7 Cities With The Best Cocktails

The global cocktail scene has never been more exciting. From Hong Kong speakeasies serving mortadella sandwiches to Barcelona bars hidden behind refrigerator doors, seven cities now define what it means to drink exceptionally well. These destinations don't just serve cocktails—they've built entire drinking cultures around innovation, hospitality, and technique. Here's where to find the world's most extraordinary bars.

This post contains affiliate links. Miimu may receive compensation from purchases you make, at no extra cost to you.

Barcelona: Europe's Cocktail Capital

Barcelona earned its title as Europe's cocktail capital through sustained excellence. The city claims two of the world's top-four bars: Sips in third place and Paradiso in fourth. Both previously held the number-one global ranking, with Sips winning in 2023 and Paradiso in 2022. This isn't coincidence—it's the result of perfect conditions meeting talented bartenders.

The city offers affordable rents compared to London or New York, access to quality Mediterranean ingredients, and an international population curious about new flavors. Former London bartenders like Simone Caporale relocated specifically for Barcelona's manageable size and vibrant atmosphere. His bar Sips serves "haute couture cocktails at prêt-à-porter prices," using modern extraction techniques and custom glassware crafted by local artisans. Meanwhile, Paradiso hides behind a pastrami shop's refrigerator door, delivering multi-sensory experiences where cocktails arrive via miniature steam trains or emerge from treasure chests releasing puffs of smoked Mediterranean herbs.

How strict is the reservation policy for Barcelona cocktail bars? Sips requires advance online booking through their website, while Paradiso operates a virtual queue system accessed via QR code at the door—arrive around 6:30pm before crowds descend at 9:30pm when DJs transform the energy. Most cocktails cost €10-15, reasonable for world-class quality.

Can you visit multiple bars in one night in Barcelona? The El Born and Eixample neighborhoods keep bars within walking distance, though long waits at popular spots may limit your crawl.

London: Sustained Cocktail Innovation

London has appeared on every single World's 50 Best Bars list since rankings began 17 years ago. The city maintains this dominance through establishments that balance experimental techniques with traditional elegance. Tayēr + Elementary ranks fifth globally with its dual-concept approach: Elementary serves tapped cocktails in seconds from an industrial diner-style front bar, while Tayēr operates as a mixology lab with daily-changing menus centered around a hexagonal bar station.

The Connaught Bar in Mayfair holds sixth place and has appeared in 16 of 17 annual lists—an unparalleled record. This hotel bar revolutionized luxury drinking in 2008 by modernizing service without sacrificing elegance. Its martini trolley allows bartenders to mix drinks tableside according to guest preferences, creating bespoke experiences within refined surroundings. Both venues demonstrate why London remains essential for cocktail education: bartenders worldwide study these establishments' approaches to hospitality, efficiency, and technique.

Do London cocktail bars accept walk-ins? Both Tayēr + Elementary locations operate walk-in only Tuesday through Saturday, though waits can extend 30-60 minutes during peak hours. The Connaught accepts reservations and offers a more relaxed pacing.

How much should you budget for London cocktail bars? Tayēr's tapped cocktails start around £10-12, while Connaught's drinks range £16-22 reflecting hotel bar positioning. Can you make a night of just these two? They're in different neighborhoods (Old Street versus Mayfair), but Satan's Whiskers in Bethnal Green ranks 21st globally and sits conveniently between them.

Mexico City: Agave Spirits Heritage Meets Innovation

Mexico City claimed the World's Best Bar title in 2024 through Handshake Speakeasy, which retained second place in 2025. This achievement crowned years of Mexican cocktail renaissance driven by bartenders determined to combat outdated stereotypes about their country's drinking culture. Handshake operates across two spaces: the ground floor features Great Gatsby-inspired décor with 90s soundtrack and culinary approach to cocktails like clarified piña colada, while the basement offers hip-hop atmosphere and the iconic Fig Martini presented as a floral bouquet.

