Cocktails

No establishment has done more to raise Atlanta’s cocktail consciousness than Holeman and Finch, a bastion of free-thinking alchemy where smoked egg whites may be a secret ingredient and where Greg Best and Andy Minchow (co-owners among several others) encourage democracy, with the staff banding together to create quirky, exquisite drinks.

Miles Macquarrie from Leon's Full Service won first place in the 2011 Peach Cocktail Mixoff at East Atlanta Village Farmers Market with this creation.

Owner and chief mixologist Jerry Slater runs this food-industry favorite that conjures a Southern vibe with its brick-lined room (a former train depot), punch served in crystal bowls, and small plates like candied bacon Cracker Jacks and smoked pimento cheese with cauliflower pickles.

Hotel bars can be timeless places to bask in luxury. Our current favorite is the reinvention of the XO Bar in the InterContinental Buckhead, which switched from specializing in cognacs to reveling in more than seventy bourbons.

“Strong, Rich & Strange” may describe Don Draper, but it’s also the best name ever for a drink list category.

Look beyond the warehouse atmosphere and you’ll find staffers who give helpful service and shelves that can contain some pleasant surprises—including, say, the Antica Formula Carpano vermouth that bartenders love and that’s sold out at every other store.

The loud, boisterous restaurant created by Drew Belline and JCT Kitchen’s Ford Fry matches creative carbs (toast, pasta, pizza) and a smartly edited list of Old World wine varietals.

Jay Swift’s New American pacesetter in the Old Fourth Ward has become an incubator for talented, up-and-coming bartenders: The restaurant’s former mixologist James Ives went on to cocktail stardom in New Orleans.

A godsend for the parched and hungry traveler, Hartsfield-Jackson’s best restaurant features Duane Nutter’s Southern-meets-global cooking (thyme-roasted pork belly, salmon hot pot, pulled duck sandwich) and smart, skillfully made cocktails that aren’t too cutesy or clever.