This past January my friends and I made the trip down to St. Augustine for the final week of Night of Lights, which wrapped up for the year and will return once more this November. Historic buildings, bridges, large oak trees and narrow streets donned twinkling and festive lights, transforming the city into a truly magical place.

The past two years we’ve made a point to go to Night of Lights, and it’s now a tradition to add Tini Martini Bar to the experience, too.

Open year-round, Tini Martini Bar is an extremely popular, inlet-facing bar in St. Augustine. But around the holidays, it’s particularly neat, as the indoor and outdoor spaces are adorned with lights, tinsel and other festive decorations that put everyone in the holiday spirit. The bar sits along the waterfront next to Casablanca Inn, overlooking Matanzas Bay.

The bar doesn’t do reservations, though, meaning you should expect to wait in line outside for a bit until a table is open. But once you do snag a table, it’s more than worth it. Here’s why: You’re handed a menu full of unique and classic martini cocktails, from the beloved cosmopolitan and espresso martini to more interesting flavors like Asian pear and pomegranate. Even better? When you order, the drink is brought to you in its shaker.

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The waiter pours your martini into the glass and sets the shaker on the table beside it, which contains nearly an entire other martini within for you to pour. In other words, it’s a two-for-one drink at just $15. My absolute favorite martinis are the Asian Pear (Grey Goose La Poire, St. Germain and pineapple juice), the Apple-Tini (Van Gogh Apple Vodka, apple pucker and sour mix) and After Eight (Three Olives Chocolate Vodka, Godiva Chocolate liqueur and crème de menthe).

Of course, for those who aren’t fans of martinis (although, let’s be honest, why go if you don’t like martinis?), they also have a smaller selection of draft beers, wines and other cocktails.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor