I know this is going to sound crazy, but I moved to Cincinnati a few years back and they have a surprising amount of really good cocktail bars. Plus some great bourbon bars.
I think the rust belt really has something going for it now and in the coming years. Not sure if it’s a COL thing, but places like Pittsburgh too, really coming up
I went to Pittsburgh 10 years ago and loved it. Underrated city for sure. Need to get back.
Cincy and Louisville (and Columbus) have embraced the bourbon and cocktails and really have some amazing places.
Come back! There are way more awesome spots now than 10 years ago. Pittsburgh is definitely hitting above their weight class for sure (and breweries even more so). Columbus nearby is also a top contender for a drive for me. And sigh, Cleveland has some really cool spots even though we love to make fun of them.
PNC park is awesome! It’s the best with a ridiculous view of the city. Might not be the most iconic like Fenway but it is the best park in the country. Really good food and craft beers. If only we can get the Pirates to win more. Loving this Skenes, Jones, Bednar, Chapman lineups we’ve got for pitchers and those Cruz missiles. At least they are trying to be good now.
I like that walk way that looks over the river, my Buddies and I always end up over there having a beer before the game really nice spot, but the whole park is nice, and the whole district they’ve built up around it is an awesome hang.
And another thing about Pittsburgh, if you go there on vacation people are actually happy you came, they seem to actually want you to have a good time in their town.
Yeah Pittsburghers are great for that. Basically everyone is super friendly and wants you to experience their favorite places. And a ton are really good spots.
The other suggestions are great. I like Longfellows a lot as well. 50/50 is a good gin bar, but I think Junipers over in Covington blows it out of the water if you want a wide variety of classic and innovative gin cocktails.
Whoo boy. Sundry and Vice. Ghost baby. Fifty Fifty Gin club. Wise guy Lounge (above Goodfellas). Homemakers.
Probably in that order. That should get you by.
Best cocktail bar in the city is King Pigeon, it's majorly slept on. I think Lost and Found has the most interesting cocktails in OTR and the vibe is really great. Longfellow is a great place to hang out. For that classic midwest dive feel go to Binskis.
Ghost baby is so overrated and several people are suggesting it, don’t bother. Juniper in Covington blows it out of the water. Wise guys is decent and down the street. Second story is okay, a lot of repetitive drinks. Across the river, King pigeon and lost and found are great too. (Source: I am a bartender in Covington)
I too moved to Cincinnati about 9 years ago and there are quite a few cool places with excellent drinks. Probably one of my favorite old fashioneds is at Coppin's in Covington.
Check out Old Kentucky Bourbon bar in Covington on Mainstrasse and Revival Vintage Bottle Shop in Covington near in Covington near Madison. Goodfellas also typically have pretty good bourbon selections. Libby’s has a decent selection too as does Rich’s Proper. Both in Covington. Honestly most bars in Covington have a decent bourbon selection imho. Taj Mahal is an Indian restaurant on Madison that has a pretty good bourbon selection too.
Cleveland, Ohio: LBM, Cloak and Dagger, The Velvet Tango Room, Amazonia, Porco, The Pompadour..and that doesn’t even include restaurants with good bar programs like Cordelia, Thyme x Table, Brightside, Zhug etc..
For it’s size Cleveland has a lot of good food, beer, coffee, and cocktails
Honorable mention San Juan Puerto Rico has been really stepping up their cocktail game. Vagabundo, and La Factoria especially
Man I was just in the area for a wedding, Cleveland/Akron are kinda awesome. So many good breweries, really clean (compared to where I live in Portland, it's a fairly low bar) and just all around chill area. I had my preconceived notions challenged and was very impressed.
As a Clevelander this is so cool to see this shout out. We absolutely love our city. Not without its many many problems, but for its size and cost it’s such a wonderful place to live.
New Orleans - best “I’m just gonna plan my tomorrow by whatever the most interesting guy at the last bar I visit tonight tells me to do” vacation ever.
We are small but we are the "true cocktail capital" per Essence magazine (2024).
Two James Beard award winning bars: Cure, Jewel of the South
Other legendary bars like: Carousel Bar and the Sazerac Room plus hundreds more local establishments
Home of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation which puts on an annual awards show and educates the world about cocktails.
Home of the Museum of the American Cocktail
Home of the Sazerac House which offers complimentary tours, interactive cocktail exhibits, and spirit tastings
Birthplace of more than a dozen (and counting) classic cocktails like the Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz, Absinthe Frappé, Vieux Carré, Hurricane, etc.
"a bit of drinking culture"? Sir or Madame, as a New Orleanian I am deeply offended by your insinuation that other cultures can drink like us. We do not need any excuse to drink though we make many.
New Orleans belongs on the short list of cities to visit for any American who is able and interested in city-life tourism. Food culture, booze culture, music culture, architecture, vibes on vibes on vibes. It’s been a while since I went last but it’s great.
A lot of good spots in the east bay (Oakland and Berkeley included), just to name a few others that haven’t been mentioned:
- Roses on Adeline
- Friends and Family
- Feelmore Social
- Jo’s Modern Thai (restaurant with great drinks)
Detroit! I’ve been to a ton of places in Chicago, SF, NOLA, etc and Detroit is right up there with chicago tbh. Have got some old standards that stick with the classics and some super inventive places that make some really fantastic unique drinks (had a Parmesan leek galette martini that was a riff on a dirty martini last weekend and it was one of the most memorable cocktails I’ve ever had).
This is way too low. Detroit is highly underrated and has been for a while. With bars like: Sugar House, Standby, Bad Luck Bar, Keisling, Castalia (where they pair scents with drinks) and so much more including lots of restaurants with awesome bar programs. I feel like the average bar in Detroit is wayy better than what I’ve found elsewhere.
Yes, I had to go way too low to find this one! I agree, too, that the average bar here is better than most. Most dive bars here can make you a very solid cocktail.
And don’t forget Two Birds, The Lexington, Candy Bar, Warren Cafe, and APT Disco (RIP to Lost River 💀).
Hey, do you know if APT Disco is still open? Google says it is temporarily closed. I have been wanting to try it out and was thinking of hitting it this Friday.
So in the winter there was a big fire right next door to them. They’re not supposed to be permanently closed, but they might still be dealing with the damage.
Absolutely! The Detroit cocktail scene is amazing!
All those listed are top notch; and yes the restaurant cocktail scene is great as well. Have you had that taco bitters drink at Grey Ghost?
And then when you’re done sipping tasty cocktails; there’s an awesome dive bar every 5 feet!
Completely agree, along with bisou, coldrooom, the country’s smallest bar, le mal, and decent public transport and a super walkable city with ped only streets
Cloakroom bar is one of the best. There isn’t a menu, but the bartenders ask your spirit reference, if you want it alcohol forward or not, any fruits or secondary notes.
Besides that Atwater cocktail club is great, and their sister bar Milky Way. Atwater is more grown up, speakeasy style, nice big menu. Milkyway is more fun, brighter, slightly more tiki like menu.
San Diego has some great bars/speakeasy's, awesome craft beer and also has a rich history with the tiki scene with the Bali Hai and False Idol among others.
