Paradise Lost is at 100 2nd Avenue in the East Village and describes itself as a tropical hellscape, which is accurate and also not the whole picture. The taxidermy on the walls, the demon-inspired mugs, and the surf punk soundtrack are genuine commitments rather than affectations. The bartenders wear ripped-denim vests. The cocktail program is built around rum and fruit-forward drinks that hold up to scrutiny. Ring the doorbell to get in.

The Chaos Magick goes rum, coffee, pineapple, and ras el hanout. The Saturn is gin, passionfruit, orgeat, and Falernum, served with smoking dry ice. The drinks are precisely made inside the punk-tiki aesthetic, which is the difference between a concept bar and a good bar that has a concept.

Open from five every night, walk-ins only, no parties larger than eight, strictly 21+. Paradise Lost is a small and specific room that generates real energy because the people who find it are exactly the people who were looking for it.