Travel 24 of the Best Cocktail Bars in the U.S. By Food & Wine Editors Updated on March 13, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: © Eric Medsker Here, beautiful destination cocktail bars from the country's best mixologists. 01 of 24 Harlowe (Los Angeles) © Danielle Bernabe The vintage fixtures and classic cocktails at Harlowe are reminiscent of bars from Hollywood's golden age. Star mixologist Dushan Zaric of Employees Only in New York City designed the cocktail program, which includes drinks like the vodka-based Clementine, with Aperol, lemon, and mandarin puree. 02 of 24 Good Bar (Seattle) © Suzi Pratt The menu at smart, stylish Good Bar in the former Japanese Commercial Bank ranges from classic riffs (like the Darker Stormy, tweaked with a ginger-stout reduction) to the unexpected (the Axl Brose, with Scotch, Drambuie, honey, oatmeal cream, nutmeg, and egg yolk). 03 of 24 The Chestnut Club (Los Angeles) © Raul Yrastorza The elaborate drinks at The Chestnut Club, a dimly lit, industrial-chic lounge, are supplemented by Spanish-style gin-and-tonic variations. One such iteration is the Café Paloma, with tequila, Aperol, grapefruit, and lime. 04 of 24 Clover Club (New York City) Courtesy of The Clover Club Named after a pre-Prohibition men's club, Brooklyn's Clover Club is a stylish spot for classic cocktails co-owned by Julie Reiner of Manhattan's renowned Flatiron Lounge. 05 of 24 Teardrop Cocktail Lounge (Portland, Oregon) Courtesy of Teardrop Lounge The bartenders at Teardrop's circular bar make their own tonic water and specialty liqueurs for drinks like the Devil You Know (green Chartreuse, Amaro Nonino, Dolin Blanc vermouth, and lime juice shaken with an egg white). 06 of 24 Rob Roy (Seattle) You can order Anu Apte's Ginger Persuasion or Zane Harris' Aster Family Sour at Rob Roy, Seattle's cool, 1970s-inspired cocktail den. 07 of 24 Tavern Law (Seattle) © Kristin Zwiers for McCracken Tough From the duo behind the gastropub Spur, Tavern Law has classic cocktails, lots of whiskeys, and fancy bar snacks like foie gras terrine. Through a heavy vault door is Needle & Thread, an upstairs bar where drinks are custom-made. 08 of 24 Cure (New Orleans) Randy Schmidt Bartenders at Cure use droppers to add housemade tinctures to their cocktails, which are served alongside tasty dishes like a cotija-crusted confit chicken. 09 of 24 Comstock Saloon (San Francisco) © Tina Rupp Star bartenders Jonny Raglin and Jeff Hollinger run San Francisco's 1900s-style bar Comstock Saloon, where they serve period-appropriate cocktails and snacks like whiskey-cured gravlax on rye toast with dill sour cream. 10 of 24 Anvil Bar (Houston) Courtesy of Anvil Bar Two devotees of old-school cocktails serve flips, brambles, bucks, and sours and host monthly themed cocktail classes at Houston's Anvil Bar in an old Bridgestone-Firestone tire shop. 11 of 24 Downtown Cocktail Room (Las Vegas) Courtesy of Downtown Cocktail Room This spacious and subdued lounge in a renovated wedding chapel in Las Vegas is marked by a tiny sign. Inside Downtown Cocktail Room are cool drinks like the Cat's Pajamas: gin, Campari, orange juice, Chartreuse, and maple syrup. 12 of 24 The Patterson House (Nashville) Courtesy of The Patterson House Toby Maloney designed the drink menu at The Patterson House, a Nashville cocktail den named for the Tennessee governor who vetoed the return of statewide Prohibition in 1909. 13 of 24 Pour Vous (Los Angeles) © Manufactur Concept The sumptuous drinks menu at Parisian-themed lounge Par Vous is divided into sections such as Parfum, Potion, and Santé. The dress code encourages "cocktail attire," i.e., no baseball caps or flip-flops. 14 of 24 Broken Shaker (Miami) © Adrian Gaut The poolside lounge at the Freehand Miami hostel, Broken Shaker serves refreshing cocktails made with homemade syrups and garden herbs from the creative mixology duo Gabriel Orta and Elad Zvi. 15 of 24 Eat Street Social (Minneapolis) © Todd Andrew Gross Ira Koplowitz and Nicholas Kosevich, founders of Bittercube artisanal bitters, create drinks at Eat Street Social like Of the Older Fashioned using a trio of their own bitters: Cherry Bark Vanilla, Orange, and Bolivar. 16 of 24 Arnaud's French 75 Bar (New Orleans) © Wendell T. Webber Chris Hannah manned the bar at this dapper, cigar-friendly spot inside Arnaud's, one of New Orleans' oldest and most venerated restaurants, for 14 years. It won the 2017 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. 17 of 24 The Baldwin Bar (Boston) © Raul Zelaya Ran Duan serves singular cocktails at his Baldwin Bar in the Sichuan Garden II restaurant inside the 17th-century Baldwin Mansion. Upstairs at the mansion is a library-style lounge where Duan mixes stiff drinks like Rock Beats Scissors, with rye, Cynar, China-China liqueur, and clove bitters. 18 of 24 Bar Goto (New York City) © Daniel Krieger At his tiny, refined izakaya, Kenta Goto gives cocktails a Japanese spin, such as the elegant Sakura Martini, garnished with a cherry blossom. The complex drinks are excellent with Bar Goto's thoughtful small plates, among them pan-sized okonomiyaki (savory pancakes). 19 of 24 Minero (Charleston) © Andrew Celbulka The decidedly Mexican-inspired cocktail menu has the requisite margarita and sangria, but also less expected creations like El Espectro: rum, chile, pineapple, and lemon oleo-saccharum. All drinks pair well with Minero's stellar tacos. 20 of 24 Constantine (Minneapolis) © James Kruger Landmark Photography Stained glass and 160 candles give this subterranean bar a dramatic look, and Constantine's cocktails embrace the theatrical, too. Barman turned consultant Jesse Held focused on novelty when designing the drinks menu, experimenting with infusions and even creating an "ice program" with different styles and flavors. 21 of 24 The Roosevelt Room (Austin, Texas) Marc Swendner The drinks at The Roosevelt Room, a sleek yet relaxed lounge, are impressive with a touch of whimsy. Do You Even Lift?, reminiscent of a root beer float, is a complex, nostalgic mix of rum, coffee liqueur, orgeat, cream, root beer, cayenne, and cinnamon. 22 of 24 Julep (Houston) © Julie Soefer Celebrating the cocktail culture of the South, mixologist and owner Alba Huerta specializes in classics as well as thoughtful riffs, such as the namesake mint julep and a gin-based Oregano Cobbler with sherry gum syrup. Julep won the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. 23 of 24 Wright & Co. (Detroit) © Sal Rodriguez The centerpiece of this restaurant, built in a ballroom–turned–jewelry shop, is the endless white marble bar top. Wright & Co. craft cocktails include the tequila-based Pear Trap, with pear brandy, salted pear syrup, and Zucca amaro. 24 of 24 Victoria Bar (Portland, Oregon) © Dylan Long There's a healthy dose of kitsch on the menu at Portland's polished cocktail joint Victoria Bar. Princess Bride—themed cocktails include The Six Fingered Man (a mix of rum, orange curaçao, orgeat, IPA, lemon) and Inigo Montoya (tequila, cardamaro, ginger, lime, cardamom bitters). Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit