Are you on the lookout for the most sophisticated Cocktail Bars in Tampa?
Then we have you covered!
Keep in mind, this article is in ascending order. We’ve saved the best Cocktail Bars for last. Enjoy the list!
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If you are looking for the best cocktail bars in Tampa, where you can chill with your friends and family and enjoy some of the most delicious cocktails, then you have come to the right place.
So on this page, you’ll find the official shortlist of the best bars in Tampa. (More in-depth further below)
Cocktails are the key to a good menu for a bar. They are light, quite energetic, and usually the signature drinks at most bars. A lot of thought goes into making these cocktails and the type of syrups to use. Moreover, the cocktail has many different elements, like the type of ice, the shape, and the glass in which it will be served. These little components can make or break your drink. The bars that we will talk about have some of the most skillful bartenders in the city, and they are the masters of their craft who know how to create delicious and exciting drinks using advanced techniques. Some of the bars we have talked about offering great cocktails at affordable prices during happy hours. While many fantastic bars in Tampa offer good cocktails, we have discussed the top four.
4. Whiskey Exchange Bar Tampa
Whiskey Exchange is one of the best places for craft cocktails in Tampa. Smoked cocktails have always been a classic.
However, Whiskey Exchange indeed does them right. The extensive range of smoked cocktails and whiskeys allows you to enjoy that burnt aromatic flavor which also looks so aesthetic. This fantastic bar is open seven days a week, so you can come with some company or alone any day you want. There are happy hours every week from Monday to Friday, where you can get cheap beer and excellent cocktails at discounted rates. Monday has another industry special where you can get fifty percent off on selected beers and wines. On Thursdays, there is a special offer for tequila and tacos. The menu at this place is quite diverse. There are special DJ nights on Saturdays, so you can enjoy those as well, dance to some quality music while sipping our signature cocktails. The bartenders here are very accommodating and friendly, so do not be afraid to ask for suggestions. Their charcuterie is famous throughout the area, so you should try it out.
Moreover, on their cocktail menu, we suggest you try a cocktail called Lady In Pink. This bar has all the right elements that one needs, good music, craft beers, energetic cocktails, and helpful staff. All of this comes together for a fantastic experience.
3. CW’s Gin Joint Bar Tampa
The Gin Joint is one of those places known for their Gins foremost before anything else. The menu, however, is quite diverse and offers a lot of variety in cocktails and other liquors.
This place is known for its relaxed vibes and atmosphere, which allows the patrons to ponder over important things and enjoy their drinks in peace, as opposed to most bars where a lot is going on, and one can not enjoy their drink in the middle of all the loud music, crowd and dance parties. The décor is unique and gives off old-school vibes with the dimly light corridors and other things. The owner is also the designer of this place and treats it like her baby. It would be best if you always kept in mind that owners that are more involved and hands-on with their business tend to make it more successful and operate smoothly, such as the case here at this joint. Raw Spirits are their specialty, so you must try their gin when visiting this artistic place. We want to recommend several things to you, such as the Juniper under the Gin and Tonic label on the menu, which has sips of smith London dry gin and some radish in it, making for a unique drink. Apart from gin, there are several other liquors that you can try. One of them is the Black Manhattan, which has an amazing 1776 Bourbon and other exotic ingredients to make it one of the hot favorites of the patrons here.
CW’s Gin Joint does not shy away from the variety as it offers three different sorts of wines, Red Wine, White Wine, and the famous Sparkling Wine. There are multiple beers also available called Modelo and Stella Artois.
2. The Saint Bar Tampa
The Saint is one of the best cocktail bars in Tampa. The Saint uses red as the primary color for their décor to give those bone-chilling vibes. The cocktails are made from the finest ingredients, further complementing the décor. This unique Bar in Tampa does not take any reservations as this is a cozy little space with limited seating. Hence they don’t take any reservations. Loud music is strictly banned here as this space promotes conversations and interactions over finely crafted cocktails and whiskeys. Smoking is also not allowed here; hence you can be sure to sip your favorite drinks in a clean and healthy environment. This bar is for those who enjoy conversing with others over a couple of drinks in an exotic and beautiful setting with like-minded individuals.
The menu is quite diverse as it offers a variety of cocktails, tequilas, beers, gins, vodkas, rum, bourbon, and scotch. The menu has unique craft cocktails as well. Lust, Envy, and Creed are some of the specialty drinks of The Saint. The specialty drinks are made from imported bourbon and tequilas to make one of the finest quality drinks. There are dedicated happy hours every Tuesday to Friday from 5 till 7 pm. You can try some of their finest cocktails, beers, and wines during the happy hour at discounted rates, which means you can enjoy the best while being light in your pocket. A special pride month menu has cocktails celebrating the pride movement, and a percentage of the proceeds are donated to places like the Metro Wellness Center. The Saint also has a dedicated menu for small plates and bites, which has savory and sweet items to pair with your drinks and cocktails.
Some of the best craft cocktails we would highly recommend you try are Devil’s Kiss, Sweet Revenge, Traveling Preacher, Lust, Pride, and Wrath, among others. This bar is one of the most unique and exciting bars in Florida, which serves something new to its customers with its unorthodox interior!
1. Mandarin Hide Bar Tampa
Mandarin Hide is one of the best cocktail bars in Tampa, and for a good reason! They offer the most variety along with quality in their drinks. The attention to detail is phenomenal, as we will also talk about it later. The numbers at this bar are astounding and are pretty fascinating. The bar offers around 450 different spirits, which means it houses an incredibly diverse collection of bourbon, scotch, and whiskey, among other drinks.
The trends are always chasing, and newer ingredients and cocktails are made from scratch in almost every other bar you can see; however, this bar has retained the original recipes and methods for around a hundred different authentic drinks, and hence this bar is a gold mine if you want to try some of the drinks served decades ago.
A unique test kitchen is set up every Tuesday, experimenting with different exotic ingredients and liquors to make delicious new martinis and cocktails to add to the menu. The program has successfully added around two thousand unique cocktails to the menu. The syrups here are also high quality, as they are made in-house. Smoked cocktails and aging cocktails are some of the most exotic types of cocktails served at these bars, and the Mandarin Hide has both of them. The attention to detail at this bar is fantastic, as they know which type of ice to use for which drink and the glass to serve it in. The glassware and the ice can add much-needed character to certain drinks and take the presentation and experience to an entirely new level, something that the bartenders over at the Mandarin Hide are familiar with. One of the unique features of this cocktail bar is that they not only make exotic drinks but also give classes on how to master this art. The cocktail conservatory, as it is called, teaches the patrons and aspiring bartenders to provide engaging and entertaining classes on the art of making a drink. This is one of the unique aspects of this cocktail bar.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to say that these bars are some of the best in business in Tampa. They are very functional and affordable, yet they offer high-end liquors if you want to spend money there. The staff in these bars is courteous, and the vibes are good. You will not regret spending money or time here at these restaurants. These bars are fully stocked with your favorite liquors, whiskey, beer, gin, wine, etc. Tampa is the go-to place for people because of the emergence of newer modern bars in the city, which focus more on the customer experience, and the new-age methods of making cocktails attract attention. However, there are a lot of bars in Tampa that still make the cocktails using the old ways and techniques. We have talked about some of those bars up there in our list
