Memphis
Memphis's cocktail scene rewards drinkers who know where to look. The cocktail bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — Beale Street, Cooper-Young, Overton Square, Downtown all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.
DOWNTOWN · $ · COCKTAIL BARS
Heritage juke joint from 1955. Order: Memphis whiskey sour with peach. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
DOWNTOWN · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Heritage hotel bar inside the Peabody Hotel. Order: Memphis whiskey sour with peach. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
COOPER-YOUNG · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Cocktail-and-international-food bar from chef Karen Carrier. Order: Memphis whiskey sour with peach. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
VICTORIAN VILLAGE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Cocktail-and-piano bar inside an 1886 Victorian mansion. Order: Memphis whiskey sour with peach. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
NORTH MEMPHIS · $ · COCKTAIL BARS
Heritage juke joint in a strip mall. Order: Memphis whiskey sour with peach. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
Use this guide either as a single curated route through Memphis or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten cocktail bars that any serious drinker in Memphis would tell you to put on the list.
Heritage juke joint from 1955. Order: Memphis whiskey sour with peach. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
Heritage hotel bar inside the Peabody Hotel. Order: Memphis whiskey sour with peach. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Looking beyond Memphis? See our guide to the best cocktail bars worldwide, or compare cocktail bars city by city. Or find cocktail bars near you.