This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
To find out which cocktails elevate different popular dishes — and vice versa — we hit up 10 bartenders from across the country to get their top picks. Whether you’re at a Mexican restaurant, a French bistro, a tiki bar, or your own home, here are 10 exceptional cocktail and food pairings. I love a little of everything.
“Mai Tais are very tiki in that they’re very hard to balance,” says Kavé Pourzanjani, owner of Paradise Lost in New York City. All the tiki [drink] problems apply: They’re often too sweet, and if your lime juice isn’t fresh it completely ruins the cocktail.” Kathryn “Pepper” Stashek is the head bartender at Bar Kabawa in New York City.
A favorite of bartenders, Amaros are wildly versatile, low ABV, and typically have a great story. They are layered—bitter, sweet, herbal, citrusy, spicy—all in one bottle, so bartenders can add a ton of flavor to their concoctions. Amaro Montenegro A bartender favorite for its floral, citrusy profile and balance of sweet and bitter.
His commitment to the hospitality industry was evident through his participation in events like Varsity of PDXCW, Bar 5-day alumni, Camp Runamuk Squirrel, Tiki by the Sea, and Behind the Barrel. The post Honoring Michael Montez: Bartender, Father and Friend appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
In 2008, he was bestowed the “reader’s choice” award for best bartender by the Chicago Reader. In 2014, he was hailed as the city’s Best Bartender by the Phoenix New Times , which described him as “an encyclopedia of booze know-how… witty, jovial, and entirely professional—everything you could want from a bartender.”
The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar in the Fairmont San Francisco hotel, which first opened its doors in 1945, has long been a Tiki institution and immersive experience. A noteworthy enhancement to the beverage menu includes a description under each of the classic Tiki drinks describing the history of the cocktail.
A favorite of bartenders, Amaros are wildly versatile, low ABV, and typically have a great story. They are layered—bitter, sweet, herbal, citrusy, spicy—all in one bottle, so bartenders can add a ton of flavor to their concoctions. Amaro Montenegro A bartender favorite for its floral, citrusy profile and balance of sweet and bitter.
By the time the tiki craze was underway in the ‘30s and ‘40s, it was par for the course to see drinks containing over seven ingredients and multiple expressions of rum layered on top of one another. To find the spec sweet spot, we asked eight bartenders how many cocktail ingredients is just too many. Let’s dive in.
To quench your curiosity, we’ve gathered insights from top-notch bartenders in the city to predict the springs palate-pleasing trends. Expect an influx of tropical and tiki-inspired concoctions, alongside innovative additions like Ube-infused drinks, according to Renato Tonelli, Beverage Training Director at Dante West Village.
The spirit’s long history in Caribbean classics , tiki culture and tropical locales around the world means that its canon of classics is vast. Strong and stirred or light and bright , rum can do it all. On top of that, there are many ways to make a Piña Colada or a Mojito. Scroll to find your new favorite. The secret to a winning Daiquiri?
Come fall and winter, though, when much of America’s greenery is frosted over, it can take a little more creativity — especially for the at-home bartender. To help you seize the seasons, we chatted with three NYC bartenders and got their secrets on how to get the most out of fall and winter produce.
Nobody knows these differences better than bartenders committed to whipping up the best drinks possible for guests, even if that drink is a humble Vodka Soda. Ben Hopkins, head bartender, Pitts , Brooklyn Yes, there is non-alcoholic vodka, and yes it works. Which vodkas do they consider best for mixing drinks? We love it.
One of the biggest challenges in building a menu is maintaining consistency across drinks while ensuring the menu is still easy for guests (and bartenders) to navigate, especially if the cocktails are technically complex. A tiki bar? Create for guests, not bartenders: keep it fun, but accessible. A dive bar?
Legend has it this high-octane boost was assembled in 1958 at The Luau in Beverly Hills, one of several establishments credited with popularizing Tiki in American culture. What better way to chase off the winter blues than making a Tiki classic with enough kick to make you feel like youre starring in an action montage from Top Gun?
