Live the Luau Life: Top Tiki Bars in the U.S.

Tiki drinks have been on an exotic journey since Don the Beachcomber created the genre in the 1930s.

Inspired by that iconic Southern California watering hole, 21st-century bartenders are turning tiki into a mixology genre that’s an invigorating alternative to the popular manhattans and martinis. When done right, these drinks—often made with rum and fruit in elaborate Polynesian-themed containers—make you feel like you’re lounging under an umbrella inside an open-air shack on some distant beach.

They’ve become so popular that hot new restaurants and bars in America’s largest and most discerning cities are embracing the tiki theme. Here are seven great places to get your tropical drink on.