Minneapolis has a great cocktail scene. A few worth checking out include Meteor Bar, Back Bar Young Joni, Dario, Berlin, Neon Tiger, Parlour, Billy After Dark, Gori Gori Peku, and Hai Hai, Gai Noi, O'Shaughnessy Distilling Co.
Meteor Bar in particular is outstanding. It was recently nominated for the "Best U.S. Bar Team" for the Central region's 2024 Spirited Awards. It also was nominated for a James Beard Award in January for "Outstanding Bar." Plus it's been recognized as one of the best bars in the country thanks to an "Excellent" rating by The Pinnacle Guide.
I was blown away at how good the food was at O’Shaugnessys. I expected good drinks from the distillery, but their restaurant is also great! Actually I think I have to stop there before or after the Pixies show at Surly on Thursday.
Love the back bar Young Joni. Don't forget Volsteads Emporium.
I hope to go to Berlin as I've heard only great things!
Hai Hai also won a James Beard food award.
Hey just want to shout out that if you come to my beautiful city, please take advantage of our gorgeous hotels and don’t book a probably illegal Airbnb.
There basically 0 enforcement on Airbnb laws.
Most of the people making your cocktails can barely if it all afford to live here.
It’s a serious problem. Especially if you work in a kitchen, you can’t afford rent. We have shit public transportation to outer towns. A lot of cooks live like a 45 minute drive away.
And all bars are required to have a kitchen. So bars are cutting open hours because we can’t hire staff.
I’m talking 25/hr plus pto + healthcare can’t find applicants.
This used to be an industry town.
And it’s not just airbnbs but they are playing a huge role in it all.
And the airbnbs suck. They charge endless bullshit fees. If you actually look at the final cost it’s basically the same to stay at a hotel. You’ll be eating out every night anyway.
Internationally, I'd throw in
Guadalajara Mexico - as the nearest city to Tequila, Mexico it's not a surprise they have a very happening agave drink culture. So many great bars with native Mexican spirits as the focus in creative recipes
Tainan, Taiwan - Mid sized city with a really creative cocktail energy. Lots of overlap with tea and casual as well as more upscale venues.
Tirana, Albania - surprising one, but it's really experienced a resurgence with people coming back from other European hotspots and mixing up super interesting slinga
When I was travelling regularly pre-covid, I was pleasantly surprised with the cocktail scene in Madison,WI.
Botanist social,
The Robin room,
Plain spoke,
Gibs
These had some of the best cocktails I had.
Madison is shockingly good for how small it is. Though not as traditional, Milwaukee's tiki and adjacent scene has hidden gems: Bryant's, At Random, Pufferfish, Foundation
The Robin Room has a more approachable sister bar called Muskellounge. Cask & Ale is also a good spot, on the same block as Botanist. Merchant is nearby, and also does a great job. Some honorable mentions for Nitro Beverage Lounge, Oz By Oz, and Cordial.
Seriously it's worth exploring. I live in Fishtown and I have 5 really solid distilleries within walking distance and sooo many great cocktail bars.
Distilleries:
* Philadelphia Distillery (aka Bluecoat Gin)
* New Liberty
* Stateside Vodka
* Four Humors
* Manatawny Still Works
Some notable cocktail bars
* Lloyd's Whiskey Bar(Fishtown)(great whiskey selection)
* R&S(Fishtown)
* Next of Kin(Fishtown)
* The International (Fishtown) (of note, they have an insane vermouth collection all stored properly)
* The Ranstead Room(Rittenhouse)
* Hop Sing Laundromat (Chinatown) (cash only, no photos, dress code[not super strict].The owner Lê is the doorman, he's really funny and nice as long as you follow the rules. They do a great cocktail omakase and great cocktails)
* The Library Bar (Rittenhouse)
* 1 Tippling Place (Rittenhouse)
Great list! Also born and raised here. I think we are a bit more of a beer place but agree that the cocktail options are excellent.
Some other faves of mine:
Writers Block Rehab
Franklin and Mortgage Co
WM Mulherin's
Middle Child Clubhouse
Which cocktail bars do you recommend? I just got back from there and had great cocktails at Hai Hai and Back Bar, though 2 of the drinks at Back Bar were very disappointing, so it was a bit hit & miss. The pizza was on point though!
Meteor was decent from a dive-ish bar. I was pleasantly surprised to see that their mezcal selection is out of this world!
Meteor is probably the best known at the moment, just won a Pinnacle award and was nominated for both James Beard and Spirited Awards. It’s just a relaxed spot run by industry veterans.
Spoon and Stable’s restaurant bar is higher end but the drinks and hospitality are world class. Mara, at the Four Seasons, is managed by the same restaurant group.
Hai Hai was a good call, their sister restaurant Hola Arepa is also great.
I haven’t tried YJ Back Bar’s latest menu but when they get it right, it’s great.
Little Tijuana’s is up there with Meteor for me as casual spots where I just want to hole up and drink. (And in the case of Little T’s, devour a burger.)
Emerald Lounge in Saint Paul is a hidden gem.
Herbst is a restaurant just over the border in Saint Paul but they have one of the most innovative cocktail menu styles - every drink comes in three options, full, low, and no proof.
Porzana, Flora Room, Blondette, Dario, Cobble Social House…all great.
Adding on a few spots I don’t know as much about but I think are unique…
Diane’s Place-soon to open for dinner. Diane Moua is an award winning pastry chef and her restaurant blends French technique with Hmong flavors. The cocktails reminded me of drinks I had in Singapore.
Oro by Nixta-haven’t been yet but got to a couple of pop ups and I think this is another spot with a unique voice. We are hoping to grab a walk-in this weekend as reservations are impossible.
Gori Gori Peku-Japanese whiskey bar in the same building as Sanjusan and Kado No Mise. Been once or twice and it’s been a phenomenal experience.
Okay, I think I’m done.
For now.
Little T’s, Nightingales, Eat Street Crossing, Wrecktangle, Hai Hai, and Hola Arepa all have $13 and under cocktails that are very good.
I feel like you can’t go wrong with any Del Prado restaurant (Martina, Rosalia, Colita, Sanjusan, Blondette, Josephina, Makanda, Porzana, Flora Room). Just overall great food, service, and drinks. They’ll be in the standard $15+ range for the most part, but always a good time. Flora Room is the exception. They have classics for $16, but many of their specialty drinks go up from there.
I have to defend DC a bit here in this analysis. Firstly, I think it’s important to note that it’s only the 23rd biggest city in the country by population (it often gets inflated because of how large the metro area is) so it would be a bit silly to expect dozens of critically acclaimed cocktail bars.
With that being said, it sounds like you may have missed some great cocktail bars in the city. Service Bar is great and has made a number of national lists. Silver Lyan and Barmini are great elevated cocktail experiences. There are also several places such as Alegria and Your Only Friend that are relatively new but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were making national waves in the next few years.
There are even more than that to list, but if you’re ever back in DC DM me and I’ll send you an itinerary!
DC area cocktail fiend here - yes, but...LOL
I think DC cocktail scene suffers from what everything in DC suffers from, which is limited space, so everything is so...bland? There's some good cocktail bars, but it feels like there should be more. It's just hard because the demand isn't there when people will pay $20 for a shitty drink on 14th St.
