Last Rites
Bar · Duboce Triangle ·
Polynesian Noir adventure with rum-forward cocktails & crash-landed plane theme
Polynesian Noir adventure with rum-forward cocktails & crash-landed plane theme
"At Last Rites I’d expect a plane crash–themed 'Last Ritual' takeover from October 25 through October 31 with four new cocktails and an 'immersive Halloween experience'; there’s no cover, but a one-drink minimum purchase is required." - Dianne de Guzman
"I note that the Last Rites team keeps pox in their catalog of cane spirits, demonstrating its inclusion among curated spirit selections in San Francisco." - Paolo Bicchieri
"The Duboce Triangle tiki bar bills itself as a “Polynesian Noir adventure,” and that’s not just because of the rum-heavy menu and dark lighting. Flashing lights, sound effects, and manmade haze make the experience less tropical paradise and much more deserted island castaway (the bar is styled to look like an airplane’s fuselage). Plane crashes usually require more than a medical professional, but the No Doctor On Board is still a sufficient warning — and the complex combo of BACARDÍ Ocho, sherry, brandy, gin, cream, and almond extract is strong enough to cut through the fog." - Robert Spuhler
"Tucked in Duboce Triangle, I find Last Rites a self-described “adventure bar” where the low hum of a plane, lighting effects that create sunsets and storms, and a strong service ethos set the scene for a new, story-driven cocktail program. The menu debuting August 1 is only the third in the bar’s history and was inspired by dime-store novels and Choose Your Own Adventure stories; every cocktail is paired with fictional characters, backgrounds, book covers and snippets you can read. I was struck by the Emerald Eclipse — a lush drink born from an imaginary jungle where snap peas overgrow stone walls, and those snap peas run rampant on the rim — and by other standouts like Grifter’s Game (Steph Granados’s whiskey, coconut, and passionfruit cocktail topped with a coconut tuile and noted as one that “doesn’t play by the rules”) and the Long Goodbye (Gabriel Chavez’s gin, strawberry, and coconut mix, described as containing “rose-colored memories” beneath a hulking strawberry garnish to make the “lingering echo of a final farewell”). Owner Justin Lew and GM Thomas Bermudez say the team intentionally moved away from heavy multi-spirit tiki layering toward more nuanced, whimsical drinks; after opening in 2018, closing for over a year during COVID, popping up with to-go cocktails in 2020, and re-opening in June 2021, this menu feels like both a homecoming and a reintroduction. The staff still prioritize proper service at the door, and the bar’s hours are 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Not quite a Tiki bar, but with a darkly escapist feel to it, Last Rites is an immersive kind of place, as notable for its nine-foot skulls and its barstools made from airplane seats (!) as its elaborate cocktails. Drawing heavily from the rum-heavy world of tiki, their standout cocktails include the No Doctor On Board, pairing BACARDÍ Cuatro Rum with oloroso sherry, brandy, noyaux, gin, curaçao, and pandan cream." - Vox Creative
