The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (2024)

Here, beautiful destination co*cktail bars from the country's best mixologists.

01of 24

Harlowe (Los Angeles)

The vintage fixtures and classic co*cktails at Harlowe are reminiscent of bars from Hollywood's golden age. Star mixologist Dushan Zaric of Employees Only in New York City designed the co*cktail program, which includes drinks like the vodka-based Clementine, with Aperol, lemon, and mandarin puree.

02of 24

Good Bar (Seattle)

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).

03of 24

The Chestnut Club (Los Angeles)

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.

04of 24

Clover Club (New York City)

Named after a pre-Prohibition men's club, Brooklyn's Clover Club is a stylish spot for classic co*cktails co-owned by Julie Reiner of Manhattan's renowned Flatiron Lounge.

05of 24

Teardrop co*cktail Lounge (Portland, Oregon)

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).

06of 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 co*cktail den.

07of 24

Tavern Law (Seattle)

From the duo behind the gastropub Spur, Tavern Law has classic co*cktails, 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.

08of 24

Cure (New Orleans)

Bartenders at Cure use droppers to add housemade tinctures to their co*cktails, which are served alongside tasty dishes like a cotija-crusted confit chicken.

09of 24

Comstock Saloon (San Francisco)

Star bartenders Jonny Raglin and Jeff Hollinger run San Francisco's 1900s-style bar Comstock Saloon, where they serve period-appropriate co*cktails and snacks like whiskey-cured gravlax on rye toast with dill sour cream.

10of 24

Anvil Bar (Houston)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (10)

Two devotees of old-school co*cktails serve flips, brambles, bucks, and sours and host monthly themed co*cktail classes at Houston's Anvil Bar in an old Bridgestone-Firestone tire shop.

11of 24

Downtown co*cktail Room (Las Vegas)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (11)

This spacious and subdued lounge in a renovated wedding chapel in Las Vegas is marked by a tiny sign. Inside Downtown co*cktail Room are cool drinks like the Cat's Pajamas: gin, Campari, orange juice, Chartreuse, and maple syrup.

12of 24

The Patterson House (Nashville)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (12)

Toby Maloney designed the drink menu at The Patterson House, a Nashville co*cktail den named for the Tennessee governor who vetoed the return of statewide Prohibition in 1909.

13of 24

Pour Vous (Los Angeles)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (13)

The sumptuous drinks menu at Parisian-themed lounge Par Vous is divided into sections such as Parfum, Potion, and Santé. The dress code encourages "co*cktail attire," i.e., no baseball caps or flip-flops.

14of 24

Broken Shaker (Miami)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (14)

The poolside lounge at the Freehand Miami hostel, Broken Shaker serves refreshing co*cktails made with homemade syrups and garden herbs from the creative mixology duo Gabriel Orta and Elad Zvi.

15of 24

Eat Street Social (Minneapolis)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (15)

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.

16of 24

Arnaud's French 75 Bar (New Orleans)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (16)

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.

17of 24

The Baldwin Bar (Boston)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (17)

Ran Duan serves singular co*cktails 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.

18of 24

Bar Goto (New York City)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (18)

At his tiny, refined izakaya, Kenta Goto gives co*cktails 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).

19of 24

Minero (Charleston)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (19)

The decidedly Mexican-inspired co*cktail 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.

20of 24

Constantine (Minneapolis)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (20)

Stained glass and 160 candles give this subterranean bar a dramatic look, and Constantine's co*cktails 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.

21of 24

The Roosevelt Room (Austin, Texas)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (21)

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.

22of 24

Julep (Houston)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (22)

Celebrating the co*cktail 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.

23of 24

Wright & Co. (Detroit)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (23)

The centerpiece of this restaurant, built in a ballroom–turned–jewelry shop, is the endless white marble bar top. Wright & Co. craft co*cktails include the tequila-based Pear Trap, with pear brandy, salted pear syrup, and Zucca amaro.

24of 24

Victoria Bar (Portland, Oregon)

The Best co*cktail Bars in the U.S. (24)

There's a healthy dose of kitsch on the menu at Portland's polished co*cktail joint Victoria Bar. Princess Bride—themed co*cktails include The Six Fingered Man (a mix of rum, orange curaçao, orgeat, IPA, lemon) and Inigo Montoya (tequila, cardamaro, ginger, lime, cardamom bitters).