We spoke with Kevin about the tools behind the juice, the importance of using fresh over shelf-stable alternatives, and what cocktail to order if you’re making a stop at this tiki oasis. How do you think fresh juice changes the cocktail experience compared to using bottled or shelf-stable alternatives?
It’s a vibrant, close-knit scene fueled by an influx of young talent,” says Chris Coy, co-owner and operator with Ed Rudisell of beloved tiki destination The Inferno Room. It’s no surprise that Indy’s fellow bartenders are fans of the space. Photo by Mallory Talty; bartender Niki Royal at The Inferno Room.
Not Just Another Tropical Sour Yes, there’s orgeat, and yes, there’s citrus, but don’t mistake the Army & Navy for a tiki drink. But the craft cocktail renaissance brought it back, and bartenders quickly realized its beauty. So, in a way, this drink is as much about good sportsmanship as it is about gin-fueled celebration.
PubClubette Ashley provides the beauty while I provide the brawn at Tiki Oasis San Diego. Tiki Oasis is a multi-day Polynesian festival taking place in August of each year in San Diego, CA. “From the beginning, our aim was to craft an experience that would bring tiki lovers together. The 2025 dates are Aug.
Girls enjoy the drinks and socializing at Tiki Social Omni Tortuga Pool Bar in San Diego. Photo: PubClub.com By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger I am thrilled to announce that San Diego has a new tiki bar, and it is not a speakeasy. The food menu for the Tiki Social Omni Tortuga Pool Bar.
Despite the difficulty in forecasting the drink of 2025, bartenders can certainly hope to make some drinks more often. We asked 14 bartenders from across the country to share their opinions on which cocktail they think people should order more in 2025. Janice Bailon, head bartender, Leyenda , Brooklyn The Adonis!
Rather than ordering a classic like a Gin & Tonic or Old Fashioned and asking the bartender to make it strong , there are a few particularly powerful cocktails that pack a punch all on their own. Sometimes an evening calls for a drink with a little extra oomph.
Every bartender wants to open their own bar at some point. The history of mixed drinks from the 19th century, going through cocktail history – Manhattans, Martinis and Tiki culture. I worked in a few other bars but I knew I really wanted to open my own cocktail place. But I wanted to create something unique. And this is what we did.
It’s underrated because outside of hardcore tiki heads, most people don’t pay enough attention to rum. And tiki heads? Well, they like tiki drinks. Again, fair enough: Tiki drinks are delicious.) Yes, as with tiki drinks, rum Old Fashioneds often benefit from rum blends and combinations.
Louis’s New Society was crowned VinePair’s Best New Bartender of 2025. The day began with a bonus round in which the bartenders were tasked with creating a drink on the fly using Luxardo products, their choice of spirits from the VinePair bar, and anything they could find at the nearby Whole Foods. Even competing at all was a surprise.
Few tiki and tropical drinks are as light, herbal, and dangerously sessionable as the Missionarys Downfall. Here to lead us on that exploration is returning guest Garret Richard, VinePair Next Wave Awards 2024 Bartender of the Year , and the chief cocktail officer at Brooklyn’s Sunken Harbor Club. TEQUILA 40% ABV.
Other notable gin classics include the bubbly gin and champagne cocktail the French 75, and the more modern tiki classic, Saturn (gin with passionfruit, lime, and orgeat syrup). This ultra boozy martini was invented not by a bartender, but by Ian Fleming, in his famed James Bond novel, Casino Royale. Get the Vesper Martini recipe.
In an era when bartenders regularly use housemade tinctures, esoteric spirits, and newfangled techniques, it’s difficult — and often impractical — for others in the industry to look up their contemporaries’ specs and recreate their drinks. Lo Logsdon, bartender, Dolores , Brooklyn “The Midnight Stinger.
Asking a bartender to name the most influential craft cocktail bar of all time is a heavy question bordering on unfair. So when I recently asked six acclaimed bartenders what bars were on their Mount Rushmore, most responded with a request for a few days to marinate on their choices. It took me several days to think things over, natch.
