The cocktail bar guide of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is bustling with great drinks spots and cocktail bars. Well, and let's be honest, we don't need much of a reason for a good drink or a nice drink. Sometimes a glass of wine, beer or bubbles doesn't quite cover it and we need a drink with a little more allure, taste sensation and experience. Time for something stronger and a party in a nice glass. Combining unique flavors, mixes, stirren en shake is an art in itself. Fortunately, we know exactly what it is places in town where to go for the best margaritas, esmas, negronis and so on. After all, 'just because you can' is the best excuse to discover new places and cocktails. Cheers!
Japan is hot, and what hot we bring it to Holland. So also the listening bars. In the always atmospheric Utrechtsestraat, the equally atmospheric CUE opened in the autumn of 2024. CUE is a listening bar where cocktails, vinyl and food (all three in balance and attuned to each other) come together. In Japan, "jazz kissa" became popular in the 50s, when vinyl records were still relatively expensive. CUE feels more like a cozy living room than a bar. Not that you'd be better off sitting at home, because we know for sure that you can't shake such good cocktails there. And certainly not have such a good music system, with ditto DJs (who only play vinyl).
In a side street, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the center of Amsterdam, you will find SHU Amsterdam. SHU can proudly call itself the city's first High Energy Cocktail Club, where you want to go out in your thirties, just like the founders themselves missed. The public is cosmopolitan, social and well-groomed - as the owners themselves describe it. The interior is warm, luxurious and above all tasteful, through the use of different types of wood, marble and brass. It invites you to dance. The club consists of three rooms, where you start with a cocktail at the bar or in the lounge. A party can and should take place in any room. The music? A mix of (deep) house and disco with a touch of funk. And last but definitely not least: SHU has hired one of the best bar managers, Stefan Sumual. Expect a cocktail list with classics and fast-paced service.
SHU has room for 180 people and is open Thursday to Monday from 20:00 PM. Please note: during the weekend you only have access if you are on the guest list. SHU's social media will make it clear how you can get a spot on the list. And entrance is free.
Create a street cool cocktail bar, as if you were one of those speakeasys in Roppongi – but then right in the heart of Amsterdam. Asian flavours, international luxury and a touch of Amsterdam. The cocktails are inspired by Asian cuisine, with surprising ingredients that you don't find everywhere. Behind the bar: a team of Amsterdam's best bartenders. Expect a drinks menu that surprises, an atmosphere that relaxes and bites that you will remember.
After a year and a half of patiently waiting, the time has finally come: Bar Shaken is here. On the Stadhouderskade, close to Leidseplein, you can now drink crème de la crème cocktails. Behind the bar stands Eric Van BeekHe worked abroad for years and is co-owner of Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City (World's Best Bar 2024). With Shakerato, he brings all that experience back to his Amsterdam – how lucky we are.
The cocktail menu consists of a combination of several well-known cocktails from Mexico City (such as the Paloma and the Salt N Pepper), a few classics, and new cocktails developed especially for Amsterdam. No idea what to choose? We get it. Fortunately, the team behind the bar is happy to help. And the name? It comes from the Italian shakerato: ice-cold, shaken coffee. Naturally, you can expect a cocktail version of this. Thanks to a unique collaboration with the neighbors of Restaurant Showw (awarded a Michelin star) Shakerato also serves delicious dishes that pair perfectly with the cocktails.
Ok, ok, technically a restaurant, but they also take the bar part very seriously Maps in the Nes (near Dam Square). Classic cocktails such as a negroni and espresso martini can be found on the menu here, but also a damn good sgroppino. You can combine it with a platter of antipasti or good pizza, or you can stick with your cocktails. At Mappa they quickly find it good and cozy.
Oh and maybe not really a 'cocktail', but highly recommended to end the evening: the affogato with espresso, vanilla ice cream and amaretto. There are also many good wines on the menu, both from Italy and from Italy new world to land. Didn't we say they took the bar part very seriously?
In The Hoxton Amsterdam you will find Lottis. Lotti's ticks all the boxes; comfortable vintage armchairs, a delicious menu and boozy cocktails. And let's just look for the latter. The choice is huge. By galenics Ruby Woo and The Hox-Bee to specials Pineapple Express and French Quarter. Cheers!
Craving Caribbean vibes, tropical cocktails, and soul food? At Mondi Amsterdam Nieuw-West and Mondi Skybar & Restaurant, you'll be transported to sun-drenched islands and flavors.
