Columbus Monthly’s Top Bars: Nine Essential Cocktail Bars That Elevate the Social Scene

Here are nine cocktail hot spots whose environs and drinks will have you coming back for more.

The Alibi Bourbon & Cocktail Lounge

Teeny-tiny Alibi is unique in today’s increasingly clubby Short North. It’s the kind of darkly lit bar where you hunker down to study the extensive whiskey list, which ranges from Old Overholt to Savage & Cooke’s Guero 17-Year. Or you can test out the creative libations on the Prohibition-style cocktail menu. Go on, disappear for a couple of hours—you have a good alibi. 843 N. High St., Short North 

The Bar at Echo Spirits

Echo Spirits’ side street bar might be the very definition of a hidden gem. The low-slung, concrete building, formerly Four String Brewing, is home to the distillery and a bar headed up by Derek Reno. The team showcases Echo’s unique and award-winning roster of spirits like rum, rye, vodka and genever. Add in fun tasting flights, live music and movie showings, Red Rabbit Ramen parked out front, and you have all the hallmarks of a true destination. 985 W. Sixth Ave., Fifth by Northwest 

The Bottle Shop

Part of what makes the Bottle Shop so charming is that it’s hard to pin down. Yes, it’s a cocktail bar with some of the city’s most dynamic libations, but the bohemian, incense-heavy, close-quartered bar—which is part convenience store and part natural wine shop—features a robust beer list, accomplished nonalcoholic drinks and a house food truck. With new owner Gregory Stokes, the Level 3 somm behind Downtown’s Accent Wine, we’re sure the Bottle Shop will only improve with time. 237 King Ave., Dennison Place 

The Citizens Trust

With soaring ceilings, this upscale bar bathed in burgundy upholds the same lofty standards as its sibling restaurant Veritas downstairs. Yes, the space—a former bank—is impressive, but you go here to be wowed by the cocktails. The generally tranquil lounge gets livelier during the holiday season, when Citizens transforms into Miracle—a joyful pop-up bar featuring fake snow, old-school Christmas kitsch and batched seasonal cocktails. 11 W. Gay St., Downtown

Denmark on High

Located across from the convention center, Denmark hovers above High Street as that hidden gem that every out-of-towner must think they’ve discovered. Co-owner and head bartender Garry White infuses serious mixology with a sense of humor and turns out some of the city’s most inventive cocktails season after season. He also has turned Denmark into a training ground for some of the city’s top bartending talent, from Echo Spirits’ Derek Reno to Speck’s Genevieve Johnson. 463 N. High St., 2nd Floor, Short North 

Law Bird

Tales of the Cocktail, an annual gathering of cocktail industry professionals, named Law Bird among the 10 Best New Cocktail Bars in the U.S. last year, and for good reason. The well-organized cocktail and wine bar from industry veterans Annie Williams Pierce and Luke Pierce is constantly looking to innovate while also having fun, whether that means transforming into a carryout shop during COVID, spinning up cocktails like the PB&J-inspired Snax on the Beach, showcasing stand-up comics behind the bar or launching a ’90s-themed cocktail list, complete with Trapper Keeper menu. 740 S. High St., Brewery District  

Service Bar

Middle West Spirits’ bar is one of the sexiest in town. The wooden bar itself, a late-1800s Brunswick bar sourced in Cincinnati, is a stunner. And while the restaurant side of this distillery bar has seen some ups and downs of late—a new executive chef recently joined the team—the bar remains an excellent showcase for Middle West’s own spirits, especially in the capable hands of beverage director Dustin Ross. Don’t miss the barrel-aged Old Fashioned or any cocktail with Middle West’s fine Vim & Petal gin. 1230 Courtland Ave., Weinland Park 

Understory

Understory deserves to win an award for best transformation of a historic space. As the anchor tenant of the former Open Air School building, the sister to Wolf’s Ridge Brewing features an upstairs lounge that’s ideal for date night, a lower-level common room and lovely tree-lined stone patio. The space is calm and cozy during the winter, open and airy in the warmer months. You’ll feel like you’re back at school, but this time with a cocktail or beer in hand. 2571 Neil Ave., Old North  

Watershed Kitchen & Bar

The first of Columbus’ distillery restaurants, Watershed Kitchen & Bar remains an eclectic and accomplished spot for craft cocktails matched by upscale, Midwestern-inspired food. Grab a seat at the handsome copper bar or a table near the windows looking into the distillery. One of the real joys is browsing Watershed’s beautifully designed cocktail menus. Each season’s menu, ranging in theme from yard sales to world travel, is a lesson not only in expert cocktail creation but appealing graphic design. 1145 Chesapeake Ave., Fifth by Northwest

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This story is from the Top Bars feature in the November 2023 issue of Columbus Monthly.