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Where to Drink Cocktails in Atlanta Right Now, Summer 2017

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Welcome to the summer edition of the Eater Atlanta Cocktail Heatmap. Like its food-driven companion, this north-to-south booze guide keeps thirsty Atlantans up to date on where to imbibe around town and will change with the seasons to chronicle the watering holes that are worth a visit at the moment. These highly sophisticated findings are based on tips from readers, which bars are creating the most interesting cocktail concoctions, and what’s new on the scene. This summer’s list of seven spans from Marietta to Decatur and everywhere in between. Cheers!

Is this map missing a bar that’s pouring excellent drinks right now? Give it a shout out in the comments or via the Eater Atlanta tipline.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar

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East Cobb raw bar and fish house Drift has been feeding OTP seafood lovers for well over a year now. While the food has garnered most of the attention, it’s the restaurant’s cocktail program that has caught the eyes of drinkers and critics alike. Beverage manager Jose Pereiro has packed the drinks menu with twists on the classics like his take on the colonial standard fish house punch with a blend of rums and Applejack, a barrel-aged Brooklyn, and a smoky rum old fashioned. Pereiro has also hopped on the frozen cocktail trend. The menu includes frosé (rosé slushie) and a frozen version of the rum-based classic Cuba libre. Open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Drift Fish House Drift Fish House

Establishment

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Located in Colony Square, Establishment has become a popular spot not only for Midtown’s office workers seeking a solid happy hour but for the area’s bartenders who frequent it for post-shift drinks. The menu includes a variety of classic cocktails, a back bar full of whiskeys and rums as well as this season’s it cocktail, frosé. DJs often spin here in the evenings, so grab a spot at the bar with friends or on their shady Peachtree-facing patio. Open Monday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to midnight.

Establishment/Facebook

The Canteen

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With reasonably priced cocktails to pair with a Fred’s burger or Yalla's shawarma, The Canteen’s Square Bar has become a welcome addition to Midtown’s drinks scene, and it’s a solid option for Georgia Tech students on a budget. The bar features wine and beer along with classic cocktails like the old fashioned or gin and tonic, refreshers like the whiskey and coconut water, and boozy frozen treats such as the margarita, whiskey and Cheerwine, and the oh-so-popular frosé. Open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday (bar hours) from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Canteen/Facebook

The S.O.S. Tiki Bar

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This Decatur tiki bar has been on the scene for a while now, but with the addition of celebrated pop-up Eat Me Speak Me in the kitchen five days a week, there’s never been a better time for glasses adorned with plastic mermaids and drinks on fire. That alleyway patio on a warm night with a mai tai in hand is just about perfect. Open 6 p.m. to late, Wednesday through Saturday.

The SOS Tiki Bar S.O.S. Tiki Bar

This walk-up, outdoor bar is housed in a converted shipping container featuring dayglo lighting and a mural full of palm fronds. If that’s not enough to garner attention from Ponce, the cocktail menu filled with both beloved and obscure classics by general manager and beverage director Joshua Fryer sure will. Stop by on Sundays beginning at 4 p.m. for Chaka Khan Hacienda featuring chill vibes, tropical cocktails, $5 well shots, $3 beers, food trucks, and DJs spinning house, reggae, and disco. Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Dylan York

Bon Ton

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Bless anyone who brings a bit of New Orleans cocktail culture to the ATL. That’s just what veteran barman Eric Simpkins (The Lawrence) and his partners Darren Carr (Top Flr) and Hieu Pham (Crawfish Shack) have done. Located in the old Top Flr space in Midtown, the cocktail menu features Nola standards like the hurricane and Sazerac along with frozen concoctions like the “Pimm’s Cup” and Vietnamese Irish coffee. Now open for late-night imbibing. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Bon Ton.
Bon Ton.
Eater Atlanta photo

Poor Hendrix

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Sorry, kids, while the dining room is all-ages, the bar and patio are 21 and up. This East Lake hangout keeps it simple with a strong cocktail menu featuring classics such as the Hemingway daiquiri, Negroni, and the boozy Brooklyn all for under $12. Bar open Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Poor Hendrix/Facebook

Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar

East Cobb raw bar and fish house Drift has been feeding OTP seafood lovers for well over a year now. While the food has garnered most of the attention, it’s the restaurant’s cocktail program that has caught the eyes of drinkers and critics alike. Beverage manager Jose Pereiro has packed the drinks menu with twists on the classics like his take on the colonial standard fish house punch with a blend of rums and Applejack, a barrel-aged Brooklyn, and a smoky rum old fashioned. Pereiro has also hopped on the frozen cocktail trend. The menu includes frosé (rosé slushie) and a frozen version of the rum-based classic Cuba libre. Open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Drift Fish House Drift Fish House

Establishment

Located in Colony Square, Establishment has become a popular spot not only for Midtown’s office workers seeking a solid happy hour but for the area’s bartenders who frequent it for post-shift drinks. The menu includes a variety of classic cocktails, a back bar full of whiskeys and rums as well as this season’s it cocktail, frosé. DJs often spin here in the evenings, so grab a spot at the bar with friends or on their shady Peachtree-facing patio. Open Monday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to midnight.

Establishment/Facebook

The Canteen

With reasonably priced cocktails to pair with a Fred’s burger or Yalla's shawarma, The Canteen’s Square Bar has become a welcome addition to Midtown’s drinks scene, and it’s a solid option for Georgia Tech students on a budget. The bar features wine and beer along with classic cocktails like the old fashioned or gin and tonic, refreshers like the whiskey and coconut water, and boozy frozen treats such as the margarita, whiskey and Cheerwine, and the oh-so-popular frosé. Open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday (bar hours) from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Canteen/Facebook

The S.O.S. Tiki Bar

This Decatur tiki bar has been on the scene for a while now, but with the addition of celebrated pop-up Eat Me Speak Me in the kitchen five days a week, there’s never been a better time for glasses adorned with plastic mermaids and drinks on fire. That alleyway patio on a warm night with a mai tai in hand is just about perfect. Open 6 p.m. to late, Wednesday through Saturday.

The SOS Tiki Bar S.O.S. Tiki Bar

8 Arm

This walk-up, outdoor bar is housed in a converted shipping container featuring dayglo lighting and a mural full of palm fronds. If that’s not enough to garner attention from Ponce, the cocktail menu filled with both beloved and obscure classics by general manager and beverage director Joshua Fryer sure will. Stop by on Sundays beginning at 4 p.m. for Chaka Khan Hacienda featuring chill vibes, tropical cocktails, $5 well shots, $3 beers, food trucks, and DJs spinning house, reggae, and disco. Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Dylan York

Bon Ton

Bless anyone who brings a bit of New Orleans cocktail culture to the ATL. That’s just what veteran barman Eric Simpkins (The Lawrence) and his partners Darren Carr (Top Flr) and Hieu Pham (Crawfish Shack) have done. Located in the old Top Flr space in Midtown, the cocktail menu features Nola standards like the hurricane and Sazerac along with frozen concoctions like the “Pimm’s Cup” and Vietnamese Irish coffee. Now open for late-night imbibing. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Bon Ton.
Bon Ton.
Eater Atlanta photo

Poor Hendrix

Sorry, kids, while the dining room is all-ages, the bar and patio are 21 and up. This East Lake hangout keeps it simple with a strong cocktail menu featuring classics such as the Hemingway daiquiri, Negroni, and the boozy Brooklyn all for under $12. Bar open Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Poor Hendrix/Facebook

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