Cocktail Drinking Around The World

Cocktails have come a long way since they were first ‘invented’ back in 1962. It was in the original issue of Bartenders magazine that the first set of cocktail recipes were published, which described them as a ‘mixed drink including spirits and bitters’ which fell into the main areas of Punches, Sours, Slings, Cobblers, Toddies or Flips.

Fast-forward to now and cocktails are a million-dollar industry, with new private members bars popping up in cities all over the world and people banging down the doors to pay their expensive membership fees, even in the midst of a recession. I think the thing about cocktails is that they are a cheap source of glamour – you can spend a night out with your friends, sipping tropical drinks from fancy stemware at some inner city bar and feel like you’re a guest star on Sex and The City for a relatively small amount of money. And it’s not just that, they taste delicious too. Why would you want to drink vodka soda when you can have vanilla vodka, passionfruit and lime?

I don’t claim to be a cocktail expert, but more of an aficianado… I certainly have an un-dying passion when I travel for seeking the most flavorsome alcoholic concoction that I can find, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than perching at a bar and watching foreign strangers go about their lives with a martini glass in hand.

Of all of the cocktail bars I’ve visited in the last few years, the following have been memorable to me in different ways – either for their expertly-mixed drinks, their views, or their originality in a sea of dime-a-dozen bars who think that a rum and coke is a cocktail. Here are my favorites around the world:

1. A21 Cocktail Lounge, Helsinki – A21 is all about the drinks. Not to say the venue isn’t beautiful too – velvet curtains, plush couches and attentive service – but for me this bar was so good because of the originality of their mixologists; shaking up ingredients such as apple, rhubarb and basil into something a lot more tasty than the sum of its parts.
2. Lounge Bohemia, London– Near the corner of Shoreditch High Street and Great Eastern Street in London is an ordinary door which, once opened leads you into a sleek 1960’s style drinking den. There are no signs, and if there’s no reservation you probably won’t get in, but it’s so worth the bother. They specialise in molecular cocktails like ‘The Bubble Bath’ which comes with a rubber ducky and its own foam-filled glass. You would expect to pay more for cocktails of this quality, but they are a very reasonable £7-12 pounds each, which also includes canapés on arrival.
3. The Long Table, Bangkok – Located on the 25th floor of a building in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok, the Long Table has an incredible view over the city (see right). The bar has a huge deck where you can relax with a few drinks and watch the sun go down after a long day sightseeing. They also have the most delicious vanilla martini here, which after a few you might want to stay well away from the edge of the deck!
4. The Croft Institute, Melbourne – Walking into the The Croft Institute is like walking into a science lab – test-tubes and specimens fill the walls and tables, and there are signs to the male and female hygiene departments where the toilets should be. All drinks are served in various scientific receptacles and are made by ‘Dr Croft’. On the weekends you can dance the night away to various international DJs and artists but just make sure you take a map – it’s down a dark alleyway and you won’t find it without one!
5. Buddha Bar, NYC – Even though this is a bar ‘chain’, this branch in the meatpacking district of Manhattan still gets my vote due to the decadently decorated venue and the fact that you’d never know you were entering a plush bar until you step inside – All you see from the outside is a wooden door in a relatively quiet street. They also serve Asian fusion cuisine throughout the evening and their extensive cocktail list means you can be stuck here for hours – and that’s not a bad thing.
6. Experimental Cocktail Club, Paris – There aren’t many cocktail bars in Paris, so the ECC have really carved out a niche for themselves serving original drinks in a laid-back setting. They use only the finest spirits and liquors and they are experimenting with new flavours daily, so ask the bartenders what they recommend.
7. Saphire, Berlin– Away from the tourist areas of Berlin and in a quiet suburban street is Saphire, a lively bar which specialises in both cocktails and whisky. Sit at the bar and watch your drinks being made and chat to the bartenders about making you a ‘special drink’ to your tastes – you won’t be disappointed!
8. Hapu, Prague– Imagine walking into an Eastern European communist style living room in the 1960’s and that’s pretty much how you feel when entering Hapu…it could actually be someone’s house you’ve just stepped into! Couches, tables and chairs and a little bar fill this tiny room which quickly gets filled with young locals sipping their old-school drinks. Get there early to nab one of the comfy couches and people watch.
9. Dry Martini, Barcelona – Dry Martini specialises in various flavours of martini, and even includes a counter above the bar showing the number served – it’s well over a million so they certainly know their stuff! The drinks are generous and very strong – A word of warning if you order the ‘Fire and Ice’: It’s pretty much straight gin, vodka and chili – not for the faint hearted!
10. Purl, London – What’s not to love about a bar that serves drinks in liquid nitrogen? Apart from the frostbite, nothing – this speakeasy is perfect for a lazy evening with friends or a date – you can slowly laze in your comfy and private spot while you order such drinks as ‘What’s Your Poison’ (right)  which involves chewing a pill and mixing various ingredients in a medicine bottle before you sip it from a test-tube like glass. Purl is fairly new to the London bar scene, but already one of my favourites.

Previous Post – Falling In Love With Bangkok Street Food

Next Post – Peace, Love And Weed In Christiania