Cocktail Bars in Hamburg
Hamburg's cocktail bars split into clear styles, from classics and agave to kitchen-led drinks. The best cocktail bars in Hamburg begin with Le Lion Bar de Paris, No. 16 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2013, which keeps to classics and a short Champagne list. Bā Nomu, a bar and izakaya, mixes techniques from Asia and Europe, and COLLAB Bar, in a St. Pauli basement, is built around equal drinking. The Chug Club, a tequila and mezcal bar with stained glass windows, pours a changing surprise flight of three chugs. The Chug Club takes no bookings or groups over eight. These are the five we would start with.
- Le Lion Bar de Paris50 BESTCocktail Bar
Le Lion Bar de Paris
Le Lion Bar de Paris is Hamburg's standard-bearer for classic cocktails and good Champagne, and the room where the Gin Basil Smash was created in 2008, a drink that went on to conquer bar menus worldwide. Afternoons bring the bar's Champagne sessions, and payment is by card only.
Rathausstr. 3, Hamburg 20095Mon-Fri from 17:00; Sat from 13:00; Closed SunFull profile 
Cocktail BarBā Nomu
A small city-center bar working an East-meets-West list with Asian ingredients and a cook's attention to them. The counter sits about a meter high with stools made to match, which puts everyone at the same level and makes the room feel smaller than it is. No reservations.
Schauenburger Strasse 35, 20095 HamburgFull profile
Cocktail BarThe Rabbithole
The Rabbithole is the St. Pauli cocktail bar of Constanze Lay and Florian Sonneborn, behind an unremarkable door on Kleine Freiheit, with plenty of wood and dim light. Its roots are the classics of the 1920s and the neo-classics of the 2000s, given a personal twist: most syrups and liqueurs are made in house, and spirits are infused, cold dripped, sous vide treated, milk washed and fat washed. The menu runs from freezer martinis to Say Cheese, with hazelnut eau-de-vie, sherry, pear, gorgonzola and soy, Bunny Darko on Scotch, olive oil, salt and dark chocolate, and a Carrot Cake Shot on aquavit. Cigars may be smoked in a separate lounge, and the Genuss-Guide Hamburg named it Bar des Jahres 2025.
Kleine Freiheit 42, 22767 HamburgMon-Thu 19:00-00:00; Fri-Sat 19:00-02:00Full profile- Bar NoirHotel Bar
Bar Noir
Bar Noir is the ground-floor bar of the TORTUE design hotel on Stadthausbrücke, one of several bars under the same roof. Stephen Williams designed the room, which covers about 170 square meters, with a winter garden for cool nights and a terrace for mild ones. In the evening it becomes a meeting point for friends, colleagues and after-work drinks, and the hotel describes life inside moving at a more muted pace. The list pairs house creations such as the fruity Le Pont with classics like the Negroni, backed by wines, long drinks, spirits, liqueurs and beer.
Stadthausbrücke 10, 20355 HamburgDaily from 17:00Full profile - BerglundCocktail Bar
Berglund
Berglund describes itself as a classic American bar and has been running for more than ten years. The team says it still puts as much heart and energy into the place as on the first day, and it credits the staff who work behind the counter and on the floor every evening. There is a Swedish touch, too. Berglund has its own aquavit, and for 30 August 2026 the bar announced a traditional Swedish crayfish party with crayfish, shrimp, Västerbotten cheese pie, Swedish cheese, bread and dip, all served alongside that aquavit. On Gertigstraße, the team thanks regulars and new faces alike.
Gertigstraße 14, 22303 HamburgSun to Thu 18:00 to 01:00; Fri and Sat 18:00 to 03:00Full profile
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- Black Forest Bar by hennCocktail Bar
Black Forest Bar by henn
Tobias Henn, who comes from Baden-Baden, brought a slice of his home region, the northern Black Forest, to Eppendorf. His owner-run bar pairs an elegant, timeless hut look with what it calls Black Forest cocktails: signature drinks built on fruit brandies and fruit spirits. Highballs and wines from Baden round out the drinks list. The kitchen sends out modern takes on regional dishes, from Black Forest ham tartare and hand-scraped Käsespätzle to wild boar Maultaschen, tarte flambée and a traditional Vesper board. Cocktail classes take place in the same room under the team's second label, Cocktail Circle.
Curschmannstraße 9, 20251 HamburgTue to Thu from 18:00; Fri and Sat from 19:00Full profile - COLLAB BarCocktail Bar
COLLAB Bar
Chloe Merz's basement bar on Hein-Hoyer-Strasse in St. Pauli, open since the summer of 2023. The idea it is built on is equal drinking: the same complex cocktails whether you want a lot of alcohol, a little or none, rather than a token list for the last case.
Hein-Hoyer-Strasse 63, 20359 HamburgFull profile - Puzzle BarCocktail Bar
Puzzle Bar
A HafenCity bar on Versmannstrasse, away from the St. Pauli drinking streets, working a modern list in a quieter part of the city.
Versmannstrasse 2, 20457 HamburgFull profile - The Chug ClubCocktail Bar
The Chug Club
A tequila and mezcal bar in the heart of St. Pauli, open since 2015 and built around chugs: minicocktails served small and quick, so a guest can work through more of the list than a full-size drink would allow. Agave is the subject and the format is the argument.
Taubenstrasse 13, 20359 HamburgFull profile
More of Hamburg
These are the cocktail bars specifically. The full Hamburg guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 12 with a map and filters.
