Best bars in Sukhumvit.

The top six are the canon of the corridor. Seven through ten are the rotation our editors use most. Eleven through fourteen are the rooms where the night goes long.

A Thonglor lab that builds drinks out of regional Thai ingredients, then writes the recipe on the back of the menu. Get the Thai Tea cocktail and a tasting flight if you have the time. The seven seats at the marble bar are the only ones that matter. Wednesday through Sunday only.

Three storeys of exposed brick on Sukhumvit 55, designed to look like a 1920s New York speakeasy. The White Rabbit is the calling card. Live DJs Thursday through Saturday, quieter on Wednesday. The third-floor mezzanine is where regulars sit. Drinks are strong, prices are mid-range for the neighbourhood.

A railway-carriage-shaped bar on Sukhumvit 21 with a leather-bound menu and the patience to walk you through it. The Q&A Old Fashioned uses Thai rice whisky and is the one to order. Quiet on weekdays, packed on weekends. Best for conversation, not for a crowd.

Joseph Boroski's bespoke cocktail room off Sukhumvit 55. There is no menu. You tell the bartender what you feel like, what you ate, what you drank last, and a drink appears. Closed Sundays. Reservations only. The most serious cocktail experience in the city.

A two-floor wrought-iron fantasy on Sukhumvit 55, with live jazz on the upstairs balcony every night. The Iron Fairy 75 is the cocktail. The crowd skews international and the noise level is forgiving for conversation. Reserve the balcony banquette if you want to hear what your friends are saying.

A Sukhumvit 51 bar built around the sound systems of Khun Chris Maene, with mor lam and luk thung DJs most nights. The Mekhong Highball is right. Closed Mondays. The room is small, the bass is heavy, and it is one of the only Thai music bars Westerners reliably enjoy.

A Cuban-themed speakeasy on Sukhumvit 11 with a phone-booth entrance and live salsa Wednesday through Saturday. The Havana Daiquiri is what to order. Loud, crowded, and one of the few places in Bangkok where strangers will pull you onto a dance floor without a second thought.

Three levels of open-air drinking above the Marriott Sukhumvit 57, with the top floor offering a 360-degree view. The Octave Spritz is the easy order. Cover charge sometimes applies on weekends. Less formal than Sky Bar or Vertigo, and the prices reflect that.

A Sukhumvit 55 live-music venue with a Funktion-One rig and a rotating roster of Bangkok and visiting DJs. The Beam Highball is fine. Thursday through Saturday only. Cover charge applies after 11pm. Best for a late drink with a soundtrack worth the trip.

A Sukhumvit 23 cocktail bar from the team behind Mahaniyom, focused on Thai herbs and spirits in classic shapes. The Akkee Highball is the order. Tuesday through Sunday. The room is tight and the bar seats six, so a 7pm arrival is the right move.

A Sukhumvit 23 bar run by two former Vesper bartenders, focused on classic cocktails done correctly. The Craftsman Sour is the order. Tuesday through Sunday. Smaller than it looks online, so seven on a Saturday is the latest you can walk in without standing.

A Chinese theatre-themed bar on Sukhumvit 45 designed by AvroKO out of New York. The Shanghai Express is the headline cocktail. Live DJs and aerial performers from 10pm. Loud, crowded, and one of the only big-room nights worth doing in central Bangkok.

The Danish craft brewery's Bangkok outpost on Ekkamai 10, with 30 taps that rotate weekly and a Thai food kitchen that takes beer pairing seriously. Order a flight, eat the crispy pork, and stay. Open from 5pm daily. The garden seating is the move on a dry-season night.

A Thonglor 55 restaurant and bar that has been quietly running the standard for Thai-modern cocktails since 2008. The Tom Yum Margarita is the order. Open daily from 5.30pm. Sit at the bar if you can; the main room is built for food, not drinks.