The Resy Guide to Cocktails Across the Country: 40 Places to Drink Right Now

It’s like a clubhouse for cocktails, from its storied 10-year history to the eclectic space itself, most often filled with a lively group of regulars and neighbors. There’s even a giant Ticonderoga pencil in the corner that apparently just showed up one day. The drinks evoke similar nostalgia, forgoing fussy frills to focus on carefully edited recipes that balance authority and approachability — the signature Ticonderoga Cup combines aged rum and French brandy with sherry, pineapple, and mint, and there’s a reserve version if you’re feeling fancy. The tavern-style food menu is also an adventure, with dishes from crispy sweetbreads to paella and a lamb burger, and it’s far beyond typical bar fare. Fittingly, you might need a treasure map to find the spot, tucked in the back corner of Krog Street Market.  

This two-room bar in the heart of the East Village achieves vibes usually only experienced at the coolest of house parties. Music spills through large open windows, there’s various platformed and cushy-seated spaces to tuck away, and the centerpiece stainless steel bar makes it feel like you’re in the heart of the home — the kitchen. Which is ever more fitting as you dive into the cocktail menu: There’s Bread With Tomatoes, Larb Gai, and Peaches & Cream — only here that means toast-infused vodka with tomato water, a Cognac cocktail with flavors of peanut, herbs, and chiles, and a sorbet-like frozen fruit beverage topped with a berg of salted whipped cream and served with a spoon. The actual food menu is equally delightful, but whichever way you order — you won’t leave hungry.  

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One of three concepts that share space in this Logan Square complex, this bar has the smallest footprint, but it certainly pulls its weight. After bypassing sister spots Lardon and Union, a hidden door reveals The Meadowlark: A dark den full of plush armchairs and bookcases surrounding a glowing wooden bar. It’s like stepping into a private library, and the cocktail menu is an elaborately designed tome you’ll want to dive into. Each menu iteration has a different theme — previous versions include Field Guide Vol. I: Birds of the Midwest and a Chicago tribute inspired by the 1983 World’s Fair. The resulting drinks are thematic deep dives and impressive feats of cocktail creation. 

With its generous glowing space, friendly hospitality, frequent social events, and playfully-named-but-seriously-made cocktails, Friends & Family is pretty much the ideal neighborhood bar — but also gives San Franciscans plenty of reason to hop the Bay Bridge. The drinks are thoughtfully curated and well communicated: There’s an array of options from specialty cocktails to house-tailored classics, plus fortified wines, and featured staff favorite spirits like Uncle Nearest bourbon. And since chef Gaby Maeda joined the crew last year, there’s even more argument for frequent visits. Seasonal small plates are gracefully woven with local ingredients and Asian flavors — think delicate shoyu eggs with yuzu kosho and smoked trout roe, or steamed Manila clams with miso and green garlic. Still not convinced? Dessert involves perfect slices of “Mom’s carrot cake,” literally made by owner Blake Cole’s mom. I mean, c’mon! 

Since 2022, Los Feliz’s Mírate has accrued an impressive list of accolades for both its creative fare and its in-depth beverage program that sources ingredients exclusively from Mexico. Daisy carries on the same philosophy, but this time, the team is zeroing in on the iconic margarita, specifically inspired by the cantinas of northern Mexico. And they weren’t kidding — there’s no less than 12 variations of the citrusy drink, from a classic Cadillac to the Baja Slaw with purple cabbage and pulque vinegar. Whether in classic or creative offerings, it’s a delicious celebration of Mexican-American culture.  

Read more about Daisy here. 

The backbar here makes an obvious case for drinking one of the many whiskey selections neat or on the rocks, but the cocktail list is where owner Tommy Klus’ keen palate really shines. It’s a thorough list ranging from fresh and fruit forward combinations, like the Sweet Darlin’ with banana, Thai tea, and pandan sweet cream, to richer and more complex like the Loch Stock with chile liqueur, lapsang souchong sweet vermouth, and mole bitters. It’s easy to lose yourself among the bottles — especially with offerings like a vintage boulevardier with I.W. Harper bourbon, 1960’s Campari, and vintage Torino vermouth — but there’s also a food menu that deserves equal attention, stacked with bites from fried brie, to pickle-spiced fries and pappardelle with candied duck.

