Must-Try Bars in the U.S. Virgin Islands

• Lovango Rum Bar
• Louie and Nachos Beach Bar
• Bones Rum
• Cruzan Rum Distillery
• The Beach Bar
• Breakers Roar Tiki Bar
• Captain Morgan Experience Center
• Sion Farm Distillery
• Virgin Islands Craft Distillers
• Beach Side Café at Sand Castle on the Beach
• The Banana Deck
• Mountain Top
• Taste at Paradise Point
• Rum Island Pub

Lovango Rum Bar

With live music, pizza and spectacular sunsets from its waterfront location, it’s easy to see why St. John’s Lovango Rum Bar is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. The Lim’In De Coconut is an innovative cocktail pairing, you guessed it, lime and coconut. Starting with coconut rum produced in its own distillery, this Lovango Rum Bar drink includes cream of coconut, coconut milk, a toasted coconut rim and lime.

Louie and Nacho’s Beach Bar

With roots dating back to 1760, Cruzan Rum embodies St. Croix, from the generations of the local family creating it to the unique flavors of the barrels produced. Experience all this special spirit offers with a classic cocktail — the Cruzan Confusion. At Louie and Nachos Beach Bar, a laid-back beachside bar on St. Croix with stellar sea views, their version includes four types of Cruzan rums, along with orange and pineapple juices, and a splash of grenadine.

Bones Rum

Using a centuries-old recipe, small-batch distilling and oak-barrel aging, Bones Rum celebrates the pirate history of St. Thomas. At the waterfront distillery, learn about the history of rum as you taste free samples. Tropical frozen drinks are also available. Be sure to pick up a T-shirt or hat bearing Bones Rum’s skull-and-crossbones logo.

Cruzan Rum Distillery

Tradition and family are at the heart of St. Croix’s Cruzan Rum Distillery, which got its start back in 1760 on the land where they still make rum today. Fresh water from tropical island aquifers and high-quality sugar cane molasses are the starting point for all Cruzan rums, which includes some 24 varieties. Cruzan’s 30-minute distillery tours — featuring a behind-the-scenes look at their unique rum distilling and aging process — are the best way to get the full story.

The Beach Bar

With some 20+ years under its belt, The Beach Bar, located steps from the ferry dock on St. John, has attracted many loyal fans who appreciate its laid-back vibe, live music, prime beach spot and some of the best cotton-candy sunset views on the island. Served on the rocks, its Pirate Punch features a rainbow of flavored Bacardi rums mixed with orange and pineapple juices.

Breakers Roar Tiki Bar

Breakers Roar Tiki Bar, a beautiful nautical hideaway in historic Christiansted at the King Christian Hotel on St. Croix, serves a true tiki legend: the Mai Tai. First crafted in the 1940s, this classic cocktail is made here with Plantation Dark Rum, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, orange liqueur, house-made orgeat, fresh lime juice and perfectly crushed ice.

Captain Morgan Experience Center

Learn the story behind one of the world’s most famous spiced rums at the Captain Morgan Experience Center on St. Croix. Here, you can join 40-minute distillery tours and rum tastings that capture the Captain’s personality and bring his story, along with the history of rum and USVI, together in one fun adventure. Rum tours and tastings are offered Monday through Friday by reservation. Be sure to pick up some souvenirs at the retail shop following your tour.

Sion Farm Distillery

Visitors to Sion Farm Distillery on St. Croix can learn about a vodka like no other: Mutiny Island Vodka, which is made from breadfruit. On the tour, visitors can watch through a glass wall as the master distiller and team handcraft the spirit at a newly renovated zero-waste facility that includes a state-of-the-art artisanal copper still. The distillery’s talented mixologists lead a tasting session featuring signature Mutiny Island Vodka cocktails.

Virgin Islands Craft Distillers

Established in 2014 by two brothers from Indiana, Virgin Islands Craft Distillers is a small-batch distillery in St. Thomas handcrafting rum, vodka and gin with the mission of sharing the passion of the place they now call home. Their 3 Queens Gin uses 100 percent locally sourced ingredients, and its name is rooted in island history. They also produce Blue Marlin Vodka and Sir Francis Rum, made with local cane sugar. Free by-appointment tours include details on the distillery’s production process and an introduction to their spirits, followed by a tasting.

Beach Side Café

Like its name suggests, the Painkiller is a rich and fruity cocktail said to cure what ails you. Perhaps even more true, if the cocktail comes with seductive ocean views and sand between your toes, like at the Beach Side Café at Sand Castle on the Beach on St. Croix. Here, light and dark rums, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, a splash of orange juice and a light dusting of nutmeg become the answer to your problems.

The Banana Deck

A refreshing trio of dark rum, ginger beer and lime, the Dark ’N’ Stormy’s name is a bit of a misnomer. It’s actually an easy-sipping drink. And that’s especially true at The Banana Deck, which features Gosling’s Rum and a splash of bitters, along with ginger beer and lime, in its version. Beyond the cocktails, this popular Cruz Bay spot on St. John is well known for its hand-cut ribeye steaks and views of bobbing boats from its outdoor deck.

Mountain Top

There’s a lot to love about Mountain Top, like the breathtaking panoramic views courtesy of its location 1,200 feet above Magens Bay. Its duty-free shop is the largest on St. Thomas. And then there’s Mountain Top’s signature drink — the Banana Daiquiri. Invented on-site by a cocktail-loving sea captain in 1953, the drink  combines Cruzan Rum, sugar cane extract, fresh lime juice, house-made banana liqueur and ripe bananas picked from a nearby grove. It’s enjoyed by more than 3 million Mountain Top visitors each year.

Taste at Paradise Point

Arriving at Taste at Paradise Point via SkyTram, you’ll be wowed by some of the best views of St. Thomas. The more casual sibling to contemporary steakhouse PRIME, Taste goes all out on its version of a Bushwacker. The frozen blended drink was invented in 1975 on St. Thomas and, as the story goes, named after a patron’s dog. Here, the addition of Bailey’s adds a little more kick to the cocktail that’s often referred to as a chocolate piña colada.

Rum Island Pub

It’s fitting that a bar with rum in its name would offer a stellar Rum Punch — and St. Thomas’ Rum Island Pub’s signature drink does not disappoint. Crafted with house-made, fruit-infused rum and a mixture of fruit juices, its Rum Island Punch (known as RIP to regulars) is the perfect cocktail to enjoy while sitting in this casual open-air bar in the middle of Drake’s Passage on the waterfront.

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