These bars are rewriting the cocktail rulebook – check out the wildest and most inventive menus on the market.
Sometimes, you just want a piña colada, martini or an old fashioned, and that's absolutely fine. At others, you yearn for a drink you've never had or heard of before – something that takes you out of your comfort zone and you couldn't make at home. Luckily, there are plenty of bars that serve unexpected flavours using surprising ingredients, from London to Lima and beyond. Discover the best of them, and the out-of-the box menus you'll remember long after you've left.
Lyaness Bar, London
@lyanessbar
The brainchild of mixology maestro Ryan Chetiyawardana – aka 'Mr. Lyan' – Lyaness Bar is secreted away in London's Sea Containers hotel. It landed at No.29 on The World's 50 Best Bars list in 2020, with creative drinks complemented by gorgeous interiors, with bronze-edged tables, blue-velvet booths and a marble-clad bar. There's a 'cook's approach' to cocktails with a focus on unusual ingredients: the Special Editions list celebrates favourite products and mad techniques, while the Collaboration Menu blends storytelling and flavour. From the former, try the Single Blend Beeswax Old Fashioned, which uses its namesake to build aroma and body, while from the latter it's all about the Multi-Milk: a milky concoction that's given extra zap via a car battery.
Lady Bee, Lima
@ladybeeofficial
Ranked at No.13 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 list, this Peruvian bar is buzzing – pun intended – on any given evening thanks to seriously creative cocktails that fall into categories highlighting the origin or type of ingredient used. Of particular note is Captain Criollo from the South Coast section – a bitter and umami concoction that combines pisco, the in-house vermouth and speciality coffee. The plot twist? It's served alongside cured duck (yes, really) to enhance the flavours of both. Better still, the kitchen, which also focuses on local ingredients, uses ingredients from the bar and vice versa for minimum waste. The decor is chic – think mood lighting, sit-at bar and elegant stools – with a honeybee motif adding a sting to a stylish tale.
Himkok, Oslo
@himkok.oslo
Who doesn't like a cocktail bar and craft distillery under one roof? Meaning 'moonshine' and pronounced 'him-kook', Himkok (coming in at No.14 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 list) is housed in one of Oslo's historic brick buildings and is suitably Scandi in look and feel, with pale-wood floors, original brick walls and tiled bar tops, plus leather stools, exposed pipes and statement lighting. Showcasing the aquavit, gin and vodka made on-site using sustainable production methods, the drinks have a distinctively Nordic taste and are named after single ingredients such as Cherry (a tart sip with dark chocolate and butter), Peanuts (featuring peanut distillate) and Birch (starring birch leaves and cheese). Most recently, the bar has worked with design duo Studio Sløyd and creative agency 2.edition to launch Designed by Sipping, a menu that transforms each drink into a series of objects to translate flavour into tangible form.
Advocatuur, Amsterdam
@advocatuuramsterdam
Once the Palace of Justice, Advocatuur at Rosewood Amsterdam is a polished spot for clandestine date nights with fellow drinkers who share an adventurous palate. Indeed, the cocktails star plenty of jenever – Amsterdam's favourite juniper-flavoured liqueur – while standouts include the Uprising (tequila, smoked cherry, cocoa, gunpowder-clarified milk, ginger beer), Wild Romance (whisky, evaporated stroopwafel, salted caramel verjus, absinthe) and Start Me Up (Campari, acorn, cedarwood, lager). Soak it all up with Indian-inspired light bites – don't miss the butterfly king prawns, papdi chaat and paneer tikka shashlik.
Sips, Barcelona
@sips.esencia
Billed as 'stories' rather than drinks, the cocktails at Sips – Barcelona's hottest ticket and ranked at No.3 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 list – borrow from the city's association with molecular gastronomy. With each a work of art, combining unusual vessels, garnishes and the liquids themselves, why not try something a bit different, such as the Cubanito – a twist on a traditional espresso martini without vodka or espresso – or The Drake, a signature concoction with vodka, mint and actual bubbles? Alongside the usual menu, the powerhouse team has also introduced a tasting-menu concept, albeit for drinks, available only to groups of four or less. Booking is essential.
Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
@handshake_bar
Inhabiting the No.2 spot on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 list, Handshake Speakeasy is the jewel in the crown of Mexico City's increasingly varied and brilliant drinking scene. Despite being concealed behind a hidden door, it's safe to say this 1920s-via-Hollywood drinking den is no longer a secret, such is its international acclaim, but it hasn't lost any of the magic behind its mixology. Made from vintage spirits in an on-site lab, the drinks might appear simple at first glance but they're surprisingly complex, many taking 48 hours to craft or combining unexpected textures. There's a raft of miniature classics – such as the tiny dirty martini with a blue-cheese olive – or bigger, bolder sips such as the Butter-Mushroom Old-Fashioned and a Cariño, a 'darling' number featuring Greek yoghurt.
Bar Us, Bangkok
@bar.us.bkk
Divided into light and refreshing 'starters', savoury 'mains' and clean and aromatic 'afters', drinks at Bar Us in Bangkok are like a three-course meal. The favourite is the Coriander + Cucumber + Roasted Rice to whet the whistle, followed by the Beef + Onion and finished off with the Black Sesame + Cheese + Almond (a spin on a cheese course, if you will). At No.15 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 list, the self-described 'drinking room' feels more like a restaurant than anything else, with all-black interiors, dramatic lighting and apothecary-style shelves – with a focus on local ingredients that are deconstructed, fermented, carbonated and so much more.
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