Himitsu is Umi Sushi’s semi-private, Japanese cocktail lounge with a drinks menu created by world-renowned bartender Shingo Gokan. A reservation is necessary to get into this bar, but once inside the scene is dimly-lit and sexy. Cocktails are made with everything from Asian whiskeys and baller cognacs to floral gins. Co-owner Farshid Arshid once described the vibe of the bar as “a place where James Bond and Sammy Davis Jr. would meet for a martini.”

The cocktails here rely heavily on rum, scotch, rye whiskey, and bourbon as base spirits accented with French vermouth, amari, and sherry. But these drinks complement the meaty menu, which includes a selection of beef jerky, tandoori chicken wings, and a hot chicken sandwich. Every Tuesday evening, Biltong-Buckhead transforms into a tiki bar featuring food like pork short ribs, banh mi sliders, and crab rangoon paired with Mai Tais and fog cutters.

With an extensive wine list curated by sommelier Steven Grubbs and cocktails by beverage director Kellie Thorn, chef Hugh Acheson’s Midtown restaurant has a lot to offer the Atlanta drinker. This well-rounded bar program lists everything from Champagne and hard-to-find cognacs to whiskey and gin cocktails made with exacting precision.

One of the first craft cocktail-focused bars in Decatur (and sibling to Brick Store Pub,) Leon’s has seen a few of Atlanta’s finest behind its bar at one time or another. Does Miles Macquarrie (Kimball House) ring a bell? The bar program continues to focus on classic cocktails as well as its extensive local beer list thanks to its Brick Store ties.

A tropical oasis in the heart of Decatur, S.O.S. is a modern take on classic bars like Trader Vic’s. Tiki staples such as the mai tai, zombie, and painkiller are all on the menu here, as are a few S.O.S. originals and a vast selection of rums.

The Hotel Clermont’s slick cocktail bar just off of the lobby offers a solid list of classics like martinis and Manhattans on its menu as well as original cocktail concoctions. The moody Lobby Bar and its adjacent parlors also serve food, including a burger and oysters.

Bon Ton is hard to miss on Myrtle Street. The lavender painted building located across from Mary Mac’s Tea Room is the first indication there’s something a bit mischievous about this Midtown restaurant and its bar. Make it a point to order a cocktail here. Bon Ton’s version of the New Orleans rum-based hurricane is as strong as those found on Bourbon Street. The Crescent City’s earliest cocktail, the sazerac, is on tap. There’s even a section dedicated to frozen drinks, including a Vietnamese meets Irish coffee mash-up.

No Atlanta “best-of” bar list these days would be complete without Kimball House. Located in a renovated train depot in Decatur, the bar has been nationally recognized for its elegant twists on the classic drinks, Champagne and absinthe services, and seasonal cocktails full of ingredients straight from the restaurant’s garden. Oh, and its oyster selection is the best in town.

To be a member of this Krog Street Market cocktail club, one simply has to walk in, grab a seat, and order a drink. Ticonderoga Club is owned by three forefolk of Atlanta’s cocktail movement: Greg Best, Paul Calvert, and Regan Smith. Cocktails rotate regularly here, but T-Club’s mint julep riff the Ticonderoga Cup and an Irish Coffee are always on the menu.

This pre-Prohibition-style cocktail den in historic Castleberry Hill is named for and fashioned after the room found in most 19th-century homes, where people gathered following dinner to chat and sip digestifs. Cocktails on the menu here lean classic and toward spirits like cognac, rum, and brandy.  

This East Atlanta bar, owned by chef Nhan Le (8Arm, So Ba), is a popular late-night hangout for industry workers in search of a great post-shift meal and equally great cocktails in a punk rock atmosphere. Open 10:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. Closed on Sundays.