Looking for the world’s best bars for signature drinks? From the Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans to the Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands and other iconic cocktails, PubClub’s firsthand guide shows where to order them, what makes them special and why they became legendary.
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger
Among the many signature drinks that PubClub has encountered through the years are the following cocktails and where to find them at bars around the world. PubClub regularly updates this guide as new signature drinks and iconic bars are added, while many of these legendary cocktails remain timeless classics.
The Hurricane, Pat O’Brien’s
New Orleans
The Hurricane is not just the signature drink of Pat O’Brien’s but is also the signature drink of the city of New Orleans. Pat O’Brien’s is the place to get it, too. Pay a couple extra of bucks and they will include the signature Hurricane glass. This is probably the most famous signature drink of all time.
The Old School Mai Tai, Royal Hawaiian
Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
When one is in a tropical setting, a Mai Tai is the prefect cocktail and here they are legendary. The “pink hotel” has a bar right off the sand of Waikiki Beach with a view of Diamond Head and it is well known among locals and seasoned visitors for its “Old School” Mai Tai. It is so strong, however, that it was knocking out unsuspecting tourists not accustomed to such a potent cocktail so now you have to ask for it by name. Learn more about Waikiki Beach bars here, including where the locals go and Happy Hours.
Pain Killer, Soggy Dollar Bar
Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
You can find Pain Killers throughout the BVIs, but THEY place to have them is the Soggy Dollar Bar at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. It’s called the Soggy Dollar Bar because there’s no dock so sailboats have to anchor in the bay and you either dive off the side and swim up to the beach or you can take the dingy and pull it on shore. Still, people from all over make this a “must-do” stop when bar-hopping the best beach bars in the British Virgin Islands.
The Pina Colada, Barrachina Restaurant
San Juan, Puerto Rico
This is the bar where the Pina Colada was created by Ramon Portas Mingot (although the Beachcomber Bar at the San Juan Hilton claims it was first made there by bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero) and it is THE drink not only to get in San Juan but also to seek out at this Old Town restaurant. Pina Colada translates into strained pineapple, by the way.
Link: Inside The Original Pina Colada Bar
The Hand Grenade, Tropical Isle
New Orleans
The Hurricane is red and the Hand Grenade is green. It’s served in a tall, thin plastic cup with the bottom resembling the M67 grenade. Not quite sure what all is in it – and don’t really want to know either! – but the Tropical Isle claims they are the “strongest drink in New Orleans.” You can see people carrying them all up and down Bourbon Street.
The Fire Chief, Old Tony’s
Redondo Beach, CA
Everyone in the Los Angeles Beach Cities knows about the strongest drink in the area, a kind of Mai Tai on steroids. Old Tony’s is a throwback tropical bar and seafood restaurant with Pacific Ocean waves crashing below your feet. Tip: Go the upstairs bar, known locally as the Crow’s Nest, at sunset. You’ll be cheering and thanking PubClub for turning you onto it. Oh, and you keep to keep its signature glass with every order, which explains why everyone in the Beach Cities has a cabinet full of them.
Link: The Fire Chief Is The South Bay’s Strongest Drink
The Mai Tai, Bali Hai
San Diego, CA
This Polynesian restaurant and bar on Shelter Island with a giant view of San Diego Bay is known far and wide for it’s signature Mai Tai drink. The bar warns – but but not necessarily enforces – that only two can be served per customer. The first sip tells you why; there’s so much rum floating at the top that it temporarily numbs your tongue.
Shark Attack (Buckets), Sharkeez
Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Santa Barbara, CA
Almost as soon as it opened, this bar that originated in Manhattan Beach had established a signature drink. It did that by calling it the Shark Attack, making it potent and serving it a group drink in large 64-ounce buckets. Within weeks, those plastic buckets were on several tables and even occasionally on the bar while people sucked ’em down and shared them with oversized straws.
Link: The History Of The Sharkeez Shark Attack Signature Drink
Mai Tai, Buzz’s Original Steakhouse
Kailua, HI
Like the Bali Hai, Buzz’s Original Steakhouse limits customers to only two of its Mai Tais. Unlike the Bali Hai, they enforce that rule and for good reason – the drinks are STRONG! Definitely don’t drive after having your limit here.
Next Stops On The Cocktails Party Bus…
• Inside The Bar That (Maybe) Created The Pina Colada
• The Fascinating History Of The Margarita
• More Signature Drinks And The Bars That Created Them
• The Signature Drinks Of This College Town
Kevin Wilkerson is the founder of PubClub.com, an award-winning journalist and nightlife expert who has covered destinations and has written about bars and cocktails for more than two decades. While working as a newspaper reporter, he received an Associated Press award for investigative journalism.
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