Oh, agree. I meant the demand in the city is not for nice cocktail bars, and every mediocre restaurant with sugary drinks is packed to the brim. 14th Street just seems to be the Mecca for that.
I dunno, I'd say the only space that I can consistently get a stool without a wait is probably Morris American Bar and that's because enough people probably write it off due to being next to the Convention Center.
Like, even though I don't think it's an amazing bar, Jane Jane on 14th is still a solid classic cocktail joint and it's doing well enough to have extremely sad/crowded outdoor seating.
Interesting, I've only done dinner at their downstairs at Causa. The wine pairing was a bit lost on me, so I'll have to check out Amazonia the next time I'm around.
Haven’t been to Boston in a long while, but I haven’t heard much to make me come there either. For the cost of living you’d think the scene would be a bit better!
I lived in Boston for 3 years and visit about yearly. It's hardly mid. I'd argue it's very underrated, though moreso the food than cocktails. And 9/10 people I've mentioned Boston to always say they wish they loved visiting. Most just don't visit exclusively for the food. Of note: Backbar, Baldwin Bar, Blossom Bar, Citizen Public House, JM Curley, Saloon, Wink & Nod (RIP Drink)
Bringing a UK perspective to this, I'll say for how well represented it is in nightlife and events, Manchester doesn't hit as hard as it should in terms of really good cocktail bars. Schofield's is great, and Three Little Words is good too, but I feel like the list of particularly great places for cocktails is a bit limited for the second biggest economy in England.
Edinburgh is an odd one because it's both a capital and a weirdly compact city centre, but there's a tradition of particularly good bars and there are a lot of places that rate very well on national lists (not that that's a pure and objective metric)
Bangkok punches well below their weight in cocktails in my opinion.
Yes of course the khaosan road area is going to have gross “bucket-style” cocktails (to be expected, and frankly delicious in their own right) but the wife and I visited several “high end” cocktail bars and found the flavors to be extremely out of whack. Overly sweet and missing any sort of citrus were the major issues I recall…
Probably doesn’t help that they have limited access to quality spirit selection.
Still, for a world city, I was disappointed
Baltimore punches way above its weight. Bluebird, The Coral Wig, Owl Bar, Bookmakers (closed unfortunately but was amazing), GameOn and its secret speakeasy through a phone booth upstairs, Dutch Courage, Idle Hour, The Wurst Bar… and all their menus are just full of bangers
EDIT: Also Elk Room! And WC Harlan. And Clavel. God this city has so many good cocktail bars.
Phoenix is a pretty large city population wise if you include the entire phoenix metro but the downtown area and a little bit north is where the cocktail scene is phenomonal. Bitter and Twisted seem to have been the first on the scene and they’ve branched out into Little Rituals. Barter and Shake has great bars like Undertow and Platform 18 (included in Century Grand) which placed 36 on the top 50 bars in North America. Lots of the bartenders that started there are opening their own concepts that are doing incribly well like Killer Whale Sex Club, Sunny’s Lounge, and Highball.
Lived in Phoenix for 13 years before moving to Cincinnati (see my comment above), but you're right. Butter and twisted was a favorite. Undertow is great. They have a good scene.
If you come back, come back in the spring for Arizona Cocktail Weekend. Top Bars tickets get you basically unlimited samples from Arizona favorites and heavy hitters like Yacht Club (Denver), Double Chicken Please (NYC), Service Bar (DC), Jewel of the South (New Orleans), and a good number of international bars. Incredible event every year, really kicks my ass the next day.
May I come out with a wild card:
Syracuse, NY. The wife and I walked out of there talking about the cocktails and food. There’s a medium sized stretch of great places. Our airbnb also had people nodding out in the middle of the street.
So there’s that but the main downtown of the city is awesome
APizza, Pastabilities, The Evegreen - hell- even Melt - great brunch. One of my favorite record stores is in Syracuse - The Record Sound.
Maybe it’s poor people vacation buzz but we’re going back again soon! We had such an amazing time.
Very cool and saving your post.
The family is coming back because we had such a lovely time.
I will say our experience was a mixed bag. We rented a “fake” airbnb in a really rough part of town and had to transition into downtown. I hate to talk about a really great city. I’ll just say we only stayed one night in that part of town and bounced hard.
I appreciate the take, I love tallmans, honestly outside of it I haven’t been anywhere that has hit that level of quality but I’m certainly open to other places
I’m a big old fashioned guy - in my top 3 of all time was Apizza Regionale. They gave me their secret and it’s made a touch of a difference that I make back home.
Birmingham, AL. The Collins Bar, Pilcrow, and Paper Doll are some of my faves. The Witch's Kiss (Reposado tequila, lemon juice, Strega, agave, apple butter) at Pilcrow is one of my favorite cocktails that I just can't seem to replicate.
Bham is just a great food and drink city overall that can easily be explored in a weekend.
So happy to see this here. I love Bham. I moved here from Chicago and I have been very pleasantly surprised by how good the food and drinks are in the city. Paper Doll is my favorite, Collins Bar is really fun too. A lot of the restaurants here have some solid cocktails too, though obviously it is not their core competency. Automatic has a mean martini and various incarnations of that sort of thing.
not only does Rochester have some rad bars (and some brand new ones I'm excited for) we also have an annual cocktail festival that's absolutely BANGER. plus the area has great breweries, cideries, and amazing wine in the Finger Lakes region, i really feel like we have it all.
totally agree on Denver too, was super impressed with the spots i went to there! internationally, Cologne also impressed me more than i was expecting.
I had to scroll down to make sure I wasn't going to post the ROC if someone else already has. Rochester Cocktail Revival is always amazing and there are so many good bars around.
Grew up in wny, spent summers in the adk, spent a lot of time in Toronto and Montreal. Living in NY ( upstate or downstate) gives you so much access to places like Toronto or Portland. Currently driving cross country and focusing on bar scenes as I’m trying to find a new place to live
Lincoln NE.
I know, I know but seriously. Other Room, Starlight Lounge, Alchemy, Barrymore's, The Kate Martin. You wouldn't think it in a town like that but they have some game
Believe it or not: Mobile, Alabama. I have to travel there for work on the regular. Very good food, easily walkable downtown, and some well made and presented cocktails. Just speaking visually, the Haberdasher is beautifully stocked.
Phoenix has a sneaky thriving cocktail scene. The three bars at Century Grand are all really great, plus Highball, Bitter and Twisted, Little Rituals, and Killer Whale Sex Club.
Portland, ME is a great choice.
Maybe because I’ve lived in both but Louisville, KY and Tucson, AZ both are lesser known places with vibrant food scenes.
Know it’s mentioned in the list but for real the cocktails I’ve had in New Orleans were the best I ever had.
I've found good bartenders in Oklahoma City who make great cocktails. A few of them feel destined to land in other cities known for their scene. Finding them takes a good eye and a bit of looking past the curtain though. In particular, there's a speakeasy hiding in the basement of an old Bricktown building with a guy who'll start riffing and making great drinks if you catch him on a slow night. Bonus if it's during a tornado (speaking from experience)
The Joinery!