The bar's success stems from elaborate preparation—drinks often require 48 hours to craft in the on-site laboratory run by manager Yiyi Aparicio. The Salt N Pepper paloma, for instance, uses mezcal infused with strawberries for 24 hours combined with bell peppers slow-cooked with water, citric acid, sugar, and wood. This dedication to technique while showcasing Mexican ingredients, from mezcal to indigenous herbs, demonstrates the country's cocktail sophistication. The capital's bar scene extends beyond Handshake to include venues like Licorería Limantour and Bar Mauro, creating a comprehensive ecosystem for agave-spirit innovation.

How do you secure reservations? Book through OpenTable up to two weeks in advance, though popular time slots disappear within hours of release. The bar enforces 90-minute limits given high demand.

What's the price range for MExico City cocktail bars? Cocktails cost 250-700 pesos ($14-$40 USD), expensive by local standards but competitive internationally. Are there alternatives nearby? The Juárez neighborhood surrounding Handshake contains multiple ranked bars within a 10-block radius, making it Mexico City's cocktail epicenter worth exploring beyond just the headliner.

Hong Kong: Neighborhood Warmth Meets World-Class Technique

Bar Leone's 2025 World's Best Bar victory marked Asia's first-ever top ranking. The Hong Kong establishment achieved this in less than two years through a deceptively simple approach: treat guests like neighborhood regulars. Founder Lorenzo Antinori deliberately rejected technique-heavy trends in favor of classic cocktails executed perfectly with seasonal ingredients. The bar publishes all recipes via email subscription, prioritizing transparency over secretive innovation.

What distinguishes Bar Leone is its complete experience. The 100-gram hand-sliced mortadella sandwiches became so popular they're now as famous as the drinks. The interior mixes football jerseys with vintage Italian spirits prints, creating casual warmth rather than intimidating sophistication. There's no reservation system—guests queue democratically regardless of status. This "cocktails for the people" philosophy resonates in a city where many bars emphasize exclusivity. Antinori's approach signals a broader industry shift toward accessibility, where outstanding hospitality matters as much as technical skill.

Visiting Bar Leone: How long are wait times? Expect 30-60 minute waits on weekends, with the queue forming before 5pm opening. Weekday evenings around 10pm offer shorter waits. What's the atmosphere like? Wood-paneled space with neon and vinyl feels more neighborhood joint than luxury destination, with bartenders engaging guests in conversation rather than performing silently. Can you try the famous sandwich without drinking? Technically yes, though the bar-focused layout and standing crowds make it primarily a drinking destination with excellent snacks rather than a restaurant.

New York: Experimental Food-Inspired Mixology

New York dominates North American cocktail culture with 12 bars making the World's 50 Best list—more than any other city globally. Double Chicken Please exemplifies the city's current direction, creating cocktails inspired by dishes rather than traditional flavor profiles. The bar's two-room layout splits between Free Range's walk-in front section serving tapped cocktails and The Coop's reservation-only back room featuring the full menu with drinks like Cold Pizza (tomato-forward with Parmigiano reggiano and burnt toast) and French Toast (vodka with brioche, coconut milk, and maple syrup).

This food-meets-cocktail approach required rethinking traditional bartending. Founder GN Chan describes the process as "hacking design," deconstructing dishes to understand which elements translate to liquid form. The bar's kitchen complements this with elevated offerings like popcorn chicken with salted egg yolk dip, supervised by chef Mark Chou from Le Bernardin and Eleven Madison Park. Attaboy represents New York's other strength: the speakeasy revival. This unmarked walk-in bar serves no menu—guests describe preferences to bartenders who custom-craft drinks. The contrast between these approaches shows New York's range.

How difficult are reservations? Double Chicken Please releases about 10 Coop reservations nightly, booking instantly when released. Free Range accepts walk-ins but expect hour-plus waits on weekends.

What about cost? Tapped cocktails in Free Range run $12-15, while Coop menu items reach $18-22.

