The Best Cocktail Bars in Asia

Japan

Nine of the bars are in Japan, spread across Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama, Nara and Tokyo. Hedonist in Osaka and Bar Nayuta in Osaka both make drinks to each guest's taste. In Kyoto, L'Escamoteur mixes drinks with magic tricks and fire effects, while Bee's Knees hides behind a yellow bookstore door in Kiyamachi and Scotch & Branch is reached through a red telephone booth. Bar Benfiddich, on the ninth floor of a Nishi-Shinjuku building in Tokyo, builds drinks from herbs, fruit and spices grown on owner Hiroyasu Kayama's farm.

Vietnam

Three bars in the list are in Vietnam. Nê Cocktail Bar in Hanoi's Old Quarter has a menu inspired by Vietnamese dishes, including a pho cocktail. In Hoi An, Mezcal Cocteleria sits upstairs and has a balcony over the old town, and T/T Cocktail Bar stands behind an antique shop with a shaded courtyard, where husband-and-wife owners make egg-based drinks.

Other cities

Five bars are in other cities across the region. BKK Social Club sits inside the Four Seasons Bangkok in a 1920s art deco room, and Bar Us in Bangkok is laid out as a three-course meal. Zest Seoul in Gangnam builds its drinks on Korean and fermented ingredients. COA in Central, Hong Kong, serves an agave-only menu, and Jigger & Pony occupies two floors of a Singapore hotel.