Where to actually find this stuff. Building a serious home exotic-cocktail bar requires sourcing across multiple channels. Some ingredients are in every supermarket. Some require specialty liquor stores. Some only ship from specific online producers. A few — vintage Donn Beach mugs, fresh vanda orchids, certain agricoles — require knowing exactly where to look and being willing to wait for the right listing.
This guide is the working sourcing map. What to buy from where, what to expect to pay, which channels are worth a subscription, and where Forbidden Altar’s affiliate links route. It assumes you’ve worked through The Rum Guide, Syrups & Liqueurs, and Spirits Beyond Rum and know what you want — this is the practical follow-on.
The sourcing problem
The genre’s working bottles aren’t evenly distributed. A coastal city liquor store probably carries Smith & Cross, Lemon Hart 151, and Pierre Ferrand 1840. A mid-sized inland city probably carries one of the three. A small-town liquor store probably carries none. The syrups (orgeat, falernum, real grenadine) are even worse: most grocery stores don’t carry any of them, and most liquor stores stock the supermarket-grade Monin and Torani that don’t belong in serious cocktail use.
The honest sourcing setup combines three layers: a local liquor store for everyday rum and spirits, online liquor retailers for the specialty bottles, and direct-from-producer shipments for syrups and modifiers. Plus eBay for vintage mugs, Bookshop for canon books, and a handful of niche retailers for edible flowers and tropical fruit. None of this is hard once you know the channels.
Rum and spirits
Big-city liquor stores
In most U.S. cities of decent size, a well-stocked liquor store carries the canonical Spanish-tradition rums (Bacardi, Probitas, Banks), the major Jamaicans (Appleton, sometimes Smith & Cross), and at least one aged demerara (El Dorado 12). Lemon Hart 151, Smith & Cross, and the agricoles (Rhum Clément VSOP, Rhum J.M.) vary considerably by store and state.
Where to look first: locally owned specialty stores beat chain stores almost universally. BevMo and Total Wine have wide selection but spotty depth; the family-run shop down the street that takes spirits seriously usually has the bottle Total Wine doesn’t. University-town liquor stores tend to punch above their weight — the cocktail-curious graduate-student population creates demand for the working-bar bottles.
Ask before you assume. Specialty bottles often live behind the counter, in a back room, or in a dedicated section the customer-facing layout doesn’t advertise. Ask the staff for the Smith & Cross or the Lemon Hart 151 by name. If they don’t carry it, ask if they can special-order it — most regional distributors carry the canon, and a special order takes a week.
Online liquor retailers
Where state laws permit, online wine and spirits retailers ship to your door. The working list:
- Drizly (now an Uber Eats subsidiary) — fast turnaround, partners with local stores; selection varies by partner.
- ReserveBar — broader selection, slower shipping, good on specialty bottles.
- Caskers — Brooklyn-based, deeper-than-average selection on rum and whisky.
- Mash & Grape — strong on agricoles and obscure modifiers.
- Total Wine — the chain offers shipping in many states; selection broader than the physical stores would suggest.
- Astor Wines & Spirits (astorwines.com) — NYC retailer with one of the deepest spirits selections online; ships to many states.
- K&L Wine Merchants (klwines.com) — California; particularly strong on modifiers, agricoles, and the specialty rum side.
Selection rule: for any bottle you can’t get at a local store, check Astor and K&L first. Their selection is wider than the consumer-facing chains, the prices are competitive, and the shipping is reliable.
Control-state notes
Liquor laws vary by state. Some states operate state-controlled stores with limited selection but reliable basics:
- Pennsylvania (PLCB), New Hampshire (NHLC), Utah (DABS) — state stores. Limited selection; canon bottles vary.
- Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee — restrictions on direct shipping. Many online retailers can’t ship to these states.
- California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts — among the most permissive systems, with the deepest online options.
If you live in a control state, the bottles to specifically request from your local store: Smith & Cross, Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still, Lemon Hart 151, Rhum Clément VSOP, Wray & Nephew Overproof. Most distributors carry these — the store just needs to know you want them.
Syrups and modifiers
The syrup producers ship direct. Order from any of them with a credit card and a shipping address; turnaround is typically a week. The major working list:
Syrup producers (direct ship)
- BG Reynolds at bgreynolds.com — orgeat, falernum (Don’s Spices), passion fruit, grenadine, ginger, hibiscus, more. The first-call workhorse. Ranger Creek pricing; flat-rate shipping; the most-recommended exotic-cocktail syrup brand.
