Top 10 most exciting bar openings of 2015

A lavish speakeasy hidden inside a boutique umbrella shop and a joint venture from the team behind The Dead Rabbit were among the hottest new bars to open around the world last year.

A diverse array of bars opened around the world last year

The beginning of a new era in the global cocktail scene, 2015 welcomed an abundance of hot new international bars making waves across the sector.

Already feeling nostalgic for 2015, we present our pick of the most outstanding bars to open last year, ranging from opulent to off-the-wall.

Among them you’ll find a veritable whisky mecca, an experimental speakeasy where the spirit used in each drink is kept secret, and a Japanese-style cocktail den that marries the worlds of food and drink.

Click through the following pages to discover our list of the world’s hottest new bar openings of 2015.

Oriole, London

Opened by the founders of London speakeasy Nightjar – number three in the World’s 50 Best Bars list ­– Oriole was predestined for great things. Opening mere months ago in November below London’s iconic Smithfield Market, the tiki-themed bar has brought a refreshing twist to the city’s vibrant bar scene, both in terms of setting and mixology. The innovative menu – presented as a pack of cards – is divided into three sections: Old World, New World and The Orient; with each cocktail carefully crafted with painstaking attention to detail. Masks from the Congo and bronze sculptures from the Amazon adorn the walls, set to a soundtrack of live swing, jazz and blues bands. Run by an expert team of mixologists led by Luca Cinalli, Oriole’s globetrotting menu aims to convey the themes of travel and adventure, and it does not disappoint.

GreenRiver, Chicago

Nestled on the 18^th floor of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital building, GreenRiver has quickly accrued status as one of Chicago’s best bars since it opened its doors in September; no surprise when you consider the bar is a joint venture between award-winning duo Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon, of New York’s The Dead Rabbit, and Danny Meyor’s Union Square Events. Taking inspiration from Chicago’s Irish-American history, GreenRiver celebrates the entrepreneurs, journalists, politicians and publicans alike who helped transform the city following the Great Fire of 1871. The cocktail menu here is organised by key ingredient, such as rye, juniper, grape and apple, and so on, with the characteristics of each corresponding to set personality types. Expect curveball ingredients – including pistachio, curry, bergamot and Himalayan pink salt – excellently balanced and executed with finesse.

Whisky Galore, Edinburgh

Formerly a members-only venue for members of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 28 Queen Street is now permanently open to public. The award-winning whisky bottler and international membership club releases more than 20 single cask whiskies every month, bottled from more than 130 different distilleries in Scotland and around the world. If the hundreds upon hundreds of unique whiskies aren’t enough to tempt you, the view certainly will – the bar is perfectly positioned in a restored Georgian townhouse which looks over the waters of the Firth of Forth. As well as its exclusive Society selection, the bar also keeps the largest collection of single malt whisky in the UK.

Blue Room LA Athletics Club, LA

Toted as “the hardest bar in the city to get into”, and not just for the fact that its tucked away behind a bookcase which was last used during prohibition in the 1920’s – to gain entry, you either need to be or be recommended by one of its 20 members. The historic Blue Room was relaunched in June with the help of designer Timothy Oulton and Macallan, decked out with handcrafted crystal chandeliers, vintage sporting equipment, historic LAAC athletic photos, and antique lockers. The cocktail bar hosts cocktail consulting agency Liquid Assets, who have created a bespoke menu of Los Angeles Athletic Club signature cocktails.

The Envoy Bar, Hong Kong

Opened in June by the creative minds behind Hong Kong’s Quinary bar, The Envoy’s menu offers a selection of cocktails as delicious as they are beautiful, inspired by tea and its shipment around the world in the 19^th century. The bar is situated on the third floor of new boutique hotel The Pottinger and is the fifth venue from Tastings Group. Many of its signature serves are inspired by fictional works of literature and film, and are served in anything and everything, from blood donor bags on a surgical tray to bird-shaped vases. One showstopper is the Dinosaur, a combination of Absolut Elyx, Godiva chocolate liqueur, milk, Milo ice ball and Milo powder, influenced by Steven Speilberg’s Jurassic Park.

Outrage of Modesty, Cape Town

Possibly the newest opening on the list, and arguably one of the most innovative – the spirit used in each cocktail is omitted from the menu, instead guests are required to select a drink by opting for which pre-set flavour combination they like rather than basing their choice from a preconceived idea of what rum or tequila taste like. The menu is heavily influenced by local ingredients and South African flavours, fermenting and infusions are an integral aspect of each drink, and spirits are made in-house and stored in glass vials. This intimate, one-of-a-kind establishment offers an edgy, unique experience unmatched elsewhere in Cape Town.

Bar Seki, New York

The team from acclaimed sushi restaurant Sushi Seki are the driving force behind this elegant Japanese-style cocktail den. The awe-inspiring cocktail menu was crafted by Shingo Gokan, winner of the 2012 Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition, and marries the worlds of food and drink with a spotlight on Eastern flavours. Cocktails include the Kome, a mix of Japanese rice vodka, daiginjo sake and sturgeon caviar; the Koubai, made from Hendrick’s Gin, plum wine, Campari, rice vinegar and sea salt; and the Lychee, which includes Lychee-cello, Nigori sake, grapefruit and rose water.

Foxglove, Hong Kong

This 1950-style watering hole is based on a wealthy character called Frank Minza, a “death-defying adventurer with a taste for rare spirits”, who “may or may not be fictional”, according to the owners. Opened by Ming Fat House – the group behind the award-winning Mrs Pound in Sheung Wan – Foxglove champions the speakeasy style, requiring guests to find their way through a boutique umbrella shop and locate the button on the right brolly to gain access to the bar’s concealed entrance. Its cocktail list is inspired by the trends of decades past, and is split into three sections themed on distinct drinking eras, while the bar also stocks an impressive array of rare Cognacs and Japanese whiskies.

The Clumsies, Athens

Shortlisted for best new international cocktail bar at Tales of the Cocktails last year, the duo behind at The Clumsies are ironically anything but. Heralded “precision personified”, this all-day hangout by Vassilis Kyritsis (Greek World Class Winner 2012) and Nikos Bakoulis (Greek World Class Winner 2011) offers a carefully-thought out menu from coffee to cocktail. Not only does the bar gave its own line of spirits – The Clumsies Old Tom Gin is said to be exceptional – but there’s even an in-house lab for the duo to test out new cocktail recipes. Menu-wise, non-alcoholic drinks are given as much consideration as their counterparts; here you’ll find an alcohol-free Dark and Stormy, G&T, and even a Negroni. Cocktails range in flavour from sour to umami, and for hesitant imbibers, a Colour Taste Guide is on hand to help them sniff out their favourite creation. Upstairs you’ll find The Room, which offers Nikos and Vasillis’ World Class ritual serves. 

Baltra, Mexico City

The more informal sister of Mexican cocktail culture pioneer Licoreria Limantour; Baltra is now a certified stop on the international guest bartending circuit. Inspired by Charles Darwin’s travels through the Galapagos Islands, the walls are adorned with world maps, travel trinkets and taxidermy, while the cocktail menu is split into four-month seasons, with a four new drinks swapped into the menu every 15 days.