Rum Shack

Papa Zouk in Antigua
Tear yourself away from Antigua’s fabled beaches to make an evening pilgrimage to this humble cottage on the outskirts of the capital, St. John’s, marked by a no-nonsense sign promising “Fish ’n’ Rum.” Inside await a few tables on a covered gravel patio, an unwritten menu of Creole-inflected seafood, and German expat Bert Kirchner’s world-class collection of rums—upwards of 250 and counting. 268-464-6044


Snack Bars

Euclid Avenue Yacht Club in Atlanta, Georgia
Long before brew geeks gathered to talk of cask ales and high-gravity stouts, the Yacht Club, a workingman’s tavern paneled in teak wainscoting, was pouring great beers in Little Five Points. Beyond the brews, the food has always been better than it has to be, especially the signature quarter-pound hot dogs, doused in house-made Brunswick stew. theeayc.com

Ripple in Washington, D.C.
Cocktailians who come to this snazzy spot for classic drinks and updated Sazeracs jazzed up with lemon-spice bitters won’t suffer from a lack of choice edibles to see them through a tippling session. Chef Logan Cox’s changing menu includes such locally sourced dishes as glazed shoat belly and blood sausage–stuffed squid. rippledc.com

Sylvain in New Orleans, Louisiana
This recent addition to the French Quarter cocktail/restaurant scene has cozy ambience to spare—ten-seat copper-top bar, a dozen tables, back-entrance courtyard—plus a strong gastropub kitchen that stays open until midnight on weekends, a surprising rarity in New Orleans. The cocktails get creative too, with names like Superfly Snuka and Aunt Rose’s Gingered Boom Boom. sylvainnola.com



Speakeasies

El Bar in Atlanta, Georgia
The El forgoes the special codes, secret doors, and tricked-out phone booths popular with the new breed of Prohibition-cute speakeasies. Just poke around in the back, basement level of El Azteca Mexican Restaurant, and you’ll find the unmarked entrance to this hopping shoebox-sized space, where the bartenders and DJs start plying their trade only after 11 p.m. (Thursday–
Saturday). elbaratl.com

PX in Alexandria, Virginia
Look for the red door around the corner from Eamonn’s A Dublin Chipper. If the blue streetlight is on and the Jolly Roger is flying, ring the doorbell and wait. Assuming you’re dressed appropriately, a glamorous gatekeeper will lead you to a small bar where mixologists craft cocktails from house-made bitters, sodas, 
syrups, and infusions. 
eamonnsdublinchipper.com



Vintage Bars

The Backstreet Pub in Beaufort, North Carolina
One block from the Beaufort Inlet stands this narrow, two-story brick time machine, filled with grizzled fishermen. You half-expect onetime Beaufort resident Blackbeard to walk in. Board games and paperbacks stand piled in the shadows. Read a book on the patio, or—if a storm blows in—settle in before the low flicker of the fireplace. 252-728-7108

The Gibson Inn in Apalachicola, Florida
When black cypress groves and navigable waterways brought tremendous wealth to northern Florida in the early 1900s, barons had their pick of stylish drinking spots. Among the few vestiges of the era is the circa 1907 Gibson Inn, where visitors down stiff cocktails among circumnavigators and oystermen in the elegant wood-paneled bar. gibsoninn.com