Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar is the new sibling of an Old City Philadelphia fave that is everything a sequel should be: bigger and better. The rum list has been upped to 85 varieties, including rarities like Pyrat Cask 23 ($66), thanks largely to the New Jersey location. And the space is nearly four times the size, offering dining for 250, bar seating for 75 and a cigar lounge. Of course, the most popular drink remains the same: the Mojito. They are so popular, in fact, that two employees log daily ten-hour shifts extracting guarapo, sweet juice pressed from sugarcane. "We are one of the few places that uses sugarcane," says beverage director Pete Rossi. "But our whole program is about rum and rum drinks, so we really do it right." It's Havana done up Vegas-style in Jersey, and it's fantastico.

—Jeffery Lindenmuth

The Quarter at Tropicana Casino & Resort, Atlantic City, NJ; 609-348-6700

Just like gambling at the Borgata, the Gypsy Bar represents a guilty pleasure. Beyond the stylish design, this cozy boîte offers more than 80 tequilas, ranging from the fresh, peppery and lively El Tesoro Blanco to high-roller favorites like Herradura Selección Suprema ($55). The space can get crowded and loud late at night, but for anyone who enjoys exploring tequila, mezcal and sotol, a weekend afternoon at Gypsy Bar is a sure bet.

—Jeffery Lindenmuth

What drink do you recommend to a guy who just pulled a Royal Flush? How about a Kobe Beef margarita ($300)? It's made with 1800 Colección Tequila, a rare blend of tequilas from five to 50 years of age. Gypsy Bar has secured five of the 200 bottles released for 2005 ($1,800 per bottle). However, we'd be inclined to hold the lime juice and sip it neat ($275 per snifter). It smells of candied orange, white pepper, vanilla, oak and sea air, all while preserving the underlying herbaceousness of fresh tequila.

Kobe Beef

1 1/4 ounces 1800 Colección Tequila
  3/4 ounce Grand Marnier
    2 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
  1/2 ounce simple syrup
  3/4 ounce Grand Marnier Cuvée du Cent 	
      Cinquantenaire
    1 orange

Shake tequila, lime juice, simple syrup and Grand Marnier with ice for 10 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with sea salt. Carefully float Cuvée du Cent Cinquantenaire on top. Garnish with a slice of orange, igniting the oils of the orange peel as you twist it over the glass.

—J.L

Gypsy Bar, Borgata Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, NJ; 609-317-1000; theborgata.com