It’s officially Christmas-party season, and where better to drink cocktails or some festive fizz with friends than an exciting new bar? New York welcomes a glut of December debutants, many of which are from established teams with successful bars already thriving in the city. There’s also Brooklyn’s 53A.D., the new space at the Empirical Spirits distillery that’s home to cocktails showcasing the brand’s unusual and innovation creations.
Meanwhile, Manchester gets a new speakeasy-style drinking den, Hokkaido in Japan welcomes a pop-up après-ski bar with a festive feel, and a rooftop bar opens in Sydney’s CBD just in time for the Australian summer.
Read on to discover the most exciting new bars to visit this November.
The best new bars to visit in December 2024
Niseko Confidential
Hirafu, Japan
Great news if you’re skiing on Hokkaido, Japan’s major northern island, this winter, as this pop up bar is the sister venue to one of the world’s best bars, Tokyo Confidential. It’s just metres from the slopes in Hirafu, meaning there are top-quality cocktails on hand for après-ski drinks. A Gingerbread Old Fashioned ratchets up the festive feeling, along with a Honey Whiskey Sour, but there are wines and organic sakes available too, as well as some high-end versions of the all-important post-skiing shots. Four and six-course wagyu beef menus will change depending on market availability but expect dishes incorporating luxury ingredients such as truffle and foie gras if you decide food is required to soak up the cocktails.
Open now, nisekoconfidential.com
Dear Strangers
New York, US
Bartenders from New York’s Employees Only are opening a new venue in the West Village serving classic cocktails, those majoring on Latin American flavours plus others showcasing influences from the rest of the world. The Star Treatment cocktail is a mix of sotol with coriander syrup, coconut milk and lime, while the Angie is made from gin, maracuya (Brazilian passion fruit) and matcha. A section of the list is dedicated to the Gin & Tonic and includes variants such as The Hindu Times, which incorporates flavours of cumin, fenugreek and pomelo with homemade tonic. The food menu was created in consultation with Mexican chef Diego Rodriguez and features tostadas, aguachile (similar to ceviche) and chilaquiles (a tortilla-based dish). All this takes place in a warm environment of polished wood, marble and brass.
Open now, dearstrangersnyc.com
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Joji
Sydney, Australia
A new rooftop bar inspired by Japan has opened in Sydney’s CBD. As well the terrace with its views of the city, Joji has a cocktail lounge and a dining room, the latter where dishes are served from a menu divided into three sections entitled Raw, Not Raw and Robata. Cocktails include the Ichigo, made from vodka, strawberry, matcha and yoghurt; the Midori Sour, a mix of Midori, pisco, lemongrass, and citrus; and a twist on the Whisky Apple made with whisky, apple and rooibos fizz. DJs play live sets regularly and if you’re a drinker yearning for a late-night cocktail spot, you’ll be glad to learn that Joji is open until 2am every day.
Open now, www.jojisydney.com
Bar Snack
New York, US
Bartender Iain Griffiths, formerly of The Lyan Group, has teamed up with Oliver Cleary, who already owns Minnows in Brooklyn, to open this 50-seat cocktail bar in the East Village. The name is derived from the Snaquiri, the smaller serve of a classic Daiquiri, and the bar will offer a seasonal take on the cocktail that’s available as a Snaquiri, a regular size or a pitcher. Other drinks on the list include inventive twists on classics, so a Manhattan features a touch of dry coconut & plum, a Spicy Margarita has a dash of apricot and hot sauce and a Martini features roast chicken seasoning.
Open now, barsnacknyc.com
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Ego Death
Manchester, UK
The Northern Quarter welcomes a new ‘secret’ cocktail bar that you’ll find at the back of a smash burger restaurant called Super Awesome Deluxe. The entrance is disguised as a fridge door but once open, it reveals a staircase down to a basement bar serving a menu of cocktails created and served by Cressida Lawlor, previously of Sexy Fish and the London Cocktail Club. Drinks include The Samantha, a Champagne Cosmopolitan, a twist on the Pornstar Martini and a Champagne Gimlet. As Lawlor herself points out, the bar is ‘soaked in Champagne and Bourbon’, which is never a bad thing.
Open now, instagram.com/egodeathmcr
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53 A.D.
New York, US
The rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn welcomes a new bar from Empirical Spirits, the Danish brand founded by former Noma employees. The site already functions as a distillery for the brand but it now incorporates a tasting room that becomes 53 A.D. at night, a cocktail bar where head bartender Giancarlo Quiroz Jesus, previously of Overstory and Happiness Forgets in London, mixes classics and signature cocktails using the full library of Empirical Spirits and more.
Open now, us.empirical.co
Shy Shy
New York, US
The second cocktail bar from the team behind Jungle Bird, Shy Shy is set to open in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan, taking inspiration from the beaches of the US West Coast where the owners grew up. Signature cocktails include the Caesar Martini, which features Ketel One vodka infused with lemon peel, black pepper, shiitake mushroom and salt that’s been fat-washed with olive oil and finished with dry vermouth and rice wine vinegar. The Dirty Chai-tini is a twist on an Espresso Martini that uses aged rum, chai spices and orange oil.
Opens 4 December, shyshynyc.com
