Forget nightclubs with their blaring music, sticky floors and people packed in as tight as sardines. Set in the trendy Flatiron district, this parlour oozes sophistication and rates comfort and conversation over crowds.
Luxe booths, soft lighting and the lilting croon of a three-piece jazz band exude a vibe that’s both exclusive and laid-back, but the whisky is the true star.
Boasting more than a thousand concoctions, the Flatiron ensures everyone – from connoisseurs to first-time whisky drinkers – will feel spoilt for choice. Swill, sip and savour a glass of the smooth velvety drop or, better still, ask to have your favourite tipple put aside in the bottle keep to enjoy at your leisure. There’s no such thing as standing room here and the venue fills up fast, so be sure to make a reservation or you’ll miss out.
The inconspicuous vintage Coca Cola machine in one corner of Shanghai sandwich shop The Press hides something much more exciting than cans of fizzy drink.
For those in the know, the vending machine swings open to reveal a secret passageway leading straight to one of Shanghai’s best-kept secrets: Flask, a swanky cocktail bar with an effervescent atmosphere.
Step down a hallway of black-painted bricks into a lounge area accented by leather upholstery, copper fixtures, dark wooden floorboards and bare concrete walls. Out-there art, light sculptures and fish-eye mirrors complete Flask’s rarefied air. Recline on a vintage sofa or take a seat at the bar, where some of the city’s top mixologists will shake up something just as special as your surroundings.
With an open-air bar that looks like a giant gleaming bathtub floating 34 storeys above the bustling streets of Mumbai, Aer is one sexy lady. Ease into the curvaceous white furniture that sparkles like constellations against the Arabian Sea, and gulp down the extraordinary views. Order the signature cocktail – Afterglow (gin, cucumber, coriander and grapes) – and peruse the tapas menu with seductive offerings like goat’s cheese and pistachio truffles. This Four Seasons gem is such a stunner that the hotel imposes a US$37.50 cover charge on Friday and Saturday nights.
Located in the young, hip 11th arrondissement near the Place de Bastille, this nightclub-cocktail bar hybrid is the perfect place to get in sync with the beating heart of Parisian nightlife.
Badaboum has made a name for itself hosting top international techno DJs in the intimate, 350-person floor space, where stark industrial decor and geometric neon light installations give the place a psychedelic air.
If the club scene is not your thing, the bar alone is worth a visit. Kick back with an expertly crafted cocktail and a plate of tapas in the cosy, warmly lit downstairs area, or get comfy in the lounge-inspired Secret Room upstairs.
In a former life, the A38 was a Ukrainian stone hauler used to transport gravel across international waters. Today it has transformed into the ultimate floating bar and music venue, and is permanently moored on the banks of the Danube in Budapest.
A hall that once stored mounds of rocks now pumps out rock ‘n roll, former equipment bays boast art exhibitions, a selection of bars tempts thirsty revelers, and there’s even an on-board restaurant that serves hearty Hungarian fare.
While it no longer sails to distant waters, the ship still pulls a worldly crew with international acts thrashing its stage and DJs hitting the decks. For something more cultural, check out the program of film screenings, literature readings and food and wine festivals.
Satisfy all your senses at a one-of-a-kind Berlin cocktail bar. Fragrances, the crowning jewel of the city’s Ritz-Carlton, is the first watering hole in the world dedicated to combining cocktails with perfume.
Each drink is inspired by a unique fragrance from renowned brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani and Guerlain. “At Fragrances, we want our guests not only to enjoy their drinks, but to experience them,” explains cocktail creator and bar manager Arnd Heissen.
Instead of poring over a traditional cocktail list, patrons are invited to choose their favourite fragrance and let their nose lead them to a matching cocktail. The bar also runs workshops where guests can create their own personal scent under the guidance of a perfume expert.
Sometimes the most memorable nights out end in the bathroom, so why not cut out the middle man and open a bar in an old Victorian public lavatory?
Embedded in the heart of Kentish Town, the underground toilet-tavern of Ladies & Gentlemen is all kinds of cosy – think intimate candlelit tables, soft jazz tunes and friendly staff who’ll make you feel like a regular beneath a smattering of (squeaky clean) cisterns.
The cocktail list is bursting with homemade liqueurs and gin straight from a 16-litre copper still. Each is infused with locally sourced botanicals, including the bar’s very own Highwayman Gin. There’s also a Gin Club every Tuesday night, where you’ll learn how to perfect the art of distilling spirits – you even get a small takeaway bottle to enjoy at home.
Pull up a stool in this tiny bar and settle into another epoch. Bar Trench has been sliced from turn-of-the-century Paris and grafted into an alley in the Ebisu district of modern-day Tokyo.
A huge windowpane overlooks an interior of wood, exposed brick and dapper clientele sipping homemade ginger ale, exclusive whisky and finely crafted cocktails – many with an Absinthe bent.
Order an in-house creation – the Go Lassi!!! (a blend of Absinthe Clandestine, lime, dill, yogurt and cucumber) is a must if you’re game – then test your recollection of the classics with boozy quotes from Hemmingway and Sinatra printed on coasters. Best of all is the chance to tap into the mind of the English-speaking Brazilian–Japanese mixologist and owner, who’s happy to share his seemingly endless knowledge of grog.
The term bathtub gin first appeared in the USA in the 1920s as a reference to the homemade, low-quality hooch furtively brewed during the reign of Prohibition. Tucked away behind the facade of an inconspicuous coffee shop in the Big Apple, Bathtub Gin is an old-fashioned speakeasy with a twist.
Among oversized armchairs and fringed lampshades, the bar’s most prominent feature is the gold-plated bathtub that dominates the space with a rather literal interpretation of its name. Wait staff don vintage flapper attire, while barkeeps shake up high-quality cocktails – no rotgut here – paying homage to recipes from the pre-Prohibition era. If gin’s your thing there are 30 choices on the list, as well as plenty of varieties of wine and a selection of beer.
Step 1) Find a glass bottle.
Step 2) Stick a whole venomous snake in it, like say, a cobra.
Step 3) Leave it to ferment so the venom seeps into the alcohol.
Step 4) Try and get Westerners to drink it by telling them it cures everything from poor eyesight to hair loss.
If you’re feeling particularly brave, drunk or stupid, you might also have a go at downing a shot of blood from the still-beating heart of a snake. It, like so many things in Asia, is said to increase male virility.
Head to the reputable snake meat and liquor restaurant, Quoc Trieu, in the famed ‘snake village’ of Le Mat near Hanoi. There you will find all manner of snake dishes and, if you request, they can even source you a live cobra.
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