Editorial
American bartending has been in a sustained golden era since around 2008. The combination of culinary technique, local ingredient sourcing, heritage spirits education, and a generation of bartenders who treat their work as a serious craft has produced a national cocktail culture that now challenges London and competes with Tokyo on technical terms. This list captures 25 bars that best represent that achievement.
We are not ranking these by award citations. The award circuit is useful but slow, and it tends to celebrate longevity as much as current excellence. We ranked these bars by what they offer right now: the quality of the drinks, the knowledge of the staff, the intentionality of the menu, and the overall coherence of the experience. Our editors visited each city specifically for this list in 2024 and 2025.
For individual city breakdowns, our money pages go deeper into each market. Start with New York cocktail bars or Los Angeles cocktail bars for the two most competitive scenes in the country.
One email, every Friday. Our editors’ top bar picks across 60+ cities — places worth the detour.
Our editors rank the best cocktail bars in Charlotte, with what to order at each.