It’s difficult to convince Oahu residents that Waikiki is a viable option for cocktails. But it’s also possible to find a bar in the area that consistently provides positive experiences.

One of those bars is three stories above Kalakaua Avenue just past Saratoga Road. Amid all the hustle and bustle below, an oasis exists at Tommy Bahama Waikiki, where an open-air bar serves up a variety of tropical drinks and classic cocktails to go with fire pits, couches and an expanse of sand to dig your toes into with friends.

Don’t be confused — Tommy Bahama is indeed a retail operation, but its Waikiki location offers a second-floor restaurant with a rooftop bar and lounge. If you’ve never been here before, take the time to check out the store before climbing a staircase (complete with a living-garden wall) past the dining room and up to where the magic happens on the third floor. Once you’ve been there and done that, skip the cardio workout and look for the guest elevator near the front entrance during subsequent visits.

There are 10 bar stools here, with another half-dozen tables behind them. Around the corner is another spacious seating area and the previously mentioned adult-style sandbox. If talking story with the bartender and watching a game is more your speed, sit at the bar with its lone television mounted from the ceiling.

I like how most of the staff I’ve dealt with since the restaurant’s opening last fall are local residents with island ties, so they truly understand the concept of aloha spirit and seem genuinely interested in taking care of other kamaaina who make the effort to visit them.

Pick one of the bar tables and you’ll have a shaded, secluded spot to watch tourists walk by. The couches and fire pits are best enjoyed once the sun starts going down in the late afternoon, but don’t let that stop you from settling in for a little sunbathing with a cocktail earlier in the day.

With more than 30 choices ranging from martinis to rum-based specialty cocktails and a handful of nonalcoholic options, mixed drinks are the way to go at Tommy Bahama Waikiki. Decent wine and beer offerings are available, but it doesn’t feel like a quintessential Waikiki cocktail experience without some sort of fancy-looking concoction in a glass.

Start with a Rum Babalu ($13.50), Tommy Bahama’s twist on a Jamaican Mule, which itself is a modification of the classic Moscow Mule. Kirk & Sweeney 12-year rum replaces the vodka mixed with lime and ginger beer in a Moscow Mule, but the Rum Babalu goes a few steps further with the addition of maple syrup and bitters. It sounds (and smells) like something overly sweet, but the punch of the aged rum and use of bitters keeps things in check. The ginger beer also provides a bit of bite, both from its flavor and the added carbonation.

The Tiki Tonk ($12.50) is a great choice for a warm afternoon, made with Flor de Cana seven-year rum and Solerno blood orange liqueur. Adding passion fruit syrup and fresh pineapple juice sweetens this one up much more than the Rum Babalu, with the rum’s alcohol burn almost nonexistent. This is one drink where the flavors develop and actually get better as the ice melts, so be sure to stir well and take your time enjoying it.

Martinis at Tommy Bahama Waikiki are a little more pricey at $14 and $14.50 a pop, but bartenders are generous with their pours and use premium vodka like Grey Goose, Van Gogh and Ketel One. And if one of the eight signature cocktails on the menu doesn’t catch your eye, the staff here is happy to make you something off the menu using whatever ingredients are available that day. Nonalcoholic options are more affordable at $5 each, but I found some of them better suited as cocktails. All you have to do is ask!

With validated parking available across Beach Walk at Bank of Hawaii ($6 for four hours) and a handful of meters along nearby streets, this is a great pick for a midafternoon getaway in Waikiki or a spot to bring out-of-town visitors who might be more comfortable with the familiarity of the Tommy Bahama brand.

Jason Genegabus has written about Honolulu bars since 2001. Contact him at jason@staradvertiser.com with suggestions of places to visit and drinks to try; read his blog at inthemix.staradvertiserblogs.com.