Editorial
Rio's cocktail scene is shaped by its geography — the bars worth visiting are where the ocean is. The 10 below mix the modern cocktail rooms (Galleto, Aprazível) with the cachaça specialists (Academia da Cachaça) that are essential context for Brazilian drinking.
Open since 1985 and built around a cellar of more than 100 cachaças, this Leblon room is the city's reference for the spirit. The caipirinha is made to order with quality aged cachaça rather than the well pour. Live chorinho runs Thursdays from 7pm. Best for a proper introduction to artisanal cachaça before dinner.
A hilltop terrace under a thatched roof in Santa Teresa with views across the bay, listed in the Michelin Guide through 2026. The bar program centers on cachaça and caipirinhas built with Brazilian fruit like carambola and passionfruit. Reserve a sunset table on the upper deck. Best for a long, slow evening rather than a fast drink.
The classic Rio boteco for a cold chope and a caipirinha at a pavement table. Belmonte's frozen fruit caipirinhas and stuffed pastéis are an institution across the Zona Sul. No reservations and no ceremony. Best in the late afternoon when the after-work crowd spills onto the sidewalk in Flamengo or Leblon.
The top-floor bar of the YOO2 hotel in Botafogo, now in Hilton's Tapestry Collection, framing Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer across the bay. The list runs to signature cocktails and classics from the house team. Best at golden hour from a lounge sofa. Go for the view first; the drinks are competent rather than landmark.
An open-air tiki lounge of bamboo furniture and torchlight on the edge of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. The Amazonian-fruit caipirinhas, made with cupuaçu and açaí, are the draw. Opens late afternoon and runs past midnight on weekends. Best at sunset with the lagoon behind you, though prices reflect the postcard setting.
A Santa Teresa boteco trading since the 1980s, walls thick with photographs and the smell of feijoada. The cachaça selection is deep and the caipirinhas are honest and strong. Cash-friendly and loud. Best on a Saturday afternoon when the feijoada and the samba crowd arrive together.
Cachaça is the secret of Rio cocktailing. Academia da Cachaça takes it most seriously. The 10 above are the rooms doing real cocktail work in a city better known for botecos and beach drinks. Most peak between 11 PM and 1 AM.
Global Cities Editor — Bangkok to Buenos Aires. Cultural context, not just cocktail tourism.
A caipirinha built with an aged artisanal cachaça rather than the well pour. Academia da Cachaça and Bar do Mineiro both keep deep cellars worth exploring.
YOO2 Rooftop in Botafogo frames Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer, while Palaphita Kitch sits on the edge of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Both are best at sunset.
Aprazível and the rooftop bars take bookings and are worth reserving for a sunset table. The botecos like Belmonte and Bar do Mineiro are walk-in only.
The botecos are cheap and cash-friendly. The view bars and Aprazível carry a premium that reflects the setting more than the pour.