Don't expect run-of-the-mill gin and tonics here, but creative cocktails with international influences, from refreshing and tropical to something a bit more robust. Mondi is also perfect for theme parties, evenings with (swinging) live music, or a lavish high tea. They regularly organize events with a wide variety of cocktails and delicious food, so a visit to the website is definitely worth it.
A cocktail bar as it should be: a mysterious atmosphere, muted lighting, dark wooden details, velvet sofas. A bit the roaring 20's vibe, as they say, and we agree. And of course, don't forget the long and extensive bar. Here the cocktail shakers have plenty of room to make the cocktails and a real show is put on. You find Fitz's Bar in the Pillows Hotel on the Mauritskade. When you walk in here you have to ask for Fitz's Bar and they will show you the way, an extra mysterious experience if you ask us. And of course don't forget the cocktails, that's what you come for, and yes, they certainly deserve to be mentioned. We say in advance cheers!
It takes some searching, but once found, the party can begin. In the Voetboogstraat, right in the center of Amsterdam, you will find Zum Barbarossa; An speakeasy bar (hence the search) where, in addition to cocktails, they also serve fruit de mer and where you can dance until the early hours. You will be let in when you ring the doorbell. The party gets going on Friday and Saturday, when the DJ plays until two o'clock.
They shake a Spicy Rose Paloma or a Dirty Martini and everything in between with a nice wine list with plenty of bubbles. And in the bar they serve the same seafood as at The Seafood Bar — which is one floor above.
Hidden behind the crooked facades of the canal houses on the Kloveniersburgwal, you will finde Rosalia's Menagerie: a boutique cocktail bar full of stories. Based on inns from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries where art, curiosities and animals were collected by the owner. Today you can see the art, curiosities and animals in the cool interior of Rosalia's Menagerie, vintage finds on point. The cocktail menu also has a nod to the past. Special spirits and ingredients still come from all over the world, just as they did centuries ago. Here you drink classics with a modern twist. Also nice; Reservations are not possible, so you can just drop in. Stay the night? Can be done in 'Rosalia's Inn Upstairs'. Right, all you have to do is go up the stairs.
Great who? Super Lyan, the fantastic picture from London in our own capital. Resurrected from the basement of the Hoxton, you imagine yourself in the world of Mr. Lyan himself. As the owner of multiple cocktail bars (and other cool concepts), the man can call himself one of the world's best bartenders. Mega toppers of cocktails and over-delicious bar bites. We want more! That more possible from Wednesday to Sunday. What you are then served is heavenly: surprising, beautiful, tasty, creative (or just really good golden oldies, they don't turn a blind eye to it either).
The always pleasant Ten Katestraat is the oh-so cozy place Cafe Panache. At the bar the bartenders shake and pour the tastiest cocktails. Order one (or two, three...) of the drinks on the menu or ask about the specials. Our favorite? Hugo's or Paloma. Oops, we can't choose.
The green oasis in the always lively Amsterdam East: Bar Botanique. It is always nice to be here. From early morning to late evening. Especially the late hours are pleasant. This café tropique serves many types of drinks: beer, wine, sangria and cocktails. Are you going for a Tropical Old Fashioned or Punch Tropique? You've come to the right place at Bar Botanique.
Freddy's Bar is fun, because Freddy's is just fun and deserves so much more attention and love with its golden bar and New York atmosphere. The bar at the side of Hotel l'Europe is and remains a fantastic one. Classic low seating and a side area for quiet (or very drunk?) conversations. Can be added to your list of 'golden oldies in Amsterdam'. That's besides the point.
In the monumental building directly on the Singel, you will find the Flying Dutchmen cocktail bar. With a year of existence under their belt, they proved that they would stay here for a long time due to the great achievement of receiving the title Best New International Cocktail Bar. So they do it well, bartending. At Flying Dutchmen you can sit down on one of the low chairs or sit on the high bar stools. It's not a big location, but you come there to drink from a glass, you don't need much more space. Whatever they do in the bar, whatever new experiment is poured into your glass, they always do it well. Nice tip: if you ask nicely, the Flying Dutchmen are also willing to make you a drink that is not on the menu.
Drink cocktails prepared by cocktail masters at the Vault Bar. To reach the bar you first walk through the beautiful entrance of the bar Waldorf Astoria, after which you dive back 300 years in time as soon as you step straight into the old vault. A Vault, we get it. Just like Juniper & Kin, they also believe in the well-known Dutch drink: Jenever. Genever prepared in countless ways and with influences from beyond the Dutch borders. You can taste how well Jenever works with Turkish rose water or hints of fig and olive in the Greek variant.