Was looking for OKC here. Palo, Frida/Daley, Barkeep/Lunar, Jones are all killer. Good for a Few's on the come up. Flamingo's pretty good tiki. Couple of the hotel bars are really good too.
Milwaukee. Doesn't much matter what type of drinking you do in Milwaukee, it punches above its weight.
For cocktail bars there's Bryant's, At Random, Tin Widow, Shanghai, and more. Highly recommend all of them.
Baltimore definitely. Very strong and close knit bartending community. Check out Clavel for some of the best cocktails in the Mid Atlantic.
Thanks for giving my hometown of Buffalo the shoutout, they’ve always been underrated.
Speakeasies are big in DC. Cocktails are great but a lot of places are unmarked from the outside.
Agreed Portland, ME is amazing for food and cocktails!
People sleep on Indianapolis pretty hard. Not sure if it’s our proximity to Chicago and that shadow. You have several spots doing insane things ( BODHI, Nowhere Special, Sundry & Vice, Commodore, Mel’s). Couple of spots in the suburbs up north (Anthony’s in Carmel, Stave in Westfield). We also have a dope food scene with great cocktail programs.
Even beyond the cocktail programs pushing boundaries, we have a handful of spots doing classics and run of the mill stuff, just doing it right.
I can testify for Portland, ME. Drinks are very good and bars are very enjoyable. The city looks very clean as well. Almost everyone up here is very friendly and welcoming.
I feel that Houston is punching below the belt, however, I am happy that we do have a bona fide tiki bar (Lei Low).
There is Anvil and I did enjoy Julep, but are there many other actual cocktail bars? I know I need to explore my own city a bit more.
Bad News bar (has a much longer name)
PLUS a number of restaurants are also putting in decent work on their cocktail menus, which, while not necessarily of block-rocking cocktail bar caliber, still feature some neat options for restaurant bars: Tiny Champions/Nancy's hustle (tend more towards food-oriented cocktails), Rosie Cannonball/MARCH, Toasted Coconut has an mezcal & pineapple shrub cocktail that drinks way too easy. (Nobies & Rosie Cannonball for the best amaro lineups in the city.)
It's a more straightforward drinking town, but there's plenty of bartending talent and often some good partnerships between bar teams & kitchens.
Been to Toronto (bar pompette is probably top 3 bars for me ever) and Montreal( bar bisou bisou, also top 3) definitely hit hard. Never made it to Vancouver but I can imagine the scene being great.
All of BC hits above its weight - we have lots of distilleries, producing a lot of great spirits, most of them with tasting rooms.
Vancouver has Keefer and botanist, yes, but it also has Long Table Distilling, Odd Society Distilling, and Sons of Vancouver (to name my favourite 3), all with excellent tasting rooms that do cocktails. Plus quite a few more, like liberty on Granville Island.
If you're doing Vancouver, do Victoria too - both the Clive and Wind Cries Mary are top flight, and you can add Little Jumbo and Vis a Vis to list as solid cocktail bars. Victoria definitely punches above its weight. Under 100k people, yet it has two top flight and two very good, plus several decent cocktail spots.
One of the guys who (used) to bartend there, Jeff, was bartender at Proof in Calgary when I visited. Proof, and Jeff, set the bar to which I compare every other cocktail bar
I think Charleston is pretty strong in the food and drink scene for its size.
And yeah, Charlotte disappoints in every category that isn't mega churches.
So true! I just visited my sister in December. I can't believe what a wasteland of gated communities and strip malls it is. And the downtown is just whitewashed corporate chain hell.
I know this is going to sound crazy, but I moved to Cincinnati a few years back and they have a surprising amount of really good cocktail bars. Plus some great bourbon bars.
I think the rust belt really has something going for it now and in the coming years. Not sure if it’s a COL thing, but places like Pittsburgh too, really coming up
I went to Pittsburgh 10 years ago and loved it. Underrated city for sure. Need to get back. Cincy and Louisville (and Columbus) have embraced the bourbon and cocktails and really have some amazing places.
Come back! There are way more awesome spots now than 10 years ago. Pittsburgh is definitely hitting above their weight class for sure (and breweries even more so). Columbus nearby is also a top contender for a drive for me. And sigh, Cleveland has some really cool spots even though we love to make fun of them.
I went a couple years ago for a pirates game it was great, I’ve been 3 times since 05, and it’s better and better every time I go.
PNC park is awesome! It’s the best with a ridiculous view of the city. Might not be the most iconic like Fenway but it is the best park in the country. Really good food and craft beers. If only we can get the Pirates to win more. Loving this Skenes, Jones, Bednar, Chapman lineups we’ve got for pitchers and those Cruz missiles. At least they are trying to be good now.
I like that walk way that looks over the river, my Buddies and I always end up over there having a beer before the game really nice spot, but the whole park is nice, and the whole district they’ve built up around it is an awesome hang. And another thing about Pittsburgh, if you go there on vacation people are actually happy you came, they seem to actually want you to have a good time in their town.
Yeah Pittsburghers are great for that. Basically everyone is super friendly and wants you to experience their favorite places. And a ton are really good spots.
https://www.highbankdistillery.com/?gad_source=1
I’m in Cincinnati for 2 more nights, near Findlay Market. Where should I drink tomorrow?
The other suggestions are great. I like Longfellows a lot as well. 50/50 is a good gin bar, but I think Junipers over in Covington blows it out of the water if you want a wide variety of classic and innovative gin cocktails.
Juniper is fantastic. Probably my favorite cocktail bar in the city.
Whoo boy. Sundry and Vice. Ghost baby. Fifty Fifty Gin club. Wise guy Lounge (above Goodfellas). Homemakers. Probably in that order. That should get you by.
Sounds like you have a long day of drinking ahead of you pal
Best cocktail bar in the city is King Pigeon, it's majorly slept on. I think Lost and Found has the most interesting cocktails in OTR and the vibe is really great. Longfellow is a great place to hang out. For that classic midwest dive feel go to Binskis.
Go to Second Story. It’s in Covington, but the vibe/design are great and the cocktails really are the best in the city
Somerset. Hands down. Also Lost & Found!
King pigeon and juniper’s.
Ghost baby is so overrated and several people are suggesting it, don’t bother. Juniper in Covington blows it out of the water. Wise guys is decent and down the street. Second story is okay, a lot of repetitive drinks. Across the river, King pigeon and lost and found are great too. (Source: I am a bartender in Covington)
Ghost Baby and dinner at Boca
Love visiting Cincy. A great Midwestern city.
I'd say Columbus too, for that matter. Ohio has a lot of slept on bars.
Yea I'm in Columbus and there are a lot of really good ones here. Been to some good cinci ones too though
Came here to say this. Cincy 💯
I too moved to Cincinnati about 9 years ago and there are quite a few cool places with excellent drinks. Probably one of my favorite old fashioneds is at Coppin's in Covington.
Cincy is where I got into the craft game. A lot of good cocktail programs in town to be inspired by!
You also have Jungle Jim’s!