Since 2013, this Old Port bar has been a standard-bearer for beverages in the Northeast. Owner Andrew Volk trained under renowned Oregon bartender and author Jeffrey Morgenthaler before settling in Maine and putting Portland on the map as a destination for drinks, equally beloved by regulars and first-timers. The area has since evolved into a bustling hub for food and beverage, while Hunt & Alpine has remained at the forefront. It’s a reliable source of modern classic riffs that don’t take themselves too seriously: One of Volk’s longtime signature, the Late Night at OOB #2, lists “gin, other things, and shame.” And now, the bar’s history can be celebrated via the H&A Cocktail Club — an 84-drink bingo card of house favorites from over the years that rewards return visits — as if you needed more of a reason. 

Since 2017, this Mission District bar has been listed among the world’s best, and to no surprise — it comes from chef David Barzelay and bartender Nicolas Torres, the dream team behind the two Michelin-starred Lazy Bear. They maintain their hyper-focus on local ingredients, but tailor their approach to a more casual space. The cocktail menu reads like a botanical index, inspired by a walk through the Bay Area hills: The Laurel Martini involves a California Bay tincture, a paloma riff includes California guava and anise hyssop, and there’s house brewed green rooibos and marshmallow root kombucha. The complexities are discreet, though — cocktails are highly clarified and brightly hued — and Barzelay’s selection of seasonal small plates are fried, salty, and saucy and are basically impossible to say no to.  

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Bartender Bobby Heugel is a seasoned leader in the Houston bar scene, probably best known for Anvil Bar & Refuge, which started a bit of a cocktail craze when it opened in the Montrose neighborhood in 2009. Now, the bar has spawned a sister in its space upstairs — younger, but perhaps a bit more mature. Though still glowing with neon, it’s a more intimate space, and the cocktails are a bit more cerebral, woven with lots of floral, bitter, and savory flavors, and with a reserve list featuring private barrel bourbon and agave spirits. But that doesn’t mean it’s stiff — there’s shots in flavors of hot honey and apple pie, and martini specials on Tuesdays.

The stretch of Metropolitan avenue that bridges the overflowing Bedford avenue and Lorimer street sub-neighborhoods of Williamsburg has long been a reliable thoroughfare for eclectic food and beverage (St. Anselm! Kellogg’s Diner!). But somehow, the arrival of Bar Madonna in Spring of 2024 felt like a piece of the puzzle we didn’t know was missing finally clicked into place. Its casually-cool space, restaurant-worthy Italian-American bites, and expectation-busting cocktails create a synergy that could only come from a tight-knit team of local industry vets: Partners Eric Madonna (formerly of The Modern) and Ray Rando (formerly of Carbone) tapped beverage director Ricky Reyna and chef Chris Caliso to create a one-of-a-kind haunt for sipping Nonna’s Half & Half martinis and limoncello milk punch while snacking on arancino beneath original art by Brooklyn’s own KidSuper.

While much of Charleston’s dining and drinking is a celebration of Lowcountry history, there’s also a new generation of spots on the scene that have helped push the city into a new and improved era. Case in point: This pint-sized parlor that punches well above its weight. Owner Joey Goetz (formerly of Bar George) sought to create a spot in the heart of the city that would serve a dual-purpose: It takes a party in the front, business in the back approach, with a main room built for neighborhood hangs and industry afters, and an exclusive back room bar for more formal cocktail occasions — the best of both worlds. 

In typical San Francisco warehouse-housed fashion, this is a party you want to be in on. The bi-level space has been hosting cocktail fans for over a decade, and yet still keeps guests on their toes. Its highly creative cocktail menu is replaced every six months, taking on a new theme like the current Space Odyssey-esque Canlis Major, with drinks that sound simple but carry surprising bombs of ingredients from miso to Tang and whipped cream vodka. It comes from mastermind Josh Harris, who goes all-in on each iteration — the “Trickstar Industries” menu is made out of plastic with a mylar overlay that guests must remove to reveal the neon green cocktail list underneath.

A self-proclaimed “love letter to the immigrant experience,” this small (22 seats) yet mighty bar celebrates the heritage of chefs Erik Bruner-Yang and Paola Velez and bartenders Pedro Tobar and Danny Gonzalez. The whole experience is a journey through Asian, Caribbean, and Latin American flavors — from café de olla with Salvadorian rum, or salty and sweet pandan-coconut cocktails à la Taipei, to a house Michelada with chile paste, worm salt, and optional alcohol. Bites are an equally jubilant celebration of cultures (see: baked Alaska kakigori), and it’s all more than worthy of making some new dining and drinking traditions. 