At the very top, we have twenty-three floors, under the roof of it Okura hotel, sitting Twenty-Third bar. The bar, where you really come for the breathtaking view (literally breathtaking for those with a fear of heights), serves a range of cocktails with which you will have a wonderful evening. From the well-known drinks to fascinating mixes, you want to play the whole menu.
At Eighth Street especially: vintage cocktails on the menu! And those tasty Tiki classics like the Zombie and Mai Tai – respectively from 1934, developed by cocktail giant Don the Beachcomber, and 1944, created at the famous bar Trader Vic's – just shy of antique recipes that are still available fresh taste like when they saw the light. Because yes, you are either a classic or not. Anyway, the tone has been set: at Eighth Street they know the ins and outs of strong stuff, rum and tequila. We at Bart really taste the love in the Frozen Margaritas – also available per liter! – and Cuban Dos Gardenias, a lot of love which nevertheless cannot alleviate a mini hangover the next day.
A bistro and a bar in one, yes! That means that the drinks are central, but that you certainly don't have to leave to also be able to eat a nice bite. Prins & Aap (in the Andaz Amsterdam on the Prinsengracht) promises to be a nice meeting place where Amsterdammers and hotel visitors come together. From coffee with a newspaper to delicious cocktails with local dishes - and no, that's not just a bitterbal - you can enjoy a nice dose of Amsterdam conviviality all day long. meets Dutch Design.
Vespers. The small dark place on a corner in Amsterdam West, in a side street of the Haarlemmerdijk, is one of the best places for a (Saturday afternoon) cocktail. Or for a stylish bachelor party. The bartenders from Vesper are un-Amsterdam friendly here and they shake a fantastic cocktail, taking your taste into account.
Duke of Tokyo, we know it from the always pleasant karaoke bar on the always pleasant Reguliersdwarsstraat. But what often remains undiscussed about this part of Tokyo in Amsterdam are the amazing cocktails they prepare there. Even if you should sing while enjoying a cocktail, we think, even if you can't sing, we also think. You wouldn't go to a karaoke bar without belting out a song, would you? Is just laughing, inside you private karaoke room. So sing, sip sake or a real Japanese Cocktail (with snacks like gyoza on the side) and all in your own booth.
An international bar requires international cocktails. That's how they understood it 5 & 33 (what a name, numbers and stuff, not really our thing). The great thing about such an international cocktail menu is that there are always a number of good classics. About know your classics spoken, Fortunately, they also serve exciting drinks. A real Holy Viagra inspired by Indian curry or a Sexy Monkey in your glass. It just depends on what you are looking for. For now they will keep their doors closed for a while, but for how long...
The Tailor, another hotel bar (this time from Krasnapolsky), but one who comes from a good background. The bar, where trained and seasoned bartenders have been standing since 2014 shimmying and too shake, is doing well. So good that it was previously named the best hotel bar in the city. Simply because they are more than good at what they do. With their signature cocktails plus matching garnishes, we love to taste the phoenix in the flame or a Tailor martini. Then you get much-discussed cocktails that make many people happy. Us too.
The newcomer Bar Claes, in the renovated Park Central Amsterdam is where you want to be, even if it is just a one-off, and even if you only look at the beautiful interior of this bar. A bar with snacks that you can snack on throughout the day, in addition to your cocktail of course. Food and drink in abundance. What do you choose then? A great gin tonic, sparkling champagne or other spirits. Were you not yet convinced? Bar Claes is on top of it voted best newcomer in Amsterdam by the Belvedere Best Hotel Bar Awards.
Fancy a cool, robust cocktail. For once, leave all the sweet junk and added frills aside. The Pressroom, where the cocktail menu is based on the Prohibition Era or Prohibition, and where their dark spaces fulfill your answer. Here you can sip a white rum or a maraschino, cocktails popular from these harsh times. A touch speakeasys culture, hidden bars where alcohol was actually prohibited. You will experience the period where gangsters like Al Capone left their mark on the world.
As soon as a cocktail bar is mentioned in the same breath with a dark interior, mysterious and cozy, we are actually enthusiastic in advance. All right, Tales & Spirits so. A cocktail bar the way you like it: upon arrival, your coat is hung up by the super friendly service and then the show starts. One after the other, the most special cocktail – with fire, you can't imagine the smoke – appears from behind the bar. It remains to be seen when they will open their doors again, but we hope soon. Because we can't wait.