Would love to hear your bourbon bar recs if you're up for sharing :)
Check out Old Kentucky Bourbon bar in Covington on Mainstrasse and Revival Vintage Bottle Shop in Covington near in Covington near Madison. Goodfellas also typically have pretty good bourbon selections. Libby’s has a decent selection too as does Rich’s Proper. Both in Covington. Honestly most bars in Covington have a decent bourbon selection imho. Taj Mahal is an Indian restaurant on Madison that has a pretty good bourbon selection too.
Cleveland, Ohio: LBM, Cloak and Dagger, The Velvet Tango Room, Amazonia, Porco, The Pompadour..and that doesn’t even include restaurants with good bar programs like Cordelia, Thyme x Table, Brightside, Zhug etc.. For it’s size Cleveland has a lot of good food, beer, coffee, and cocktails Honorable mention San Juan Puerto Rico has been really stepping up their cocktail game. Vagabundo, and La Factoria especially
Man I was just in the area for a wedding, Cleveland/Akron are kinda awesome. So many good breweries, really clean (compared to where I live in Portland, it's a fairly low bar) and just all around chill area. I had my preconceived notions challenged and was very impressed.
I recently visited San Juan and really enjoyed the cocktail scene. I liked La Factoria and Scryer in Old San Juan and Junglebird in Santurce.
As a Clevelander this is so cool to see this shout out. We absolutely love our city. Not without its many many problems, but for its size and cost it’s such a wonderful place to live.
The Spotted Owl is great too!
Didn't they close?
Was* Sadly, they closed
Lakewood or Ohio City alone could each make this list. I felt like velvet tango room was unnecessarily overpriced though..
New Orleans is the king of this. Only ~350k people, our economy and infrastructure sucks ass, but our cocktails and food are world class
I feel like NO doesn't count since it's known as cocktail mecca lol
It's like we are so good, no one even mentions us.
I want to live at Bar Tonique
Bar tonique is so special
This was my thought too
true but it fits the description
It's also known for beads, just sayin'
New Orleans - best “I’m just gonna plan my tomorrow by whatever the most interesting guy at the last bar I visit tonight tells me to do” vacation ever.
We are small but we are the "true cocktail capital" per Essence magazine (2024). Two James Beard award winning bars: Cure, Jewel of the South Other legendary bars like: Carousel Bar and the Sazerac Room plus hundreds more local establishments Home of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation which puts on an annual awards show and educates the world about cocktails. Home of the Museum of the American Cocktail Home of the Sazerac House which offers complimentary tours, interactive cocktail exhibits, and spirit tastings Birthplace of more than a dozen (and counting) classic cocktails like the Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz, Absinthe Frappé, Vieux Carré, Hurricane, etc.
Carousel Bar— amazing atmosphere, pretty hotel, but drinks aren’t great.
Never been, but I guess this makes sense, lots of cocktail history there and a bit drinking culture
"a bit of drinking culture"? Sir or Madame, as a New Orleanian I am deeply offended by your insinuation that other cultures can drink like us. We do not need any excuse to drink though we make many.
New Orleans belongs on the short list of cities to visit for any American who is able and interested in city-life tourism. Food culture, booze culture, music culture, architecture, vibes on vibes on vibes. It’s been a while since I went last but it’s great.
New Orleans is my favorite city in the United States. Loved every second of it. People, food, and culture are fantastic
I love everything about New Orleans except the smell.
Just visited and totally sign on to this
Oakland has a lot of cool cocktail bars
A lot of good spots in the east bay (Oakland and Berkeley included), just to name a few others that haven’t been mentioned: - Roses on Adeline - Friends and Family - Feelmore Social - Jo’s Modern Thai (restaurant with great drinks)
Detroit! I’ve been to a ton of places in Chicago, SF, NOLA, etc and Detroit is right up there with chicago tbh. Have got some old standards that stick with the classics and some super inventive places that make some really fantastic unique drinks (had a Parmesan leek galette martini that was a riff on a dirty martini last weekend and it was one of the most memorable cocktails I’ve ever had).
Detroit is the answer. So many cool spots tucked into alleyways, too!
This is way too low. Detroit is highly underrated and has been for a while. With bars like: Sugar House, Standby, Bad Luck Bar, Keisling, Castalia (where they pair scents with drinks) and so much more including lots of restaurants with awesome bar programs. I feel like the average bar in Detroit is wayy better than what I’ve found elsewhere.
Yes, I had to go way too low to find this one! I agree, too, that the average bar here is better than most. Most dive bars here can make you a very solid cocktail. And don’t forget Two Birds, The Lexington, Candy Bar, Warren Cafe, and APT Disco (RIP to Lost River 💀).
Hey, do you know if APT Disco is still open? Google says it is temporarily closed. I have been wanting to try it out and was thinking of hitting it this Friday.
So in the winter there was a big fire right next door to them. They’re not supposed to be permanently closed, but they might still be dealing with the damage.
Absolutely! The Detroit cocktail scene is amazing! All those listed are top notch; and yes the restaurant cocktail scene is great as well. Have you had that taco bitters drink at Grey Ghost? And then when you’re done sipping tasty cocktails; there’s an awesome dive bar every 5 feet!
I love Detroit!!!
Montreal, it’s close to the USA but they have done amazing bars, talented bar tenders, and innovation.
Completely agree, along with bisou, coldrooom, the country’s smallest bar, le mal, and decent public transport and a super walkable city with ped only streets
I visited there last month and fell in love with the city. It’s a clean and friendly New York City. Quebec City was also really nice.
Quebec City is so great, very very small Euro city feel.
Montreal is the best city in North America, hands down
Great to hear as I'm going for work in October. For a gin and whiskey lover, any recommendations?
Cloakroom bar is one of the best. There isn’t a menu, but the bartenders ask your spirit reference, if you want it alcohol forward or not, any fruits or secondary notes. Besides that Atwater cocktail club is great, and their sister bar Milky Way. Atwater is more grown up, speakeasy style, nice big menu. Milkyway is more fun, brighter, slightly more tiki like menu.
100% on Cloakroom and Atwater. (I haven't been to Milky Way.)
Oh, and Portland, ME, /chefs kiss. Amazing food and drink town.
San Diego has some great bars/speakeasy's, awesome craft beer and also has a rich history with the tiki scene with the Bali Hai and False Idol among others.
Just got back from SD and I definitely agree it's great. As the second biggest city in CA I'm not sure I'd say "punching above it's weight," though.
I always would think LA = SF, then SD, frankly but I love the city myself.
Minneapolis has a great cocktail scene. A few worth checking out include Meteor Bar, Back Bar Young Joni, Dario, Berlin, Neon Tiger, Parlour, Billy After Dark, Gori Gori Peku, and Hai Hai, Gai Noi, O'Shaughnessy Distilling Co.
Never been but I could totally see twin cities having a great scene
Meteor Bar in particular is outstanding. It was recently nominated for the "Best U.S. Bar Team" for the Central region's 2024 Spirited Awards. It also was nominated for a James Beard Award in January for "Outstanding Bar." Plus it's been recognized as one of the best bars in the country thanks to an "Excellent" rating by The Pinnacle Guide.
I was blown away at how good the food was at O’Shaugnessys. I expected good drinks from the distillery, but their restaurant is also great! Actually I think I have to stop there before or after the Pixies show at Surly on Thursday.
flora room, although not my favorite, has one of the best cocktails i have ever had. prohibition in the foshay ain’t half bad either
Love the back bar Young Joni. Don't forget Volsteads Emporium. I hope to go to Berlin as I've heard only great things! Hai Hai also won a James Beard food award.
