13 Essential Cities Across The World For Cocktail Lovers

Some destinations just go hand-in-hand with drinks. Italy pairs perfectly with wine, Germany with beer, and Oaxaca, Mexico with slow sips of a smoky mezcal. and when it comes to the perfect cocktail, a number of cities across the globe stand out as well. Whether you're a cocktail connoisseur or just dipping your toes into the world of mixology, these are the essential cities to add to your list. From the cities who excel at a signature spirit or and have a deeply-rooted cocktail culture to destinations pushing the envelope with creative and experiential beverage programs, each of these cities showcase their unique identities through mixology.

These cities were determined through a blend of personal experience, and ample research, largely consulting 2025's World's 50 Best Bars list. The prestigious ranking is published annually, and is determined by over 800 international bartenders, consultants, drinks writers, and other cocktail experts, and was used both to narrow down the best cities for cocktail lovers, and the specific bars to highlight in each. Additional information regarding local cocktail culture and history stemmed from sources including Punch, the BBC, National Geographic, Food and Wine, Michelin Guide, TimeOut, Bon Appetit, and Imbibe Magazine.

Singapore is made up of many islands, coming to a combined total of about 274 square miles — with the grand majority of that measurement going to the main city-state of Singapore Island. True, it is small in size (one of the smallest in the world), but it still manages to be one of the best islands to visit in Southeast Asia and packs a powerful punch in the cocktail world. Shaped by substantial financial growth and immigration, particularly from China, Malaysia, and India, Singapore's cocktail identity has far surpassed the Singapore Sling, created back in 1915 with gin and cherry brandy. In 2025, two establishments made The World's 50 Best Bars list — Jigger & Pony and Nutmeg & Clove — with a third in the top 100, Native.

Jigger & Pony, arguably Singapore's most acclaimed bar, excels with its reimaginings of classics, with drinks like the Peanut Alexander, which uses gin as a base and adds salted peanut, fig, and cacao to the mix. Or there's the Wasabi Highball, which balances spice and sweetness with apricot soda, wasabi, and Japanese whisky. Meanwhile at Nutmeg & Clove, Singaporean culture and regional ingredients are uplifted, with drinks like Is It Really Boulevardier? — a bourbon cocktail utilizing Southeast Asian flavors of coconut, coffee, and pandan. Cocktail aficionados should also add Offtrack and Cat Bite Club to their lists since both are considered among the top 50 best bars in Asia.

London has long been at the forefront of cocktail-crafting, earning equal attention for its long-running bar history and continuously experimental spirit. So, it's no surprise that in 2025, four different bars made The World's 50 Best Bars list, solidifying London as an iconic European vacation destination: Tayēr + Elementary, Connaught Bar, Satan's Whiskers, and Scarfes Bar. Tayēr + Elementary, the highest-ranking London establishment on the list at No. 5, is a dual-concept bar that fuses casual and classic beverages on tap with seasonal contemporary cocktails. Sadly, it was temporarily closed at the time of this writing due to a building fire, but cocktail connoisseurs should check back to see when it opens again.

At the swanky hotel bar, Connaught Bar, you'll find an array of thoughtfully curated cocktails, alongside a premium, vintage cocktail menu featuring rare spirits (the latter of which are priced at $175 USD and up). The East London Satan's Whiskers, meanwhile, cycles through a list of 900 classic cocktails each day alongside a hip-hop soundtrack. Last but not least, the lauded and eclectic Scarfes Bar, takes inspiration from satirical cartoonist Gerald Scarfe both in its name and its beverage offerings. Currently, its menu follows a Heroes & Villains theme, with unique drinks like the Double Helix (a hero cocktail), with scotch whisky, fig, balsamic wine, and toasted marzipan (a hero), and the Divided Kingdom (a villain, naturally), with altamura, mango cream, and acorn.

Since the 1500s, Brazil has produced cachaça, making it among the oldest distilled spirits in the Americas. The spirit, like rum, is made from sugarcane — but unlike rum, which can use distilled molasses, cachaça solely utilizes sugarcane juice. Cachaça is best enjoyed in Brazil's most famous cocktail, the caipirinha, a simple concoction of cachaça, lime, and sugar, but you'll see it pop up in other drinks like the batida, a creamy and sweet blended cocktail.

