New York and London. Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. If it seems like every bar that garners international attention is found in one of those metropolises, it’s not too far from the truth.
Reaching the rarefied air of a best bar worth traveling for — or a must-visit stop on the guest-shift circuit — requires a steady stream of international visitors to generate buzz. It’s a bit of a self-fulfilling cycle, wherein getting more attention requires having enough attention to begin with, which, well, it’s tough to crack through the cocktail glass ceiling. Consider this the breakout, then.
There are exciting and diverse cocktail cities found across the globe for those willing to veer a bit farther off the standardized international imbibing itinerary. Yes, Mexico City has been crushing it for a while, and Barcelona has had a starry turn atop “the list” for some time now. Buenos Aires, Paris, and Athens — not to mention Sydney, Melbourne, and Seoul — are all, at this point, well-established fixtures for the cocktail cognoscenti.
Let’s dive deeper, then. In some cases, it may mean heading to an entire region that’s off the typical traveler’s radar — hello, Baltic capitals! In others, it’s about visiting the most populous city in the Americas, because, well, maybe 22 million people do need something good to drink. Who would’ve thought? Then there are the cities that may have been long visited for reasons unrelated to cocktail culture, but which are now, at last, putting their creative or financial muscle to use behind the bar.
Cheers to them all — or saúde, Į sveikatą, and chon gâaeo, as the case may be.
Banff
Surreal glacial lakes. Picturesque mountain ranges, with plentiful hiking and skiing opportunities. Stylish hotel stays. Banff has long excelled on these fronts. Cocktails? That’s a newer development.
Park Distillery has played a large role in Banff’s beverage boom, with its bottles available across the region. The distillery is part of the Banff Hospitality Collective, a group behind well over a dozen bars and restaurants in the heart of downtown. The distillery bar and half a dozen others — such as The Bison, Bluebird, Hello Sunshine, and Lupo — are part of what’s been dubbed the Banff Cocktail Trail, which currently offers a lineup of tea-infused cocktails in conjunction with local purveyor Jolene’s Tea House.
At the Fairmont Banff Springs, a daily cocktail class is held in the recently renovated, two-story Rundle Bar. Pound for pound, some of Banff’s best drinks may be found at Shoku Izakaya, home to a strong shochu, soju, and umeshu list. Turn things up a notch with duck fat or sesame-washed spirits, or sample signatures such as the Dragon Ball-inspired, pink-hued Majin Buu Sour, paired with a tantalizing assortment of yakitori and izakaya fare from the kitchen.
Bangkok
Back in the day — and we’re talking a decade and a half ago — first-timers to Bangkok drank buckets of Chang beer and had their teeth rotted by SangSom rum, and considered themselves lucky! Suffice it to say that, things have changed in Thailand’s capital.
Leading the charge is the exceptional BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons Bangkok, helmed by Philip Bischoff and emblematic of the hotel brand’s Asian push for bar excellence. Other swanky hotel bars abound, including the Bamboo Bar, along with classically-oriented early arrivers such as Vesper.
But then the city’s cocktail scene veers in a far different direction. There’s the vibrant energy of Tropic City and Teens of Thailand, for instance, as well as the boundary-pushing ingredients deployed at Mahaniyom.
Bangkok now boasts a deep, citywide cocktail coalition to be considered among Asia’s top cocktail cities.
Luxembourg City
At Le 18 Bar within the Hôtel Le Place d’Armes, bar manager Lucas Ayrton Mongenie is hard at work transforming a wine-loving populace into cocktail drinkers. “We really have a network here of people who think of us as ‘the bar’ in Luxembourg,” he says.
One path to breaking down that barrier? Art. Mongenie’s latest menu depicts renowned painters and their works, with cocktails tailored not only to match each artist’s aesthetic but also to capture the feeling their work provokes. He also deploys high-grade essential oils, imparting precise flavor notes to cocktails or on-the-fly customizations of house gins and vermouths. It’s been enough to draw guest shifts from the likes of Philip Bischoff and Remy Savage.
Mongenie also works at Bar à Cocktails, or BAC, where he and owner Raphael Betti have formed Natural Drinkers, a tag-team effort to elevate Luxembourg’s cocktail scene. The duo has made strong strides — even if on a small scale, for now.
Elsewhere, check out L’Observatoire at the Sofitel Le Grand Ducal hotel. The rooftop venue offers a spectacular view of Luxembourg City’s intact fortifications, though the bar’s drinks may be even more attention-worthy. The cocktail book-style menu organizes offerings by thematic destinations, preparation methods, and flavor profiles.
Nairobi
Can a single bar change the course of an entire city’s drinking culture? In a place such as Nairobi, Kenya, what about an entire country’s? It may sound hyperbolic, but the momentum sparked by Hero — the comic-book-inspired, high-rise bar and restaurant in the Trademark Hotel — it’s hard to ignore the impact.
