Hottest bar openings in April 2016

Salvatore Calabrese’s new project, a Tim Burton-themed bar, and a watering hole containing a soda factory earned places in our roundup of last month’s hottest new bars.

One of our hottest bar openings last month was PS40 in Sydney. Photography: Alana Dimou, design: Livia Lima

In Hong Kong cocktail maestro Salvatore Calabrese unleashed his first bar, while across the pond restaurateur Des McDonald launched a Japanese cocktail lounge with a sake focus.

Whether they’re championing mezcal, Italian’s most notable exports, or Tim Burton, the best new bars to open last month each have something unique to bring to the cocktail sphere.

Click through the following pages to discover some of the hottest bars to open around the world in April 2016.

PS40, Sydney

Photography: Alana Dimou, design: Livia Lima

It’s not every day you discover a bar with an in-house soda works and custom-made bottling machine. The bar is the brainchild of esteemed bartenders Michael Chiem and Thor Bergquist, who have been supplying their PS sodas – made with natural, local and native ingredients – to restaurants and bars across Sydney for the last year. The menu includes the full range of PS drinks, with suggested servings for each – for example, the PS wattle cola is recommended in the Batanga cocktail which features green coffee bean-infused Tequila, lime and smoked salt. Cocktail menu innovations include Sazerac Matcha, a mix of cacao butter fatwashed Bulleit rye, matcha syrup, aromatic bitters, and absinthe; and Stockholm Syndrome, which combines cumin and dill Ketel 1 vodka, Aquavit, lemon, pink Himalayan salt, and pepper.

Mezcaleria Las Flores, Chicago

Ask any bartender what spirit is currently exciting him or her at the moment, and chances are you’ll hear ‘mezcal’ resonate from your responses. So consumers keen to sample the favoured spirit will be pleased to hear of new Mezcalaria Las Flores, which opened its doors last month in Chicago’s Logan Square neighbourhood. The bar boasts a selection of rare and “artisanal” mezcals, plus what’s described as an “adventurous” mezcal cocktail menu. Founded by Jay Schroeder, former chief mixologist for chef Rick Bayless, the venue hopes to champion ethically produced, quality mezcals and help guests better-understand the widely touted spirit category.

Beetle House, New York

The Tim Burton-themed bar – whose owners also run a Will Ferrell-themed bar called Stay Classy New York – is going for a “a gothy, Halloween all year kind of feel”. Although not affiliated with Tim Burton, the themed bar nails the concept, offering a cocktail list ranging from This is Halloween, “a mix of fireball, pumpkin liqueur, sour apple pucker, and apple cider”, to Sparky’s Minty Margarita, which combines muddled limes, simple syrup and mint leaves with Patron Blanco, Grand Marnier, and “a splash of sour mix”. The bar is decked out with antique oddities such as medical equipment, dusty books, and memorabilia aplenty.

Americano, Orgeon

This Italian bar is all about the three C’s – coffee, cocktails, cuisine – and it combines the three effortlessly. Celebrating Italy’s greatest exports; the bar boasts an unrivalled vermouth and amaro selection of French, Italian and local offerings, and its trademark tipple blends vermouths in a French press with citrus, thyme, and lavender; served with a carafe of sparkling water for mixing. The cocktail menu is split into five sections: the Aperitif Press Pot sharing experience, Light Airy and Refreshing, Bold Robust and Dauntless, Bean and Bottle, and tasting experience Come Fly With Me. 

Maison Eight, Hong Kong

Famed bartender Salvatore Calabrese launched Maison Eight after leaving his namesake bar at the Playboy Club in London. Boasting with the world’s first ‘Bollinger Champagne Room’, the bar is positioned 21 floors up and looks over Victoria Harbour. Signature cocktails include Summer Memory, a frozen offering; Fair Enough, a blend of rum, Fair goji liqueur, lemon juice, red fruit tea, pineapple and egg white; and Zen Cha, which offers “powerful anti-pollution properties”.

MAP Maison, London

MAP Maison is the new kid on the block in East London’s already bustling bar scene. Spearheaded by Joseph Arowolo, who has headed the bars at the renowned Sketch restaurant, MAP Maison has been designed to bring a taste of Mayfair to the East Londn’s Haggerston. Signature cocktails include the likes of the Aged Mezcal Negroni, Black Sea, Eu and Me, Bloody Mary Brunch and Supreme Expression. Plus, the venue has also collated numerous rare bottles such as Havana Maximo and Pappy van Winkle. Late night revellers will also be able to enjoy resident DJs, as well as liquor lockers to store their favourite bottlings purchased from the bar.

Moneygun, Chicago

With a hint of neon, circular bar booths, moody lighting and a discreet entrance behind an aged green door, Moneygun is pipped as a “bar-goers bar”. A wall of mirrors illustrates the menu, which offers more than 30 classic “essentials” such as the Sidecar, Pink Squirrel and White Russian, alongside a bar menu containing the likes of buffalo frog legs, shaved prime rib sandwich and Kentucky fried quail.

Kurabu Cocktail Lounge in Rofuto, Birmingham

Set high in the city skyline at over 141 feet on the 16^th floor of Park Regis; Rofuto is an izakaya-style restaurant serving a modern Japanese menu, and is home to cocktail lounge and sake bar, Kurabu. The new venue is the vision of respected UK restaurateur Des McDonald, and was inspired by his visits to Tokyo and Singapore. The cocktail list at Kurabu includes highlights such as Red Lotus, which combines shochu, Tequila, cranberry and lychee sorbet, and Kietsu – an exotic combination of infused raspberry sake, passionfruit liqueur, apple and pineapple.