Cocktail lovers are spoilt for choice right now: a host of high-profile and hotly-anticipated bars have launched in the last few weeks where the mixed drinks are sure to be unmissable. We’re talking solo outings from ex-Savoy bartenders, spin-off outposts from award-winning drink destinations and a hotel bar where ‘antique cocktails’ are taken to new heights (literally: Cameo Bar just opened on the hotel’s 80th floor).
In July 2023, we’re excited about venues launching right here in London, but also further afield in Hamburg, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Singapore and Washington D.C.. And away from the cocktails, we’re also pleased to see a new wine bar open up inside an east London cheese shop (what’s not to love?). Read on for our selection of the hottest new bars to visit this month.
The best new bars to visit in July 2023
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Kwãnt
London, UK
One of London’s hottest cocktail bars from one of London’s hottest mixologists hardly got going before the berber rug was pulled from under its feet. Kwãnt from former Savoy bartender Eric Lorincz had its time beneath Mayfair’s Moroccan restaurant Momo cut short when the restaurant shut up shop after difficult times last year. Well, the bar is now back in a new Mayfair location and continues to deliver the goods. Instead of a basement, expect a ground floor space with floor-to-ceiling windows, cocktails from the original menu reimagined for a new space, and an island bar in the middle of it all and befitting of the amped-up Polynesian aesthetic. All with the perfectionist touch that Lorincz brings to his bars again and again.
@kwantmayfair
Bar Leone
Hong Kong
An homage to the neighbourhood bars of Lorenzo Antinori’s hometown, Bar Leone could transport you from Hong Kong to Rome. It has the look of a tabaccheria, italo disco on the stereo, and pictures of Italian personalities gracing the walls, from footballers to pin-ups and even the Pope. Antinori, another Savoy alumni, has made the move from Hong Kong’s Four Seasons to his first solo venture and has truly made his mark. Amaro, espresso and simple classic cocktails (which they’re calling ‘cocktail popolari’) are served alongside smoked olives, cold cuts and calzone.
@barleone
Collab
Hamburg, Germany
These days, plenty of bars have low- and no-alcohol offerings on their menus: we’ve come a long way in a short space of time. But it can often feel tokenistic. Not at Collab, a bar whose efforts to embrace the mindful drinking movement are as meaningful as the Scandi-looking décor is minimal. The menu includes a badging system to indicate booziness, and nine of 16 cocktails on the list feature absolutely no alcohol at all – from the kefir-based Peaches and Dreams to a sober take on the Paloma. Hamburg restaurant Carmel by Kapara is also there to provide the Middle Eastern bar snacks.
@collab_bar
Cat Bite Club
Singapore
There are two stars of the show at this new spot in Singapore’s Duxton Hill neighbourhood: agave and rice. Find both at the core of cocktails from an inventive list that includes a Tequila-based take on the Negroni, and all manner of soju and shochu creations. But the level of invention is unsurprising when you find out that Jesse Vida, former head bartender at world-renowned Atlas, and Gabriel Lowe from Bangkok’s Paradise Lost are behind the project. It’s a playful setting, hidden inside a coffee shop, a neon sign with a grinning Cheshire cat the only giveaway of its location.
@catbiteclub
Cameo Bar
Melbourne, Australia
Vintage spirits from the Ritz Carlton’s prized stash are put on a pedestal on a suitably ritzy list of ‘antique cocktails’ at Cameo, which opened its doors on floor 80 of the hotel back in June. Classic cocktails speak of their era thanks to liquor that comes from decades gone by – we’re talking a Vieux Carré that features 1922 Hine Cognac and a Martini made with Booth’s gin from 1943. Of course, the design of this 30-seat space makes the most of those sky-high views: a thoroughly modern setting for time-warp drinking.
@cameomelbourne
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Intervals
Hong Kong
We promise we haven’t lost our minds in adding an airport bar to this list. Intervals, which has just landed at the Skybridge of Hong Kong International Airport, is levelling up the travel experience. It’s serving flights of cocktails in miniature form to its visitors, with a recommended time frame for enjoying each drink – a speed-conscious experience ideal for those whose gate is just about to be announced. With a former Tatler editor at the helm, all drinks and snacks are beautifully presented and totally on trend. We’re hoping it’s the first sign of better things to come beyond the business lounge.
@intervalsbar
Death & Co
Washington D.C., US
Opening next week after much anticipation is a fourth outing from cocktail institution Death & Co, which first started slinging drinks in New York’s East Village back in 2007. It takes over the former home of Columbia Room and honours its predecessor’s award-winning drink legacy with a 28-strong cocktail list. Many of the drinks showcase creative twists on familiar drinks, including an Old Fashioned that features a smoked apple brandy. The bars arrival cements D.C.’s growing status as a go-to cocktail capital.
Opens July 14, @deathandcompany
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Provisions
London, UK
The first outlet of Provisions in north London perfectly straddled the line of deli by day and wine bar by night – its cheese offering truly came into its own in the evening. A second outpost arrived in east London in 2022, but it focused its efforts on the daytime shopping trade. Now, it’s going to be opening on Friday and Saturday nights and pouring from its selection of 150 wines. Alongside, expect charcuterie boards – and cheese, of course – as well as more elevated bistro-style small plates.
Opens July 21, @provisionsldn
