10 Best NOLA Cocktail Bars
New Orleans is blessed with its own unique cocktail culture, as well as a plethora of nationally and internationally recognized cocktail bars. These bars range from old-school classics, upscale modern, and dive bars, to mystical lounges. Despite their differences, the 10 bars on this list feature one similarity: high-quality handcrafted cocktails.
1. Cure
4905 Freret St., (504) 302-2357
curenola.com
Cure is known for its modern takes on classic cocktails, including their XO Sidecar, featuring L'Encantada XO Armagnac, Cointreau, and lemon. In 2018, Cure earned the highest level of recognition in the US, winning a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. They have kept the same level of service and innovation that have earned them such high recognitions, including North America's Best Bar in 2025. Elevated craft cocktails are the star of the show, but Cure also has great affordable cocktails, including New Orleans classics such as the Sazerac and a house-made Daiquiri.
2. Bar Tonique
820 N. Rampart St.
facebook.com/bartoniqueneworleans
If you are looking for a cozy atmosphere with remarkable cocktails at affordable prices, Bar Tonique is waiting for you in the French Quarter. Walking inside takes patrons back to colonial New Orleans with a beautiful brick interior that seems unchanged for over 200 years—and the prices will take you back, as well. They keep a $6 happy hour and specials menu that includes one of their specialty drinks, the Pimm's Cups, made with Pimm's no. 1, house-made demerara syrup, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and sparkling water.
3. Jewel of the South
1026 St. Louis St., (504) 265-8816
jewelnola.com
This French Quarter bar has been one of the jewels of New Orleans since its founding in 2019. It wasted no time climbing the ranks of North American cocktail bars, winning the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award in 2021 for outstanding service and the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program in 2024, solidifying it as one of America's best bars. Their cocktail menus included favorites such as the Brandy Crusta, featuring Remy 1738 Cognac, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, lemon, Luxardo Maraschino, and Angostura Bitters. And there is no need to eat before, as Jewel of the South offers great lunch and dinner menus.
4. Loa Bar
221 Camp St., (504) 553-9550
ihhotel.com/food-drink/food-drinks-loa-bar-new-orleans
Located in the International House Hotel, Loa Bar offers a much different look and feel than most New Orleans bars. Named for the divine spirits of the Vodou faith, Loa presents its spirits in a uniquely New Orleans style. Loa features personally curated cocktails from bartender Hilary Haniff, along with a robust wine list and selection of both domestic and foreign beers.
5. Salon Salon
544 Carondelet St., (504) 814-7711
salonsalonnola.com
Salon Salon is a bar experience unlike any other in New Orleans. Its dimly lit lounge feels almost mystical, with dark red walls, artist furniture pieces, and a secret passageway opening through a bookshelf. The interior design will have you in awe, but do not forget about their craft cocktails. Their Classic Salon-Style menu is the highlight of their offerings, featuring the Espresso a La Metier, made with cognac, limoncello, espresso, and the Rhuby Blues, made with Japanese whisky, rhubarb, Cynar, and lemon. Salon Salon is not only in the cocktail business, with delectable dining options and crafted coffee, tea selections, and a house-made sparkling lemonade for any sober patrons.
6. French 75 Bar
813 Bienville St., (504) 523-5433
arnaudsrestaurant.com/bars/french-75
Named for the classic cocktail, Arnaud's French 75 is a "classic New Orleans cocktail bar." As a former gentlemen's-only area located in Arnaud's, one of New Orleans' finest establishments, French 75 lives up to its self-proclaimed classic atmosphere from the second you walk in, and their craft cocktails do not disappoint. They offer the classic French 75, as well as a premier version utilizing Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac instead of their usual Courvoisier VS. They also offer unique cocktail such as the Apple Fennel Cobbler, made with Lillet Blanc, Laird's Apple Brandy, Amontillado Sherry, granny smith apple, and fennel juice, Génépy, Ojen, dry curaçao, and lemon juice, as well as the Empress, made with Ford's Gin, Honeydew, Green Chartreuse, St. Germain, mint cordial, absinthe, lime juice, rose flower water.
7. Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29
321 N. Peters St., (504) 609-3811
latitude29nola.com
Transport yourself to the beach at this bar on the edge of the French Quarter. Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 is the perfect bar to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city without leaving its city limits. Guzzle down tropical rum while you try their island-inspired cocktails. Try the classic Mai Tai or Frank Sinatra's favorite, the Navy Grog. If you are not feeling the liquor, try the non-alcoholic versions of two favorites: the Missionary Fall Back and Sea of Green.
8. Twelve Mile Limit
500 S. Telemachus St., (504) 488-8114
twelvemilelimit.com
Get the best of both worlds at Twelve Mile Limit, a cocktail bar that embraces its dive bar atmosphere. While most cocktail bars expect you to put decent effort into your attire, Twelve Mile Limit welcomes you as you are while still giving patrons James Beard Award-quality drinks. Give some of their permanent selections a try, such as the Humblebrag, made with TCN Bourbon, Pimm's, Happy Raptor Hibiscus Syrup, and lemon, or the Dawghouse, made with DAS Rye, apple brandy, Carpano Antica, Thai spice, and Peychaud's.
9. Sazerac Bar
130
Roosevelt Way, (504) 648-1200
therooseveltneworleans.com/dining/sazerac-bar-menu
This is the place for those who want a classic bar experience. Located inside the Roosevelt Hotel, one of New Orleans' best romantic getaways, the Sazerac Bar takes on the personality of its home. The Sazerac Bar is also true to its name, featuring three renditions of New Orleans' official drink: a classic Sazerac, Coffee Sazerac, and a Cognac Sazerac. You can also try other classics made using original recipes, including the Ramos Gin Fizz and the Rusty Nail.
10. Manolito
508 Dumaine St., (504) 603-2740
manolitonola.com
Manolito honors Manuel "Manolito" Carbajo Aguiar, a bartender known as the patron saint of the Cuban Cocktail. Along with a shrine dedicated to Aguiar, the bar's owners have done their due diligence to live up to his name, taking multiple pilgrimages to the country to learn from members of the world's oldest bartenders' guild. That dedication is reflected in the quality of their many Latin American and Caribbean-inspired drinks, including the El Presidente made with Marsh House Rum, French and Italian Vermouths, curaçao, and pomegranate; the Martinique Crusta made with Rhum JM Agricole Blanc, Dry Curaçao, Luxardo Maraschino, and lime; and their incredible selection of Daiquiris.