Also key to that development was the launch of Procera, Kenya’s first craft gin. Distilled with an all-African botanical bill, including namesake Juniperus procera, Procera has played a major role in bringing the country’s ingredients to the global stage while cementing the notion that world-class drinks can originate there.
Hero has enticed a who’s who of movers and shakers — and stirrers — to Nairobi to experience and be inspired by the local culture. Since the pandemic, the bar has helped position the city as a must-visit on the cocktail circuit. Sure, for many Western visitors Nairobi remains either a launchpad for a safari, or a hub for NGOs and U.N. missions. But fear not, a great cocktail can be found, too. Surprising. No doubt. Rewarding? Absolutely.
Osaka
Osaka is a sleeping giant only now awakening from its slumber. The potential has long existed, with Tokyo’s same ethos and energy just a short bullet train ride away. That proximity may have been part of the problem: The dynamic mega-city attracted so much of the attention and talent that Osaka’s cocktail scene struggled to launch. But that’s no longer a problem.
Craftroom, tucked in the basement of a large office building amid innocuous izakayas, offers a vast whisky selection alongside seasonal cocktails crafted with precision — like a lacto-fermented, lemon sour highball. Lesser frequented by international visitors but also worthy of attention is Tom & Jerry Bar, a refined and quiet Japanese drinking parlor.
Meanwhile, hotel groups and bar groups alike are pouring resources into the city. On the hotel side, Bar Bota opened at the new Four Seasons Osaka earlier this year, while the even newer Waldorf Astoria Osaka is now home to Canes & Tales. Powerhouse consultancy Proof Creative, meanwhile, is behind bar programs at the Patina Osaka and Canopy by Hilton Osaka.
Nearby Nara, a distinctive destination in its own right, is close enough to feel like a sister city. It’s worth a daytime visit to see its famous deer population, as well as Todai-ji temple. But for our purposes, continue into the evening at Lamp Bar, a dimly lit cocktail den with no menu, multiple secret bar rooms, fanciful presentations, and a strong focus on local ingredients.
São Paulo
São Paulo is a vibrant hub where the best of Brazil’s multicultural influences shine across the realms of art, culture, food, and beverage. Its top cocktail bars channel that diversity to compelling effect, while centering them under the Brazilian banner. “The world needs to see what makes Brazil so special,” says Marcio Silva, the mastermind behind Eximia and a force in the industry long seen as one of South America’s top bartenders.
When he opened Eximia last spring, Silva set out to put his home on display for the world because he noticed a glaring gap as he looked around the global bar scene he loves so much. “What about my culture?” he wondered. At Eximia, that mission takes shape through a highly regimented system of temperature-control and cold-filtration processes to preserve and concentrate the flavors of local fruits and ingredients. “The bar is about showcasing Brazil in a new way,” Silva says.
Tan Tan opened up a decade ago as a ramen shop, but over the years refined its concept and expanded its space, evolving into a go-to destination for inventive drinks and Japanese-inspired bites. Thiago Bañares and Caio Carvalhaes serve a dynamic menu that pairs dishes such as Ikura fries, doused with Japanese mayo and topped with roe and seaweed powder, with drinks such as the Tsukemono, made with tequila and a wasabi-cucumber cordial. The Liquor Store, another must-visit cocktail bar in the city, falls under the same banner.
At Locale, brothers Gabriel and Nic Fullen — who are also partners with Silva in Eximia — combine multiple concepts in a single sprawling space, with a café, trattoria, and wine shop. Italian aperitivos take center stage on its buzzy patio, while within, its stylish bar setup evokes the grandeur of classic Italian cafés.
Other standouts among the city’s growing contingent of cocktail bars include Sub Astor and Santana Bar, as well as the bar concepts found in the city’s top hotels, such as Rabo di Galo at the Rosewood São Paulo.
Tallinn
Tiny Tallinn, Estonia’s capital with around 400,000 residents, is known for having one of the world’s best-preserved medieval old towns. Charming and quirky, the city has emerged as a hub for technology, sustainability, and startups over the past decade. Now, it’s making a play to become a hub for cocktail culture as well.
Whisper Sister is an accidental speakeasy tucked inside a multi-room space that feels like home. There’s a living room and piano room, cozy little nooks aplenty, and a main bar area. When an ingredient can’t be sourced, the bar creates in-house homages, such as its “Fake Italicus.” Bartenders frequently go off-menu to customize drinks for guests or concoct new ones à la minute. The result is a loyal following and a burgeoning regional reputation that’s bound to break out further. “Take care of your community first and the rest hopefully takes care of itself,” says bartender Jiří Mališ.
At Botaanik, near the trendy Telliskivi neighborhood, plants and botanicals take center stage in an intimate, reservation-recommended bar. The 25-seat space is set up like the living room of a warm, welcoming party, where bartender-owner Andres Siem serves as host. Siem found a creative outlet and stress relief valve from his advertising career behind the bar. Cocktails like a Porcini Martini — with porcini-infused vodka, sherry, and mezcal — highlight a devotion to nature and the abundance of ingredients it provides, always served in pristine vintage glassware.
