The world’s 10 best new cocktail bars
As cocktail fever continues to grip the globe, new haunts are constantly popping up to delight the senses. But, for Tales of the Cocktail, these are the world’s best new bars.
These are the world’s 10 best new restaurant bars, as nominated by the Spirited Awards 2014In its recent round up of the 10 finalists for the Best New International Cocktail Bar Spirited Award, Tales of the Cocktail panelists hand selected some of the most innovative, stylish and boundary-breaking bars from across the globe, spanning Sydney to Tel Aviv.
While the hugely popular prohibition trend remains pertinent across this list, other bars steer away from the cocktail zeitgeist with maritime, savoury and other contemporary themes.
London-based haunts dominate this list, though exciting bars from the Middle East, Canada and Australia also claiming a place
Click through the following pages to see our list of the the world’s 10 best new cocktail bars to open in the past year, as identified by Tales of the Cocktail’s shortlist for the Best New International Cocktail Bar Spirited Award, excluding those in the US (which has its own category).
If you think one of your favourite new cocktail bars should have received a spot on this list, let us know by leaving a comment below.
The Barber Shop, Sydney
This Australian saloon-style bar stands out with its unusual offering of “cocktails and shaves”, claiming that “slick hairstyles, sharp blades and high-proof alcohol were meant to be together”. Behind the store front barber shop is a stylish bar with a menu featuring an extensive list of gins from across the world and a small, but perfectly formed cocktail menu, which includes the Blood & Bandages – a mix of morrello-infused iIlegal mezcal, cherry brandy, Campari, orange and lemon.
For more information, click here.
Blind Pig at Social Eating House, London
Already on the connoisseur’s Soho drinking trail, the upstairs bar to Jason Atherton’s Social Eating House seems to be ticking all the right boxes. Awarded its first Michelin star last year – thanks to the talent of chef patron Paul Hood, formerly of Pollen Street Social Club and Maze – you’d expect to find excellent service and quality nibbles and the restaurant, and you do. But staff at The Blind Pig also manage to provide an amazing drinking experience, while not taking themselves too seriously, providing tongue-in-cheek libations such as the Thermo-Nuclear Daiquiri and Ooh-arr-tinez. The bar was also named as one of the top four finalists to win the Best New International Cocktail Bar and Best International Restaurant Bar Spirited Awards.
For more information, click here.
Hello Sailor, Sydney
Another hotspot on the high end drinking trail in Sydney, Hello Sailor offers a relaxed atmosphere and an abundance of fine drinks and seafood. With a nautical theme running throughout the venue, the bar offers tiki-style, refreshing beach-side cocktails with luxury appeal. While the bar is run by former Time Out Bartender of the Year Marco Faraone, Hello Sailor also serves delicious maritime food such as lobster burgers and buckets of whole prawns. The bar has been named by the Spirited Awards as a finalist for the Best New International Cocktail Bar title.
For more information, click here.
Holmens Kanal, Copenhagen
Brimming with relaxed sophistication, Holmens Kanal, is set in a historical converted warehouse in Copenhagen. Both elegant and cosy, the bar serves both classic cocktails and contemporary mixes such as the Lavender Sour, a combination of Bombay Sapphire gin, lavender, sage, lemon, soda. Bartenders can also whip you up an unusual gin and tonic. Holmens Kanal was opened last year by the same group behind revered Danish bars Gilt, Brass Monkey and Salon 39.
For more information, click here.
Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar, Tel Aviv
Israel might not be on every discerning cocktail fans radar, but, as Tel Aviv’s Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar attests, there is an exciting and rapidly emerging bar scene in the country. Tucked away within the Imperial Hotel, the Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar, as its name suggests, serves an array of expertly crafted drinks and is described as a “temple to the lost art of the cocktail”. The bar serves freshly made juices, homemade syrups, as well as over a hundred cocktails with specially designed ice. It also sports colonial decor, crystal glassware and bartenders dressed to the nines.
For more information, click here.
The Liquor Rooms, Dublin
Dublin’s opulent Liquor Rooms boasts vintage decor, a lively yet intimate atmosphere and a stunning drinks list. The bar, situated underneath the Clarence Hotel, has quickly jumped to the forefront of the discerning Dublin drinker’s cocktail map since it opened in the middle of last year. You can even enjoy a corn dog or two while a DJ plays from upon a burlesque-like stage.
For more information, click here.
Little Jumbo, Victoria
This stylish new cocktail bar and restaurant has quickly become a popular hang our for stylish Canadian Urbanites. Said to pay homage to the finest traditions in cocktail-making, Little Jumbo is named after a New York saloon purchased by legendary hotelier Harry Johnson from the equally-famed bartender Jerry Thomas. The aims to “emphasize the fine craft of preparing fresh local food with a focus on continental and contemporary, pairing it with fine wines and the best of classic and modern mixology.” Innovative cocktails such as the Afro Samurai – a mix of Johnnie Walker Black Label, gekkeikan plum wine, gomme syrup, “Kuma” bitters, and fresh lemon juice – feature on the list.
For more information, click here.
Nola, London
This New Orleans-inspired cocktail bar is sure to provide a fun and lively night out. Billed as “home of the Sazerac”, Shoreditch-based Nola boasts great drinks, fine southern hospitality and a fresh, open environment in which to enjoy jazz, blues and rock. Nola’s drinks list has been expertly crafted by noted cocktail writer and alchemist Dan Priseman, who is also one of the bar’s partners.
For more information, click here.
Punch Room at The London Edition, London
The London Edition Hotel opened last year amid massive buzz. Famed chefs Jason Atherton and Gareth Evans – who also run The Blind Pig – have been busy creating an awe-inspiring space with drinks, food and service to match.
Add to this the intriguingly elusive, reservations only Punch Room – a fumed-oak paneled den inspired by the comfort of manor house libraries and nineteenth-century London’s private clubs sporting vintage leather chairs and beautiful punch bowls.
As the name of the bar suggests, punch is the signature serve. Serving two-eight people, guests can order one of eight carefully crafted specialty punches including the gin infused Edition Punch with jasmine tea and oak moss.
For more information, click here.
White Lyan, London
The brainchild of famed cocktail maverick Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan, Hoxton’s White Lyan has got tongues wagging since its opening last autumn due to lack of ice, citrus, branded spirits and cocktail theatricality. The mould-breaking bar instead uses house-made spirits, bottled cocktails and citric acid. Some interesting libations included on the bar’s cocktail list includes the Moby Dick Sazerac, which uses ambergris – a solid, waxy, flammable substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales – and the Bone Dry Martini, which is made using real chicken bones.
For more information, click here.
