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Top 10
Spring’s hottest global bar openings
Flowers aren’t the only things that blossomed over spring, it seems the bar world was at it too. We’ve rounded up 12 of the hottest openings from the season.
From rooftops with ridiculous city views to hard-to-find speakeasies and neighbourhood hotspots with award-winning cocktails, there was something for every drinker this spring.
Londoners were blessed with three new venues, while New York and Los Angeles both added spots to their never-ending lists. And whether you’re based in Paris, Suzhou or Toronto, there’s also somewhere new and exciting to drink. Spring was a truly a global affair.
For the rest of the 12 bar openings that have dazzled recently, read on.
And for what happened over winter, have a look at our guide here.
CopperBay, Paris
Where: 7 Rue de Berri, 75008 Paris, France
They say all good things come threes, and that’s now true for CopperBay, which has opened its third venue inside the five-star Hôtel Lancaster on the Champs-Élysées.
Like its siblings, this iteration’s interior sports a shade of nautical blue – furnished with a curved marble-topped bar and its own floor-to-ceiling olive tree – and features a cocktail menu that reworks mediterranean dishes into drinks, such as Pan con Tomate, Tiramisu and the Portuguese egg tart, Pastel de Nata.
Fancy a bit of live music with your food-inspired cocktails? Drop by on a Thursday for sessions hosted by Parisian DJ Nick V.
Samba Room, London
Where: Heron Tower, 39th Floor, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY
Sitting pretty on the 39th floor of Heron Tower by Liverpool Street, Samba Room has proved an instant hit due its dizzying views of East London.
Formidably, for any other bar hoping to be the best date night option in the area, it’s then backed those up with exotic cocktails and an exclusive lounge space glowing in orange and copper.
The sky-high spot comes from the people behind SushiSamba a floor below, and like the buzzing restaurant, the drinks menu journeys guests around Japan, Brazil and Peru, with influences and ingredients loaned from those countries – see a Brazilian Negroni (made with cachaça) or the Jasmine Whisper, which combines jasmine-infused Cocchi Americano and Suntory Toki whisky, and is reminiscent of a Manhattan.
Mezcalito Brompton, London
Where: 158 Old Brompton Road, London SW5 0BA
Mezcalito locked down its position as West London’s Margarita stronghold in February, adding a second site in Brompton to its existing one down the road in Chelsea.
In Chelsea, the team have the ‘largest selection of agave spirits in Europe’ with a count apparently exceeding 500 in Tequilas and mezcal, so be sure to expect a similar offering here. Naturally, there’s also tacos to wash all those down, as well as a few other snack staples from Mexico, including elote (corn on the cob) and nachos with all the toppings.
As for the ‘where to go after?’, head downstairs to the venue’s basement nightclub where you can keep the good times rolling (and the Margaritas flowing) with bottle-to-table service and DJs playing Latin house and reggaeton.
Three Sheets Soho, London
Where: 13 Manette St, London W1D 4AP
One of London’s most-anticipated openings of the year saw bartending brothers Max and Noel Venning bring their Dalston bar Three Sheets to Soho.
Recognised as one of city’s best bars, the pair are replicating the formula here, sticking the same low-key approach that made the original venue so successful – a clean and unfussy interior combined with meticulously-crafted cocktails.
Of the latter, regulars from Dalston will pleased to find that few old favourites have made the journey over, including the Dirty Martini made with olive oil-washed vodka, but there’s also a new set of Soho-exclusives to dig into; from a mango iced tea with rum to a Scottish coffee with buttered Scotch, salted coffee and shortbread cream.
Bar Compton Ave, Toronto
Where: 1282 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1X7, Canada
After three straight bars from London we’ve now arrived in Toronto, or have we?
In Frankie Solarik’s (of Netflix’s Drink Masters fame) mind we’re still in London, as the bartender has reimagined an affluent central London bar in this townhouse-esque hideaway situated on Dundas Street West – which fills the elegant space between its wood-panelled walls with old paintings, studded leather sofas, chandeliers and drinks that cover both classics and contemporary.
Solarik’s English-leaning inventions include cocktails such as the citrusy and smooth Mayfair Sour (with gin, whisky, lemon, egg white and amaretto) and the herbal Ferry to Calais (with Cognac, fig, vermouth, elderflower and green tea), plus a range of Martinis named after the likes of Notting Hill and Princess Diana.
Somewhere by Nico, Glasgow
Where: First Floor, 358 Byres Rd, Glasgow G12 8AW
Normally known for his work as a chef, Nico Simeone dipped his toes into the cocktail game with his first drinks-led venue, located above his Six by Nico restaurant in Glasgow.
Simone says the space has an ‘exclusive members’ club feeling’, with out-of-the-box designs and bold artwork, intended to bring about a ‘dreamscape experience’. In terms of what this means for the cocktails, the menu refreshes every six weeks, each time based on a theme and presented as a six-course tasting menu, which is currently ‘nostalgia’.