There’s more to explore beyond Botaanik. From the high-volume, party-centric Sigmund Freud in Old Town, to Babylon Bar — founded by a former Whisper Sister team member — and low-key neighborhood gems like Fono. Many bars also showcase products from local distilleries such as Liviko, a 125-year-old institution located in the city. Its modern lineup has gained traction thanks to Crafters Gin, while its historic mainstay Vana Tallin, Estonia’s signature liqueur, has sold over 120 million bottles over its long history.
Toronto
Toronto’s cocktail landscape is likely the most well-developed of any city on this list. For those not yet in the know, there’s an abundance worth exploring. Drinks-minded visitors may arrive with a hit list of half a dozen bars, only to leave with a few dozen others to return for, with very specialized outlets catering to just about any interest or vibe.
Start at Mother, where co-owner and head bartender Massimo Zitti has played a critical role in elevating the city’s cocktail culture while cultivating a distinctive ethos of his own. He runs an enormous fermentation program and laboratory with a sustainability focus, has a full page of 10-gallon, barrel-aged cocktails, and debuts complex new menus roughly once a year.
Mordecai has all the chaotic, karaoke-loving bar-goers covered, while Library Bar or C Suite cater to quieter evenings, the latter with a bespoke cocktail tasting menu experience served from within an elegant train car setting.
It’s easy for a few drinks to turn into a few hours at Bar Pompette, stylized as a classic French café. Expect hyper-seasonal drinks such as a late summer Easy Peasy, showcasing fresh peas, alongside bar favorites such as the Cornichon and Paloma Quemada — either of which might incite a local uproar if ever removed from future menus.
Long-serving stalwart, Civil Liberties, open since 2014, is a low-key, semi-dive featuring house-labeled bottles and no menu. Newer from the same team is Civil Works. Bar Raval’s convivial setting, striking interiors, and Spanish ingredients have long made for a crowd-pleasing experience.
Simpl Things, Slice of Life, Cry Baby Gallery and sister bar Tigra, After Seven, and Writers Room, are all worthy stops as well.
Vancouver
Vancouver hosted this year’s North America’s 50 Best Bars bash, signaling its rising continental prominence. But consider that just the opening salvo, rather than last call, for a city whose scene is currently percolating.
Start at Botanist, housed in the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel, where creative beverage director Grant Sceney blends high-tech preparations with eye-catching, interactive presentations. The Raincouver features a bubble cloud; the Pale Blue Dot glows blue inside a globe beaker; and the Ring of Fire smokes with dry ice as steel wool ignites around its base, all served in a volcano-shaped glass. Outside of these “Experiential Cocktails,” several pages of drinks are separated via terroir and landscapes, with categories such as Mountain & Meadow, Coastal & Tropical, and Orchard & Field.
Don’t miss the restaurant’s full dining menu from chef Hector Laguna. Or, for a different vibe, head to the hotel’s Lobby Lounge and indulge in the Three-Martini Lunch — a trio of tiny ‘tinis sure to inspire envy among fellow bar patrons.
At Laowai, baiju takes a starry turn with what’s said to be the largest selection in North America. The Keefer Bar represents the old guard for the city’s cocktail crowd, and its team has since expanded its footprint to include June and brand-new vinyl bar Lala. Head to Meo to order from a cocktail list that matches the establishment’s retro vibes, with a full lineup of resuscitated disco-era drinks like Appletinis and Lychee Martinis, alongside a list of signatures featuring a hefty dose of Asian culinary ingredients.
Vilnius
If the destination builds the bar show, the cocktail world will come. That was the premise behind last year’s inaugural Baltic Bar Show, hosted in Vilnius. The Lithuanian capital has long boasted a deep roster of quality cocktail bars — a lineup that would make many larger and more prominent American cities envious. Now it was time to open up its doors to a larger audience, inviting the world to take a closer look.
One of the leaders of the pack is Nomads, a seasonally driven cocktail bar that showcases the best of Lithuania’s forests and gardens with an always changing menu. “We’re trying to work with what we have around us,” says head bartender Greta Skamaročiūtė.
Alchemikas kick-started the movement a dozen years ago and now spearheads a bar group with numerous venues around town. The menus at Apoteka are highly thematic, presented as foldable walking maps or featuring cocktails depicted as video game characters with rateable attributes. Another top choice, Nick & Nora, focuses on local spirits and flavors — like making an annual stock of a limoncello-style liqueur flavored with quince. “Quince is a very local thing, and you can only get it for three weeks a year,” says co-founder Tomas Pletaras, who purchases 400 kilograms in bulk to satisfy his yearly allotment.
If a visitor’s night ends at Who Hit John, it’s likely they made a local friend or two who brought them to this tiny late-night institution. Or ask the team at Nomads for a Jingle Bingle.
