The cozy main room features eclectic, 1940s-inspired decor. For bites, there’s a selection of shareable plates by renowned chef Alon Shaya. Another unique New Orleans attraction, the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar, features a rotating wheel of seats decorated with tigers, monkeys, and other traditional circus animals. And if the outlaw tales aren’t enough to capture your interest, it’s worth visiting to see the building’s French Creole architectural style, briquette-entre-poteaux (brick-between-posts), and enjoy the romantic setting.
This elegant lounge on the Beltline, right above the Victorian Atlanta plant shop, is a relaxed green oasis that’s the perfect place to enjoy a great cocktail or a shot and beer with friends. So you can expect classic offerings, including some somewhat forgotten about throwback drinks like the Grasshopper or the Pousse-café, meticulously crafted with premium ingredients. If you’re hanging out late night, they’re serving Screamin’ Weenies (incredible hot dogs) Friday and Saturday nights cocktail bar from 11pm-2am! Beaches Down in Georgia is the newest drink with soju, gin (made in partnership with the Chai Box), passion fruit cordial, grapefruit, orange, lime, and coconut milk punch. Whether you’re stopping in for a pre-exhibit sip or post-show nightcap, it’s one of the city’s most artful drinking rooms. The drink names are cheeky and aimed at a younger crowd, with names like Touch Grass, Green Apple Vape, and Quit Jerkin My Gherkin (you’re hip, we get it), but the artistry is worth noting.
If we could give out an award for the most unique bar, The Golden Tiki would certainly take the cake. Staying on theme with the fantastical elements of this bar's vibe, the special menu includes drinks that are an ode to every fantasy and tall tale your imagination could think of. This bar's favorite color is pink and it will have you feeling like Alice entering Wonderland.
Vesper Bar is an iconic spot found within The Dorchester, a luxurious hotel in Mayfair. Making the most of East Asian influences and flavours, cocktails here regularly feature ingredients like yuzu, salted plum, ube and shiso. One of the most unique drinking experiences in London, Cahoots Postal Office can be found in Southwark. Found in one of West London's most opulent neighbourhoods, K Bar at The Kensington is a timelessly sophisticated drinking den. They've won 'World's Best Bar' multiple times from Drinks International and 50 Best Bars.
Sex on the beach
The Moscow Mule resulted from a collaboration between a vodka distributor and a ginger beer producer, both trying to popularize their products in the U.S. market. The drink’s light bitterness and sparkling nature make it a favorite recipe choice for social gatherings and alfresco dining. Its bright orange color is instantly recognizable and is especially popular as an aperitif in Northeast Italy. The Margarita has also inspired countless recipes and variations, with fruits like strawberries and mangoes offering delightful twists.
Club Felix
Food could include a halved jammy soy-marinated egg, or a crisp Japanese sweet potato latke finished with kosho aioli. Of course, Seah will just as gladly shake up whatever you’re in the mood for, because it’s always about connection over commerce at Bar.ter. Even the inevitable Singapore Sling (we really can’t seem to outrun it) gets a second life here, recast with corn moonshine and tequila blanco into something more balanced, tropical, and worth finishing.
But there’s also some of that, too. If you squint, you’ll feel like you’re drinking in a schooner lost to the deep. It’s intimate, softly lit, and reliably packed with people seeking cocktail nirvana. Who doesn’t love a cheese plate?
Or try the Monika, with Dangerous Don Café, chocolate, crème de cacao, Cocchi Americano and amaretto, which tastes like a refined, elevated espresso martini, replete with coffee, chocolate and nutty notes. Thea has her own mezcal brand, Dangerous Don, and founded London Mezcal Week, so it’s no surprise Doña is a treasure trove of rare and small-batch mezcals. The two-storey space is modelled after the original Soho site (there's also one in Shoreditch), with a lighter, airy bar on the ground floor, with a no-reservation policy and an aperitivo drinks offering – perfect for post-work drinks. Dainty and refined, favourites included decadent duck egg and parmesan custards served in a billowing flourish of dry ice, and springy sourdough with more of that luscious chicken butter. Another winner, Rocket Fuel, is an elevated spicy margarita, with chilli and kimchi adding tangy, funky heat.
- This small A-frame tiki bar in Los Feliz only seats a handful of people at a time (many of which are regulars who have been coming here since the ‘70s), so plan to wait outside on busy nights.
- Sip tea cocktails at this teahouse-turned-cocktail bar in Chinatown’s Mandarin Plaza Wednesday through Sunday nights during its Steep After Dark hours, when the bar serves drinks by bar director Ken Lin (formerly of Kato).
- The extensive menu includes various drinks made with a range of spirits.
More importantly, they make excellent cocktails that are best enjoyed at the bar, the tufted banquette, or a table in back. Ask us where we're going for nightcaps or after-work drinks with friends, and we'll say Blackbird every time. And, because of the city's unpredictable weather, there’s also an airy indoor bar with vibrant floral murals. The bartenders are all very knowledgeable about what they do—so if you ask them to make something that suits your taste, you won’t be disappointed.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try the “Pomegranate Sidecar” or switch the cognac for bourbon in a “Kentucky Sidecar“. It was born in the early 20th century and is known for its salty taste, thanks to olive brine. Its rich history and unique flavor have made it an enduring classic, served in an old-fashioned glass. Variations, such as the “Orange Drop Martini” or “Berry Lemon Drop,” play with different fruit essences to offer a unique spin on the original. The Lemon Drop Martini is a modern classic that became popular in the 1970s in the United States. Variations, like the “Raspberry Collins” or “Cucumber Collins“, introduce new flavors while keeping the effervescent spirit of the original.
Due to open before the end of the summer is Joly’s Riff Raff Club; and the second coming of Experimental Cocktail Club, the Paris-based cocktail bar chain, on 24th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The decor is a little bit steampunk and there’s a gin micro-distillery on the premises making the Edinburgh Gin brand. It doesn’t take many people to fill this place, but if you catch it on some quiet late afternoon just after opening, or a midweek evening, it’s a chilled space for a quality drink.