One of the funnest niches around in the cocktail arena is the tiki bar, and in Las Vegas there are several to choose from. Although most lounges will have some form of fruity beverages on the menu, a few concentrate on the tiki drink.
First up has to be Frankie’s Tiki Room (702.785.3110), a fabulous little dive on Charleston Boulevard just off I-15, which features seriously cool décor, classic cocktails like the mai tai or piña colada, and specialties of the house like the Fink Bomb, with two kinds or rum, melon liqueur and pineapple juice. The Tiki Bandit has a blend of rums, plus pineapple and passion fruit juices, while the Sea Hag features gold rum, blackberry brandy, guava nectar and Cherry Heering. Now, that’ll cure what ails ye.
On Spring Mountain Road, super popular The Golden Tiki (702.433.4967) also features themed south Pacific décor in a slightly larger room that wraps around a good-sized bar, and behind that bar are a couple of incredibly talented bartenders, including lead mixologist Adam Rains. You’ll find inventive cocktails like a Painkiller with Pusser’s Rum, pineapple Dole Whip, orange and pineapple juices, and coconut cream, garnished with fresh nutmeg. If you feel like it, ask to get it lit up with a “shot of fire.” Most nights, you’ll find live entertainment, and every day, you can enjoy happy hour from 4-6 p.m.
There are a few other places around town, like the seasonal Tiki di Amore (702.433.4967) in the back patio of the Casa di Amore restaurant on Tropicana Avenue, with a small L-shaped bar and island décor. It’s closed for the season, but rip out this article to remind you about it on your next trip. At Bali Hai, a golf course on the south Strip near Mandalay Bay, the Tiki Bar and Grille (888.427.6678) just opened with a few choices to enhance your after-golf meal, like the Bahama Mama, the signature drink, with Giffard Banane du Bresil liqueur, RumHaven coconut rum, Caribbean rum and orange and pineapple juices; or Bali Hai mai tai, with Ron Zacapa Solera rum, Il Tramonto amaretto and orange curaçao. Both of these are nice and clean tasting, perfect to accompany shrimp tacos or adventurous chicken wings (order the habanero if you’re really, really adventurous).
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