Summer requires revitalization. The heat diminishes; a good drink freshens. This collection of bars scurries across the country on the hunt for the kind of drinking that makes summer not only tolerable, but lavish.
Bolita, Los Angeles
A low-key, effervescent spot that knows that zero-proof cocktails deserve pride of place on a menu alongside the classics. Order a booze-less Falsetto with American malt spirit, amaretti and egg white and some mariquitas (plantain chips). Or if you’re after the sauce, select the Benny the Jet Rodriguez with Jamaican rum, Fernet-Branca and kola syrup.
Cecily, New York City
Often, the best wine bar is one where you can choose from a variety of adventures. Maybe you want a glass of Spanish natural wine. Maybe you want a full-bore dinner with a bottle or two. Maybe you require an option somewhere between the extremes, a bite, a glass, another bite or two. Cecily is prepared to solve every possible need.
Estereo, Chicago
You could start and stop with a frozen cocktail of Bacardi 8 rum, Pitu cachaça, banana and lime, this being summer in Chicago. But there is a glut of sublime drinking to be had at the two locations of this easygoing bar concept. Maybe a tequila drink with two kinds of tequila, two kinds of mezcal, crème de cassis and lime? There are only right answers here.
Gramps, Miami
Sometimes when a bar tries to be something for everyone, it winds up being nothing for no one. Not Gramps. Trivia nights; DJs; comedy sets: The entertainment any given night is wildly different. What is fixed is the all-are-welcome vibes, the good drinking and the presence of Pizza Tropical, the window serving pizza and Cuban coffee.
Hale Pele, Portland, Oregon
Tiki bars, problematic though they can be, are an absolute hoot. They will also lay you out if you are not judicious in your drinking. Hale Pele is one of the most celebrated bars in the genre. Those accolades come, in part, thanks to the South Pacific-inspired paraphernalia. But the anchor of Hale Pele’s glory is the drinks themselves: always balanced and complex. No small feat in a tiki world where more is more.
Manolito, New Orleans
Two words: frozen daiquiris. Two more words: good ingredients. A blended daiquiri is always a special kind of refreshing in the hottest of weather. But when you employ good booze and liqueurs, plus fresh citrus juice, the results are stupefying. Exhibit F (for frozen): the Banana Daiquiri with two kinds of rum, crème de banane and fresh banana and lime juice.
Tatarian, Denver
The Angel Oak, with its admixture of rainwater Madeira, Luxardo Bitter Bianco and orange liqueur, served in a dainty Nick and Nora glass, is emblematic of Tatarian‘s general approach: precise, sophisticated, welcoming. The menu changes on the regular, though canonical drinks like the Tommy’s Margarita and the Blood & Sand are forever available for ordering.