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Summer’s hottest global bar openings
By Alice BrookerFrom a 70s-themed basement bar to an Icelandic rooftop terrace, we’ve rounded up the best bar openings of summer 2022.
Summer is certainly hotting up in the on-trade – and no, we’re not just talking in centigrade.
If there’s ever been a time to see off the working day with a drink in your hand while watching the sunset, it’s now: new watering holes are popping up around the world.
From a cabin lodge within Tennessee’s mountain woodlands to a slick city bar next door to a gin distillery in Melbourne, we’ve got all vibes covered in our global bar openings round up of the summer.
Plus, if you’re lucky enough to be a local (or tourist) to Iceland this summer, you couldn’t have chosen a better time: Reykjavik has just welcomed a brand spanking new rooftop bar to its coastline – and it’s definitely worth keeping note of that one if you plan to visit.
Scroll on for our round-up of the best new spots on the global bar scene.
Morningside Room, Tennessee
Nestled within the woods of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Morningside Room is every adventurous cocktail lover’s dream: cabin retreat meets elegant and boozy serves.
Morningside Room is based within a 58-room boutique inn RT Lodge, and will wildly improve your retreat (pun absolutely intended) with its specialty-made craft cocktails, and the 1920s-inspired yet chicly decorated sanctuary space.
The venue offers inside- and patio-based seating and seats 13 at the bar and 24 in the room. Try and bag the stunning green velvet sofa by the fireplace for the best seat in the house.
Uncle Zorro’s, London
A stylish and seventies-influenced basement bar? Say no more. Uncle Zorro’s is the place to be this summer for a cocktail or two if you’re in Covent Garden.
While the floor above will appear as a café offering up Australian-style specialty coffee and quality brunches, downstairs is a whole other ball game – serving a carefully-curated natural and biodynamic wine list and a ‘twist on a classic’ cocktail selection.
The team behind the venue are responsible for popular coffee shop Abuelo, and if you’re feeling some nibbles with your drinks, don’t hesitate to try out the full cheese toastie and sharing plate menu.
Lost Property Office, London
Waterloo’s newest speakeasy bar has a bright future ahead of it, with its extravagant and vividly coloured serves.
The acclaimed Rich Woods, also known as The Cocktail Guy, is the face behind the cocktail hideaway, which can only be accessed through a secret door within Brewdog’s soon-to-open 27,500 square-feet venue.
Enjoy exceptional tipples from the Full Flex (a twist on the classic Manhattan), which is made up of Bourbon, blended sweet vermouths, cacao butter, ancho chilli and grapefruit oils; to the Lagerita (a reformed Margarita), crafted from hopped tapatio Tequila, clarified lime, blood orange and bergamot.
The Roof, Iceland
Iceland’s hottest (or coolest) new bar is based inside The Reykjavik Edition hotel, and offers romantic 360° panoramic views of the ocean, Mount Esja and the Snæfellsjökul glacier. What more could you ask for from an Icelandic bar?
Located on the seventh floor, guests shouldn’t look past its snazzy food menu: carefully curated by The Roof’s sous chef Tiago Rosa, consumers can indulge their tastebuds with dishes such as the seared bread with sofrito, steamed mussels and chorizo oil, or the roasted spiced pineapple with basil foam.
Bar Daskal, London
Borough Yard’s shiny new wine and cocktail bar is named after artist Vladimir Daskaloff, who worked under the name ‘Daskal.’ The joint is all-things-Spanish, inspired by Daskal’s home roots, and offers the country’s wine, a Sherry list and a list of cocktails made with Spanish spirits.
Feeling peckish? Look no further than Bar Daskal’s food menu, serving up cold tapas including Spanish jamón and cheeses.
Naught Distilling, Melbourne
Australia-based gin fanatics are being called to the leafy suburbs of Eltham, as Naught Distilling has created a space boasting intimate booths and an array of gins decanted into classic cocktails, inspired by the ‘roaring 1920s’ era. The expansive drinks menu, plush velvet and ceiling of Australian botanicals welcomes only the sleekest of drinkers.
Duchess, London
Located on Dukes Street in Marylebone, The Duchess welcomes guests with a grand entrance of large wooden doors flanked by columns, and spans two floors.
The drinks list features a selection of draft beers, English sparkling wines and a carefully-curated cocktail menu featuring a Jalapeño Margarita, Salted Caramel Espresso Martini and a Spiced Pineapple Mojito.
And if that hasn’t yet tickled your fancy, the bar team are known to infuse their own gin on-site, which is updated on a regular basis with seasonal flavours.
Keep the bar on retainer for the colder months too – The Duchess is the perfect place to settle in for a cosy winter’s evening.
Apotheke, New York
Famed Chinatown bar Apotheke has just added a second outpost in New York’s Nomad neighbourhood. Nicolas O’Connor, the bar’s director of mixology and culinary arts, lent a hand (or two) in the creation of its ‘elaborate’ garden-to-glass cocktail menu.
Dumplings inspired by the venue’s Chinatown roots will also be served up.
Roof Garden by Booking Office 1869, London
Rum brand Black Tot teamed up with Kings Cross-based Booking Office 1869 to kit out the latter venue’s patio area with lights and outdoor seating. The secluded space and ‘secret garden’ serves a snack-style menu from its indoor counterpart, alongside a refreshing array of cocktails – it’s worth trying a rum-based tipple while you’re there.
Mr Foggs Apothecary, London
The first openings from the team behind the acclaimed brand Mr Fogg’s in four years, this new Mayfair outpost certainly meets – nay, surpasses – expectations.
The bar is familiar in its theme being centred around well-loved fictional character Phileas Fogg, the protagonist in Jules Verne’s 1972 novel Around the World in Eighty Days.
The bar lifts from Fogg’s eccentric character, featuring a grand staircase, apothecary collection and a variety of concoctions that will ‘cure lethargy, melancholy, indigestion and dehydration’.