WATERING HOLES
Le Connetable
This is my go-to late-night bar for its Parisian spirit. You won’t find a mixologistcurated cocktail menu in this eccentric Marais spot, but your drinks (a glass of wine, a generous G&T) will be served with gusto. The crowd is a mix of chatty locals, fashion types and curious visitors. There’s often live music around the piano, either from professionals or patrons. You’ll have stories to tell afterwards.
55 Rue des Archives, Paris; leconnetable.net
Aviary
Cocktails meet molecular gastronomy at Aviary, sister bar to the world-renowned restaurant Alinea. When you order, you may not know what form your beverage will take, but you can count on drama, art and surprise — kind of like Chicago itself. If it’s available, request In the Rocks. It’s a personal favourite and, while the ingredients change, the vessel is the same: an egg-shaped ice orb that you shatter with a mini slingshot.
955W Fulton Market, Chicago; theaviary.com
Native
Singapore has its fair share of swanky bars but you can’t do better than Native for something unique. The bar flies the flag for all things local. From locally foraged pink jasmine blossoms, Thai rum and Indian whisky to local weaver ants, owner Vijay Mudaliar is out to win fans with his unlikely pairings of Asian flavours. Part of the pleasure of drinking here, for me, is savouring its rustic wood-heavy setting on the upper storey of a conservation shop house. It’s hard to find but worth the effort. 52A Amoy St, Singapore; tribenative.com
Los 36 Billares
Buenos Aires is one of the world’s preeminent bar-hopping cities — there’s even a government body charged with conserving the “bares notables“. Los 36 Billares, which opened in 1894, is one of these. It’s staunchly traditional and still has billiard tables beneath original Tiffany lamps. Old-school waiters waft away any attempts at gentrification. For food, I go for a portion of fugazzeta (onion-topped pizza) or a meat empanada. Cynar is my favourite digestif, followed by a carajillo — espresso with rough local brandy.
1271 Avenida De Mayo, Buenos Aires; los36billares.com —
Chris Moss Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Hidden down an unassuming alleyway off Fleet St, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese has a gloomy charm befitting its London locale, and literary connections aplenty: Wodehouse, Twain and Dickens were all regulars, the latter alluding to the pub in Rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666, the boozer’s dusty nooks, vaulted cellar and open fires make it a fine place to hide from the English winter. Order a pint of bitter and mind the sign erected in less enlightened times: “Gentlemen only served in this bar”.
145 Fleet St, London EC4A
A Tale of Two Cities. The Everleigh
The Everleigh ticks numerous boxes: discreet location, enviable cool and obsessive attention to detail. While its swirling fans, dark wooden panels and leather booths evoke the pages of a Raymond Chandler novel, this is Melbourne, where noir is tempered by an easy affability. The best seats in the house are at the marble bar, where immaculately groomed barkeeps craft classic cocktails with renowned technical brilliance. Indeed, even the ice is custom-made by the bar’s own ice-making company.
150-156 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Melbourne; theeverleigh.com
Broken Shaker
The legendary Broken Shaker, set in a poolside courtyard with overhead string lights twinkling from the trees, embodies the soul of Miami with its laid-back, subtropical vibes. It draws from the area’s diverse melting pot of Latin and Caribbean cultures when it comes to whipping up fresh, creative cocktails. The menu changes constantly — I tend to gravitate towards whatever sounds the most unusual, such as the Zapatero de Jerez, a boozy blend of fino sherry, apricot brandy, cinnamon orgeat and a Zacapa rum. Go for sunset happy hour.
2727 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach; freehandhotels.com