Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Winner of the Timeless U.S. Award at the 2026 Spirited Awards. James Beard Awards: Outstanding Bar (Semifinalist, 2025), Outstanding Bar Program (Semifinalist: 2019, 2013).
Bryant's opened in 1936 as a Miller tied house and turned to cocktails only around 1938, which makes it Milwaukee's oldest cocktail lounge, and it has never printed a menu; you tell the bartender what you like. Founder Bryant Sharp is credited with the Pink Squirrel, the Blue Tail Fly and the Banshee, the upstairs Velvet Lounge was added in 1968, and the room was rebuilt after a fire in 1971, gold-plated McIntosh stereo included. Award in 2026.
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