Warm days are here! Keep cool (never thought you'd have that problem on your hands, did you?) with tasty concoctions from SF bars that do them right.
Mosto'sFrozen Margaritas, $9
Sometimes all it takes to make a marg good is the presence of fresh lime juice. Mosto's marg, called the Margarita Contramar, gets elevated to the next level of awesome thanks to said fresh lime juice, tasty Pueblo Viejo tequila (they are, after all, tequila nerds here), and agave nectar. Simple and delicious, right? It gets even better when the concoction is blended in their special high-end blender, poured into a salt-rimmed martini glass and garnished with lime.
Super Duper's Spiked Shakes, $7
Run-of-the-mill milkshakes get a whole lot less boring if you A) dip your fries in them, and B) add a few dashes of soju (basically Korean vodka). Yep, just like you used to do in high school, except Super Duper makes it extra delish for us grown-ups by making these babies with Straus Organic soft serve for sumptuous flavors like chocolate & fresh strawberries and double chocolate & chips. And who's going to know if you order one to-go to make a lazy Sunday afternoon stroll that much better?
Tonga Room'sPineapple Royale, $16.50
This icy lagoon of rum, brandy, and pineapple juice encased in a hollowed out pineapple is like a tiki bar lover's dream drink. And if you're still standing after one of these, we recommend following it up with a blended coconut margarita ($12), which comes highly recommended from every server we've ever had at this Fairmont Hotel institution. It's creamy but not too cloying or heavy (they've been making them for almost 70 years, after all), with just enough kick from the brandy to get you ready to cut a rug on the dance floor to the Tonga Room's cover band.
Trad’r Sams' Scorpion Bowls ($14)
In true tiki bar fashion, the foggy Outer Richmond's Trad'r Sams offers a massive menu of incredibly strong drinks that are perfect for sharing with pals, therefore not burning a nasty hole in your wallet. If you're brave, stick around at the bar to watch how much alcohol they dump into their lethal (but excellent) Scorpion Bowls. It gets crowded quickly, but you'll make new friends who will help you forget how nasty it is outside. Which, let's face it, it is about 360 days of the year in this 'hood.
Smuggler's Cove's Painkiller ($9)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the slick Smuggler's Cove (Hayes Valley's nouveau-tiki bar which opened in 2009) makes their drinks with so many housemade ingredients you might wonder if the place qualifies as a true-blue tiki bar. Just think of it as one, with an SF bent. Their brain-brutalizing Painkiller sports Pusser's Navy Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut, garnished with a light dusting of nutmeg that does just what its name implies. Save this one for a day when you really need a cold one.
