Shake It Up: Discover Atlanta’s Craft Cocktail Scene

Shaken, stirred, swizzled, sizzled or smoked, mixologists in the ATL are always stirring up innovative concoctions to help you get your drink on. Sample some of the finest craft cocktails in the ATL and get your night started off right.

Glenn’s Kitchen

Steps from the Centennial Olympic Park District, Glenn’s Kitchen satisfies with comfort food and craft cocktails with a Southern flair. Try a Glenntini made with Old Fourth Ward vodka, lemon, tea-infused simple syrup, peach puree and 18.21 Earl Grey bitters. Or perhaps you’re in the mood for the Peach in Time Old-Fashioned, which melds Cooper’s Craft bourbon with peach purée and soda, and is garnished with a sprig of thyme.

JCT. Kitchen & Bar

Chef and restaurateur Ford Fry’s lively JCT. Kitchen & Bar in West Midtown features menu and cocktail pairings like a hickory roasted Heritage pork chop with Off the Trail, a concoction of Applejack brandy, Amaro, dry vermouth and walnut bitters. Slowly sip a Norfolk Southern with Bulleit bourbon, Lillet Blanc, Giffards’ White Cacao and lemon while you dine on Mississippi rabbit with salt-roasted potato and turnip.

Edgar’s Proof & Provision

Step into this subterranean hangout in the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel for a Billy B. Fizz, spiked with bourbon and frothy with egg whites, or a sinful El Diablito of tequila reposado, lemon, cassis, ginger and bitters. Be daring and order the flavorful Allspice Daiquiri with blackstrap rum, lime and allspice.  

Southern Art & Bourbon Bar

Classic and hip with an air of Southern charm, Southern Art & Bourbon Bar in Buckhead is the perfect spot to sip Southern-inspired craft cocktails. Signature drinks include the Barrel Strength Princess Antebellum, strong with Four Roses Barrel Strength, Aperol, Fernet-Branca and peach bitters — the perfect sidekick to their buttermilk fried chicken. Or try the Volstead spiked with High West Double Rye, or the White Manhattan spiked with moonshine and Luxardo Maraschino.

Gunshow

Scope out the cocktail cart conductor at Gunshow and order up the Toasted Old Fashioned, warm with bourbon, bitters, burnt sugar, brûléed cinnamon and flamed orange that will leave you feeling cozy. Sip it alongside the warm old-fashioned banana pudding from the chef’s great grandmother’s recipe, always a crowd-pleaser.

White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails

Downtown, White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails lures guests in with contemporary Southern fare and an impeccable craft cocktail program. From the signature seasonal lemonade in a jar to fall menu cocktail pairings, there’s plenty to love here. Sit back and relax with The Old Peachtree, spiked with 1816 Chattanooga Whiskey and hints of peach and smoked rosemary. The Stillhouse combines 1816 Chattanooga Whiskey, grapefruit juice and basil simple syrup, while the fruity blackberry sage old fashioned refreshes and tames bold flavors like the coffee- and ancho chili-rubbed steak.

Local Three Kitchen & Bar

One of the city — and country’s — best bourbon bars is at Local Three Kitchen & Bar. Enjoy The Need for Speed, with Maker’s Mark, house-made ginger ale and lime.

Allora

House-made pizza and pasta pairs well with the fabulous cocktails at Allora, in the TWELVE Hotel Midtown. Stroll in and order up the Caribbean Launder, with cognac, rum, rhum, Banane du Bresil, lime and demerara syrup.

Atlas

Hand-shaken cocktails at Atlas, in the St. Regis Atlanta hotel, include the Paradise Found, with 10-year Glenmorangie, raspberry, lemon, brown sugar and rhubarb bitters.

Bon Ton

Sip a bit of Louisiana at Bon Ton, where their Hurricane will make you think you are right on Bourbon Street. The Guerrilla Warflower features gin, Calvados, sherry, Amaro Tosolini, cinnamon and raisin tinctures. Feel like you are on an Extended Vacation while you sip this concoction with banana-infused vermouth, Agricole Rhum, mint, sage, honey, lemon and pineapple absinthe. 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. The House RX Old Fashioned is considered by some to be the best old fashioned to be had in the city.