While the Pia Colada was likely chosen because of its ubiquity by comparison, few have heard of the Missionarys Downfall the bright green cocktail has gained a bit of popularity lately, especially on the tiki and tropical drink scene.
It might be the best tiki bar in New York. Bar mastermind Garret Richard is known for his sciencey approach to tiki, which involves a lot of acid and sugar adjusting as well as very specific blending techniques. The excellent Adams Morgan bar Green Zone gets a mention. I finally made it to Sunken Harbor Club. Let me explain.
Bartenders at pioneering cocktail establishments like NYCs Please Dont Tell and Death & Co. latched onto the flavorful liqueur, stirring it into everything from tequila-based Martini variations to intricate gin-forward Tiki drinks. From there, it didnt take long for it to take off and earn its enduring nickname, bartenders ketchup.
Balcones head bartender Don Phet is here to help break down what this new ruling means for the industry and consumers alike, as well as show off the versatility of American Single Malts in cocktails (because no, its not just for sipping neat!).
ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto today announces the national finalists for the seventh edition of the Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge , a global cocktail competition celebrating the creativity and craft of bartenders reimagining the modern spritz.
Absolutely (when bartenders can get their hands on it ). That’s why we asked nine bartenders from around the world to share the guilty-pleasure cocktail ingredients they simply can’t let go of. From vibrant green melon liqueurs to premade syrups, check out nine bartenders’ guilty- pleasure cocktail ingredients below.
Blue Hawaii Not to be confused with the Blue Hawaiian , the Blue Hawaii is a tiki drink dating back to 1957. It was invented by Harry Yee, the head bartender of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. Shake until chilled, then strain into a hurricane glass filled with ice and top with club soda.
To toast the 2025 Honorees, the Foundation is proud to recognize this inspiring group and announce the Spirited Awards Canada Regional Top 10 Honorees. The experienced and diverse committee of judges brings years of expertise and knowledge of industry developments locally, nationally, and internationally.
From doing a bar crawl via monorail to sipping tropical cocktails at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar , “we almost never repeat the same experience,” Gold says. Drinking Around the World co-founder Gold began vacationing at Disney World as an adult, without her family, and she and co-founder Skye Ellis have more than 100 visits apiece.
It was the modern speakeasy that legal but hidden bar that carried the non-tiki torch forward when the cocktail renaissance kicked off in earnest. Its a cocktail lounge with welcoming bartenders and some really great drinks.” Theres no hidden password or secret knock.
Cocktails With Suderman is the home bartender’s guide, with tips, tricks, techniques, theories, anecdotes, opinions, and recipes. Bénédictine Is an Underrated Tiki Ingredient I have long argued that the herbal-spiced sweet liqueur Bénédictine is a must-have for any home bartender. So many recipes!
The Cocktail Apprentice Programs core pillars are mentorship, community, and elevating the craft of bartending beyond the bar and mixing glass. These forty bartenders are coming from around the world to learn, grow, and immerse themselves in our industry.
The flavor profile—featuring full-flavored oranges with cardamom notes on a body of rum, vanilla, and grains of paradise—enables bartenders to craft unique cocktails, whether served on the rocks, mixed in tiki classics, or used to elevate modern creations.
According to Liquor.com , the inventor of the drink was Andy MacElhone, son of the famed bartender Henry MacElhone. About the classic Blue Lagoon The original Blue Lagoon drink was created in Paris at Harry's New York Bar. It's unclear exactly when, but it popped up sometime in the 1960s or 1970s.
The summer menu, launched in July, goes full tiki, so embrace the island vibes and step right down. The biggest draw is their bartender, Christopher James, a true OG of the New Jersey hospitality scene and making some of the best cocktails around.” Clockwise from left: Lasagna Stagionale, a Negroni and the bar at Judy’s.
Fun fact: According to Liquor.com , Harry Yee was the bartender who made cocktail umbrellas such a popular garnish for tropical drinks! Shake until chilled, then strain into a hurricane glass or highball glass filled with crushed or pebble ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and, ideally, a cocktail umbrella.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 5,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content