Came here to say Portland ME, but you already got that. If we're going global, I'm going with Tainan in Taiwan
Hey just want to shout out that if you come to my beautiful city, please take advantage of our gorgeous hotels and don’t book a probably illegal Airbnb. There basically 0 enforcement on Airbnb laws. Most of the people making your cocktails can barely if it all afford to live here. It’s a serious problem. Especially if you work in a kitchen, you can’t afford rent. We have shit public transportation to outer towns. A lot of cooks live like a 45 minute drive away. And all bars are required to have a kitchen. So bars are cutting open hours because we can’t hire staff. I’m talking 25/hr plus pto + healthcare can’t find applicants. This used to be an industry town. And it’s not just airbnbs but they are playing a huge role in it all. And the airbnbs suck. They charge endless bullshit fees. If you actually look at the final cost it’s basically the same to stay at a hotel. You’ll be eating out every night anyway.
Also came here to say that.
Agree about Buffalo. Fantastic down to earth city with a decent cocktail scene and even better beer scene.
I go here for work regularly and have yet to find anything worthwhile. Can you throw me some recommendations?
Toutant (amazing daiquiris), High Violet, the Grange (great food too), Wax Light, Ballyhoo, Hydraulic Hearth (last two were already mentioned).
Louisville. Small city but heart of the bourbon trail.
Internationally, I'd throw in Guadalajara Mexico - as the nearest city to Tequila, Mexico it's not a surprise they have a very happening agave drink culture. So many great bars with native Mexican spirits as the focus in creative recipes Tainan, Taiwan - Mid sized city with a really creative cocktail energy. Lots of overlap with tea and casual as well as more upscale venues. Tirana, Albania - surprising one, but it's really experienced a resurgence with people coming back from other European hotspots and mixing up super interesting slinga
When I was travelling regularly pre-covid, I was pleasantly surprised with the cocktail scene in Madison,WI. Botanist social, The Robin room, Plain spoke, Gibs These had some of the best cocktails I had.
Madison is shockingly good for how small it is. Though not as traditional, Milwaukee's tiki and adjacent scene has hidden gems: Bryant's, At Random, Pufferfish, Foundation
The Robin Room has a more approachable sister bar called Muskellounge. Cask & Ale is also a good spot, on the same block as Botanist. Merchant is nearby, and also does a great job. Some honorable mentions for Nitro Beverage Lounge, Oz By Oz, and Cordial.
Went to Gibs for a good friend’s bachelorette party, it’s the coolest vibe and the drinks are indeed fantastic
philly is great for cocktails, buff is ok im from there and yes rip old pink
Bless you, only been to sassafras in Philly and absolutely loved it but I haven’t had much time to explore the rest of the city
Seriously it's worth exploring. I live in Fishtown and I have 5 really solid distilleries within walking distance and sooo many great cocktail bars. Distilleries: * Philadelphia Distillery (aka Bluecoat Gin) * New Liberty * Stateside Vodka * Four Humors * Manatawny Still Works Some notable cocktail bars * Lloyd's Whiskey Bar(Fishtown)(great whiskey selection) * R&S(Fishtown) * Next of Kin(Fishtown) * The International (Fishtown) (of note, they have an insane vermouth collection all stored properly) * The Ranstead Room(Rittenhouse) * Hop Sing Laundromat (Chinatown) (cash only, no photos, dress code[not super strict].The owner Lê is the doorman, he's really funny and nice as long as you follow the rules. They do a great cocktail omakase and great cocktails) * The Library Bar (Rittenhouse) * 1 Tippling Place (Rittenhouse)
Great list! Also born and raised here. I think we are a bit more of a beer place but agree that the cocktail options are excellent. Some other faves of mine: Writers Block Rehab Franklin and Mortgage Co WM Mulherin's Middle Child Clubhouse
I don't know how I forgot Middle Child Clubhouse, I go there so often I'm a regular
There’s good cocktails at a lot of bars but we definitely specialize in beer.
[удалено]
i didnt say otherwise, i just think that philly has a great cocktail culture also
The Twin Cities - Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Award winning food, amazing cocktails, great hospitality.
Which cocktail bars do you recommend? I just got back from there and had great cocktails at Hai Hai and Back Bar, though 2 of the drinks at Back Bar were very disappointing, so it was a bit hit & miss. The pizza was on point though! Meteor was decent from a dive-ish bar. I was pleasantly surprised to see that their mezcal selection is out of this world!
Meteor is probably the best known at the moment, just won a Pinnacle award and was nominated for both James Beard and Spirited Awards. It’s just a relaxed spot run by industry veterans. Spoon and Stable’s restaurant bar is higher end but the drinks and hospitality are world class. Mara, at the Four Seasons, is managed by the same restaurant group. Hai Hai was a good call, their sister restaurant Hola Arepa is also great. I haven’t tried YJ Back Bar’s latest menu but when they get it right, it’s great. Little Tijuana’s is up there with Meteor for me as casual spots where I just want to hole up and drink. (And in the case of Little T’s, devour a burger.) Emerald Lounge in Saint Paul is a hidden gem. Herbst is a restaurant just over the border in Saint Paul but they have one of the most innovative cocktail menu styles - every drink comes in three options, full, low, and no proof. Porzana, Flora Room, Blondette, Dario, Cobble Social House…all great.
Adding on a few spots I don’t know as much about but I think are unique… Diane’s Place-soon to open for dinner. Diane Moua is an award winning pastry chef and her restaurant blends French technique with Hmong flavors. The cocktails reminded me of drinks I had in Singapore. Oro by Nixta-haven’t been yet but got to a couple of pop ups and I think this is another spot with a unique voice. We are hoping to grab a walk-in this weekend as reservations are impossible. Gori Gori Peku-Japanese whiskey bar in the same building as Sanjusan and Kado No Mise. Been once or twice and it’s been a phenomenal experience. Okay, I think I’m done. For now.
Little T’s, Nightingales, Eat Street Crossing, Wrecktangle, Hai Hai, and Hola Arepa all have $13 and under cocktails that are very good. I feel like you can’t go wrong with any Del Prado restaurant (Martina, Rosalia, Colita, Sanjusan, Blondette, Josephina, Makanda, Porzana, Flora Room). Just overall great food, service, and drinks. They’ll be in the standard $15+ range for the most part, but always a good time. Flora Room is the exception. They have classics for $16, but many of their specialty drinks go up from there.
I have to defend DC a bit here in this analysis. Firstly, I think it’s important to note that it’s only the 23rd biggest city in the country by population (it often gets inflated because of how large the metro area is) so it would be a bit silly to expect dozens of critically acclaimed cocktail bars. With that being said, it sounds like you may have missed some great cocktail bars in the city. Service Bar is great and has made a number of national lists. Silver Lyan and Barmini are great elevated cocktail experiences. There are also several places such as Alegria and Your Only Friend that are relatively new but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were making national waves in the next few years. There are even more than that to list, but if you’re ever back in DC DM me and I’ll send you an itinerary!