The recent boom of apertivo bars and menus of “neo-Neopolitan” pizza has hit a new peak at this Downtown hot spot. Owner Valentino Longo, who hails from Rome, developed his bartending skills at some of Europe’s top hotel bars before moving to Miami and landing at the renowned The Surf Club. At ViceVersa, he tells his story through a succinct menu of classic-ish cocktails in three categories: specialty, negroni, and martini — all tailored to meet the Miami Beach energy at any hour of the night. That includes the Affogato Martini, an instant hit made of toasted coconut-infused vodka, coffee liqueur, and espresso, with a generous scoop of pistachio gelato. And they’ve proven they can pretty much do anything right, with a weekly burger night that already has a cult following. Call it neo-Italian-Miamian.

Social clubs are an integral part of Philadelphia’s history, and this one has been carrying on the tradition since 1918. It’s a time capsule of black and white tile and red vinyl, and still operates as members-only. Originally built as a community space for Italian-American immigrants, its food and beverage features comforting fare, now reinterpreted by chef Joey Baldino, who is also a relative of the original owners. There’s spiedini, spaghetti, and spumoni, and the cocktails are equally updated classics — simple recipes with minimal modern touches that celebrate Philadelphian generations old and new. 

Kann opened in Portland’s Eastside in 2022 and quickly became a sensation locally and beyond, solidifying chef Gregory Gourdet as one of this generation’s best chefs. The restaurant celebrates Haitian cuisine through a modern lens with influence from the Pacific Northwest, and that philosophy carries through to sousòl — the downstairs hideaway for Caribbean-inspired cocktails. The flavors are tropical but the drinks are far from the typical fruit-forward concoctions. Favorites include a rum highball with banana and pimento, and the house vesper infused with epis. 

Bar-going in NOLA often involves historical spaces and locally invented cocktails (in other words, Sazeracs or bust), but this is where you go to experience contemporary Big Easy cocktailing at its finest. Since 2009, Cure has been a sparkling spot in the residential Freret neighborhood — welcomingly off the beaten riverside paths. It feels like the best kind of neighborhood bar, but with cocktails worthy of grander attention — proven by their 2018 Beard award. The menu is generous, with riffs that lean into fresh flavors and pantry additions: A caipirinha with bitter orange and cardamom; an old fashioned with yuzu, gentian, and sarsaparilla; and here, the Sazerac-inspired Dutch Angle carries flavors of mango and ylang-ylang. 

Most bars do their best work at night, but at La Jefa, there’s exciting and original cocktails at pretty much every hour of the day. And it should be no surprise — owner Dan Suro is carrying on the legacy of his family, who founded the local favorite, Tequilas, in 1986. He’s taken over the back of the space and transformed it into a cafe-by-day and cocktail bar-by-night, with menus that spotlight Mexican flavors: It celebrates Guadalajaran coffee traditions in the morning, alongside house fermented sodas, fresh green apple and grapefruit Garibaldis, bloody Marias, and “breakfast” old fashioneds. At night, the flavors are featured in more bold ways, building on a well-curated selection of agave spirits with fresh ingredients like squash, masa, and chamoy. 

When The Fox Bar opened in East Nashville in 2017, it became an instant classic. It’s a space that feels like it’s been there longer — gleaming with Art Deco touches and with an extensive back bar fit for the most serious of spirit drinkers. But what’s happening on the menu is just as inspiring — the well illustrated (literally) menu is speckled with tropical riffs among more classic but still highly creative takes. It’s a place you can’t go wrong, whether with a pristine Manhattan or a Concord grape margarita, plus nostalgic bites including a Fizzy Glizzy and a mortadella sandwich. 

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Good cocktails need good ice — a philosophy that owner Jordan Goodman takes very seriously. Before there was Good Company, there was Good Ice — Goodman’s hand-cut cocktail ice business that now supplies the bar. That’s all to say — the cocktails here are, well, good. They’re simple and precise, focusing on classic formulas with updated ingredients, and aim to speak for themselves. The space is minimal and the menu forgoes ingredients for intriguing descriptions — the Jalisco Sipper has “notes of coffee, ripe fruit, and most importantly, Tootsie Pops” while the Savannah Slammer is “what your grandma was drinking all those years” — which is really all you need to know, anyways.

The original New York City bar is a storied space full of charm, covered in twelve-plus years of family photos and dollar bills. It manages to be both a St. Patrick’s Day hot spot and an award-winning cocktail lounge — vibes are casual and boisterous downstairs, with sloshing Irish coffees and pints of Guinness, but as you work your way to the upper level, the energy becomes more subdued and cocktails become more complex. And even more challenging is recreating such a beloved vibe, but with the debut of the Austin iteration last year, they’ve done just that. It’s Ireland by way of New York City, infused with Texas spirit.  