Brazil's most exciting and inventive cocktail city is arguably São Paulo. South America's largest city is generally considered Brazil's culinary capital, and this creativity and diversity extends to its beverages. Tan Tan, a Brazilian and Asian fusion bar-slash-restaurant in the Pinheiros neighborhood takes inspiration from cultures across the country — the Ramos Tucufizz cocktail, for example, uses cupuaçu, a sweet fruit native to the Amazon, black tucupi, an unami, cassava-based syrup, and of course, cachaça. Exímia, meanwhile, is known for its imaginative drinks showcasing Brazilian ingredients. But for a truly unique experience, don't miss visiting Bar dos Arcos, located in the basement of a historic theater. The concept is inspired by Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," complete with labyrinthine counters and stone arches, and offers creative cocktails referencing the theater's storied past, like the 1920s-inspired Pauliceia cocktail, made with cachaça, black olive syrup, and citrus.

Agave spirits are deeply ingrained in Mexican culture, with their use in Aztec ceremonies documented as far back as 250 C.E. With the colonial era came the distilled versions — tequila, made specifically from blue agave, and mezcal, a smokier, more complex spirit produced from various Mexican agave plants. And although the majority of tequila is produced in Jalisco, and mezcal is largely associated with Oaxaca, Mexico's best bar scene can be found in its capital city.

In 2025, two Mexico city bars earned spots on The World's 50 Best Bars list. Roma Norte's Tlecān is the only mezcaleria to earn the distinction, with a creative menu starring drinks like the mezcal-based Tascalate Sour, made from toasted maize and cocoa, fermented cacao, and agave. And Handshake Speakeasy has earned a number of accolades since opening its Prohibition Era-inspired space, centering a variety of classic and signature cocktails, like a Coconut and Fig Leaf Negroni, and the fruity and spicy Salt-N-Pepper with tequila, strawberry, and habanero. Don't miss one of the city's top bars, Brujas, either. The building itself resembles a witch's hat and was once home to Pachita, a Mexican shaman. Inside, you'll find an all-women staff serving cocktails inspired by Mexican herbalism and Latin American writers and activists.

Few U.S. cities have food and drink cultures quite as notorious as New Orleans. Dubbed the "America's Cocktail Capital," by National Geographic, nightlife and cocktails have been woven into the city's fabric, practically since its founding. Unlike other destinations, New Orleans isn't necessarily known for one spirit or drink — in fact, there's a whole lineup of quintessential NOLA cocktails, including daiquiris, frozen Irish coffee, the French 75, and the Ramos Gin Fizz. And there's a bar scene to match. For instance, Napoleon House, a unique historic home serving food like muffaletta sandwiches, is credited for putting a local spin on the Pimm's Cup, a refreshing gin-based drink that originated in London. The New Orleans take, first conceptualized by a Napoleon House bartender in 1940, adds lemonade, 7-Up and a cucumber garnish.

Jewel of the South, No. 44 on The World's 50 Best Bars list and a James Beard recipient, is also worth a spot on your New Orleans itinerary. Tucked into an 1835 cottage, the bar's drink menu includes a range of seasonal libations, takes on classic cocktails, and nods to New Orleans history. Other renowned spaces include Carousel Bar and Lounge, New Orleans' only revolving bar, and Arnaud's, which has been serving hand-crafted beverages since 1918.

Historically, wine, beer, and vermouth have reigned supreme in Barcelona. But over the past two decades, the Spanish city has cemented its status as a cocktail haven. Sips — dubbed Europe's best bar in 2025 — has garnered acclaim for turning classics on their head. Emphasizing presentation, texture, and flavor, look for drinks like the Cubanito, a riff on an espresso martini, but with whisky, sherry mix cold brew, and pineapple air, or their tropical take on a Bloody Mary, which uses rum, passion fruit, pomegranate, and Bloody Mary mix. For something even more experimental, head to its bar-within-a-bar, Esencia, which functions as a tasting menu, but for drinks.

