From dogmatic declarations to digital dalliances, these world-class menus set the standard for creative storytelling through cocktails.
Menu design runs the gamut at cocktail bars around the world. When executed well, a menu can stimulate the mind and sense of thirst, spark joy and give us deeper insights into the time and place in which the bar operates. From simple single-page briefs to help expedite service to elaborately designed tomes stuffed with histories and artwork and immersive digital creations that transport with the power of sight and sound, the sky is the limit for reimagining drinks lists as a means of creative expression.
Ahead of the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award opening for entries in early 2026, read about some of the captivating cocktail menus that made last year's shortlist by innovative bars from Korea to Colombia and everywhere in between.
Civil Works, Toronto – A Manual for Laying Pipe
Some of the most memorable menus are the ones injected with a lighthearted sense of humour, and that's one of the many through-lines that makes the double-entendre-laden A Manual for Laying Pipe from Civil Works such a delight to peruse. Carved into sections including Pressure Management, Executive Lunch and On Laying Pipe, the menu pulls from the history of the bar's space inside Toronto's former Waterworks Building, including details on certain design elements and a boundary-pushing selection of tap waters re-mineralised to mimic some of the most famous waters in the world. As a reflection of the bar's unpretentious and welcoming ethos, the menu surprises and enchants.
Bar 1661, Dublin – We Call This Power
Bearing the loud energy of a modern indie zine, We Call This Power from Bar 1661 is part menu, part declaration of the poitín haven's ties to its local and global community. Irish flavour and heritage take the spotlight in each of the 28 drinks, with subtle influences from relationships cultivated abroad woven into the mix. Each page includes the drink ingredients and tasting notes, the story of an artisan, brand, supplier or other community member and a unique piece of art supplied by said collaborator. To cap it off, the websites and social media handles for each –including Jameson, The Dead Rabbit, Boatyard Distillery and Lilliput Press, to name a few – are listed in the back of the menu, alongside a QR code that leads to recommendations for other places to visit in Dublin.
Pine & Co., Seoul – Pine & Co. Game Menu
Both inventive and interactive, Pine & Co.'s Game Menu is a nostalgic throwback that cleverly serves a few functional purposes in addition to pure unadulterated fun. Presented in the style of lo-fi video game, accessible by guests' phones or hand-held Game Boy-inspired device, the impetus for the digital presentation was three-fold: to create a menu that could be easily read in the dim light of the bar, to prompt guests to get playful as they engage with the process of choosing a drink and to allow for easy updates to the menu in a way that reduces paper waste. Inside the menu, drink suggestions, detailed cocktail descriptions and advice on other bars to check out in Seoul round out the experience.
Himkok, Oslo – Beats & Sips
Created in collaboration with Sony Music Norway, Himkok's Beats & Sips menu deftly taps into the synergy between creative cocktails and a good soundtrack. Styled to look like a digital music player, with artist photos accompanied by a link so guests can tune in to the featured songs as they browse, the minimal design is a breath of fresh air in an era of ultra-complex menus. Most importantly, both the drinks and the songs tell the story of Norwegian culture – through ingredients like cloudberry, quince, sea buckthorn and thyme, and via artists including Destina, Mat Duo and Erika Norwich – making the menu a crisp, clean homage to the bar's home city of Oslo.
Alquímico, Cartagena – Comunidad
As one of the world's leading farm-to-bar programmes, Alquímico has developed a system of reciprocity between the bartenders and the farmers and producers who grow and process the ingredients used to make their vibrant cocktails. As part of these relationships, the team also donates proceeds from each cocktail to community initiatives like water collection, purification and storage. These alliances are colourfully illustrated on the Comunidad menu, which shares the names, faces, voices and projects of the Asocoman community in the Montes de María region of Colombia. To help guests navigate towards a good drink, each description also includes a matrix of flavour that indicates which ones might be refreshing and fruity versus bitter and dry or herbal.
Pass Code Only (PCO), New Delhi – The Forbidden 
Pass Code Only embodies the traditions of Prohibition-era speakeasies, so naturally this clandestine spirit also extends to The Forbidden menu, a canvas paper artwork that expresses themes of secrecy and contraband in more ways than one. Featuring a series of cocktails made with ingredients outlawed in certain countries and cultures – think tobacco, poppy seeds, raw milk, ketchup and bubblegum – each drink is accompanied by a brief description of why the ingredient in question is banned or considered taboo. A beautiful illustration from artist Rushil Bhatnagar serves as centrepiece for the design, depicting vignettes that tell visual stories (both obvious and obscure) about each ingredient, making the journey of deciphering which drink to choose an intriguing one.
Mírate, Los Angeles – Bebidas 
Mírate is considered one of the most respectful Mexican-inspired spirits and cocktail programmes in the USA, and its inspired approach to weaving traditional Mexican ingredients into contemporary drinks is on full display in the Bebidas menu. The booklet begins with its mission statement of "preserving and uplifting Mexican culture through thoughtful innovation of food and beverage", plus an explanation of its buying practices, which include "no chemical additives" and "no diffuser production" among others. From its thoughtful reinterpretations of ancestral beverages to technique-driven house cocktails, a thorough selection of alcohol-free options and an extensive bottle list, every section is accompanied by educational and transportive artwork to help bring the culture of Mexico to the page.
Deco, Copenhagen – What If?
The What If? menu from Deco in Copenhagen explores the intersections between technique and imagination, wrapped up in the vibes of a retro fashion magazine. A central question of what would happen if you removed one of the key ingredients of a classic cocktail and rebuilt it in a way that still satisfies drives the collection of 12 drinks, and from the Rosita and Grasshopper to the whiskey sour and Singapore sling, each is reimagined in a feat of cunning flavour engineering. Designed by an art director from the fashion world, each page includes short backstories on how each cocktail was rebuilt, so the focus remains on the colourful visuals and moody photos. Flipping through the vibrant pages – which include a glossary at the end explaining flavours, ingredients and techniques – feels like a voyage through a new frontier of experimentation.
The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award 2026 will open for entries in early 2026. Follow 50 Best on Facebook and Instagram for updates and announcements.