- Liber & Co. at liberandcompany.com — orgeat, gum syrup, real grenadine. Texas-based; smaller batches; arguably the highest-quality producer in the space. The upgrade past BG Reynolds.
- Small Hand Foods at smallhandfoods.com — Bay Area; small-batch; grenadine, gum syrup, pineapple gum, others. The historical-revival emphasis (gum syrup specifically for pre-Prohibition recipes).
- Pratt Standard at prattstandard.com — D.C.-based; excellent grenadine, real tonic, real ginger syrup. Limited tropical-syrup range but strong on the things they do.
Bitters and modifiers
Angostura, Peychaud’s, Luxardo Maraschino, and Luxardo cherries are at every well-stocked liquor store. The more obscure modifiers vary:
- Velvet Falernum, Bénédictine, Heering Cherry Brandy — usually carried at city liquor stores; ask if you don’t see them on the shelf.
- Allspice dram (St. Elizabeth, BG Reynolds) — specialty order; available online if not local.
- Cherry Heering (the canonical Singapore Sling cherry liqueur) — usually carried at specialty wine-and-spirits retailers; available online from Astor and K&L.
Mugs and barware
New mugs
- Tiki Farm at tikifarm.com — the largest current producer. Mid-priced ($25–60 per mug), wide range, frequently produces the canonical recipe-matched mugs (Pearl Diver, Shark’s Tooth, etc.) covered in the Tiki Mugs guide.
- Munktiki — handmade; collectible; higher-end ($50–150). The serious collector’s working brand.
- Suffering Bastard Mug Co. — limited-run collaborations with specific bars.
- Tiki Diablo — boutique sculptor; cult following; releases are small.
Most serious tiki bars (Smuggler’s Cove, Three Dots and a Dash, Hale Pele, Tonga Room) sell their own mug lines through their websites. A bar-specific mug from a place you’ve actually been to drinks differently than a generic one.
Vintage mugs
The serious collector’s path. Original mid-century mugs from Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic’s, and the secondary chains are collectible and command real prices ($100–500 for desirable pieces; $1,000+ for the rarest Donn Beach pre-war pieces).
- eBay is the deepest single source. Search “vintage tiki mug” and filter by sold-listings to gauge real prices. The site’s eBay Ambassador collections route a small commission to Forbidden Altar; the eBay Collections library entry covers the curated lists.
- Estate sales in cities with mid-century tiki history (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Chicago, Miami) — the deeper finds, the better prices, more work to source.
- Pacific Antiques (Los Angeles area) and other specialty dealers carry curated vintage tiki regularly.
- Tiki Oasis (San Diego, August) — the annual conference; the largest in-person vintage market in the country. The Vendor’s Marketplace is where rare pieces surface and trade.
The vintage market has its own deep rabbit hole. Sven Kirsten’s The Book of Tiki is the visual reference for mid-century mug design; if you’re going to collect seriously, read it first.
Glassware
- Restaurant-supply stores (Webstaurant Store, ChefStore, Restaurant Depot) carry Libbey, Anchor Hocking, and the basic working-bartender lines. Cheap, durable, exactly what most working bars use.
- Cost-Plus / World Market sometimes carries decent introductory tropical glasses at reasonable prices.
- Kitchen retailers (Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel) carry upgrade glassware (Spiegelau, Riedel, Schott Zwiesel) at mid-range pricing.
- Cocktail Kingdom (cocktailkingdom.com) — the working-bartender’s online store. The Birdy footed pilsner, the Cobbler shaker, the specialty bar tools. More expensive than the restaurant-supply equivalent but the curation is real.
See the Tiki Glassware guide for the working-bar glass canon and a buy order.
Books
Bookshop.org is the recommended channel — affiliate links support independent bookstores nationwide, and Forbidden Altar routes book recommendations through Bookshop’s affiliate program. See the About page for the affiliate disclosure.
- Bookshop for in-print canon books (Smuggler’s Cove, Sippin’ Safari, Beachbum Berry Remixed, The Book of Tiki).
- Amazon for wider availability when Bookshop doesn’t stock a title, especially for out-of-print editions Bookshop hasn’t cataloged.
- ThriftBooks, AbeBooks, Powell’s (Portland) for used and out-of-print titles. Older Donn Beach reconstructions and pre-revival cocktail books frequently turn up here at reasonable prices.
The reference shelf for the genre is on the Library Books filter — each title links through Bookshop where available.
