Every rum cocktail deserves one of those little umbrellas in a city as hot as Las Vegas. Tiki drinks bring a magical combination of rum and fruit whether savored by the pool or sipped in the dark corner of a dive bar.
Cocktail historians generally credit Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt with inventing the tiki drink at his bar Don the Beachcomber, where he created classic cocktails such as Navy Grog, the Zombie and Tahitian Rum Punch. Gantt got his inspiration by exploring the Polynesian islands in the South Pacific and discovering the fresh fruit and ever flowing rum now synonymous with beaches, palm trees and blue seas. Gantt paired his cocktails with West Indies rum, which became easily available after Prohibition ended, and even served them in those kitschy mugs at his Huntington Beach watering hole.
Mandalay Bay Beach may be the closest thing to the South Pacific in Las Vegas, but plenty of places can transport drinkers from the desert to the tropics with Tiki drinks. Here’s a look at nine places to find Tiki drinks in Las Vegas, listed from north to south.
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