Francesco Panella (Antica Pesa) worked with James Beard Award–winner Dale DeGroff to develop the cocktail menu, which includes an updated take on a Long Island Iced Tea (made with Beefeater gin, El Dorado rum, Mell vodka, Cimarrón Blanco tequila, and Combier, with a dash of coke, lemon juice, and sugar).
Photo: Courtesy of End of the Century5/5End of the Century
10408 Metropolitan Avenue, Forest Hills, Queens, 718.544.1624
If you are looking for a more traditional tiki bar, this Queens spot is your heaven. Here, you’re in expert hands—the team behind this location also worked on Pegu Club, Painkiller, and Dutch Kills. Opt for the Kon-Tiki Mai Tai, served with light rum, dark rum, lime, orange, honey, absinthe, Angostura bitters, and a bit of ginger. It’s one that would make Victor Bergeron—who is credited with originally creating the mai tai—quite proud. The best part about this bar? They really deliver on the presentation, using colorful swizzle sticks, cocktail umbrellas, and tall tiki mugs. It’s truly a vacation in a glass.