Five cocktail bars, chosen on the record: one on North America's 50 Best, one Spirited Awards nominee.
Daydream Rum Bar is a basement cocktail hideaway inside Little Bear in Nob Hill, pitched as a momentary paradise to drift into for a few hours. The room recalls a Mediterranean cruise liner lost to time, with deep mahogany walls, topaz and emerald booths and oyster-like lights. Rum leads a tropical menu that runs from a proper Mai Tai to inventive originals, with a full spectrum of other spirits and zero proof drinks.
Happy Accidents pours modern cocktails in an intimate Nob Hill room, describing its own approach as fun and vivacious. The list runs alongside natural wines and beers, with food served until close, and the bar keeps private karaoke rooms for groups. It is twenty-one and over only.
Founders is a speakeasy style cocktail bar in downtown Albuquerque. It runs as a cash free bar with no reservations, stays open late every night, and takes private parties by arrangement.
Still Spirits is a craft distillery with a downtown tasting room and cocktail bar in Albuquerque, where the team is as passionate about fine cocktails as about the spirits it makes. The room and outdoor patio serve its own spirits in cocktails alongside New Mexico produced beer and wine.
The Copper Lounge is a cocktail lounge and restaurant on Central Avenue with a seasonal cocktail menu, a list of Copper classics and food. Next door, its sister room Los Conejos offers a modern Mexican take with an extensive agave list and Mexican bites.
These are the cocktail bars specifically. The full Albuquerque guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 7 with a map and filters.
Best bars in Albuquerque