Editorial
Germany and Austria don't get the cocktail-bar attention of London, New York, or Paris — and that's a shame, because Buck and Breck (Berlin) is one of the world's most precise counter bars, Le Lion (Hamburg) is a World's 50 Best regular, and Loos American Bar (Vienna, 1908) is the oldest serious cocktail room in continental Europe. The 10 below show the breadth: Berlin's basement precision, Vienna's classical heritage, Hamburg's modern counter, and Munich's old-guard institutions like Schumann's. Don't sleep on this region.
Each entry below is a a look at the best 10 bars in that city — picked by editors who live there.
Forget the beer hall stereotype. The best Germany & Austria bars work because they treat the cocktail with intense precision — Buck and Breck pours twelve seats, Loos American Bar uses Adolf Loos's original 1908 design, Schumann's defined modern German cocktail culture in 1982. The 10 above all do that. Pick the city that matches the night you want.
West Coast Editor — Los Angeles to Mexico City. Casual luxury, never aspirational.