Post #633358 by telescopes on Mon, Apr 23, 2012 9:32 AM

John and everyone...

Glad to see you noticed the thread.

What I am looking at are Bars with history - as well as bars with great drinks. Unfortunately, this won't be a tiki themed extravaganza. However, There are some great glamorous places with great (non vodka) drinks being made.

Two that come to mind are Treo and Tropicale. These two places still care about quality drinks.

Lyons - I can't vouch for the drinks and the atmosphere isn't as over the top as Lord Fletchers. My pick would be Fletchers. It was featured on Anthony Bourdain's program and for good reason.

If I had to pick, my top three choices would be

Melvins - Quality drinks at an authentic rat pack establishment.
The Riveria - The whole wow appeal and glamour thing is still going on.
Lord Fletchers - This is your father's prime rib English pub and has to be seen to be appreciated,

As add ons,

Treo and, or Tropicale - These places still care deeply about quality drinks and have an atmosphere that says Palm Springs is still cool.

And for good measure, sure, Toucans -a serious gay bar that welcomes straight people. And, it is somewhat tiki.

When I think about the typical John-O bar crawl, the historic vibe and a mix of modern cool need to run through the trip.