Imagine yourself dressed to the nines, teetering between travel euphoria and curiosity, as your tastebuds dance and tingle with sensations, flavours and formulas of behind-the-bar alchemy. A cocktail bar bounce is a chic alternative to the grassroots shenanigans of a classic pub crawl, but where to go? A wide selection of underground bars, nameless establishments and famous cocktail corners live in every city of the world. With minimal time and funds, finding the right bar to suit your style can be time consuming, but our guest blogger Jess has done the tough gig to pick four of her favorites…
Artesian: The Langham, 1c Portland Place, London W1B 1JA
London is an iconic stop-gap for many first time and returning travellers, keen to spread their wings in Europe. After a long day touring the city, sampling English marvels and filling an SD card with images to last a lifetime, dress up and cool your heels at Artesian. Widely accepted as the World’s Best Bar, Artesian is a lesson in sophistication, detail and ornate decoration, providing patrons with a true experience; a cocktail is not simply a drink to be held, but a dramatic journey through taste, seduction and honesty, earning Artesian bartenders and wait staff praise and fame worldwide.
We Recommend: The Hot Punch
The Victoria Room: 235 Victoria St Darlinghurst New South Wales 2010
Opulent furnishings, welcoming wait-staff and world class cocktails await visitors and residents of the Harbour City. Locally renowned for decadent high-teas, The Victoria Room is the perfect hideaway for streetwise glamour-pusses. Patrons will luxuriate and sip on Sydney’s finest, as acrobats and burlesque performers take the stage, tantalising audiences and making no promises. A den of fantasy, grace and modern mixology, The Victoria Room is Australia’s answer to the cocktail challenge.
We Recommend: Hula Hips No.2
Wilson & Wilson: 505 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Image credit: http://liquor.com
A speakeasy within a speakeasy – passwords and bookings required – Wilson & Wilson houses San Francisco’s answer to film noir restaurants; hold your eye roll, the 1930’s crime overtones aren’t a tired tourist theme but an authentic setting. Stepping into Wilson & Wilson is akin to visiting a film set, staffed by professionals, completed by trimmings and antique bottles. Bartenders decked out in black and whites, a menu buried in leaves of case files, the brick and L-shaped bar juxtaposition scream prohibition. With limited space (24), the tone is subdued and meandering, creating a romantic alternative to the techno sounds of modern clubs.
We Recommend: The $30 Tasting Menu
Door 74: Reguliersdwarsstraat 74I 1017 BN Amsterdam, Netherlands
The best cocktail bars are hard to find and Door 74 is no exception. Disguised by a block black façade and a lack of signage, Door 74 is mobilised against the stream of sightseers cuing up at the doors of Amsterdam’s other night-time attractions. Door 74 was designed for the chilled out and chic among us, expanding cocktail palettes, satisfying mood seekers and delivering a quiet corner of the Netherlands to truly experience the skills and strengths of Timo Janse-de Vries.
We Recommend: Amazon Tears
Guest post by the lovable Jessica Hannah. Jessica is a wondrous word-fairy, flitting between the files of the World Wide Web and expanding an over-flowing bucket-list. She lives in Brisbane with one man-shaped companion and enjoys writing, travelling, yelling at the TV and collecting the memories of other people. Connect with Jess on Google +.
Disclaimer: None of these evilness has been road-tested by me but they’ve all got the tick of approval from my BFF, who happens to be a travel diva, also selling travel dream and spreading vacation vibe at My Adventure Store in Brisbane.
So tell me Dear Reader, what was your most delicious cocktail moment while on holiday?