Can you bar-hop effectively? The Lower East Side concentrates multiple ranked bars within a 10-block radius, though time limits (Double Chicken Please enforces 90 minutes) and long waits may limit how many you can visit in one evening.

Singapore: Classic Cocktails Meet Convivial Hospitality

Singapore's cocktail scene centers on Jigger & Pony, ranking ninth globally and third in Asia. The bar has maintained top-ten positioning for seven consecutive years through its distinctive "menuzines"—magazine-style cocktail menus requiring months of research. The current Embrace menu spans 68 pages divided into sections like "Embrace Change" featuring experimental drinks and "Embrace Tradition" showcasing classic cocktails with contemporary twists, such as a Paloma made complex through aged smoky tequila and house-made guava pink grapefruit soda.

The bar coined its service style as "convivial hospitality"—from Latin "con vivere" meaning "with life"—creating a sociable, festive atmosphere rather than stuffy formality. This philosophy extends throughout Singapore's cocktail community, visible in bars like Atlas with its 1,300-bottle gin collection housed in Art Deco grandeur, and Nutmeg & Clove drawing on local "mama shop" nostalgia and herbalist traditions. The city's bars serve as cocktail education centers, with bartenders from across Asia studying Singaporean hospitality approaches before returning home to implement similar standards.

Exploring Singapore's Bar Scene: Should you make reservations? Jigger & Pony accepts reservations and usually has availability, especially during 6-7:30pm happy hour. Walk-ins work for many Singapore bars, which lack the extreme waits common in New York or London. What's the damage to your wallet? Expect S$18-25 ($13-18 USD) per cocktail, reasonable given world-class quality. How many bars can you visit? Most top Singapore bars cluster in two areas (Tanjong Pagar and Amara Hotel area), making multi-bar evenings logistically feasible without transportation challenges.

Buenos Aires: Immigrant Heritage Meets Punk Aesthetic

Buenos Aires claims South America's best bar through Tres Monos, ranking tenth globally. The bar's name references Japanese sculptures representing seeing, hearing, and speaking no evil—here interpreted as bartenders focusing exclusively on guests without distraction. The space combines punk attitude (neon lights, graffiti, dark aesthetic) with high-class technique, creating approachable sophistication distinct from European or North American formality. Quarterly rotating menus feature drinks like La Uatfak blending housemade Tres Monos gin with apple, pear, sandalwood, and lemon verbena.

Florería Atlántico represents Argentina's immigrant history, hidden beneath a flower shop and accessed through a refrigerator door. Founder Tato Giovannoni's menu celebrates the waves of immigration that shaped Buenos Aires: American bartenders brought cocktail knowledge, English and Dutch introduced gin and genever, Italians contributed vermouth and amaro. Each cocktail honors these influences while incorporating indigenous Argentine ingredients. The bar's Human Geography menu, created with historian Felipe Pigna, reaches further back to prehistoric South American populations through native ingredients and ancestral techniques like grinding, smoking, and fermentation.

Do you need reservations for Buenos Aires cocktail bars?

Tres Monos accepts walk-ins primarily, though calling ahead on weekends helps. Florería Atlántico's speakeasy nature means showing up and descending the stairs if space allows.

How expensive is it? Cocktails cost 14,000-20,000 Argentine pesos ($14-20 USD at time of research), making Buenos Aires significantly more affordable than New York or London for equivalent quality.

What else is nearby? The Palermo neighborhood contains Tres Monos, CoChinChina, and several other notable bars within walking distance, while Florería sits alone in Retiro but justifies the separate trip.

Plan Your Next Cocktail Adventure with Miimu

These seven cities represent more than great places to drink—they're laboratories for the future of hospitality. If you're already planning which bars to visit on your next trip, don't let this list disappear when you close your browser. Sign up for Miimu to save and organize these recommendations into a living travel guide you can update anytime. Add new discoveries, group bars by neighborhood, and keep everything ready for your next cocktail pilgrimage—no re-searching required.