False Idol

San Diego, California

Regional honoree for Best American Cocktail Bar at the 2018 Spirited Awards and Top 10 nominee for Best New American Cocktail Bar at the 2017 Spirited Awards.

Beverage Director Anthony Schmidt built San Diego's premier tiki bar behind a hidden entrance adjacent to Craft & Commerce, stocking over two hundred vintage and rare rums alongside classic tiki recipes and original creations. The Alkala The Fierce, a flaming volcano bowl that erupts with each order, delivers the theatrical spectacle that tiki demands, but the program's strength runs deeper: balanced, ingredient-driven drinks that honor the Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic traditions without merely replicating them. False Idol treats tiki as a living craft, not a museum exhibit.