Cocktail Bars in Orlando
Orlando's cocktail bars split between a downtown hideaway and a short run of Mills Avenue in Mills 50. The best cocktail bars in Orlando begin with Mathers Social Gathering, on the third floor of the Phoenix Building on South Magnolia Avenue, where bartenders work with house-made cordials, bitters and syrups; check the dress code first, since graphic tees and sportswear are turned away. On North Mills, Sunroom pours tropical, bright originals and keeps a deep mezcal shelf, The Guesthouse next door sticks to easy classics, and D.B.A., the sister bar to The Strand, takes no reservations. These are the bars we would start with.
Cocktail BarMathers Social Gathering
Mathers Social Gathering fills the third floor of the Phoenix Building, a nineteenth century building on South Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando. Guests drink beneath the original exposed wood truss ceiling in a room inspired by a bygone era, with vintage libations and live entertainment from Tuesday to Saturday. The Phoenix Jazz Club, a listening lounge with craft cocktails, sits on the floor below.
30 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FLFull profile- D.B.A.Cocktail Bar
D.B.A.
D.B.A., short for doing business as, is the sister bar of The Strand restaurant on North Mills Avenue in Orlando. It is a small room for guests 21 and over with its own menu, and it takes no reservations, so larger groups can be hard to seat.
809 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL 32803Tue-Thu 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pmFull profile - Otto's High DiveCocktail Bar
Otto's High Dive
Otto's High Dive calls itself a neighborhood rum bar, on East Robinson Street in Orlando, and blends old Cuba with modern Florida in its menu, design and culture. Two of its owners, Giovanni and Elise, named it for their youngest son, as a tribute to Giovanni's grandfather, whose bar in Cuba was taken by Fidel Castro. The cocktails run from bright, shaken drinks such as the Mariposa, with Puerto Rican rum, gin, passionfruit, orange blossom and almond, to stirred sippers like the Arturo Fuente, built on reposado mezcal, Tuscan amaro, Madeira, coffee and tobacco. A Cuba Libre with house-made kola comes on tap, and a list of five daiquiris runs from the Floridita to a funky agricole version.
2304 E Robinson St, Orlando, FL 32803Mon-Thu 4pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11:30pm, Sun 11am-9:30pmFull profile - Sparrow Wine BarWine Bar
Sparrow Wine Bar
Sparrow is an intimate, 21-and-over wine bar and lounge on North Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando's North Quarter, pouring curated wines alongside elevated cocktails. A house Sparrow Martini sits on the drinks list next to the Sicilian Sunset of house Narancello, amaretto and bubbles. The kitchen, run by chef partner Wendy Lopez, sends out Southern European small plates made for sharing. Each evening opens with an aperitivo hour of tapas and cocktails, Thursdays bring vinyl nights, and once a month the room hosts a ticketed Saturday afternoon tea. Leather lounge chairs and dark decor set the mood for dates and catching up.
807 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801Full profile - SunroomCocktail Bar
Sunroom
Sunroom is a cocktail bar on North Mills Avenue in Orlando, run alongside its sister bar The Guesthouse. The bar works with fresh ingredients and a wide selection of spirits, and its bar team pours from a house cocktail menu and a separate spirits list. Happy hour runs until 8pm from Tuesday to Saturday.
1315 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL 32803Tue-Thu 6pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2amFull profile
More of Orlando
These are the cocktail bars specifically. The full Orlando guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 8 with a map and filters.
