Best Cocktail Bars in Nashville

A futuristic-looking Valley cocktail bar and the newest project from the team behind Thunderbolt. The restaurant and bar focuses on clever, unexpected twists on the classic tequila-based drink in all of its αζορ sweet, sometimes frozen glory. A stunning Mexican restaurant in Los Feliz that offers stellar cocktails alongside a list of rare mezcals and tequilas, some of which you can’t find anywhere else in the United States.

If you’re an early bird (or just a cheapskate), then come through for their cocktail happy hour, every Wednesday from 6-7pm. A Bar With Shapes For A Name calls time at 4am, so why not slink in at 3am for a nightcap. A very, very late-night bar inspired by the Bauhaus design school of interwar Germany – but, like, fun!

(By the way, need a new drinking spot? Check out our recs for the best bars in America.) “Normally, if people don’t know what kind of drink they like, I ask, ‘Do you like something refreshing or bright or sour? It might be time to ask for something new. But recently a server at a craft-cocktail spot rolled their eyes at me in response—and I get it. You walk into your favorite neighborhood watering hole, and the bartender asks what you want. She also loves a female-led drama series – think OITNB and Sex and The City – and is a sucker for a true crime doc!

The Wanch — Hong Kong music venue roars back to life

You could spend the morning at La Jefa enjoying a coffee, tea or agave and espresso drink, and stay until it’s time for a cocktail. But besides the sunny corner spot, the drinks are inventive and well-made, making it a favorite late-night spot for industry folks and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner. The hidden Chinatown cocktail bar features a strict set of rules enforced by owner and proprietor Lê. But at Post Haste, the bar and kitchen present a symbiotic relationship using the same tastes and ingredients. The team behind this East Kensington bar is in constant motion, from collaborative specials to pay-what-you-can Sundays and their next act is as a fine dining restaurant. From quirky dives to day-to-night cafes to moody lounges, there’s a solid drink for every taste in nearly every corner of the city.

Martini — Elegant and Timeless

This popular cocktail bar took over the 100-year-old Caffe Dante in 2015, turning the space into an all-day cafe and bar. You know you’re in a good cocktail bar when it’s full of people asking the bartender for another. Enter La Jefa, the new all-day cafe, restaurant, and cocktail bar from the team behind Tequila’s. Prepare to be seduced by brooding basement cocktail bar SOMA – bringing Indian-inspired drinks and speakeasy vibes to Soho, tucked away beneath hailed Indian restaurant, Kricket. From the award-winning company, No Escape London, this lovely spot touts glorious Antoni Gaudi-inspired decor, alongside a gorgeous outdoor space for alfresco antics. This dimly lit room with a 1920s speakeasy feel can involve a wait to get in, especially on weekends as it’s a small space, but it’s a unique cocktail bar experience.

Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals by Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera

• Tucked behind the lobby of a luxury hotel on 28th Street that’s also home to Café Carmellini, The Portrait Bar looks like the tastefully cluttered drawing room of a Victorian mansion.
• But whatever your night entails – trust us here – get there in time to grab a sunset table on the balcony.
• Making its debut before its tasting menu, Bar Kabawa channels the rhythms from its island-inspired fare to its cocktails, many of which tip a glass toward the daiquiri.
• The bar has some crowd-pleasing beer options, but it also has some fun moments with Jell-O shots, a Jabroni Negroni (Miller High Life and Campari), and Clever Sports Pun, a cocktail made with roasted poblanos and pineapple mixed with your choice of tequila or mezcal.
• And before you scurry off, slot in a final drink at Last Stop, a hidden 12-seater within Last Word that slings out unique tea-based cocktails.
• Every week the bar team rolls the dice, each one attached to a spirit, botanical, and fruit to use, be it acid chai or Szechuan amaro.

Sustainability is a big thing here, so expect spirits distilled in-house and super seasonal ingredients. From the same team who bought you Three Sheets in Dalston and now Soho, Little Mercies is doing its best to bring a little bit of an edge to the ever-quaint Crouch End. Time your visit for after your dinner at Twenty8 Nomad, the hotel’s newly-revamped in-house restaurant.

This definitely isn’t a party spot, but if you want to have a great drink and pretend you’re the main character in a rom com set in Adalasia, this is the place for you. The dark Rittenhouse spot is a place where you can drink a daiquiri or mojito (fancy versions, of course) and see where the night goes. That's because a) it’s one of the most popular vegan spots in the city, b) the interior looks trendy enough to film one of those group hang scenes in a rom-com, and c) the cocktails are great.

Divey design touches like decoupaged vintage Playboy magazines on the bathroom walls and a colorful, eclectically decorated outdoor patio add to the place’s unique personality. Trash Panda also has a full food menu available until 2am featuring everything from pizzas and burgers to churros and birria ramen, meaning there’s no need to go dumpster diving if you start feeling a bit peckish. The comedians tend to be embarrassingly bad on free open mic nights, but if you’re willing to pay a small cover, some pretty great acts come through here too. This beloved Westheimer dive rightfully prides itself on its generous selection of whiskeys and Texas beers.

On the drink menu, mixologists reinvent traditional cocktails using Asian spirits and ingredients. While gin takes the spotlight, the dynamic bar menu confidently ventures into other spirits, with inventive drinks shaped by seasonality and a sense of play. The drink menu features both modern and classic cocktails, inspired by Black history and iconic women of color. The extensive selection includes more than 50 original cocktails, from bold takes on classics to original concoctions. But if you’re in the know, you can sneak off to the hotel’s subterranean cocktail lounge for some of the city’s best sips.

The cocktail menu has been inspired by ancient Egyptian Gods and hieroglyphs, and you can let a pendulum decide your drink order. While you’re at the Bloomsbury Hotel, you don’t want to miss the venue’s other gorgeous bar – The Bloomsbury Club. Naturally, there’s a creative, themed menu of cocktails to work your way through, too. There’s nightly live jazz, with an emphasis on the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, plus the sort of quirky drinks presentation that’ll have you spamming the ‘Gram in no time. A classy spot for cocktail quaffing on the streets of Hoxton.

If you’re interested in the history and craft of cocktails and spirits (including non-alcoholic versions), consider this an essential reading list. Craddock, sometimes called “the Dean of Cocktail Shakers,” is said to have invented the Dry Martini and White Lady, but it’s possible he was just the first to popularize them. If you’re a cocktail nerd and science geek, you probably already know about Dave Arnold, the high-tech, experimental bartender who founded the beloved bar Booker & Dax in NYC. A Piña Colada-inspired drink combines espresso with coconut milk, pineapple juice and pseudo lime.

Head down to this intimate basement bar, whether you’re awaiting your tasting menu at Counter71 upstairs or just fancy an evening of sleek, American South-style drinks and hospitality from head bartender Ryan Sheehan. Each page showcases a unique commission from a local muralist to complement the cocktail in question, with a handy summary ‘compass’ of flavours on the first page, categorising the menu into sweet, bitter, boozy dry and refreshing citrus. Mezcal Sunrise is a juicy, long drink with smoky depth and floral bergamot notes from earl grey-infused mezcal, bright and citrussy freshly squeezed mandarin juice and a touch of marigold powder for subtle earthiness. An elegant version of a dirty martini has a delicate floral finish thanks to Ethiopian Koseret tea-infused Belvedere and a silkiness courtesy of an olive oil fat wash. This iconic cocktail is still on the menu at the new spot in the heart of Soho, joined by many new stand-out contenders.