Smuggler’s Cove

Smuggler's Cove is an award-winning rum bar on Gough Street, created by its owner Martin Cate. Its shelves hold more than 1,400 rums at any time, and over 2,800 have passed through since it opened, including rare and vintage bottles and rums made exclusively for the bar by producers in California, Oregon, Europe and the Caribbean. The list of awards is long: it was named Best American Cocktail Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2011 to 2016, and is a 2026 James Beard Foundation nominee for Outstanding Bar.

The cocktail menu runs to more than 80 recipes, arranged as a journey through the history of rum drinks. Sections cover colonial tavern drinks, Havana cocktails from the Prohibition era, classics of the tiki era, traditional Caribbean drinks and contemporary rum cocktails, so you can work through two centuries of drinking in one evening. Every drink is made to order rather than batched, with citrus juiced fresh in-house each day.

If you are new to rum, ask the bartenders for guidance; the range is huge, and they can steer you towards a style you will enjoy. Regulars can take on the Voyager of the Cove challenge, a punch card that rewards guests who drink their way through the entire menu with a gift and a merit badge, and serious rum lovers can join the bar's Rumbustion Society. Martin Cate also co-wrote, with Rebecca Cate, the book Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki, which won a James Beard Foundation Book Award in 2017; signed copies are sold through the bar's online store.

The bar is open seven days a week from 5pm to 1.15am. It suits couples, small groups and anyone interested in cocktails, though it is not a place for a big party. Arrive early in the evening, especially at weekends, when the bar is at its busiest, and be prepared to wait for a seat. Order water between rounds if you plan to stay a while.

Smuggler's Cove is at 650 Gough Street. With its late closing time it works as a stop before or after dinner, and taxis or ride-hailing are the easiest way home late at night.