They have exotic spirits and juices. They’re served in unusual single-purpose mugs. They require outlandish garnishes, from swizzle sticks and umbrellas to fresh fruit and herbs. And then there’s the matter of crushed ice.

Tikis are arguably the most difficult cocktails to make consistently because the overall drinking experience hinges on each of these components coming together to create something beautiful. A good tiki can be otherworldly, intoxicating, and escapist. It’s no surprise that tikis are taking over the District, but kudos go to restaurants that are not just doing tikis, but also doing them well.

Farmers Fishers Bakers (3000 K Street NW) is perhaps the D.C. restaurant most steeped in tiki tradition, with Zombie recipes dating back to the thirties. “With our farm-to-still menu, we’re a classic cocktail bar,” says head bartender Melinda Koepke, “but the tiki movement came out of Prohibition when bartenders left the states and brought back these tropical flavors.”

Koepke is showcasing FFB’s signature tikis in one-of-a-kind mugs. Enjoy the drinks for $12 or shell out $25 if you want to take home the mug adorned with a fearsome visage and the restaurant’s logo. Start off with the “Silencio Nights”, proof that tikis are not all sweet rum drinks. It’s dry, with smoky El Silencio mezcal, bitter Aperol and Cynar amari, lime juice, and agave nectar; just a touch of Ancho Reyes liqueur gives the drink a fiery finish. It’s served in mug that alludes to a Mayan legend of a rabbit spirit, said to be a guardian of agave plants.

“Tiki Enlightenment” comes in a jade-green Buddha-like monk mug. Two rums, Pyrat and Sailor Jerry’s, are combined with a housemade falernum—a spiced rum and fruit liqueur—and a dash of Angostura bitters to balance the sweetness. The popular “1703 Cocktail” makes use of housemade coffee syrup and is fortified by Mount Gay rum and Bulleit bourbon. It’s the sweetest drink in the lineup with passion fruit and lime juice, and it comes in a monstrous barrel tiki mug.

Archipelago (1201 U Street NW) is the city’s newest tiki destination. The entire restaurant sports tiki carvings, hula girl lamps, and eclectic mugs, offering a classic Mai Tai made to exacting standards. An extensive menu of humorously named drinks include the “Retired Stripper”, made with tequila, rum agricole, and a housemade melon cordial. Co-owner Ben Wiley says, “Sometimes a name suggests a drink. Sometimes a drink suggests a name.”

One such case is clearly “If The Phone Don’t Ring, It’s Me”, a conversation starter if there ever was one. This passion fruit and bourbon tiki uses Aperol and lime juice to add complexity, while “The Lonely Mermaid” highlights aged rums and a fantastic buttered pineapple syrup that gives a fatty thickness to the zip of lemon and pineapple. Archipelago is a serious tiki bar, but the vibe is still all about fun. “We love the history and stuff, but we want people to feel comfortable,” Wiley says.

Jack Rose Dining Saloon (2007 18th Street NW) is known for its rooftop tiki bar, open Thursdays through Saturday. Their spring tiki menu includes some original cocktails and a few favorites, like a classic Painkiller made with Pussar’s Navy Rum or the Navy Grog with a blend of light, gold, and dark rum, lime and grapefruit juice, honey, and soda. The “Coco Face” is a spicy sweet treat served in a coconut shell, made with Hamilton Demerara rum and getting its sweetness and spice from pineapple juice, housemade coco-almond syrup, and cinnamon-chili honey.

Rye drinkers will find an affinity with the “Ryghty Tyghty”, made with Dickel rye, tropical tea-infused dry vermouth, tiki bitters, lime juice, and housemade almond syrup. And because there always needs to be a blue tiki cocktail, don’t overlook the “Tidal Wave”, with guava nectar, lime juice, Tanqueray and, of course, blue curacao.

If you have a tiki mug and the requisite garnishes and juices, mix up a “Waikiki Beachcomber” at home with vodka and guava juice, which you can easily find in the Latino food section at the grocery store.

Waikiki Beachcomber

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce lime juice
5 ounces guava juice
• 1/2 ounce raspberry liqueur like Chambord

Combine all ingredients except raspberry liqueur in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an intimidating tiki mug. Fill with crushed ice and fruit garnishes. Float raspberry liqueur on top.