The declaratively named Cuba is staring down its 20th anniversary of bringing authentic Old Havana flavors to Greenwich Village. While it promises the “best mojitos in town,” you might want to try the Rum Old Fashioned. Old fashioneds play it pretty loose even in the strictest shakers, so a well-aged oak cask rum has no problem sliding into the space usually occupied by whiskey. This version adds in some rosemary cordial to bring a much-needed herbal note, and suddenly, the bitters have to work to own the stage for once. Now things are getting zesty. Don’t sleep on that Maria cookie iceberg dessert, either. You’ll want something sweet after the oaked cocktail. 

This is a breathtakingly beautiful bar, and you should take a minute to appreciate that before you sit down. The delights for the senses continue with smell and taste, with a menu filled with shareable snacks and Caribbean staples. Still, you’ll discover a few surprises like jerk-chicken egg rolls, while the intimate setting ensures the good times spill over to your neighbor. Las’ Lap is known for its cocktails, so expect pinnacle fruity satisfaction from Las’ Rum Punch, which mingles two kinds of BACARDĺ with a third rum, pineapple and orange juices, fresh lime, and house-made grenadine.

Recently opened on the Lower East Side, Lullaby offers low-key, open-space sipping without the pressure to party hard. Lest you mistake this relaxed and refined setting for a place where our city’s dudebros can finally unzip their fleece vests, know that Lullaby’s most attention-grabbing offering has been a boozy pineapple soft serve situation that saves you a trip to the theme park. Still, the industry knowledge here runs deep enough to know how to flex the classics in confidence; the new featured order to get is the Liz, a rum Bijou made with BACARDĺ 8.

You might have a wait getting into Tiki Chick: The UWS hotspot is a beloved spot for both after-work drinks and brunch, but once you’re inside, you’ll see what all the hype is about. Gorgeous decor and can’t-miss cocktails make this a great first or fifth date spot. See if your drinking buddy wants to split a Frozen Hurricane: five kinds of fruit and Caribbean sugarcane artfully blended with two kinds of rum, one of which is BACARDĺ 8. It’s a Category Four taste sensation, but otherwise in a class all of its own.

Painstakingly prepared dishes are on display at this Thai restaurant on Williamsburg’s famous North Sixth Street. The decor has a high-end look and feel, but the food menu features prices that are almost unbelievable anywhere — let alone one of the trendiest stretches of New York City. DJs and popping music keep things lively, too. Choose from two specialty BACARDĺ cocktails with very different vibes. The Muay Thai sends BACARDĺ Ocho and BACARDĺ Superior to face off in a tag-team match against a fruit juice concoction of pineapple, cranberry, lychee, orange, and grenadine. If you want to swerve even deeper into tiki town, the Alyara Queen blends BACARDĺ Pineapple, BACARDĺ Ocho, BACARDĺ Coconut, raspberry, pineapple, and mango for a sweet and nutty sipper. 

The party is at Kokomo, with DJs most of the weekend and not one but two happy hours (here called Koko Hour) midweek. You better book a reservation to ensure a seat at this often jam-packed dinner spot. The pan-Caribbean dining here comes with a touch of fusion that seems to draw on the global flavors along this stretch of the Williamsburg-Greenpoint border, in case you wondered how truffle or jackfruit pair with ackee. Lentil meatballs in coconut curry and pappardelle with island cream sauce keep the flavors global, just with a Caribbean spin. Fitting at a place that wants to party all the time, the signature BACARDĺ Ocho cocktail here is the Cardi All the Time: sweet orange vermouth and passion fruit liqueur blend with lemon juice for a tangy and sweet taste of tropical climes. If that’s not to your tastes, there’s also the Duckie Wine, which combines rum with hibiscus cordial, cinnamon, lemon juice, and egg white. 

Bushwick’s beloved Neapolitan restaurant needs no elaboration from us, but you don’t have to wait for one of its popular tiki-disco parties to get your kitsch on; there’s an adjacent tiki bar. And where there’s tiki, there’s rum — in this case, Rum Punch, which Roberta’s actually serves on draft, blending pineapple, orange, and lime juices with Martini Fiero vermouth to double down on orange flavor, and the essential ingredient: BACARDĺ Ocho. So you have good reason to visit Roberta’s even if you’re not craving the famous bee-sting pizza — but how could you not crave Bee Sting pizza with a cocktail in hand?

Zona de Cuba’s mouthwatering menu is playfully named — take the El Viejo Cubano cocktail, a riff on the Old Cuban created by famed bartender Audrey Saunders. In the early 2000s, the renowned craft bartender put an artful spin on the mojito with the effervescent addition of Prosecco. Here in the Bronx, Zona de Cuba’s bartenders cannily swap in agave for simple syrup to give it a touch more complexity. As for the viejo (meaning old man in Spanish), that’s where BACARDĺ 8 comes in. The aged rum deepens any drink, and is best served in straightforward concoctions that let its merits stand out. Similarly, at Zona De Cuba, presentation is everything. So dress up a bit, and expect artfully served platters such as empanadas hanging from clothespins; cozy comforts in high style is the essence of a Zona de Cuba party.