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The Best Cocktail Bars of Italy

Don't hold back, try them all

Per leggere quest’articolo in italiano, clicca qui.

Il Bel Paese is home to pizza, pasta, great wine but also cocktails. Without Italian ingredients such as vermouth, bitters and liqueurs, it would be impossible to make classic cocktails such as the Aviation, Hanky Panky, Manhattan, Negroni and Boulevardier.

Although the most historic Italian bars are found in Milano and Torino, the last few years has seen a boom in quality cocktails bars in the capital city of Rome, but also all around the country, from the Italian Alps in the North, to the sun-soaked beaches in Apulia and Sicily.

To help you find the highest quality cocktail bars in the country, we at Flawless have come up with the definitive top 10 list. You can do no wrong picking any bar at random on this list – you will find not only world-class cocktails, but also an inspiring ambiance and warm hospitality.

Piano 35 Lounge Bar, Torino

Corso Inghilterra, 3

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - Piano 35 Lounge Bar

Making a move back to Torino from Milano, Mirko Turconi opened the beautiful lounge bar Piano 35 on the 35th floor of the Intesa San Paolo skyscraper. On a nice day, the lounge bar offers stunning vistas of the city. But instead of gazing at the Torinese skyline, pay attention to the talented Mirko behind the bar, one of the best bartenders in the country. The highlight of his drink list is Smoked Flower with a Scotch whisky mix, Vermouth Dopo Teatro Cocchi, Sherry Pedro Ximenez, flower liqueur, Bittermens Burlesque bitters, and a tobacco smoked cherry. This savory cocktail will have you begging Mirko to make you another one.

Mandarin Garden, Milano

Via Andegari, 9

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - Mandarin Oriental Milan

A refined cocktail bar with eclectic and contemporary shades, Mandarin Garden is the beating heart of the milanese luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental. Blending the most iconic features of the three neighborhoods that fight over its conquest (Downtown, Brera and Quadrilatero), the hotel enters the metropolitan mixology scenario with the excellent drink list signed by Guglielmo Miriello, a selection of elegant signature cocktails that have as their leitmotif an alcoholic and forbidden tour around the world. the journey takes over in London with a mixture of bitter Santoni, rhubarb shrub, manzanilla Sherry and white peach & jasmine soda, and lends in New York with “Henrietta” (Macallan 12 y.o., Jamaica cold brew coffe, Disaronno, Vanilla and Tropical Velvet).

1930 Speakeasy, Milano

Indirizzo segreto

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - 1930 Speakeasy

For all connoisseurs, 1930 is no longer a secret. Although 10 years have passed since the inauguration, those magic elements that have given this bar its charm remain: the coveted membership cards and platinum cards, the mysterious entrance, the antique furniture and the romantic lights. In addition to the hypnotic atmosphere of the 1930s, cocktails are simply superb and the current drink list is the best ever. Our favorite drinks? The Jungle Book, with its notes of gin and tropical aromas, or the Silk, with a smell of herbaceous sake and glass wrapped in a silk cloth; for those who love strong flavors, cocktails like Caronte or Sleeping Beauty are an excellent choice to get to the next world.

NU Lounge Bar, Bologna

Via de’ Musei, 6

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - Nu Lounge Bar

NU Lounge Bar is one the best tiki bars on the planet thanks to mastermind Daniele Dalla Pola who has refreshed the popular cocktail bar format to come up with the most fun bar in Italy. NU Lounge has world class drinks, friendly staff and a vibe that attracts the coolest people of Bologna. All your favorite tiki cocktails are here including Nu Grog (a twist on the Navy Grog), Mai Tai and Zombie. To finish off the night, try one of their social drinks in family size format! You’ll be sure to leave with a smile on your face!

Jerry Thomas Speakeasy, Roma

Vicolo Cellini, 30

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - Jerry Thomas

Why is Jerry Thomas Italy’s only bar on the coveted World’s 50 Best Bars? It’s quite simple – this is the sexiest cocktail bar in Italy. From the moment you make it past the mysterious but intimidating door ritual, this bar will blow you away with its beauty and charm. The wallpaper, the couches, the bar, the bathroom, the waitresses – everything here is eye candy. The staff do a great job managing this often-packed little speakeasy and the 3 barmen work wonders in their cramped stations behind the bar. Other than the stellar drinks on the menu, venture off menu, for well made classics and concoctions tailor made for your palate by the talented bar team.

La Punta Expendio de Agave, Roma

Via Santa Cecilia, 8

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - La Punta

Upon entering the brightly lit La Punta, your eyes will be immediately drawn to the outdoor patio-style light bulbs running along the ceiling, giving you the feeling that you’re in a cocktail bar in Mexico city. Despite this tacky design element, the bar area is beautiful, with well lit bottle racks and a sleek tiled bar counter. Upstairs is the casual drinking and eating area while downstairs you’ll find a couple surprises. Ask bar manager Cristian Bugiada to give you a tour of the magical basement area. The signature drink at La Punta is the silky and smoky Mala Education with mezcal, grapefruit juice, rhubard, agave honey, habanero bitter and egg white.

L’Antiquario, Napoli

Via Vannella Gaetani, 2

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - L'Antiquario

Antiquario is a beautiful speakeasy that first opened its doors in November 2015. The bartenders at Antiquario are appropriately dressed in elegant barman uniforms – allow them to prescribe the perfect elixir to suit your palate. The signature drink at L’Antiquario is the earthy and elegant La Risposta (The Answer) and features 45 mL bourbon and orange bitters, with the rest of the concoction being made in Italy, having 20 mL Amaro Lucano from PisticciBasilicata and 20 mL Liquore Strega from Benevento, Campania.

Rasputin, Firenze

Piazza Santo Spirito

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - Rasputin

Another mysterious-looking speakeasy, this time among the ancient streets of the Oltrarno, in one of the coolest neighborhoods in Europe, where you will be drinking under a brick cross vault. The periodic rotation of the staff between the counter and the hall will allow you to know who is preparing drinks, and know all the details about them. Even barware and ice making are not left to chance. The head bartender, Daniele Cancellara, will propose recipes at the same time elaborate and simple, based on spirits of great quality with few, essential, wise aromatic touches and, finally, the reinterpretation of the great classics of mixology in an historical key.

Locale, Firenze

Via delle Seggiole, 12/R

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - Locale

Inside a beautiful Renaissance palace, this bar aims very high already starting from its aesthetics. A large central counter around which the entire environment is organized, plants and colonnades, soft lights. Cocktails are a prodigy of creativity not only in substance, that is in the blends and their ingredients, but also in the form of their aesthetic presentation, absolutely original and brilliant. All the result of the deep knowledge and the great research carried out by a close-knit team that wanted to create, for its customers, an experience that goes beyond that of the classic cocktail bar.

Laurus, Lecce

Vico Boemondo, 26

I 10 migliori cocktail bar d'Italia - Laurus

Marco Fabbiano, ex-bartender of 1930 Milano recently opened Laurus, in the historical center of Lecce. Marco is clearly aiming for a high end experience, with vintage furniture, a beautiful bar counter, sophisticated cocktails and a spectacular backbar. The signature drink on the first cocktail list is the Black Diamond, with mezcal, lime juice, black avocado shrub, Strega, dark beer and a crust of black salt. It’s intense, sour and complex – an absolute must when visiting Marco’s bar.

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