Specialty ingredients
Coco López
In most U.S. grocery stores in the cocktail-mixer aisle or the Latin foods aisle. If unavailable locally, Amazon and grocery-delivery services carry it. See the Coco López library entry for why this specific brand matters.
Fresh tropical fruit
Pineapple, mango, papaya, guava nectar (for the Lei Lani Volcano), passion fruit, fresh ginger. Asian grocery chains have noticeably better tropical produce than mainstream supermarkets:
- H Mart (Korean American chain) — passion fruit, fresh young coconut, tropical staples year-round.
- 99 Ranch (Asian) — comparable selection.
- Vallarta, Northgate, Cardenas (Latin chains) — pineapple, guava, mango, fresh limes by the bag.
Whole Foods carries some of these at higher prices and lower freshness. For the canonical recipes that use papaya juice and guava nectar, Asian and Latin groceries are the right move.
Fresh ginger and lemongrass
Standard grocery store produce sections, or Asian grocers for fresher product at lower prices. Asian grocers also carry the dried Thai-style ingredients that occasionally show up in modern revival cocktails.
Orchids and gardenias for garnish
The hardest specialty source. Tropical-flower wholesalers, Honolulu and Miami florists who ship nationally, or local florists who can source vanda orchids on order:
- Mauna Kea Floral (Hawaii) — ships nationwide; vanda orchids are their staple product.
- Local florists — many can source vandas and gardenias on a few days’ notice if you call ahead.
- Whole Foods — the prepared-food section sometimes has edible flowers (microgreens with edible flower garnish); not reliable but worth checking.
Out of season, gardenia is the practical fallback for vanda. Both must be sourced food-safe and pesticide-free; confirm with the supplier before floating any flower on a drink. See the Garnish & Theater guide for the editorial frame.
Whole nutmeg
Any grocery store’s spice aisle ($5 for enough nutmeg to last a year). A small microplane is the right grating tool. Pre-ground nutmeg in a shaker can isn’t a substitute — fresh is the point.
Edible cocktail picks and skewers
Wooden cocktail picks in 200-packs from any restaurant-supply store ($5). For specialty serves (the Cobra’s Fang clove-eye snake, the Three Dots Morse skewer), whole cloves and small wooden skewers from the spice and baking aisles of any grocery store.
Affiliate disclosure
Forbidden Altar routes commerce through three affiliate programs:
- eBay Partner Network (EPN) — small commission on completed eBay sales referred from the site. Used on vintage mug, vintage glassware, and vintage barware listings. The eBay Ambassador Collections (curated lists of vintage Orchids of Hawaii, Donn Beach Navy Grog mugs, etc.) route a percentage of sales back to the site. See the eBay Collections library entry.
- Skimlinks — converts certain outbound links into affiliated links automatically. Used across product mentions where direct affiliate accounts don’t exist.
- Bookshop.org Affiliate Program — small commission on book sales routed through Bookshop. The book recommendations across the Library link through this channel.
The site doesn’t take payment for editorial recommendations. A bottle is recommended because it’s the right bottle for the recipe, not because the producer pays for placement. The affiliate revenue covers hosting, image generation, and occasional bottle orders for testing; it doesn’t determine what the site says about a bottle.
See the About page and the Privacy Policy for the full affiliate disclosure and the data practices.
The home-bar shipping budget
Beyond a local liquor store, expect to spend roughly:
- $50–100/year on online syrup orders — BG Reynolds two or three times a year, Liber once for the upgrade orgeat, Small Hand for grenadine when the bottle runs out.
- $100–200/year on bottle orders that local stores don’t carry — Smith & Cross, Lemon Hart 151, Pierre Ferrand 1840, agricoles, the specialty modifiers.
- $50–150/year on mugs, books, and specialty barware as the collection grows.
Plus periodic specialty purchases — fresh orchids when the season hits, a new pair of coupes when something breaks, the occasional vintage mug that surfaces on eBay at a defensible price.
Set up a small home-bar budget line if you’re going to stay with this. The total cost of a serious home exotic-cocktail bar isn’t trivial but isn’t crazy — comparable to serious home coffee, considerably less than a serious wine cellar, and substantially less than the cocktails would cost at the bars they came from.
Where this goes next
The sourcing map is the last guide on the working shelf. The natural next move is into the recipes themselves — pick a proto-tiki build for the white-rum bottle that just arrived, a canon Donn Beach reconstruction for the Smith & Cross, or a revival experiment for the agricole. Or back to The Rum Guide if the bar still needs filling out. The catalog assumes you have the bottles; this guide is how you get them.