This downtown hot spot, popular with young locals, has one of Palm Springs' best whiskey selections with more than 50 offerings, along with classic cocktails (a Ward Eight with a house grenadine) and creative originals (the Naked & Famous consists of Mezcal, Aperol, Yellow Charteuse and lime juice). You could spend all night here, really, thanks to a food menu of pizzas, sandwiches and bar bites like devils on horseback and beer-battered onion rings, not to mention the a comfy backyard that's complete with bocce, corn hole, ping pong, and picnic tables.

Despite the fact that this outpost of the North Hollywood original is relatively new, it still manages to feel pretty authentic, unpolished and unpretentious in a world where tiki bars are turning trendy. There's real-deal Polynesian art and wood carvings, a kitschy faux fireplace, framed menus from tiki bars of yesteryear, a secret back room you enter through a pay phone, and plenty of other stuff that'll make you want to stroll the space. Look for tiki-themed DJs, the occasional live band (LA's loungey Martini Kings just played here) and, of course, plenty of rum-based drinks. The TIki-tastic is served out of a coconut, while a couple of multi-straw "bowl" drinks can serve up to four at once. Tiki enthusiasts tend to find their way here so don't be surprised if the couple sitting next to you looks like they're out of an old Elvis movie.

It's easy to miss this sign-less new bar wedged between a Mexican restaurant and a liquor store on the south end of town, but once you find it, you'll be rewarded with one of the most interesting beer and wine lists in town. Co-owner Christine Soto curates the vino selection, which changes weekly and highlights smaller, lesser-known producers with a bend toward natural wines. Her boyfriend and business partner Anthony Cioffi is in charge of the beer offerings, focusing on obscure craft brews you're welcome to spike with a flavored Pok Pok vinegar. Cioffi, an industrial designer, is also responsible for creating the super-cool glazed ceramic beer mugs made to look like crushed aluminum cans and the uplit, descending bar top that was fabricated in LA. And if you could swear that orb on the wall is changing colors, you're right — it slowly sets for the nine hours the dimly lit bar is open each night.

This tiny tiki bar opened in the same space as the legendary 1950s hot spot Don the Beachcomber and has gotten into the retro Polynesian spirit with its bamboo ceiling, velvet paintings of topless island gals, and blowfish light fixtures, but its best known for its standout hand-crafted drinks served up in super fun glassware ... and the hip crowd who sips them nightly. Try the Pod Thai with rum, Thai basil, and a housemade cardamom-lemongrass syrup, or one of the best Mai Tais around. Late-night imbibers are in luck. The place not only stays open until 2.a.m it also kicks off a nightly happy hour at midnight.

This dark, ‘70s-esque bar at the Ace Hotel is still one of Palm Springs' grooviest-feeling watering holes more than seven years in, with rotating DJs, live bands coming through, cans of PBR, and fresh-squeezed cocktails (try the longstanding refresher The Desert Facial -- vodka and pineapple muddled with mint and cucumber).

The two-and-half-year-old beer maker has launched its second tap room, this one in downtown La Quinta. In addition to its own brews (including a Koffi Porter made from the local roaster's beans), you can find a rotating lineup of other American craft selections along with wine and hard cider. It's also open till midnight on weekends and has expanded its live music lineup to include some Fridays in addition to Thursday nights.

This new bar and restaurant in the space that previously housed Spanish tapas spot Tinto at the Saguaro Hotel puts a lot of emphasis on fresh cocktails. And that's underscored by the fact there's a staff chef dedicated in part to concocting the housemade syrups used in the drinks. There's a honey version for the Bee's Knees, orgeat for the Mai Tais and Demerara syrup used in the Rum Old-Fashioned. Beer drinkers can go for the rotating lager, sour, or porter and the bartenders plan to offer some tap cocktails soon. There's also a Mexican-ish menu of sopes, salads, and an array of appetizers. (Currently open Friday through Sunday only.)

This Polynesian-inspired poolside bar at the brand-new V Hotel is all about tropical cocktails you'd want to sip while lounging in the sun. New York mixologist Shannon Stiggins, whose resume includes Ian Schrager's Edition Hotel, created the menu of drinks that combines liquors and fresh-squeezed juices with more obscure elements. The Wet Dream mixes rum, mezcal, and green chartreuse with lime and guanabana fruit, while the Passion Paradise is made with rum, amaretto, passionfruit and Cachaca, a distilled sugarcane-based spirit. Elixir, which opens April 15 (just in time for a certain music festival) will also offer an Asian-influenced food menu, while the V's onsite restaurant, Solstice, is slated to open this summer.

This North Palm Springs hot spot bills itself as a local gay bar with "no attitude, just good drinks and good people" but that's being modest. The tiki-themed space (that got a makeover by beloved local interior designer Christopher Kennedy a year or so ago) also has a never-ending weekly lineup of DJs and dance parties, culminating on Sundays with the very popular and entertaining drag revue Tommi Rose and The Playgirls. [Photo: © 2015 Eric Lynch]

Coachella-goers won't be able to beat the location since this cowboyish bar is right at the Empire Polo Club. There's daily happy hour, live band appearances every weekend, a big outdoor patio and a surprisingly extensive list of wines by the glass, microbrews, and pretty good cocktails. The kitchen turns out daily lunch and dinner along with Sunday brunch when mimosas and Bloody Marys are $5 each.

This Miami-esque bi-level restaurant and lounge is consistently packed for a lot of reasons: It's got a coveted corner location in the middle of downtown; the open-air façade perfect is for people watching; and of course, it boasts its well-known never-ending food-and-drink happy hour in the bar and lounge. For those looking for a midnight snack, the bar just started staying open until 1 a.m. on weekends, when they bring in a DJ and offer a late-night menu.

This formerly fraying lounge off the lobby of a timeshare hotel was transformed into a retro-feeling supper club a few years back and recently changed hands when Michael Holmes, a regular performer there, bought the place. Cocktails get fun Rat Pack-themed names like the Dean Martini and The Sammy (somehow, the Liza on the Bathroom Floor doesn't sound as enticing) and there are some Coachella Valley-brewed beers on offer, too. Still, the draw here is top-notch entertainment including jazz bands and vocalists throughout the week and Holmes' popular Judy Show on Sundays, when he belts out tunes while impersonating Judy Garland and a few other old female stars to an always-excited crowd.

There's something about an evening on the palm-dotted patio that makes you feel like you're on vacation (and offerings like lemongrass basil mojitos and pineapple jalapeno margaritas certainly don't hurt). An inside seat at the chic Coral Seas lounge is often just as good, especially on Tuesday and Thursday nights when a live jazz trio sets up. The menu ranges from pizzas to Asian-style salmon to buttermilk fried chicken with a killer happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. nightly and all night on Wednesdays.