Post #570997 by JOHN-O on Sun, Jan 2, 2011 7:07 PM

I think the best thing about SC is that it's much more ambitious than your average Tiki bar. Yes I know that's the aesthetic of choice here on TC, but we shouldn't pigeonhole it as such. Tropical (i.e. Polynesian-inspired) cocktails (I hate the term "Tiki drink") are just 20% of the menu.

Telescopes, I know you don't consider SC, "revival" but to me that's its greatest strength. We're talking about the reintroduction of some drinks which probably haven't been served in a bar in over 200 years. At SC, we can imbibe it really OLD-school, just the way Benjamin Franklin and Blackbeard did.

Also SC allows us to enjoy rum cocktails that we normally wouldn't enjoy in the Tiki bar like the Prohibition-era Havana selections. Rum drinks that are popular in other parts of the world (but unheard of in the US) are on the menu. I thought the Wray & Nephew and Ting was really interesting, I always considered that overproof fire water as a float and not the main ingredient (Those crazy Jamaicans !!).

Also the availability of Flights isn't something you normally see in the Tiki bar. This is elevating rum not just as a cocktail ingredient but as the main course, just like fine scotch. The last time I was there, I had a $120 shot of super rare rum (Vegas winnings should be spent accordingly :)). Was that really worth the equivalent of 15 Ray's Mistakes? It was at that moment, and at what other bar could I have experienced that?

I know I ignored the original intent of your post but you did allude to an opinion which has only been whispered about in casual Tiki bar conversation (every culture has its sacred cows).

So to get back to your original question "Is Smuggler's Cove the New Gold Standard" (when it comes to rum mixology)?…

Yes, I think it is. (For now) :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-01-03 11:02 ]