RESTAURANT PEEK: Adrift

Adrift Tiki Bar’s

New Summer Menu is a Transportive Experience

Coming out of a tough year of shut down, social distancing and Covid Cocktails To-Go, Adrift Tiki Bar & Restaurant has launched a new summer menu. This thoughtfully curated menu seeks to take guests, via their taste buds, outside of landlocked Colorado.

“We want our guests to be fully immersed into our vibrant space and transported to another world,” says Adrift Owner Loren Martinez. “Whether it’s through the tropics or wandering through street food corners, every bite and sip at Adrift should feel like a vacation that takes you on a culinary adventure.”

On May 18, patrons began enjoying new Adrift eats and libations that focus on bringing people together once again at the Beach on South Broadway. Inspired by “Talk Story,” a Hawaiian expression that means “shoot the breeze” or to chat informally, Adrift Executive Chef Tyler Critchfield created shareable boards inspired by different parts of the world that are meant to be enjoyed with family, friends and good conversation.

These next-level boards include, Tomahawk Vacation Ribeye Board, a plentiful platter that boasts an eye-pleasing and mouth-watering Tomahawk Ribeye, soy-glazed Shiitake mushrooms, grilled broccolini and watercress; Caribbean Jerk Chicken Board, featuring grilled jerk chicken thighs, plantain hash, Peri Peri slaw, coconut cardamom, pineapple salsa and Jasmine rice; and a Vietnamese Pork Belly Board, with Gochujang-glazed pork belly, butter lettuce cups and an assortment of Vietnamese pickles, Asian herbs, spicy Aioli, Peri Peri Slaw, coconut cardamom and jasmine rice.

Helmed by Adrift General Manager Joshua Duncan on the bar side, Adrift continues to up the ante with their bar offerings by adding new cocktails with floral and aromatic flavors, such as Ka Diabolo, Adrift’s take on the El Diablo cocktail with the inclusion of Barillito 2 Star Rum and strawberry syrup to keep it tiki; The Dirty Dan, a dark piña colada is twisted with the addition of Mezcal, grapefruit, housemade Mole syrup and Fernet; and Flamingo Lingo, a refreshing cocktail with pineapple, Paranubes Rum, watermelon juice, guava, rhubarb, coconut and Aquavit.

“We are all chomping at the bit to eat out and explore again”, says Martinez. “This menu does exactly that with rare spices and a nod to the tropical flavors of the Carribean, Vietnam, Hawaii, and even hints of Mexico.”

Located in Denver’s South Broadway neighborhood known for its eclectic mix of live music venues, art-house movie theatres, bars and acclaimed restaurants, Adrift draws on the rich history of authentic Tiki lounges and modernizes the traditions borrowing from an array of island flavors and cultures. As part of Adrift’s social responsibility program, The Mana Immersion Fund provides financial assistance to humanitarians with a focus on medical, dental, construction and hunger relief, and a percentage of every sale at the restaurant benefits the cause.

• Visit adriftbar.com, follow @AdriftBar (Facebook) and @AdriftDenver (Instagram), or call 303-778-TIKI • For more information about Adrift Tiki Bar or their new menu, contact Chea Franz at chea@indiecreativeco.com

ADRIFT TIKI BAR 218 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209

Photos by Jon Benson Photography