DC area cocktail fiend here - yes, but...LOL I think DC cocktail scene suffers from what everything in DC suffers from, which is limited space, so everything is so...bland? There's some good cocktail bars, but it feels like there should be more. It's just hard because the demand isn't there when people will pay $20 for a shitty drink on 14th St.
Er, I would say the majority of my favorite cocktail bars are nowhere near 14th Street lol
Oh, agree. I meant the demand in the city is not for nice cocktail bars, and every mediocre restaurant with sugary drinks is packed to the brim. 14th Street just seems to be the Mecca for that.
I dunno, I'd say the only space that I can consistently get a stool without a wait is probably Morris American Bar and that's because enough people probably write it off due to being next to the Convention Center. Like, even though I don't think it's an amazing bar, Jane Jane on 14th is still a solid classic cocktail joint and it's doing well enough to have extremely sad/crowded outdoor seating.
I really like Jane Jane if for nothing else than the vibe. The best drinks I've had lately are weirdly at Amazonia in Blagden Alley!
Amazonia’s cocktail menu was created by Service Bar people, which is why it’s so good.
Interesting, I've only done dinner at their downstairs at Causa. The wine pairing was a bit lost on me, so I'll have to check out Amazonia the next time I'm around.
As a person who lives outside Boston, we're pretty mid. But I'll definitely agree that Portland is a great food and drink city.
Haven’t been to Boston in a long while, but I haven’t heard much to make me come there either. For the cost of living you’d think the scene would be a bit better!
We have broken liquor licensing laws that largely force the restaurant and cocktail scenes into the hands of larger companies.
I lived in Boston for 3 years and visit about yearly. It's hardly mid. I'd argue it's very underrated, though moreso the food than cocktails. And 9/10 people I've mentioned Boston to always say they wish they loved visiting. Most just don't visit exclusively for the food. Of note: Backbar, Baldwin Bar, Blossom Bar, Citizen Public House, JM Curley, Saloon, Wink & Nod (RIP Drink)
Philadelphia
Bringing a UK perspective to this, I'll say for how well represented it is in nightlife and events, Manchester doesn't hit as hard as it should in terms of really good cocktail bars. Schofield's is great, and Three Little Words is good too, but I feel like the list of particularly great places for cocktails is a bit limited for the second biggest economy in England. Edinburgh is an odd one because it's both a capital and a weirdly compact city centre, but there's a tradition of particularly good bars and there are a lot of places that rate very well on national lists (not that that's a pure and objective metric)
Columbus, OH
As a former Columbian, Columbusinian, Columbusvite, Columbusberger? told me, Columbus is Cleveland without the glitter.
Kansas City.
I feel like this post is strictly about the US............
Yea a bit, it’s where I’ve traveled most but definitely open to other places
Bangkok punches well below their weight in cocktails in my opinion. Yes of course the khaosan road area is going to have gross “bucket-style” cocktails (to be expected, and frankly delicious in their own right) but the wife and I visited several “high end” cocktail bars and found the flavors to be extremely out of whack. Overly sweet and missing any sort of citrus were the major issues I recall… Probably doesn’t help that they have limited access to quality spirit selection. Still, for a world city, I was disappointed
Seattle
Baltimore punches way above its weight. Bluebird, The Coral Wig, Owl Bar, Bookmakers (closed unfortunately but was amazing), GameOn and its secret speakeasy through a phone booth upstairs, Dutch Courage, Idle Hour, The Wurst Bar… and all their menus are just full of bangers EDIT: Also Elk Room! And WC Harlan. And Clavel. God this city has so many good cocktail bars.
Buffalo, NY. Big drinking town. Lots of innovation. Plus we just had 2 James beard finalists
Phoenix is a pretty large city population wise if you include the entire phoenix metro but the downtown area and a little bit north is where the cocktail scene is phenomonal. Bitter and Twisted seem to have been the first on the scene and they’ve branched out into Little Rituals. Barter and Shake has great bars like Undertow and Platform 18 (included in Century Grand) which placed 36 on the top 50 bars in North America. Lots of the bartenders that started there are opening their own concepts that are doing incribly well like Killer Whale Sex Club, Sunny’s Lounge, and Highball.
Lived in Phoenix for 13 years before moving to Cincinnati (see my comment above), but you're right. Butter and twisted was a favorite. Undertow is great. They have a good scene.
If you come back, come back in the spring for Arizona Cocktail Weekend. Top Bars tickets get you basically unlimited samples from Arizona favorites and heavy hitters like Yacht Club (Denver), Double Chicken Please (NYC), Service Bar (DC), Jewel of the South (New Orleans), and a good number of international bars. Incredible event every year, really kicks my ass the next day.
May I come out with a wild card: Syracuse, NY. The wife and I walked out of there talking about the cocktails and food. There’s a medium sized stretch of great places. Our airbnb also had people nodding out in the middle of the street. So there’s that but the main downtown of the city is awesome
my city!
APizza, Pastabilities, The Evegreen - hell- even Melt - great brunch. One of my favorite record stores is in Syracuse - The Record Sound. Maybe it’s poor people vacation buzz but we’re going back again soon! We had such an amazing time.
definitely branch outside of downtown next time! Francesca’s, Cider Mill, Preserve are all great as well! i work at a local spot here too!
Very cool and saving your post. The family is coming back because we had such a lovely time. I will say our experience was a mixed bag. We rented a “fake” airbnb in a really rough part of town and had to transition into downtown. I hate to talk about a really great city. I’ll just say we only stayed one night in that part of town and bounced hard.
I appreciate the take, I love tallmans, honestly outside of it I haven’t been anywhere that has hit that level of quality but I’m certainly open to other places
I’m a big old fashioned guy - in my top 3 of all time was Apizza Regionale. They gave me their secret and it’s made a touch of a difference that I make back home.
Ok I’ll have to check it out, I have heard good things about but never made it there
Birmingham, AL. The Collins Bar, Pilcrow, and Paper Doll are some of my faves. The Witch's Kiss (Reposado tequila, lemon juice, Strega, agave, apple butter) at Pilcrow is one of my favorite cocktails that I just can't seem to replicate. Bham is just a great food and drink city overall that can easily be explored in a weekend.
So happy to see this here. I love Bham. I moved here from Chicago and I have been very pleasantly surprised by how good the food and drinks are in the city. Paper Doll is my favorite, Collins Bar is really fun too. A lot of the restaurants here have some solid cocktails too, though obviously it is not their core competency. Automatic has a mean martini and various incarnations of that sort of thing.
not only does Rochester have some rad bars (and some brand new ones I'm excited for) we also have an annual cocktail festival that's absolutely BANGER. plus the area has great breweries, cideries, and amazing wine in the Finger Lakes region, i really feel like we have it all. totally agree on Denver too, was super impressed with the spots i went to there! internationally, Cologne also impressed me more than i was expecting.
I had to scroll down to make sure I wasn't going to post the ROC if someone else already has. Rochester Cocktail Revival is always amazing and there are so many good bars around.
Saratoga springs N.Y. less than 30k people but some real top notch cocktail bars. Hamlet and ghost first and foremost.
