Looking for the perfect spot in the Magic City to sip on a round of creative cocktails with friends? Look no further. From casual hangouts to hidden speakeasies, we’re sharing a local guide to the best cocktail bars in Birmingham — listed alphabetically. Cheers!
Adios
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: adiosbham.com
Downtown Birmingham’s Adios celebrates the colorful vibrance of Mexico City. Drinks are uniquely crafted by incorporating Mexican-made-and-grown spirits and ingredients, and even the bar’s interior pays homage to the Mexican metropolis. Feast your eyes on antique stained glass from a chapel in Mexico and prints from Oaxacan Artist and Architectural Designer Pedro Pablo Ramírez Pérez Huerta. To complete the setting, a Dia de los Muertos ofrenda gives patrons an opportunity to celebrate the life of lost loved ones year-round.
Carrigan’s
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: carrigans.com
Carrigan’s has an upscale pub ambiance that is popular among locals and tourists alike. The bartenders are known for a lineup of distinctive and flavorful cocktails, like the Fightin’ Words, a sophisticated mix of rye, Cocchi Rosa, fernet, orange blossom water, Angostura bitters, and flamed orange. Take it from us — the cocktails go great with the bar’s famous corn dog, served on a bed of fries with hipster ranch and guajillo ketchup.
Cayo Coco Rum Bar + Restaurant
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: cayococorumbar.com
Cuban-inspired Cayo Coco offers an escape to paradise in the heart of Birmingham. Their drinks are inspired by Cuban and Latin favorites, with a touch of Southern influence. Classic choices like daiquiris and piña coladas feature high-quality spirits and syrups made in-house with fresh fruit. Add one of their many house-made syrups to a mojito, with options including passionfruit, prickly pear, guava, mango, and more!
The Collins Bar
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: Facebook
Situated in the heart of Downtown Birmingham’s Loft District, The Collins Bar is a charming neighborhood dive with a retro prep school feel. Interior design elements include a periodic table of Birmingham-themed elements and paper airplane installations.
If you are feeling adventurous when it comes to your drink order, let the bartender craft a cocktail as original as you are. Simply tell them you’d like a vodka drink, something tart, or perhaps even a little bitter, and the next thing you know, you’ll find yourself falling in love with your new favorite drink — our favorite is a coupe glass brimming with mango purée, ginger bitters, and a sprig of fresh lemon thyme.
Continental Drift
Neighborhood: Southside
More info: continentaldriftbham.com
Longtime Birmingham bartenders Eric Bennett and John Easterling opened their joint venture, Continental Drift, in 2022. The cocktail bar features a seasonal drink menu that explores exotic spirits, flavors, and ingredients from around the world. Currently, the menu features an “Arabian Nights” theme, with cocktails such as “Genie in a Bottle” and “Magic Carpet Ride.” Patrons can also enjoy delicious bites from their food truck, Drift Kitchen.
House of Found Objects
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: Instagram
Cocktails mix with larger-than-life art installations at award-winning bartender Feizal Valli’s House of Found Objects. The unique cocktail bar offers a nightlife experience where guests can wear costumes, enjoy bubble machines, order the signature “Legendary Sex Panther” cocktail, and maybe even have a cocktail named after them — if they’re lucky. Distinctive seating areas include a jungle-themed room, an Elvis table, and even a poetry corner.
Juniper
Neighborhood: Forest Park
More info: juniperbham.com
Located in Forest Park, Juniper is a gin-focused bar showcasing cocktails with fresh-squeezed juices, homemade tinctures, and syrups. Choose from the specialty gin and tonic menu, featuring high-end gins and choose-your-own tonics. Or, pick from the adventurous cocktail menu. We recommend the “Buzz Word,” served with a flowering button of Sichuan peppercorn that causes a tingling sensation when bitten.
The bar’s interior is also not to be missed, with Victorian-era-inspired artwork and floral paintings, an ornate hanging loveseat, and a sprawling courtyard complete with a fountain and bay leaf tree.
Key Circle Commons
Neighborhood: Mountain Brook
More info: kccbham.com
Key Circle Commons is Mountain Brook’s newest cocktail bar concept from Chef Mauricio Papapietro, owner of the acclaimed Birmingham eatery Brick & Tin. Inspired by one of Mauricio’s favorite New York City hotels, Key Circle Commons exudes an elegant, upscale ambiance while providing a dimly lit, eclectic vibe reminiscent of a 1920s speakeasy. The cocktail menu features a carefully curated variety of cocktails, including classics and creative signature drinks like the “Village Green,” which features vodka, lemon, and house-made basil syrup.
The Louis at The Pizitz Food Hall
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: thelouisbar.com
Located inside The Pizitz Food Hall, The Louis offers 12 beers on tap, an impressive wine selection, and delicious craft cocktails. The Happy Hour, which takes place Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., is one of the best in town and features specials such as $7 margaritas and $6 Old Fashioneds. Accompany your drink with a convenient bite from one of The Pizitz Food Hall’s many restaurants.
