Whether you think that gin is king or you'd rather sip on something sweet, Edinburgh has got the goods when it comes to knock-your-socks-off cocktails. From swanky hotel bars that will keep your glass full right through 'til the early hours to secret basement drinking dens and student-friendly spots. Whatever your taste, style or budget, our guide to Edinburgh's best cocktail bars will have you raising your glass and toasting to good times for many Fridays to come.
Last edited by Scarlett Welch
Last updated on 19th November 2024
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Nestled beneath the New Town, Nightcap is an intimate hangout for sipping fun, inventive cocktails, including altered classics and signature sips. Our favourite? It has to be the Wild Honey, a subtle mix of gin, wildflower honey, fennel and jasmine.
Looking for delicious drinks in the city? You're in luck over at The Botanist. The venue will be slinging out botanical signature serves such as Hawaiian rum punch and garden mojitos, alongside bar snacks, sharing boards and iconic hanging kebabs.
Lady Libertine is one of the best cocktail bars Edinburgh city centre has to shout about. Not only does it have unrivalled elegance, from the Art Deco Features to the private room, but also an expertly crafted cocktail list featuring classics with a fun twist.
Whether you head to All Bar One Exchange or its sister site on George Street, you'll be met with stylish interiors, tantalising tipples and a range of hearty eats. Topping it off? The wicked cocktail classes and banging bottomless brunches.
Rabble is a boutique bar, restaurant and hotel in the heart of Edinburgh. Offering something a little different to the city's collection of sultry drinking dens and leather-laden cocktail lounges, this place is bright and airy, with low-hanging botanicals and springtime sips.
Upgrade your cocktail game at the Dragonfly, Edinburgh's oldest bar. This best-loved venue is located within a former fire station and touts plenty of quirky touches, from unique chandeliers to potted plants. As for the drinks? Expect a range of signature and classic concoctions.
The Bon Vivant is coming up trumps when it comes to cocktails in Edinburgh. Served in cosy chic surrounds, the venue slings out expertly crafted sips such as the Clover Club - a mix of Plymouth Gin, Noilly Prat, raspberry, lemon and egg white.
White chocolate martinis, G and Teas and cinnamon-infused margaritas are just some of the sips on offer at this brilliantly bizarre cocktail bar. However, it's the espresso martinis that The Raging Bull is most well-known for - take your pick from salted caramel, hazelnut, and orange variations of the coffee libation.
A fantastic place for cocktails in Edinburgh, Chaophraya is a rooftop restaurant and bar offering unique drinks and gorgeous views of the city. Head up to their sky-scraping perch for signature sips and some of the best gin and tonics in town.
Bar Tonic is a top choice of hidden cocktail bars in Edinburgh, bringing everything from sultry interiors to quirky drinks. Better yet, you can expect your night to be accompanied by DJs spinning everything from disco to old school RnB between Thursday and Sunday.
Having coined the term 'theatre served', you can guarantee that a night spent at The Alchemist isn't quite like anything else. Serving up smoking, popping and colour-changing libations, this St James Quarter bar is the perfect place to sip on some seriously snappable drinks. Plus, there's a site over on George Street too.
A hotel, bar and restaurant just off Princes Street, Angels Share houses an impressive whisky selection from across the country, and they know what to do with them. Head down for the chance to sample some sippable delights, bursting with unique ingredients such as pepper-infused Talisker, and a thyme and Irn Bru concoction.
Situated in the heart of Old Town, this charming cocktail bar is the ultimate stopping off spot for pre-dinner drinks, or a relaxed date night. Serving up a sublime selection of sips, their drinks mix simplicity and intelligence, with a fair amount of finesse, to make sure they always hit the spot.
Whether you're on George Street or in the Omni Centre, Slug And lettuce is promising two for one cocktails every single day of the week. These Instagrammable pink bars are whipping up all sorts of creative concoctions, and they even offer bottomless brunches too.
If you're feeling peckish, you can also enjoy a range of tasty bites - we're talking bacon cheeseburgers, loaded nachos and fajita chicken pasta.
Recently undergoing a sleek new refurbishment, Le Monde is now one of the city's most Instagrammable bars. Kitted out in pastel pink tones and luxe velvet furnishings, it's the ideal spot for a cocktail-fuelled girls' night out.
One of the coolest cocktail bars in Edinburgh, this relaxed and informal spot on Queen Street brings the heat with its very unique drinks list. You ever had seabass and red onion in a cocktail? Well now you can with the LLC Ceviche Sour. What about chorizo? Because their Liquid Lunch can sort you out for that too. We weren't lying when we said 'unique'.
New Town's most lauded cocktail bar, Bramble has more than proved its worth since being named among the world's best last year. One look at their menu and you can see why though as the drinks on offer go beyond the classics to bring together flavours and ingredients in perfect harmony.
Home to some of the city's finest shakers and master mixologists, the Heads & Tales team have crafted a superb cocktail menu of unique and moreish tipples, from twists on the classics, to something entirely different. On top of that, they've got one seriously impressive gin list that would humble even the most knowledgeable juniper junkie.
You might not expect it, but tucked in on the fifth floor of Apex Grassmarket you'll find Heights, a gorgeous bar with incredible views. Whether you fancy sipping on drinks while looking out over Edingburgh Old Town or you want to try your hand at a cocktail masterclass, this spot has just the thing.
Identified by its signature cherry blossom trees, Tattu is the Mint Building spot known for its stunning design, sumptuous Asian cuisine and elegant cocktails. Each drink here has been hand-crafted by the team of expert mixologists. Our favourite? The Crouching Tiger - a gin, tequila and pink grapefruit concoction that looks as good as it tastes.
If you're on the hunt for the best cocktail bars in Edinburgh, McGonagall's Gin & Whisky Emporium should be firmly on the radar. Located in the heart of the Old Town, this cosy haunt is a must for sampling gin and scoffing traditional fare that includes haggis, scallops and venison burgers.
Throwing bunting, huge indoor plants, kitsch antiques and vibrant tropical cocktails all into one snug venue, Paradise Palms on Lothian Street is the Edinburgh party bar that refuses to sit still. While the decorations continue to get louder and more outrageous, the drinks menu follows the same path, featuring tipples that'll make you feel as if you're on a Polynesian beach.
Styled as a vintage barbershop, Panda & Sons is one of Edinburgh's few purpose-built speakeasy bars. Sitting just off Charlotte Square, guests will find a basement drinking den decorated with vintage chairs, Victorian male grooming guides and a truly creative cocktail menu to rival any.
