Fancy a globalised drinking experience, where Indian spices mingle with Austrian chocolate, and Twinings tea loses its virginity? Then step into Mexico City’s Limantour, where bartenders aspire to unite the flavours of the world in cocktail form. Limantour – which rocked in at a rather impressive number 13 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2017 – has an extraordinary collection of drinking vessels hidden among its cupboards. Think anything from kitsch ceramic mugs to flaming molecular apparatus.
The bartenders are equally renowned among their industry brethren, and their global drinking adventures chronicled on the bar’s website. Perfection takes time, however, so grab a seat amid the minimalist Art Deco decor and glance upwards at the tilted ceiling mirrors where you can see reflections of the cocktail wizards working their magic. And with cocktails starting from just US$6.50, you might as well get to work on the menu stat. Welcome to the heart of the Mexican capital’s “New Old Days”.
Before the sun sets on the Italian resort town of Livigno all the action takes place at the base of either the Mottolino or Carosello 3000 lifts. Here you’ll find Stalet, where skis are dislodged and dancing and drinking commence.
If that all gets too wild, head into town where there are about 140 bars. We know it’s never about quantity over quality, but most of these are quite small places and many have unique offerings: Jpioca does cocktails, the Echo Pub is attached to a microbrewery, the Kuhstall downstairs at Hotel Bivio is the spot for live music, and Kokodi is number one for late-night dancing divas.
The Culpeper is an old-school Whitechapel boozer gone a little bit fancy. Exposed brick and scuffed communal tables are updated with the addition of angular light fittings and plenty of foliage. There’s a decent range of beers on tap, a list of natural wines and cocktails that feature herbs grown on the roof of the building. In fact, there’s another bar up there, with a glasshouse-style undercover area and al fresco tables among the potted fruit trees and beds of thriving greens.
You can’t go wrong, really, since there’s also a solid menu of rustic pub grub created from seasonal produce. The fantastic Sunday roast is particularly grand if you’ve been up early searching for bargains at the neighbouring Petticoat Lane Market.
If you ever find yourself driving through the California desert, keep your eyes peeled for what looks like an old movie set. Here, in the middle of nowhere, you’ll find one of the States’ best music venues. Pappy & Harriet’s was originally established as part of Pioneertown in 1946, when a group of Hollywood hoi polloi decided to create a frontier town that hid motels, restaurants and entertainment venues.
Harriet and Pappy took over one building in 1982, set up a Tex-Mex restaurant and brought in the bands. Park yourself in a booth, down a Bud and a quesadilla and prepare for a night of good music. It’s a popular spot for Coachella sideshows, hosts its own festivals and has seen the likes of Modest Mouse and the Pixies on its stage.
Before you get too excited, be aware that the house specialty at Barranco’s Ayahuasca Restobar is not the mind-altering substance favoured by people looking for higher meaning, but much tastier pisco sours, made with the local liquor. Not that you’ll care, because the interior of this nineteenth-century mansion is enough to transport you to another place anyway.
Before you settle in for libations and perhaps a plate of empanadas, wander the seemingly endless corridors and rooms. Each is furnished in traditional style but infused with primary colours, whether in the woven upholstery or covering an entire room and all that is in it. There’s one room where everything – from the sofas to the objects on a set of shelves, is lime green. Which may just make you think you’re tripping on ayahuasca, even if you’re completely sober.
Dating back to 1198, the Brazen Head is reputed to be Dublin’s oldest pub and one of the best for live tunes. Kick back next to a flaming open fire, with a pint of Guinness and tuck into one of the hearty meals in any of the pub’s three rooms.
During the warmer months you can soak it all up in the cobbled-stoned beer garden, or you can always huddle up under a gas heater and muse over the locals who used to haunt here. Rumour has it that this is where the Irish rebel Robert Emmet planned his uprising.
The Brazen Head has an extensive collection of Irish whiskies, Guinness, gins and vodkas from around the world, as well as a selection of wines, and a fully stocked bar. There’s traditional Irish music to warm the cockles of your heart and a fine selection of trad Irish food on offer. Try the Irish stew, bangers and mash or if you really want authentic Irish fare go for the Clonakilty Black Pudding Salad.
This small, trendy bar gives a nod to the king of pop art, Andy Warhol. In the evening, the courtyard is lit by candles giving it a romantic atmosphere. Inside, just collapse on the Moroccan sofas to sip inventive cocktails – during happy hour (6pm to 8pm) they’re €5. Stop by before dinner.
It’s that time of year when southern hemisphere snow-heads turn their thoughts to powder on New Zealand’s peaks. After a big day barreling down Treble Cone there’s nothing to be done apart from get a good stiff, warming drink. LaLaLand has got you covered. Arrive before the sun goes down and rug up for a seat on the deck overlooking the lake – really the only place to be as the day’s last rays disappear. Then scoot inside where the vibe is cosy, with velvet lounges, antique lamps and books on the shelves. The surroundings are slightly misleading though – these guys do a mean cocktail. Don’t miss the Te Anaka, a salty, citrusy surprise that took its maker James Crinson to the top three in the worldwide Bacardi Legacy Competition.
Get off ground level and head to the roof at Loof. A long-time favourite for both Singaporeans and visitors, the sleek outdoor space focuses on everything around it for inspiration: beers are of the Asian variety, cocktails feature local ingredients (its Singapore Sour, made with vodka, sour plum and kalamansi juice, is a spin on the island’s most famous drink, the Singapore Sling) and the kitchen takes classics and makes them new again.
Chilli crab cheese fries and hoisin duck spring rolls, anyone? It’s a great spot to chill early on, with excellent views of Downtown, but things certainly ratchet up a notch as the night ages and the beer pong table goes off. Local DJs play at popular nights like Pops of the Top and Flidays at Loof. Love it sick? You can pick up a cute souvenir – an old-school game or anodised tea flask, for example – from the Mamashop.
Backed by palm trees on a white-sand beach, just metres from the crystal turquoise waters of the Caribbean, you will find the wondrously ramshackle Dune Preserve. A beach bar-slash-music-club, cobbled together with driftwood, sailboats, fishing skiffs and coconut trees. Founded by Anguilla’s legendary folk son, Bankie Banx, this laid-back venue on Rendezvous Bay is the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a meal as the ocean laps at the shore. Or why not pop in and try their signature drink ‘Duneshine’, a liquor made from fermented ginger?
Just about every night of the week you can enjoy live music from local acts, sometimes even from the king of Anguilla’s music scene Bankie Banx himself. The beach bar has also played permanent host to the annual Moonsplash festival since 1995, held during the full moon in either late February or early March. The Caribbean’s best music festival is connected to the cultural core of Anguilla, and woven into the national identity so tightly it’s nearly impossible to separate one from the other.
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