If you’ve sipped cocktails at all over the past couple of years then you’re well aware that tiki culture is on fire. Born as a kitschy fad in post World War II California, tiki faded into the realm of outdated cheesiness sometime during the Carter administration. Its 21st-century reincarnation is more than just a revival, though. It’s become a diaspora. Whereas they were once the provenance of coastal, beach settings and warm-weather climes, tiki bars are now sprouting up everywhere. Truly a global phenomenon, the following far-flung lounges prove that you don’t need sand between your toes to enjoy a Mai Tai between your lips.
In North America, no city is safe from the tiki explosion. Cleveland has Porco Lounge and Tiki Room; between Lost Lake and Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago now exists as an improbable hub for island-inspired fare; The Polynesian is upping the stakes for fun and rum in midtown Manhattan.