Culture

The 5 Best New Cocktail Bars in America 2014

These are the 5 best new cocktail bars in America, from a grown-up New Orleans bar to a Texas tequila and mezcal specialist
Image may contain Drink Cocktail Alcohol Beverage Martini and Glass
Meredith Perdue

The only thing I like to do more than eat when traveling for the Hot 10 list is drink (responsibly and with pretty high standards, of course). Here, the best new cocktail bars to pull up a bar stool.

  • Image may contain Restaurant Human Person Cafe Jason Bonham Food Court Food Cafeteria and Bottle
    Andrew Thomas Lee
    1/5

    Kimball House, Decatur, GA

    Kimball House is a decent restaurant with an even better bar, thanks to its former train station setting, oysters, and aquavit-heavy cocktails like the Sun Viking.

  • Image may contain Interior Design Indoors Door Human Person Stage Room and Theater
    Jeremy Pelley
    2/5

    Pépé Le Moko, Portland, OR

    A bunkerlike spot below the Ace Hotel that serves the kind of mixed drinks your parents probably loved—Long Island Iced Teas, amaretto sours, and so on.

  • Image may contain Furniture Chair Restaurant Human Person Cafe Food Food Court and Cafeteria
    Julie Soefer
    3/5

    The Pastry War, Houston

    The Pastry War specializes in all things tequila and mezcal, so, yes, I would go on vacation with their Margaritas—and, no, I would have no problem ordering a frozen one.

  • Image may contain Drink Cocktail Alcohol Beverage Human Person Mojito Potted Plant Vase Plant Pottery and Jar
    Meredith Perdue
    4/5

    Portland Hunt & Alpine Club, Portland, ME

    A loosely Nordic-themed bar, Portland Hunt & Alpine Club has delicious open-face sandwiches as well as a crush on Fernet Branca, an intensely bitter Italian digestif.

  • Image may contain Plant Vase Pottery Jar Flower Ornament Ikebana Art Flower Arrangement Blossom and Potted Plant
    Rush Jagoe
    5/5

    Cane & Table, New Orleans

    A grown-up drinking establishment in a town where drinking is like paying taxes: a requirement. If I must do a colada, I make it their fresh-pineapple Boss Colada.

    Photo: Rush Jagoe

Deputy Editor. Andrew has worked at Bon Appétit since, like, forever (2000 to be exact). He oversees the magazine's restaurant coverage, including the annual Hot 10 list, and writes the rather opinionated Foodist column that has run in the magazine since 2008. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and ... Read More
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