From Nostalgia, the menu intends to take guests on a trip back in time to the good old days of when The Simpsons and Mr Whippy vans were all the rage, through serves such as ‘Duff Beer’ (made with Tequila, 0% beer reduction and spice ginger tea, served with a donut… as you do), and a cream soda, vanilla and butterscotch rum creation that comes with a soft serve cone. All cocktails also have non-alcoholic versions, which Simone says the team have given as much care to as their boozy forms.
Bar Madonna, New York
Where: 367 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Bar Madonna’s (no relation to the singer) owners’ Eric Madonna and Ray Rando have worked at some of New York’s most iconic Italian restaurants – such as Carbone and Lupa – so it makes sense that they’ve gone down the Italian-American path for their joint bar project.
The duo are nodding to their ‘lived Italian-American experience’ and are having a blast doing so – as you’ll notice by the eye-catching art pieces on the walls and the inclusion of Jell-O shots on the menu – but they’ve also put their creative caps on for some highly inventive cocktails.
The Brooklyn Special with coffee Michter’s Bourbon & Rye, Fernet-Branca, cherry and soda stands out for one, as does a clarified peach and plum Bellini on the tap, while there’s a roster of amari, grappas, and sambuca to explore as well.
Ruma, Edinburgh
Where: 39-41 Broughton St, Edinburgh EH1 3JU
One for the rum enthusiasts of Edinburgh… The Scottish capital’s latest bar boasts more than 100 different bottles of the spirit on its shelves, from destinations far and wide – we’re talking from Fiji to Barbados to even Scotland itself (featuring Ninefold Distillery, J Gow, Islay Rum and Matugga Rum).
Co-founders Jamie Shields and Steven Aitken believe this to be the largest collection of rum in the country.
Guests can sip the pair’s rare finds like a discerning rum connoisseur or run through the 10-strong selection of house cocktails that are a few notches above your standard Daiquiri; mainly classics that are given a rum twist, such as the Pineapple and Fig Old Fashioned made with Foursquare’s Doorly’s XO.
The Moon Room, Los Angeles
Where: 7174 Melrose Ave 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90046
At Moon Room on Melrose Ave, the floor is made for both drinking and dancing.
Dreamt up by Jared Melsier (an ever-present nightlife proprietor with a lengthy list of venues to his name: The Roger Room, Bar Lubitsch, The Friend, The Little Friend and so on…), the bar channels the feeling of Paris and New York in the 70s and 80s, but with a contemporary LA edge.
Cafe chairs, avant-garde art and black lacquer banquettes fill the room, as baby grand piano commands it, while as the night progresses, the volume turns up and a mirrored disco ball spins overhead. And thanks to the capable hands of beverage director Annemarie Sagoi, the cocktails don’t get lost in the shuffle either. The Andromeda is what you want if you’re a spicy Margarita fan.
Union Trading Company, Suzhou
Address: No.1015, Shiquan Street, Gusu District, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Balancing the cheery, welcoming vibes of a neighbourhood hangout with the technical cocktail know-how of worlds best bars, the team at Shanghai’s Union Trading Company (UTC) are repeating the trick in the nearby city of Suzhou.
The new sister site mirrors what made UTC Shanghai such an institution – fun cocktails loaded with creativity (like the Neon Milk Punch) and staff behind the bar who will happily engage in chatter until the early hours if you want them to. The venue itself, enhanced by traditional Chinese-style windows and retro American leather seating, is spread over three floors and the top includes a private area equipped with its own bar.
Mill Place Merchants, Melbourne
Where: Ground Floor/2 Mill Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Located within a heritage building from the 1840s down a laneway that used to house a soap and candle factory, and accessed behind the full-length mirror door in a dressing room furnished with vintage bits from the Victoria era, Mill Place Merchants promises a night of adventure.
Secret entrance aside, once you’ve discovered where the bar is, it’s time to discover what the drinks are – those, devised by Giancarlo Mancino, are influenced by the Prohibition era, so expect Martinis and the Pink Lady to reign supreme. A space oozing with cosy elegance (armchair, rugs, candles, chandeliers… it’s all here) and a music programme headed by big band and jazz completes a classic speakeasy experience.
Ginger’s, Dallas
Where: 2115 Jackson St, Dallas, TX 75201, US
With flickering candle-lit tables, cosy red and green leather corners and a sleek backlit marble-topped bar, Ginger’s has date night written all over it.
Nice-looking interior aside, the bar programme designed by mixologist Sean Kenyon has fondness for the classics with an Old Fashioned made with Balcones Texas Rye and Texas chai syrup given a starring role. For non-drinkers there’s also a generous range of 0% cocktails – the bar’s namesake Ginger is made with Three Spirit Nightcap with Gin-eric syrup, lemon and soda.
And for people who enjoy beautiful staircases, the one here is quite the sight too.
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