The Lumbar
Neighborhood: Lakeview
More info: lumbarbham.com
Located in the heart of beloved Pepper Place, The Lumbar is the brainchild of the father-daughter duo Tim and Rylie Hightower. The Lumbar is a science-themed bar, with your first clue being the row of beers on tap. They are situated on what owner Rylie calls the Spinal Tap, and there are 26 of them — the same as the number of vertebrae in a human spine.
The science-centric watering hole uses food and creative drinks to inspire the community to go out and change the world. Cocktails are specially crafted to pay homage to scientific principles and theories, like the “Heisenmarg,” their signature blue margarita.
The Marble Ring
Neighborhood: Avondale
More info: marbleringavondale.com
Glitz and glamour meet macabre and mystery at The Marble Ring in Avondale. Named for one of Zelda Fitzgerald’s most eccentric sayings — “I hope you die in the marble ring” (believed to be a reference to the State Capital’s rotunda in Montgomery) — this speakeasy-style lounge invites visitors to take a step back into the roaring ’20s.
To enter The Marble Ring, look for the blue phone booth labeled “Police Phone Call Box.” No need to whisper a password, though. Someone will let you know if there’s enough room for you and your guests.
Neon Moon
Neighborhood: Downtown Birmingham
More info: neonmoonbham.com
Neon Moon is the second concept from husband-and-wife duo Larry “Mudd” Townley and Laura Newman, specifically designed to complement the couple’s other bar, Queen’s Park (also on this list!). Neon Moon features a neighborhood vibe and a menu of tasty, “irreverent cocktails,” along with craft beers, wine, and other specialty spirits. There’s also karaoke and live music, a disco ball, a light-up dancefloor, and a private back patio. Try their house PB&J shot with Dickel Rye whiskey, peanut butter, and grape jelly.
Mayawell Bar
Neighborhood: Lakeview
More info: mayawellbar.com
Mayawell, located in the Lakeview district, is a bar and cocktail lounge specializing in agave-based spirits. Owner and operator Neill Crook developed the concept after traveling to Mexico and fell in love with everything about the culture — including the drinks.
The name Mayawell is a creative twist on the phonetic spelling of “Mayahuel,” the ancient Aztec goddess of the agave plant, which is the plant that tequila and mezcal are made from. Mayawell offers a curated selection of 80+ agave spirits and creates cocktails incorporating traditional Mexican ingredients.
Paper Doll
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: paperdollbar.com
Enjoy a perfect date night at Birmingham’s luxurious, vintage-inspired bar, Paper Doll. Romantic lighting and unique wall decor set the scene, and velvet drapery separates seating areas for added privacy. The extensive cocktail menu features a wide variety of beverages to satisfy anyone’s palette. It includes seasonal and session cocktails, flights, whiskeys, gins, vodkas, brandies, cognacs, rum, tequila, absinthe, wines, beers, ciders, and more. A little something for everyone!
Pilcrow Cocktail Cellar
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: pilcrowbham.com
Just around the corner from Birmingham’s booming Morris Avenue is Pilcrow Cocktail Cellar, a hip underground bar that exudes style. The sleek space is known for its distinct vibe and curated cocktail menu specializing in agave spirits, with most drinks featuring tequila or mezcal. Pilcrow is located in the cellar of one of the oldest buildings in downtown Birmingham and retains the building’s existing character by utilizing its original concrete flooring and exposed brick.
Queen’s Park
Neighborhood: Downtown
More info: queensparkbham.com
Birmingham’s beloved Queen’s Park, opened by husband and wife duo Larry “Mudd” Townley and Laura Newman, carries on the hospitality and style of its namesake, the grand Queen’s Park Hotel in Trinidad. The hotel was an adored (and highly frequented) spot in the Port of Spain until it closed in 1996. With tropical cocktails galore, the bar carries on the legacy. It energizes the Birmingham nightlife scene with bold prints, neon lights, and umbrella-festooned libations, such as the “Beachcomber’s Punch” with Spanish-style rum, apricot, grapefruit, and lime.
Urban Parc
Neighborhood: Five Points South
More info: urbanparcbham.com
Birmingham’s newest dining and entertainment venue Urban Parc offers a variety of fabulous experiences, including a modern arcade area complete with a bowling alley, a fine dining restaurant, and a spectacular rooftop bar serving fun drinks and upscale bar food. Guests will be wowed by the rooftop bar’s vibrant hanging flower installation, designed by florist Christopher Lauren. We recommend trying their rooftop exclusive cocktail, ‘Bre Breeze’— a refreshing fruit-forward libation made with peach mango vodka and Tropical Redbull.
Hope you’re thirsty, Birmingham!
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