Editorial
Rome's modern cocktail scene started with The Jerry Thomas Project in 2010. Drink Kong has since taken Rome cocktailing to the global stage. The nine below are the rooms where Italian aperitivo tradition meets modern cocktail technique. Most are in Centro Storico, Trastevere or Monti.
Drink Kong sits in Monti and ranks among the World's 50 Best Bars, a neon, Blade Runner-styled room built around Japanese highballs and precise long drinks. The crowd is young and the music loud, so it leans party over hush. Order a highball or whatever sits on the seasonal menu. Best earlier in the evening, before the queue builds past the door.
The Jerry Thomas Project opened in 2010 as Italy's first speakeasy, hidden near Campo de' Fiori behind an unmarked door with a password from its website. The room is small, classic and serious about technique, with a strict no-photos rule. Expect stirred-down classics. Book ahead and go on a weeknight, since walk-ins rarely get a seat.
Argot tucks into a side street near Campo de' Fiori, a low-lit two-level room with live jazz some nights and a menu of refined classics. It draws a slightly older, in-the-know crowd than the party bars. Order a Martini or let the bartender build around an amaro. Best late, when the music starts and the front room quiets down.
Freni e Frizioni fills a former mechanic's garage in Trastevere, which is where the name, meaning brakes and clutches, comes from. The draw is the early-evening aperitivo buffet and a young crowd spilling onto Piazza Trilussa. Order a spritz or a house cocktail and graze the buffet. Best at sunset, before the square gets packed.
Barnum Café on Via del Pellegrino runs as a relaxed daytime café that turns into a proper cocktail bar after dark. The vintage-armchair room suits conversation over spectacle, and the bartenders favor seasonal, balanced drinks. Come late evening for cocktails or earlier for coffee. It sits a short walk from Campo de' Fiori in the historic center.
Rec 23 sits in Testaccio, a large New York-style room mixing cocktails, craft beer and a kitchen that runs from Roman plates to burgers. It suits groups and a longer night more than a quiet date. Order a classic cocktail with supplì to start. Best for a weekend dinner-and-drinks stretch near the old slaughterhouse district.
The Court occupies the terrace of Palazzo Manfredi with the Colosseum filling the view, run by the team behind Drink Kong. The drinks are ambitious and the setting is the headline. This is a dress-up spot for a first drink, not a cheap round. Book a sunset table, because the light on the arena is the reason to come and it goes early.
Club Derrière hides behind Barnum Café, a small back room styled like a private parlor with a billiards table and low light. It rewards anyone who likes a secret over a scene. Slip in for a late classic once the café up front winds down. Best after midnight, when it becomes one of the centro storico's quieter nightcaps.
Spirito sits in Pigneto behind a working sandwich shop, the Premiata Panineria, entered through a hidden door marked Carni Scelte with a password. Inside is a New York prohibition room with red leather booths and a casino table. Order a classic and stay for the games. Best on a Pigneto night out, when the neighborhood is at its liveliest.
Italian amaros, the bitter herbal liqueurs Rome has always drunk, are the secret of the city's modern cocktail scene. Drink Kong builds menus around them; The Jerry Thomas Project respects them as classical ingredients. The nine above represent the modern Roman cocktail vocabulary. Most peak between 11 PM and 1 AM; some run until 3 AM.
Priya Nair covers cocktail bars and rooftops from Bangkok to Buenos Aires for barsforKings, with a travel writer's eye for cultural context over cocktail tourism.
Drink Kong in Monti is the critics' pick and a World's 50 Best Bars regular, while The Jerry Thomas Project is the historic speakeasy that started Rome's modern scene. Choose Drink Kong for energy and Jerry Thomas for classic technique.
Yes. The Jerry Thomas Project near Campo de' Fiori needs a password from its website, Spirito hides behind a Pigneto sandwich shop, and Club Derrière sits behind Barnum Café. Each rewards booking ahead.
The Court, on the terrace of Palazzo Manfredi, looks straight at the Colosseum and is run by the Drink Kong team. Book a table near sunset for the best light on the arena.
Freni e Frizioni in Trastevere is the classic choice, with an early-evening buffet and a terrace on Piazza Trilussa. Arrive around sunset before the square fills.