Hottest bar openings in August 2016

There was certainly no shortage of hot new watering holes making their debut last month, ranging from an Espresso Martini bar to a sophisticated Victorian-style cocktail lounge.

A number of hot new bars made their debuts last month

The cocktail craze continued to demonstrate its international reach in August, with innovative new bars popping up in cities including London, Tokyo, Sydney, Liverpool and more.

The team behind the award-winning Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog travelled to Battery Park to open up a venue inspired by American bars in Cuba during Prohibition, meanwhile, back in London, rum lovers will enjoy The Breakfast Group’s newest cocktail haunt and a rum and reggae restaurant in Brixton.

Sydney also launched a bar dedicated to Espresso Martinis with six of the coffee-fuelled cocktails on offer.

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

The Ladies Room, Chicago

You enter the Ladies Room through a red curtain in the back of the Fat Rice Bakery, it’s dark, with red lights and Chinese pin-up posters — a nod to Chinese gambling halls and 19th and 20th century red light districts in Macau. Card games are laid out at each table, furthering the gambling feel of the spot. Cocktail lovers will fall for the drink menu, including the ‘Dr. Manhattan’, packed with rye, vermouth and house-aged ingredients, a fruity but boozy departure from a Manhattan.

Bar Iberico, Nottingham

Iberico World Tapas has opened its latest venture in the heart of Nottingham later with a brand new all-day tapas bar. Situated on Carlton Street in Hockley, Bar Iberico will provide a more informal experience for customers, serving simple but delicious tapas food, alongside a wide range of delectable cocktails.

Blacktail, New York

The award-winning team behind cocktail bar The Dead Rabbit debuts BlackTail in Battery Park. The new bar and restaurant is themed around American bars that moved down to Cuba during Prohibition, with both drinks and glassware from the era. The bar features an 88-page menu filled with a list of nearly 50 cocktail options. Expect options like BlackTail’s take on a rum and coke, with Puerto Rican rum, Italian Amaro, Coke, Champagne, and Orinoco bitters; and four versions of the Daiquiri, including banana, pineapple, and strawberry.

Rum Kitchen, Brixton

Known for their mix of jerk chicken, rum and reggae, the ever-popular Rum Kitchen has arrived in Brixton with a whole host of inventive and colourful drinks to get excited about, a 200-strong back catalogue of rum and 40 different cocktails to sample. 

Tuxedo, Sydney

Tuxedo is one of the first bars to dedicate itself to a single cocktail – the Espresso Martini. Over in The Rocks, Tuxedo has taken up residence in the former Cadbury chocolate factory; the massive, industrial chic space now featuring a pool table, ping pong table and no less than six beautifully crafted Espresso Martini creations.

Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar, Edinburgh

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has opened the doors of 28 Queen Street, Edinburgh to unveil the newly refurbished space with three remodelled levels including a limited range of extremely rare proprietary whiskies carefully selected by whisky writer Charles MacLean. Members have an exclusive area on the second floor, which offers table service, a snug area and a special tasting table.

Bubbles Ginza Champagne Café, Tokyo

Opened in early August, this ‘Champagne café’ in Ginza is dedicated exclusively to casual bubbly-sipping, and a classier alternative to the local izakaya. The new bar has around 25 different bottles in stock at all times and prices by the glass starting from just under ¥1,000. You can order a glass of champagne to go with your midday meal from healthy salads to stuffed baguettes.

Four Sisters Townhouse, London

Enjoy luxurious Victorian interiors with a weekly-changing drinks menu at the Four Sisters Townhouse, which uses seasonal local produce as part of its ‘market-to-glass’ concept. Try the elegant Absolut-ly (Absolut vodka, lime, vanilla, lemongrass and jasmine foam) or the refreshing Swedish Summer Cup (Absolut vodka, lemon, rhubarb and ginger shrub served with basil).

Burlock, London

With over 200 of the world’s finest rums available under one roof, Burlock is be one of the UK’s largest rum houses. Some of their exceptional bottles will include an El Dorado, Zacapa, or a rich 21 Year Old Appleton Estate, one of Jamaica’s finest varieties. Signature cocktails include Mary’s Pickled, Grasshopper Deluxe, and Daiquiris made with sugar, hand-pressed on site for extra zing, with fresh fruit juices changed daily, depending upon what is in season.

The Alchemist, Liverpool

This cool cocktail bar already has two venues in Manchester, two in Leeds and one in London. Famous for its experimental cocktails and decadent interior, the new Liverpool venue comes with an apothecary theme incorporated into every detail from Bunsen burners on the bar to salt and pepper shakers in the form of science flasks.