The World’s 100 Best Cocktail Bars · 2026
The Best Cocktail Bars in the United States
9 of the 100 cocktail bars in The World’s 100 Best Cocktail Bars 2026 are in the United States. The highest placed is Strong Water in Anaheim, at number 11 in the world. False Idol in San Diego (number 29) and Attaboy in Nashville (number 49) follow.
Tiki and rum bars
Strong Water sits in the Anaheim Packing District, in a dark room styled as a capsized ship. Its freshly made drinks and large rum list are highlighted. False Idol is a tiki bar and speakeasy at the back of Craft & Commerce in Little Italy, San Diego, reached through the restaurant. Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery is hidden downstairs from La Cubanita in Miami Beach, where drinks are built in front of guests, including a deconstructed piña colada.
Drinks built from taste
Attaboy in Nashville makes drinks to order from guests' stated tastes, with no menu. The Patterson House, on the fifth floor of a Nashville building, has a long drinks menu, and its bartenders build custom cocktails after a few questions about taste. Idlewild in Charlotte builds drinks from guests' descriptions, and Death & Co in the East Village of New York is known for custom drinks as well.
Small rooms, hidden doors
Grandpa Bar is a small vintage cocktail bar in Nashville that serves coffee drinks by day and cocktails in the evening, with live music, comedy and songwriter nights. Hop Sing Laundromat in Philadelphia's Chinatown sits behind an unmarked metal door and is run by owner Lê. Its entry includes ID checks, and its rules are explained in the foyer.
