BackThe 25 must-try cocktails around the world
A selection that will ensure you find a memorable place to have a drink in just about any city in the world
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Whether you consider yourself a martini man or prefer an Old-Fashioned, there’s a good chance that no matter where you are travelling, you’ll be able to find a memorable place to have a drink in just about any city in the world Sometimes the atmosphere of a place can turn a good drink into a great one—and sometimes the quality of drink transcends its environment. In the case of the 25 cocktails here, we found both: a great drink in a great bar. Some of them are classic destinations, some are hidden-away hot spots. The only rule? Don’t order a beer.
Amsterdam
Be Kind Unwind at Door 74
A twist on the Martinez—a sweeter, maraschino-cherry-inflected precursor to the martini—made with Tanqueray Malacca gin, Saint-Raphaël apéritif, Toschi Nocello, maraschino liqueur, and bitters.
Buenos Aires
Transatlantico Fizz at Florería Atlántico
Egg whites and soda give this whisky drink, dosed with yerba mate bitters, its foamy character.
Chicago
The Porthole at The Aviary
Try out the bar’s custom-made infuser, which instantly gives any spirit the flavours of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices.
Copenhagen
Clover Tea Club at Oak Room
Licorice tea-infused Beefeater with homemade raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and an egg white.
Dublin
Old-Fashioned at The Green Hen
Legendary, and not only in Ireland. Cherry juice sweetens the bourbon and bitters served in a cut-glass crystal tumbler. Look around and admire the movie-star photos and mirrors, some of which have the day’s specials written on them, a clear indicator of the type of French brasserie that Green Hen aspires to be here in the heart of Dublin’s fanciest shopping district.
Florence
Negroni at Caffè Rivoire
The chocolatier, which started in 1872, is always popular with tourists. Get a couple of single-origin chocolate bars to go, and stay for the classic version of the Italian cocktail: equal parts gin, vermouth rosso and Campari, with an orange peel.
Hamburg
Gin-Basil Smash at Le Lion Bar de Paris
Le Lion isn’t simply one of the best bars in Germany—it’s one of the best in the world. The drink that put it on the map? The Gin-Basil Smash, a cocktail combining gin, lemon, simple syrup and basil in a botanically infused tipple that’s nearly too easy to drink.
Havana
Mojito at La Bodeguita del Medio
If you want to drink like a famous writer in Havana, head to La Bodeguita del Medio, a low-key hang-out for Pablo Neruda and Gabriel García Márquez in decades past. Whether or not it’s truly the birthplace of the mojito remains a matter of debate, but the minty Cuban highball has been made here since 1942, and few do it better.
Honolulu
Mai Tai at The Royal Hawaiian’s Mai Tai Bar
What else would you order at the historic Waikiki Beach hotel but the bar’s namesake drink? Go with the classic version composed of pineapple juice, orange juice, orange curacao, orgeat and rum, and listen to the waves crash on the beach.
Hong Kong
Gin Martini at Butler
A precise touch of Japanese perilla liqueur adds a bittersweet, herbal note to the after-work staple. 5-6/F, Mody House, 30 Mody Rd.
Istanbul
Toucan Brogue at The Bar With No Name
Expats (and locals) gather here for this particular blend of tequila, single-malt Scotch, lime juice and pineapple juice, with a splash of Campari. Gönül Sokak No.7B, Beyoğlu
Johannesburg
Dawa Cocktail at Sir James van der Merwe
An iconic cocktail in Kenya, the Dawa, which means “medicine" in Swahili, is a refreshing mixture of vodka, fresh lime juice and honey. A favourite of game hunters, today you can find it at the antique-stuffed, warehouse-like space of Sir James, served with a dawa stick to squash the limes.
Los Angeles
Big Sur at The Walker Inn
An Eau De Vie infused with the springtime buds of a Douglas fir lends a legit central-California-coast flavour to this drink made with vermouth, Laphroaig, and absinthe.
Melbourne
Blue Collar Cocktail at The Everleigh
Consider it a more potent take on the Manhattan: Along with the usual rye, sweet vermouth and orange bitters used to make the drink, this Aussie version includes the digestif Amaro CioCiaro and maraschino liqueur.
New Orleans
St Rose Sour at Cure
At New Orleans’s superlative cocktail bar, bartenders riff on classics brilliantly. This drink takes a basic egg-white sour and soups it up with pisco, sherry, grapefruit juice and Galliano, making for a foamy, delectable springtime sip.
New York
Shark Eye at Mother of Pearl
Curaçao and bourbon, brimming with passion fruit, lemon and maraschino, all served through the jaws of a shark spotted with crimson-coloured bitters.
Paris
Bloody Mary at Harry’s New York Bar
Pouring since 1911, this Parisian landmark claims to be the birthplace of that restorative brunch classic, the Bloody Mary. Join former patrons such as Ernest Hemingway and George Gershwin in pulling up a bar stool, and order the signature vodka-based drink made with tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper.
Rio De Janeiro
Caipirinha at Bar dos Descasados
Here, Brazil’s national cocktail—cachaça, muddled lime, sugar—comes in a glass big enough for two.
Rome
Improved Aviation at Jerry Thomas Project
Named after Jerry Thomas, the 19th century American bartender who helped inspire today’s cocktail renaissance, this Rome speakeasy is at the forefront of Italian mixology. Order a classic like the Improved Aviation, a light, floral gin-based drink brightened with rose bitters. Thejerrythomasproject
Singapore
Singapore Sling at the Bar & Billiard Room at Raffles
In 1915, bartender Ngiam Tong Boon created the Singapore Sling—a gin cocktail made with pineapple juice and cherry heering—at the Long Bar, Raffles Hotel. The Long Bar is closed for renovation but you can order it at the Bar & Billiard Room in the meantime.
Shanghai
English Mule at Speak Low
Like the Moscow Mule but with Earl Grey-tea-infused gin. 579 Fuxing Middle Rd.
Tel Aviv
The Don Juan at Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar
A crowd-pleasing mix of rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, agave syrup, Champagne and spicy
ginger.
Venice
Peach Bellini at Harry’s Bar
Home of the Bellini, a mix of peach purée and sparkling Prosecco.
Vienna
Bobe Special at the Roberto American Bar
A potent base of gin is diffused with a tart combination of Peachtree liqueur and lime juice. Bloomberg
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