Satisfy all your senses at a one-of-a-kind Berlin cocktail bar. Fragrances, the crowning jewel of the city’s Ritz-Carlton, is the first watering hole in the world dedicated to combining cocktails with perfume.
Each drink is inspired by a unique fragrance from renowned brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani and Guerlain. “At Fragrances, we want our guests not only to enjoy their drinks, but to experience them,” explains cocktail creator and bar manager Arnd Heissen.
Instead of poring over a traditional cocktail list, patrons are invited to choose their favourite fragrance and let their nose lead them to a matching cocktail. The bar also runs workshops where guests can create their own personal scent under the guidance of a perfume expert.
Sometimes the most memorable nights out end in the bathroom, so why not cut out the middle man and open a bar in an old Victorian public lavatory?
Embedded in the heart of Kentish Town, the underground toilet-tavern of Ladies & Gentlemen is all kinds of cosy – think intimate candlelit tables, soft jazz tunes and friendly staff who’ll make you feel like a regular beneath a smattering of (squeaky clean) cisterns.
The cocktail list is bursting with homemade liqueurs and gin straight from a 16-litre copper still. Each is infused with locally sourced botanicals, including the bar’s very own Highwayman Gin. There’s also a Gin Club every Tuesday night, where you’ll learn how to perfect the art of distilling spirits – you even get a small takeaway bottle to enjoy at home.
Pull up a stool in this tiny bar and settle into another epoch. Bar Trench has been sliced from turn-of-the-century Paris and grafted into an alley in the Ebisu district of modern-day Tokyo.
A huge windowpane overlooks an interior of wood, exposed brick and dapper clientele sipping homemade ginger ale, exclusive whisky and finely crafted cocktails – many with an Absinthe bent.
Order an in-house creation – the Go Lassi!!! (a blend of Absinthe Clandestine, lime, dill, yogurt and cucumber) is a must if you’re game – then test your recollection of the classics with boozy quotes from Hemmingway and Sinatra printed on coasters. Best of all is the chance to tap into the mind of the English-speaking Brazilian–Japanese mixologist and owner, who’s happy to share his seemingly endless knowledge of grog.
The term bathtub gin first appeared in the USA in the 1920s as a reference to the homemade, low-quality hooch furtively brewed during the reign of Prohibition. Tucked away behind the facade of an inconspicuous coffee shop in the Big Apple, Bathtub Gin is an old-fashioned speakeasy with a twist.
Among oversized armchairs and fringed lampshades, the bar’s most prominent feature is the gold-plated bathtub that dominates the space with a rather literal interpretation of its name. Wait staff don vintage flapper attire, while barkeeps shake up high-quality cocktails – no rotgut here – paying homage to recipes from the pre-Prohibition era. If gin’s your thing there are 30 choices on the list, as well as plenty of varieties of wine and a selection of beer.
Step 1) Find a glass bottle.
Step 2) Stick a whole venomous snake in it, like say, a cobra.
Step 3) Leave it to ferment so the venom seeps into the alcohol.
Step 4) Try and get Westerners to drink it by telling them it cures everything from poor eyesight to hair loss.
If you’re feeling particularly brave, drunk or stupid, you might also have a go at downing a shot of blood from the still-beating heart of a snake. It, like so many things in Asia, is said to increase male virility.
Head to the reputable snake meat and liquor restaurant, Quoc Trieu, in the famed ‘snake village’ of Le Mat near Hanoi. There you will find all manner of snake dishes and, if you request, they can even source you a live cobra.
When you think of Myanmar, French wine and Italian cold cuts probably don’t come to mind, but MOJO is setting out to change that. At this one-of-a-kind venue your mission is to relax, unwind and connect over a menu made for sharing. Here, management serves up a brilliant mix of Mediterranean and Indochine cuisine and tapas, along with an impressive list of wines, cocktails and shots, all designed to be enjoyed by groups of friends around large tables.
The decor is minimalist but unpretentious – think bare brick walls and wooden beams – the atmosphere is laid-back but festive, and there’s always something on. Come for the sangria jugs and tapas and stay for the themed party and all-night dancing.
They say knowledge is power, and this speakeasy delivers in spades, serving up potent potions – if you can find it. Hidden among the cosmopolitan hustle of Keong Saik Road, the Library facade is an ever-changing pop-up shop. Whisper the password to the shop attendant (ask at the Study next door for the magic words) and step through a secret mirrored door into a clandestine wonderland. Let waves of moody blues and jazz wash over you as you take in the wall-to-wall display of liquor.
Here, cocktails aren’t the average fare – wildly imaginative and handcrafted to precision, they’re dazzling and delicious to boot. Get splashin’ with Shrub-A-Dub-Dub, a bubbly concoction of Ford’s gin, Amaro Montenegro, peach puree, lemon, ginger shrub, Moroccan bitters and a dash of Moscato D’Asti, served in a miniature bathtub (rubber ducky included). Drinks are hard on the wallet at around US$15 a pop, but who can say no to a tipple in a tub?
It started as a dream concocted in a cell in the old Hobart Gaol, back in the 1820s. Today it’s one of the world’s most beautiful brewing establishments, crafting draughts, lagers and stouts with waters sourced from Tasmania’s Mount Wellington.
Take a tour of the gothic sandstone establishment – more a castle than a factory – and learn all about ex-con Peter Degraves and his brother-in-law Major Macintosh who made it their business to supply Australia’s island state with a generous supply of beer. After uncovering the brewery’s history, including the great fire that burned Cascade into an ashen shell back in 1967, and hearing how the beverages are made, you’ll shrug off your hi-viz vest and sample four different refreshing ales and ciders.
There was once a time, not so long ago, when Williamsburg wasn’t somewhere people visited. Now things are different and, even if they weren’t, it’d still be worth crossing the bridge to visit Brooklyn Brewery. From Monday to Thursday, the crew here runs bookable Small Batch Tours – part history lesson, part guided tasting – where you can ask questions and chill out afterwards.
On the weekends (it’s a no-tour zone on Friday), it’s a bit more laissez-faire with tickets for afternoon tours available on site an hour before. Order some pizza nearby, grab one of the seasonal brews and enjoy the atmosphere.
The village of Monstein above Davos – most famous as the host city of the annual World Economic Forum – is home to the highest brewery in Europe. The tour of BierVision Monstein begins in a vintage bus, where you’ll learn about Davos and its spectacular landscape, before moving on to the historic village and finally the brewery.
From a small homebrew operation started by four mates back in 2001, this is now a fully fledged, full-scale operation. During this leg of the tour you’ll taste the beer at all stages of the process and hear about the challenges facing the brewers way up here in the clouds. The tour ends with a glass of either pale Huusbier or dark Wätterguoge, and a plate of award-winning beer cheese made by co-founder Andreas Aergerter.
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