From the moment you walk through the entrance of what used to be an actual wig shop — complete with a display of colorful bobs still residing in the window — the experience is a fever dream full of creative cocktails. The windowless space keeps the glowing, velvet-clad lounge hidden, where the energy is always high and the drinks are one-of-a-kind. The menu is a bartender’s playground, taking a high-low approach that marries serious technique with playful flavors. There’s never a shortage of garnishes like glitter and flavored foams, and names include the Channing Ta-Yum, Easy-Bake Coven, and The Floor is Guava. And to add to the adventure, hidden behind the bar is a speakeasy-style steakhouse: Bogie’s Place.

Indy’s cocktail scene got a serious boost when bartender Nick Detrich returned to town. He grew up in the area, but spent the previous decade or so at the helm of some of New Orleans’ top cocktail spots, including the acclaimed Cane & Table and Jewel of The South. Now, he’s settled in Fountain Square, but hasn’t fully left the Big Easy behind: Magdalena features classic drinks, with a dedicated NOLA section, and serves raw bar bites and smalls plates inspired by the South. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more proper Sazerac (or, Sazerac-cured salmon with Herbsaint mustard sauce) without a trip to Louisiana.  

This glowing tribute to the disco era takes a speakeasy-style approach — hidden behind the food hall at Politan Row — but don’t expect buttoned-up bartenders or a hushed ambiance. The vinyl soundtrack pulses, the lights are dim and vibrantly hued, and the ceilings soar —  like a cathedral for cocktails, and the drinks are worthy of praise. They stay on theme but otherwise ditch the old school approach: Midori makes an appearance, but is balanced with Tequila, chartreuse, and lemon, the Fuzzy Navel is built on a base of VS Cognac, and there’s a version of a Blue Hawaiian served non-alcoholic.  

Regardless of where you live, if you’ve sipped a Last Word in this century, it’s probably because of Murray Stenson. He was one of Zig Zag’s first bartenders, and his keen attention to the pre-Prohibition gin drink quickly made it a bartender’s favorite throughout the States and beyond, and solidified Zig Zag Cafe’s stance as a serious drinking destination. And even nearing three decades in, the bar is as trusty and charming as ever. Once you’ve entered the dark, intimate space, it’s easy to forget that you’re right underneath the lively Park Place Market — an ideal spot to escape the city crowds and enjoy live jazz on the weekends. 

A tried and true neighborhood spot could easily rest on its laurels, but this is one that goes above and beyond the call of duty. It’s a beacon for creative food and beverage in Bay Village from chef Mike Smith, along with partner Eric Scott, whose cocktails take a culinary approach with lots of housemade ingredients — like a pad Thai-inspired margarita with peanut, chile, and lemongrass, or a Jamaican jerk rum punch with mango, coconut, and sherry. And house-selected classics read simple but are carefully curated and tailored — from a High Life pony and a shot to a serious Dark & Stormy bolstered by blackstrap rum.  

When you’re ready to take a bit of a bartender-driven ride, this is the spot. The bar, from the same team behind the Michelin-starred (and next door) Rye, serves a dizzying display of cocktails that include ingredients as varied as the name might suggest. There’s a new menu every month, full of creations from a Midori sour with melon-Champagne foam, to a drink described as “70’s pot-luck classic Watergate Salad meets the Golden Cadillac,” and something called Funky Chicken Taco with butter and bullion-infused gin. You better buckle up. 

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Since opening Bludorn in 2020 — his first project in Houston after moving from the PNW — chef Aaron Bludorn kept the hits coming, rapid fire. He followed with the seafood-focused Navy Blue Restaurant, before adding Bar Bludorn in the Memorial neighborhood in 2024. The tavern-inspired menu takes the same refined, technical French approach as in his beloved dishes at Bludorn but are slightly more casual in spirit. And cocktails are uncomplicated mixtures with Southern-inspired touches like the Toluca Valley with bourbon and corn liqueur, or a Jamaican rum drink hit with mole spice.  

This highly ambitious bar housed in the Dubbel Dutch hotel aims to be unlike any other. Each cocktail is elaborately constructed from an extensive ingredient list — often including things like chlorophyll, habanero air, and shiro dashi — and each and every one can be made with or without alcohol. It’s a tall order, and the bar delivers — drinks are experiences in and of themselves, but are also offered via thematic 8-course tasting menus to really take you on a ride.  

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