One of the best things about our Tiki balm is the ability of its fruity mandarin orange and coconut scent to mentally transport us to a beachside luau, mai tai in hand. That said, nothing beats the real thing. While nowhere in New York will every truly be tropical, one of Brooklyn’s best bars, Ft. Defiance in Red Hook, hosts a weekly Thursday tiki night with various themes (like Forbidden Island and Sunken Harbor Club), and it’s not to be missed. Though it’s a bit of a trek to get to Red Hook on the South Brooklyn waterfront, the former fishing port has some of the last remaining cobblestone streets in New York, and it feels more like a quirky small town than a New York City neighborhood. In other words, it’s the perfect place to down some crazy cocktails like the Honi Hioni, a play on a classic mai tai with Irish whiskey, orgeat, blue curacao and lime, or the boozy Samoan Fog Cutter with rum, gin, cognac, lemon, orange and sherry, all created by Ft. Defiance’s resident tiki fanatic, Zac Overman. The kitchen gets in on the theme, serving kitschy drinking food like fried won tons and a short rib soup with egg, shiitakes and hot peppers. Think of it like your own tropical island, accessible from the B61 bus.
