The Most Instagrammable Cocktails Right Now

The bartenders at Quo Vadis lift the glass cloche tableside, releasing a cedar smoke cloud that dissipates over a perfectly constructed Negroni built with house-infused gin. The drink itself is outstanding — the smoke is complementary rather than a distraction, adding a dry woody note that lingers on the finish. Order it near the window for natural light and it photographs exactly as well as it tastes.

Order: Smoke Cloche Negroni — house gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, cedar smoke

Paradiso consistently produces the most photographed cocktails in Spain, and La Flor de Espuma is their most striking current offering — a coral-coloured foam suspended over a cold-clarified citrus base, garnished with a single preserved rose petal and delivered on a slab of white marble. The taste matches the presentation: delicate, precise, with a bittersweet citrus finish that arrives long after you expect it.

Order: La Flor de Espuma — clarified citrus, rose foam, preserved petal garnish

The Ritz Paris's Bar Hemingway has been producing beautiful cocktails since before social media existed, and Le Nuage Bleu continues that tradition with a layered violet-to-clear gradient that holds for twelve to fifteen minutes before blending. Head bartender Colin Field pours it at the bar as a quiet performance — unhurried, precise, with no showboating. The drink is butterfly pea tea, vodka, lemon, and elderflower syrup, and it is genuinely one of the best cocktails in Paris.

Order: Le Nuage Bleu — butterfly pea tea vodka, lemon, elderflower, gradient pour

Employees Only serves a variation on their Gold Rush with a gold-leaf float and a fine spray of absinthe misted over the top at service — creating a momentary iridescent haze above the coupe that photographs in a way no filter can replicate. The drink underneath is a perfectly balanced honey-lemon-bourbon combination that has been on their menu since 2004 for good reason. Order it at the marble bar for the best light.

Order: Gold Rush Mist — bourbon, lemon, wildflower honey, gold leaf, absinthe mist

Served inside a hand-blown glass sphere that the bartender cracks tableside with a small copper mallet, releasing a sealed pocket of bergamot-scented air before revealing the cocktail inside. The gin base is cold-clarified to water clarity, making the sphere look like a snow globe. This is one of the most photographed drinks in New York and — crucially — also one of the best tasting. Reserve in advance.

Order: Crystal Globe — clarified gin, bergamot, dry vermouth, sealed glass sphere

Served in a deep emerald coupe with micro-herb garnish that changes weekly based on the bar's relationship with a Hudson Valley herb farm. The base varies seasonally but typically involves a green Chartreuse component and a cold-brew chamomile infusion. We have ordered this on five separate visits and it has always been different and always been worth photographing. The deep green colour against the NoMad's candlelit tables is particularly effective.

Order: Midnight Garden — green Chartreuse, cold-brew chamomile, seasonal micro-herb garnish

Operation Dagger's basement location on Ann Siang Hill has been producing some of Singapore's most photographed cocktails since 2014. The Sakura Drift is their most-requested current offering: a pink-hued cold-clarified sake and cherry blossom combination served in a custom ceramic vessel with a floating cherry blossom petal sealed inside a layer of dry ice condensation. It tastes as clean and precise as it looks.

Order: Sakura Drift — cold-clarified sake, cherry blossom infusion, dry ice mist vessel

The drink itself — a clarified passion fruit and white rum combination with a lychee foam — is excellent, but the context elevates it further: served at 350 metres with a panoramic view of the Dubai skyline at dusk, the amber-and-white glass against the city backdrop creates a photograph that requires no editing. The 63rd floor location means you book at least a week ahead at weekends.

Order: The Horizon — clarified passion fruit, white rum, lychee foam, skyline backdrop

Hiroyasu Kayama at Bar Benfiddich grows most of his botanicals on his family's farm in Saitama and distils his own spirits on premises. The Indigo Hour uses his house butterfly pea gin alongside fresh herbs picked that morning, producing a deep indigo cocktail that shifts to violet and then pale pink as you add the citrus spritz over the top. No two servings are exactly the same colour. Reserve months in advance.

Order: Indigo Hour — house butterfly pea gin, fresh botanicals, citrus bloom shift