Dantanna’s

With two locations, one at CNN Center, the other at Shops Around Lenox, Dantanna’s is a great place for cheering on your favorite team while sipping on the French Tingler with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, sparkling water and sparkling lime.

Einstein’s

At Einstein’s in Midtown, Stache is all the rage, with Elijah Craig Bourbon, lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white. Or try the Black Hole, with port wine, Ketel One Citroen, lemon, Campari and peach syrup.

Full Commission

In the historic Grant Park neighborhood, discover Full Commission with Southern gastropub fare and classic cocktails with simple variants. Try the Hemingway daiquiri with Caribbean rum, maraschino, grapefruit, lime and cane.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse

Legendary steaks and seafood are on the menu at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse along with legendary cocktails. Try the Pamplemousse Spritz, with Sipsmith, Aperol, Combier, Pamplemousse, lime, prosecco, or the Double Eagle Margarita with Casa Dragones Blanco, Grand Marnier, lime and Monin Agave 17.

Golden Eagle

With its extensive cocktail menu, Golden Eagle shines. From boozy classics and no-nonsense throwbacks to exotic whimsical concoctions like the Diver Down (Pisco, Cocchi Americano, Chili Vodka, lemon and banana), or the Blue Hawaiian (rum, Falernum, Blue Curaçao, pineapple, coconut cream and lime). For the more serious, try on the Flannel Blazer, full of bourbon, Suze, honey, lemon, rosemary and cinnamon, or a classic Mai Tai with rum, orgeat, Combier and bitters.

Foxtrot Liquor Bar

Midtown’s Foxtrot Liquor Bar features a long list of spirits, snacks and a cozy, friendly atmosphere in which to enjoy them. Attend a Bartender’s Tastes event for “half the cocktail at half the price,” or a Beer and a Shot. Favorites include Life on Mars, made with Plymouth gin, dry white port, lime, orgeat, champagne and Earl Grey bitters, and the Shooting Brake with Copper & Kings brandy, Royal Combier, cream sherry, black tea, 18.21 tart cherry and saffron bitters.

Hampton + Hudson

In Inman Park, Hampton + Hudson features an ever-rotating menu of creative takes on the classics, plus 21 craft beers, seven unique wines and two specialty cocktails on draft. Order up the Bless Your Heart, with Elijah Craig bourbon served in a Mexican Coke bottle with peanuts in the drink and consider yourself a true Southerner.

Poor Calvin’s

With a well-deserved reputation for creativity, both in its Asian cuisine with Southern influences and its cocktails, Poor Calvin’s offers a variety of unique libations including the Mango Jalapeño, with mango vodka, pressed jalapeños and mango nectar. Try the Frankly My Dear, with gin, St. Germain, and house made rosewater, or sip on “lunch cocktails” like sangria, Port James mai tai, rum tiki tiki punch and mimosas.

Portico

In Le Meridien Hotel Perimeter, Portico serves up a one-of-a-kind Smoked Rye Old-Fashioned.

Red Pepper Taqueria

At Red Pepper Taqueria, tequila is what’s hot, in amazing skinny Texas margaritas made with 100-percent blue agave. With a shot of tequila gluten-free and only 64 calories you could say that these margaritas are good for your health.

Restaurant Holmes

At Restaurant Holmes and order up a Jam or Jelly with local strawberry, basil, lemon and gin. Or try a Proper Knock, with Proper #12, cinnamon basil, and fresno orange.

Seven Lamps

Located at the Shops Around Lenox, Seven Lamps offers a number of signature cocktails like the Raspberry Lightning with Belle Isle Grapefruit Moonshine, raspberry, preserved lime and basil. For those hot days, try the Pineapple Express Slushie with tequila, garden sage, pineapple, pepper, coconut and lime. You’ll never look at a slushie the same again!