Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn't spare The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, in 2024. The team worked furiously to get the hotel back up and running, but the Lido Key Tiki Bar, part of its beach club, remained closed.

That is, until last week.

On Friday, the Lido Key Tiki Bar reopened with a fresh new tiki hut, a large menu and a slate of refreshing drinks. And like it was before the storms, the tiki bar is open to the public if people walk up to it from the beachside (there's parking at a beach access just south of the compound).

"[The Lido Key Tiki Bar] is a refined coastal escape where tropical storytelling, Gulf Coast freshness, and luxury cocktail craftsmanship meet in every glass," says assistant food and beverage manager Heidi Finley. "Rather than leaning heavily into overly sweet, novelty-style tiki, I focused on balance, elegance, and drinkability. The glassware, garnishes, and visual storytelling still deliver the sense of fun and surprise, but the cocktails themselves are cleaner, brighter and more culinary in their execution. It’s tiki with a polished immersive style, but intentional."

That philosophy is translated via juicy drinks like the "Sunveil," made with vodka, limoncello, elderflower, fresh lemon, mint, strawberry, and the "Coconut Afterglow," made with tequila blanco infused with jalapeno, mezcal, Combier (crème de pêche), cucumber simple syrup and yuzu lime soda.

The tiki bar's menu reflects its beachy style with dishes like a tuna poke bowl accompanied by jasmine rice, edamame, pickled cucumber, wakame salad, avocado and crispy wontons; blackened fish tacos with crunchy slaw and avocado mousse; and mojo pork nachos with smoked jalapeño crema and pico de gallo.

"The menu is designed to evolve with the seasons, the Gulf Coast harvest and guest energy," Finley says. "Local citrus, herbs, coastal botanicals and market-driven fruit components will continue to shape the program, allowing it to stay rooted in place while always offering something new."

The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota's Lido Key Tiki Bar is open daily from 11 a.m. to sunset at 1234 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Sarasota. For more information, click here.