You'll find another one of the city's best inside an unassuming pastrami shop — just head through the refrigerator door, and you'll have reached Paradiso. The acclaimed bar pushes the imagination, from its design to its theatrical cocktails, like The Cloud, a hibiscus mezcal drink with a frothy, cloud-like Perrier and coffee topping. Don't miss the city's oldest cocktail bar, Boadas, either, which has been open since 1933. The bar has maintained a reputation for top-notch martinis since its inception, but it showcases all sorts of classic drinks.

Puerto Rico has a deep-seated legacy in rum production, and San Juan is the birthplace of the Piña Colada. But it wasn't until the last decade or so that San Juan blossomed into one of North America's most exciting cocktail destinations. One of the leaders in San Juan's cocktail wave is La Factoría, where you'll find everything from one of Puerto Rico's best Piña Coladas, to creative thirst-quenchers like the San Juan Grog, a take on the New York Sour and a Lion's Tail.

Within its labyrinth-like space are six different bars, all offering unique menus and atmospheres, ranging from cozy cocktail lounges to lively salsa bars. Since opening in 2013, La Factoría has earned a number of accolades, including a designation as the best bar in the Caribbean in 2026. Identidad, one of San Juan's newcomers, is also one of the top 100 bars in North America, and is a James Beard recipient. Since opening in 2024, it has centered Caribbean and Latin flavors on its drink menu, with offerings like the herbal Pineapple Vesper, featuring rum, gin, and a pineapple, lemongrass, and ginger-infused wine.

New York has been at the center of numerous cocktail booms over the decades from underground speakeasies in the 1920s to the brightly colored, vodka-based cocktails of the '90s and early 2000s (think: the Cosmopolitan, popularized by "Sex and the City"). Even now, the city's bar ecosystem has continued to reinvent itself. The Martini (and its many iterations), the Manhattan, and yes, the Cosmopolitan, all have their roots in New York, not to mention countless others, like the scotch-based Penicillin with honey-ginger syrup, and the Nutcracker, a summery mix of amaretto, whiskey, rum, and pineapple juice.

New York City is one of the hearts of cocktail culture, so it's no surprise that today, four different bars are among the world's best. At Overstory, a Financial District haunt with panoramic city views, try the Terroir Old Fashioned, which utilizes reposado tequila, palo santo, and tilden salt harvested in Queens. At Double Chicken Please, find culinary-forward cocktails, such as the Japanese Cold Noodle, with rum, pineapple, cucumber, and sesame oil, and the tequila-based Papaya Salad, made from peanut, kumquat, and coconut clarified milk. Other notable bars include the samurai-inspired Sip & Guzzle, and Superbueno, a Mexican-American cocktail bar serving drinks like a Mole Negroni and Roasted Corn Sour.

According to Vine Pair, Tokyo's cocktail offerings can lean more traditional and understated than buzzy, almost acting as an extension of ancient tea ceremonies and focusing on both precision and simplicity. Nonetheless, highballs, sake, and tea-based drinks all punctuate Tokyo's cocktail landscape. Farm-to-table takes on a new meaning at Bar Benfiddich, which serves an ever-changing beverage menu with farm-fresh ingredients — think: a Mojito with kakidosh, an aromatic Japanese herb, or a guava cocktail with farm-distilled lemongrass vodka. The Bellwood in Shibuya, Japan's trendiest area, for its part, is an ode to late Meiji- and Taisho-era café culture of the 19th and 20th centuries. Mimicking kaiseki, multi-course Japanese dining, but in drink form, its menu pairs Japanese tradition with modernity.

For a fusion of French spirits — including rare and vintage varieties — with Japanese ingredients, head to Virtù in the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi. At this acclaimed bar, you'll find drinks like the Thé Hoji Épicé. The reimagined Moscow Mule centers hojicha (a Japanese green tea) vodka and liqueur, topped with a handcrafted cranberry sorbet rose. It's best enjoyed while looking out at Tokyo's expansive skyline.