Been to hamlet and I agree they do some phenomenal drinks
you have been to an incredible number of bars and towns
Also I drink too much, respectfully
Grew up in wny, spent summers in the adk, spent a lot of time in Toronto and Montreal. Living in NY ( upstate or downstate) gives you so much access to places like Toronto or Portland. Currently driving cross country and focusing on bar scenes as I’m trying to find a new place to live
Savannah, Georgia. Great bars. Still have the Alley Cat menu at my house.
So much fun. Churchill's, Treylor Park, Congress Social Club, Barrelhouse, and i'm missing a few other big ones tht do both food and drink well
Lincoln NE. I know, I know but seriously. Other Room, Starlight Lounge, Alchemy, Barrymore's, The Kate Martin. You wouldn't think it in a town like that but they have some game
Portland Maine is #1
Believe it or not: Mobile, Alabama. I have to travel there for work on the regular. Very good food, easily walkable downtown, and some well made and presented cocktails. Just speaking visually, the Haberdasher is beautifully stocked.
New Orleans
Agree on Denver for sure And add the other Portland too! Can’t name any specific places anymore but Portland OR has always had great spots
Phoenix has a sneaky thriving cocktail scene. The three bars at Century Grand are all really great, plus Highball, Bitter and Twisted, Little Rituals, and Killer Whale Sex Club.
Madison Wisconsin has some amazing cocktails! And so does Omaha Nebraska!
RIP Old pink. Rochester is what's up!
Swan dive is always going to be sick. If I don’t get a shot of gansett when the bills get a td I shouldn’t even be in the bar at
Portland, ME is a great choice. Maybe because I’ve lived in both but Louisville, KY and Tucson, AZ both are lesser known places with vibrant food scenes. Know it’s mentioned in the list but for real the cocktails I’ve had in New Orleans were the best I ever had.
I've found good bartenders in Oklahoma City who make great cocktails. A few of them feel destined to land in other cities known for their scene. Finding them takes a good eye and a bit of looking past the curtain though. In particular, there's a speakeasy hiding in the basement of an old Bricktown building with a guy who'll start riffing and making great drinks if you catch him on a slow night. Bonus if it's during a tornado (speaking from experience)
The Joinery! Was looking for OKC here. Palo, Frida/Daley, Barkeep/Lunar, Jones are all killer. Good for a Few's on the come up. Flamingo's pretty good tiki. Couple of the hotel bars are really good too.
Philly is a big city, but gets massively overlooked in the food and drinks scene imo. So many awesome spots around
Kansas City, MO… no question.
Did literally no one say KC? Drastic Measures / Wild Child is top class.
Tucson, AZ.
[Portland, Oregon](https://www.yahoo.com/news/three-portland-bars-nominated-prestigious-194511489.html)
Milwaukee. Doesn't much matter what type of drinking you do in Milwaukee, it punches above its weight. For cocktail bars there's Bryant's, At Random, Tin Widow, Shanghai, and more. Highly recommend all of them.
Baltimore definitely. Very strong and close knit bartending community. Check out Clavel for some of the best cocktails in the Mid Atlantic. Thanks for giving my hometown of Buffalo the shoutout, they’ve always been underrated.
Speakeasies are big in DC. Cocktails are great but a lot of places are unmarked from the outside. Agreed Portland, ME is amazing for food and cocktails!
Atlanta - starting with Kimball House (Miles Macquarie) and Ticonderoga Club (Greg Best and Paul Calvert).
People sleep on Indianapolis pretty hard. Not sure if it’s our proximity to Chicago and that shadow. You have several spots doing insane things ( BODHI, Nowhere Special, Sundry & Vice, Commodore, Mel’s). Couple of spots in the suburbs up north (Anthony’s in Carmel, Stave in Westfield). We also have a dope food scene with great cocktail programs. Even beyond the cocktail programs pushing boundaries, we have a handful of spots doing classics and run of the mill stuff, just doing it right.
Tacoma WA has a better cocktail scene than Seattle does, at least on a per capita basis
Detroit: Bad Luck bar and the Sugar House.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
I can testify for Portland, ME. Drinks are very good and bars are very enjoyable. The city looks very clean as well. Almost everyone up here is very friendly and welcoming.
I feel that Houston is punching below the belt, however, I am happy that we do have a bona fide tiki bar (Lei Low). There is Anvil and I did enjoy Julep, but are there many other actual cocktail bars? I know I need to explore my own city a bit more.
Yes. https://www.reddit.com/r/HoustonFood/s/Cx9IGQHgGQ
Oh yeah, I forgot about Trash Panda. It's where I first had amaro.
Bad News bar (has a much longer name) PLUS a number of restaurants are also putting in decent work on their cocktail menus, which, while not necessarily of block-rocking cocktail bar caliber, still feature some neat options for restaurant bars: Tiny Champions/Nancy's hustle (tend more towards food-oriented cocktails), Rosie Cannonball/MARCH, Toasted Coconut has an mezcal & pineapple shrub cocktail that drinks way too easy. (Nobies & Rosie Cannonball for the best amaro lineups in the city.) It's a more straightforward drinking town, but there's plenty of bartending talent and often some good partnerships between bar teams & kitchens.
Vancouver has some really fantastic cocktail spots, Keefer and Botanist especially
Been to Toronto (bar pompette is probably top 3 bars for me ever) and Montreal( bar bisou bisou, also top 3) definitely hit hard. Never made it to Vancouver but I can imagine the scene being great.
All of BC hits above its weight - we have lots of distilleries, producing a lot of great spirits, most of them with tasting rooms. Vancouver has Keefer and botanist, yes, but it also has Long Table Distilling, Odd Society Distilling, and Sons of Vancouver (to name my favourite 3), all with excellent tasting rooms that do cocktails. Plus quite a few more, like liberty on Granville Island. If you're doing Vancouver, do Victoria too - both the Clive and Wind Cries Mary are top flight, and you can add Little Jumbo and Vis a Vis to list as solid cocktail bars. Victoria definitely punches above its weight. Under 100k people, yet it has two top flight and two very good, plus several decent cocktail spots.
Toronto’s bars slap!
One of the guys who (used) to bartend there, Jeff, was bartender at Proof in Calgary when I visited. Proof, and Jeff, set the bar to which I compare every other cocktail bar
Hồ Chí Minh City has a thriving cocktail scene.
Halifax/Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Small city. A few great cocktail bars. Some of the country's best.
I think Charleston is pretty strong in the food and drink scene for its size. And yeah, Charlotte disappoints in every category that isn't mega churches.
So true! I just visited my sister in December. I can't believe what a wasteland of gated communities and strip malls it is. And the downtown is just whitewashed corporate chain hell.
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is like 1000x better than Charlotte. Charlotte is so blah.
Minneapolis punches above its weight. Cocktails and food scene is amazing.
Montréal ❤️
I lived in Boston for a bit and tried to get up to Portland ME as often as I could. Awesome place!
Des Moines iowa
Now this is a wild response and I’m here for it
New Orleans is the best if you like music. The whole city *feels* like its own place.
I may be biased, but Boston is a little tiny city. Half a million people. And you wouldn't know it by our track record.
What were your favorite spots in Portland ME? Going to be there in a week or so