Copenhagen has the most design-led cocktail scene in Europe. Ruby pioneered the Scandinavian cocktail bar format in 2007. Lidkoeb followed with the three-floor cocktail-and-whisky model. The 10 below show how Danish design and Nordic ingredients combine. Most are in Indre By or Vesterbro.
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 Copenhagen
01 · Copenhagen
Indre By
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Old townhouse · Multiple rooms
Inside an 18th-century townhouse on Nybrogade. Multiple drinking rooms, fireplace, no signage.
Order: Whatever's pouring stirred this season
02 · Copenhagen
Vesterbro
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Three floors · Whisky upstairs
Three-floor cocktail bar in Vesterbro. Ground floor is the bar; upstairs is a whisky room.
Order: A Scandi-spirit signature on the ground floor
03 · Copenhagen
Vesterbro
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Speakeasy · Reservations
Vesterbro speakeasy. Through an unmarked door. The technical Copenhagen cocktail room.
Order: Bartender's choice
04 · Copenhagen
Christianshavn
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Bar at Noma's old space
In the former Noma building. Bar program built on Nordic ingredients.
Order: A drink built around aquavit
05 · Copenhagen
Indre By
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Mad Men · Hidden
Through a bookshelf in a faux-1960s living room. Mad Men-themed cocktail bar with a serious classics-driven menu.
Order: A Manhattan in the hidden room
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06 · Copenhagen
Vesterbro
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Speakeasy · Late-night
Vesterbro late-night speakeasy. Open until 5 AM. Casual atmosphere, classics-led menu.
Order: A whisky highball at 2 AM
07 · Copenhagen
Nørrebro
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Natural wine + cocktails
Nørrebro natural-wine restaurant. Tiny bar program; the wine list is the reason.
Order: A glass of natural wine + a stirred cocktail
08 · Copenhagen
Indre By
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1723 · Vinstue
Operating since 1723. Old wooden interior, port and wine on tap, the most atmospheric Copenhagen old room.
Order: A glass of port at the historic bar
09 · Copenhagen
Vesterbro
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20 taps · Minimalist
The original Mikkeller location. Twenty taps of rotating Mikkeller and friends — but the cocktail program is also serious.
Order: Their Spontan + a beer-spec cocktail
10 · Copenhagen
Indre By
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Hotel terrace · Royal Square
On top of Hotel d'Angleterre overlooking Kongens Nytorv. The most elegant rooftop in Copenhagen.
Order: A martini with a view of the square
More Copenhagen cocktail barsThe full Copenhagen cocktail-bar index by neighbourhood.
See the full list
How Copenhagen drinks differently
Copenhagen drinks earlier than Mediterranean cities — bars peak between 9 and 11 PM. Ruby and Lidkoeb are the technical references. Curfew is the modernist outlier. Don't miss Barr — the bar inside Noma's old building, where the Danish-spirit cocktail program is one of Europe's most original.