Lima has earned rightful acclaim as a culinary powerhouse — in 2025, it became the only city with two restaurants in the world's top 10, per The World's 50 Best Bars. So, it's only fitting that it has a cocktail scene to match. Peru's most famous cocktail is the Pisco Sour, which was created in Lima in 1920 — pisco is made from distilled grape brandy, and the end result is mixed with lime and egg white. At Lady Bee, pisco is arguably the star of the show. But the spirit is uplifted by regional ingredients exemplifying Peru's biodiversity, with drinks like the Miraflores, a mix of pisco, honey, lime, and bitters.

Carnaval is another one of the city's top cocktail experiences, and was Peru's first bar to ever make the illustrious aforementioned list. Drinks are creative and theatrically presented — the Carnaval Cocktail, for example, is a colorful gin-based concoction with green pineapple chartreuse, Creole lemon, and witbier beer, and arrives in a smoke-filled lantern. One of the bar's standout features is its custom-built ice room, adding decorative elements to each drink's presentation.

Sometimes referred to as the "Europe of South America," Buenos Aires has an aperitif culture not unlike what you'd see in Italy, Spain, or France. But the Argentinian capital has its own personality when it comes to cocktails. Cocktail experts point to the Clarito — a take on a martini that swaps olives for lemon, created by legendary bartender Santiago "Pichín" Policastro back in 1935 — as the city's first signature cocktail. It's also credited for democratizing cocktails beyond Buenos Aires' upper class. And nearly a century later, Buenos Aires is in its "Second Golden Age of Cocktails," according to the cocktail publication, Punch.

Tres Monos is tucked into the Palmero neighborhood and was rated the best bar in South America in 2025, offering a grungy, dive-like atmosphere and house-label spirits. Another acclaimed bar, CoChinChina, pairs French and Vietnamese inspiration in a stylish space, with cocktails to match, like the Como Una Mandarina Amarillo, a vodka cocktail with a toasted sesame and shiso (a minty Japanese herb), citrusy yuzu nigori sake, and an Argentinian white wine. Also in the world's top 100 bars are the sophisticated Victor Audio Bar, considered the city's first listening bar, and Florería Atlántico, whose menu is inspired by Argentina's immigrant communities that took shape after the country's return to democracy in 1983.

Athens isn't the most obvious cocktail destination. But social drinking is practically as old as Athens itself, with a 2,000-year legacy. And even one of the oldest cities in the world knows how to reinvent itself. Over the past nearly two decades, Athens's cocktail culture has evolved into one of the world's most exciting.

Baba Au Rum, which helped propel Athens' cocktail industry in 2009, is one of three Athens bars currently one of The World's 50 Best Bars and has maintained a spot on the list for the past 10-plus years. This is likely because of the bar's penchant for tiki cocktails and a collection of over 400 rums. Line, housed in a former art gallery, is another one of Athens' gems on the list for its mixology-driven drink menu and zero-waste philosophy, even fermenting its own wine and beer in-house. The Bar in Front of the Bar also has a zero-waste ethos and started off as a street pop-up in front of a separate, under-construction bar. Now, the street bar still operates with a menu that changes daily, along with the indoor hidden bar, Rumble in the Jungle, offering a lineup of playful cocktails. The Taco Margarita, for example, features corn salt as well as morita and jalapeño peppers, while the gin-based Salentine, named for the Greeks who moved to Italy, has capers, cucumber, grilled tomato, and oregano.

This cosmopolitan city with world-class cuisine is also making waves in the cocktail world, with a growing mixology scene showcasing Thai craft liquors, and bar offerings as varied as Bangkok itself. A handful have reached international acclaim, such as Bar Us, which was ranked as No. 15 in the World's 50 Best Bars list. Highlighting local ingredients, Bar Us guides visitors through a tasting menu-like structure. Its menu leads from light and refreshing cocktails to savory, food-inspired libations, like the Pad Thai, utilizing chili oil, sugarcane, ginger brine, and vodka. End your visit with one of its aromatic, dessert-like drinks, like the Thai Tea Punch.

The luxurious BKK Social Club, at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, is another standout with its handcrafted cocktails named after famous figures, regions, and celebrations across Mexico like the Día De Muertos cocktail. Also in the world's top 100 are Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, which opened in 2024, and Opium, tucked into a 120-year-old former opium den. One of its award-winning beverages is the Mid Summer, with scotch whisky, apple thyme soda, lemon, and yuzu foam.