Amsterdam's cocktail scene is the most underrated in Europe. Door 74 set the modern Dutch speakeasy template. Tales & Spirits and Flying Dutchmen extended the technique. The 10 below show how the Dutch genever tradition has been integrated with modern cocktail technique to produce something distinctively Amsterdam.
Part of our 50 Best Cocktail Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
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The 10 best cocktail bars in Amsterdam
01 · Amsterdam
Reguliersdwarsstraat
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Speakeasy · Black door
Reservation-only. Through an unmarked black door. The room that introduced Amsterdam to modern speakeasy bartending in 2008.
Order: Whatever's seasonal
02 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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Restaurant + serious bar
Old-school cocktail bartending in a room that doesn't want you to know it's serious.
Order: The 'cure for tomorrow' espresso variant
03 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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Apothecary · Tasting
Tej Sehgal's intimate cocktail laboratory. Tasting-format only. The menu is built around obscure Dutch genever traditions.
Order: The full tasting
04 · Amsterdam
Jordaan
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Hotel bar · Canal-side
Inside the Pulitzer Hotel on Prinsengracht. Canal-side windows, jazz programming, drinks built on Dutch genever traditions.
Order: A Genever Old Fashioned
05 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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Speakeasy · Reservations
Through an unmarked entrance. Sister bar to Tales & Spirits. Less known but equally rigorous.
Order: A clarified milk punch
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06 · Amsterdam
De Pijp
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Speakeasy · Burger spot front
Through the back of The Butcher burger restaurant in De Pijp. Theatrical entrance; cocktails that don't disappoint.
Order: A signature smoke-and-mezcal spec
07 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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Gin specialist
Gin-and-tonic specialist with 40+ Dutch and Belgian gins. Every spec is a G&T variant; the depth is unexpected.
Order: A Bobby's Schiedam G&T
08 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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Vintage · Cigar
Vintage Amsterdam cocktail bar. Wood paneling, leather chairs, cigars permitted in the back room. Classics-driven menu.
Order: A Rusty Nail with their reserve Scotch
09 · Amsterdam
De Baarsjes
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Neighbourhood · Modern
De Baarsjes neighbourhood cocktail bar. Modern Dutch-spirit-led drinks, casual atmosphere, no reservations needed.
Order: Whatever uses the local gin distillery
10 · Amsterdam
De Pijp
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Natural wine + cocktails
De Pijp natural wine bar with a small cocktail program. Hybrid format that works — cocktails complement the wine list.
Order: A glass of pet-nat or a bartender's-choice spec
More Amsterdam cocktail barsThe full Amsterdam cocktail-bar index by neighbourhood.
See the full list
How the Dutch genever tradition shapes Amsterdam cocktails
Amsterdam's secret weapon is genever — the Dutch precursor to gin, with a centuries-old distilling tradition. Door 74, Pulitzer's Bar and Flying Dutchmen all build their menus partly around it. The 10 above are where Dutch cocktail vocabulary is at its strongest. Most are reservation-only on weekend nights; walk-in friendly Monday-Wednesday.
