"Kissa bars" originated in Japan in the 20s, as places where to go, get a drink and listen to jazz music, at the time when imported jazz records were way to expensive for ordinary people. In a very Japanese fashion, these minimalist bars prioritized the experience of listening to music in intimate and peaceful spaces, …
D.ONE Bar, Torino
After a few years visiting bars, I have developed a sort of an instinct: when I enter a bar, especially if I am alone, I can tell whether that will be a memorable evening or not. It has to do with the energy in the place, the "partner in crime" smile of the bartender, the …
Wax On, Berlin
If it is true (and I believe it is) that quality of life is mostly about expectations, it must not be easy for a bar such as the Wax On to live up to its short history. Voted 2023 “Best New Bar of the Year” and 2024 “Bar of the Year – Germany” at the …
Marlene Bar, Chisinau, Moldova
Let's start from this: the Marlene Bar in Chisnau, apart from being most probably the best place in town for good drinks, is one of the best bars I vistited EVER (and you know I am normally quite difficult to impress...). The place is so pleasant in many ways that, after a few cocktails, it …
Pharmarium, Stockholm
Pharmarium is, according to the Google oracle, one of the best cocktail bars in Stockholm. I tried it, and it is actually very true. Placed in a small square in Gamla Stan (old town) in front of the Nobel Museum, the bar occupies the same building where once stood Stockholm’s first pharmacy, opened in 1575. The …
La Reserve Deux, Torino, Italy
One of the best feelings of being a serial barcrawler is when you enter into a bar without any particular expectation and you slowly realise that that bar is a gem. The welcome you get from the bartender, the lights, the music, the athmosphere, the accpmpanying food, and of course the drinks. Even better, when …
Gin Fizz, Bilbao
Confirming the fact that you do not have to search for the best bar since the best bar will find you, the Gin Fizz cocktail bar is exactly in front of the apartment that I rented for a few days this summer in Bilbao. According to local cocktail drinkers I have checked with, this is …
Smile Tree, Torino, Italy
Life is sometimes bizarre. You travel around for years searching for the perfect mixture between quality of drinks and creativity in making something new, then you end up in a town (Torino in my case) which is surely not known for its cocktail scene, and you find a bar that is probably the most creative …
The Mad Dog, Torino, Italy
Sometimes bars are in your destiny, as proven from the fact that the Mad Dog opened its doors on the very same day I moved to Torino, on first of November 2014. You might think: with so many bars opening in town lately, where is the big news? Well, the fact is that, in my humble …
Subastor, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Let's put it simply: this is the best cocktail bar among the dozens of bars in Vila Madalena in Sao Paulo (I am ready to be challenged on this). This is how to do it: enter the Astor Bar, a classy bar with nice food and cocktails (including a well-done Martini list) where you can …