Features

The most exciting new bars to visit in July 2024

From an aperitivo bar in Miami to a new cocktail destination in Jakarta, these are the best new bars to visit in July

Words by William Morris

New bars July 2024 lead
Cocktails at Archive & Myth in London

Europe has a powerful influence on two of the best new bars to visit in the US this month, with Italy, France and Spain shaping both the cocktails and the snacks on offer at openings in New York and Miami. In London, Leicester Square welcomes a ‘secretive’ new cocktail bar and the Royal Exchange in the City is host to a venue paying art-deco tribute to 1920s Berlin. Meanwhile in Asia, a company with a big reputation on the Singapore bar scene branches out to Indonesia, giving Jakarta’s cocktail scene a boost with an inventive and extensive drinks menu.

Read on to discover the most exciting new bars to visit this July.

The best new bars to visit in July 2024

Archive & Myth

Archive & Myth

London, UK

Underneath the Hippodrome Casino on Leicester Square is a new cocktail bar overseen by ‘cocktail impresario’ Jack Sotti, an award-winning bartender and drinks consultant. Guests are given an entry code ahead of their visit, granting them access to a ‘secret drinking den’ serving a menu of 14 unique cocktails in ‘minor’ and ‘major’ sizes. They include the Sazerac de Nata, consisting of brandy, laminated pastry, egg custard and absinthe, the Martini Minereaux, made with Renais gin, limestone, Chablis and lemon oils, and the Daisy, which mixes Tequila with guava, black cardamom, lime and toasted coconut. Renowned film, television, and theatrical creative director Rachel O’Toole is responsible for the bar’s interior design, which includes a central bar with counter seating where drinkers can see their orders mixed. A gramophone plays recordings of headline performances from more than a century of live music in the Hippodrome above.

Open now, archiveandmyth.com

ViceVersa
(Photo: R.C. Visuals)

ViceVersa

Miami, US

Italian bartender Valentino Longo has opened an aperitivo bar at The Elser hotel in the Downtown area of Miami. Said to blend ‘Italian tradition with Miami flair’, ViceVersa offers modern versions of classic Italian cocktails using Italian spirits, vermouths, bitters and amaros. Signature drinks include the Italian Vice, made of vodka, Italicus bergamot, lemon, citrus liqueur and grapefruit soda, the Vice President, consisting of rum, chinato, mi-to and a Negroni-infused cherry and the Veloce, which is a mix of Aperol, mezcal, orange wine and grapefruit oil. Oysters, clams, prawns, tuna tartare, scallops and mussels are sold via the ‘raw bar’, and drinkers can also order charcuterie and pizza.

Open now, viceversamia.com

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Engel Bar (@engel.london)

Engel

London, UK

Located in The Royal Exchange near Bank station, Engel is a new cocktail bar inspired by 1920s Berlin. Luxurious interior design is complemented by the building’s ornate ceilings and, of course, classic cocktails with modern twists. An Old Fashioned made with rum, a spiced apple and Champagne reduction and smoked oak bitters, for example, is served with much smoky fanfare. German and Austrian bar food is available and a lounge dedicated to live performance hosts cabaret-style music on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. For the summer months, Engel also has an outdoor terrace at the front of the building where staff are serving German beers and Champagne, hopefully, in the sunshine.

Open now, engelbar.co.uk

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cosmo Pony Jakarta (@cosmopony.jkt)

Cosmo Pony

Jakarta, Indonesia

The Jigger & Pony Group, which runs several bars in Singapore including its eponymous bar that regularly makes the World’s 50 Best list, is opening its first venue in another country. Cosmo Pony in Jakarta’s Grand Hyatt hotel offers an impressive menu (more like a glossy brochure) of new and old cocktails given twists with unusual but considered ingredients: a Long Island Tea incorporates cola cold-smoked with tea to give the drink a ‘cigar-like’ roasted note, while a Boulevardier is made with saffron-infused vermouth. Another section focuses on cocktails made from Indonesian produce – think a banana-based Whisky Sour, a Mango and Chilli Colada and a Coconut Highball. There are punch bowls made to order for larger groups, as well as ‘premium decanter serves’, which involve a bartender bringing a special bottle to your table, crafting a batch cocktail tableside and leave it for your group in a decanter.

Opens 10 July, cosmopony.com

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sam Ross (@samueljoelross)

Good Guy’s

New York, US

Next door to much-loved cocktail bar Attaboy, Good Guy’s is a bar from the same owners but with a primary focus on the Spritz cocktail. Reportedly inspired by tapas and wine bars in Europe, Good Guy’s serves Spritz, picon beers, amaros and wines with snacks such as boquerones, pan con tomate, and crisps and dips. Meeting expectations of almost any hip new drinking establishment, there are piles of vinyl behind the bar to provide the soundtrack.

Open now, goodguys.nyc