Five cocktail bars, chosen on the record: two Spirited Awards nominees, one James Beard nominee.
Graft is a wine shop and bar in uptown Charleston created by sommeliers Femi Oyediran and Miles White, walk-in only, tagging each wine by how it was farmed rather than calling anything natural, with a free tasting on Tuesdays, live music on Wednesdays, no corkage on Mondays and a parking-lot party on Sundays. The James Beard Foundation named it an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in 2026.
Last Saint calls itself an Eastside cocktail bar, and that is the whole pitch: a neighbourhood room on Meeting Street that opens at five every day and runs until two. Its Instagram is where the day-to-day lives, with a sister space next door under the Annex name for private bookings. The 2022 Spirited Awards put it in the top ten for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar.
Proof describes itself as an intimate craft cocktail bar on King Street with over a hundred selections, an extensive wines-by-the-glass list and, in its words, a real good beer list, and its Instagram is blunter still: a fun place to party on King Street. It opens at noon every day and closes at two, with happy hour from four to seven on weekdays. The Spirited Awards placed it in the U.S. top ten for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar in 2022 and for Best U.S. Bar Team in 2022 and 2024.
Doar Bros. is a small cocktail bar on Meeting Street that says it specialises in modern creative cocktails, classic cocktails and shareable small plates, with an Italian night and a daytime cafe, Cafe Lucca, run out of the same crew. Reservations are encouraged through Resy up to a week ahead, though the room is small enough that walking in is the usual way. Closed on Monday; open from four on weekdays and from two on Saturday.
The Gin Joint has poured on East Bay Street since 2010 and is, in its own words, far from just a gin bar: it keeps one of Charleston's largest spirit selections behind a seasonal cocktail menu, under the house line that proper nights call for proper cocktails. The bartender's choice is the signature move, two adjectives from the guest and a drink built to them, with what the bar calls intentional ingredients behind the bar and a short, curated food list. No reservations; it opens at five on weeknights and at three on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
These are the cocktail bars specifically. The full Charleston guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 6 with a map and filters.
Best bars in Charleston