Backed by Ford Fry, and taking over the spaces previously home to JCT Kitchen and Bar, Little Sparrow and Bar Blanc offer his take on French brasserie fare. This includes poulet frites stuffed with black truffles and brioche prepared table side at Little Sparrow downstairs and a prix-fixe menu at $49.50 per person of steak frites, salad, and bread for the table upstairs at Bar Blanc. Like the food, cocktails at both bars lean into French twists on classics like the Pigalle with bourbon and calvados, the armagnac and rye-based La Boheme mixed with benedictine, combier, and chocolate bitters, and a perfectly petit martini. As with most of Fry’s restaurants, the best seat in the house is definitely at the bar.

Cafe Belli opened in early 2023 and is a cozy spot for coffee and espresso drinks with pastries in the morning and afternoon. But it was always the intention of owner Mario Ali to expand Cafe Belli’s hours, serving cocktails in the evenings from its coffee bar. Order classics like a New York Sour, French 75, or Sidecar. Or, try one of the bar’s twists, like the peach Old Fashioned and blueberry mule. The espresso martini is a must for those seeking a reviver cocktail. Pair drinks with charcuterie and cheese, spinach artichoke dip, or some chiki crispy rice snacks.

Pata Negra Mezcaleria took over the space previously home to the Usual at the Arya apartment complex on Peachtree Street. Gather friends for shared plates of crispy tlayudas loaded with black beans, Oaxaca cheese, avocado and chapulines and a trio of enmoladas drizzled with smoky mole. Order entrees of tender pulpo served atop squid ink and salsa matcha or a whole branzino dressed with chilis, tomatillos, and peppers. Like the food, cocktails are packed with flavor and elegantly presented, leaning into mezcal and other agave spirits. This includes the restaurant’s namesake cocktail made with blanco tequila and Banhez Espadín-Barril mezcal, sage, palo santo, and lemon.

Darren Carr and Eric Simpkins closed the Lawrence earlier this year on Juniper and replaced it with Rwby (pronounced “Ruby”), a low-key neighborhood restaurant offering a variety of dishes with broad appeal that also stick to the seasons. Dishes are easily shared, too, like the steamed mussels and roasted carrot dip with garlic confit or entrees of roasted acorn squash stuffed with red quinoa, kale, carrots, and fried oyster mushrooms and tangy Flemish beef cheek stew. Like the duo’s other Midtown spots, Bon Ton and the Waiting Room, cocktails don’t take a back seat to the food at Rwby. However, do expect cocktails here leaning less toward heavy, dark, and stirred drinks and into lighter, brighter, and less boozy concoctions. The Amarcord Spritz, for instance, sees Cappelletti aperitivo and melon rind-infused vermouth topped with prosecco and club soda. But if you’re seeking a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, people who’ve frequented Bon Ton or the Waiting Room know they can get stellar versions of those at Rwby, too. 

Dryver Bar opened inside Yeppa and Co. at Buckhead Village earlier this summer, and it’s definitely vibey, especially if you’re into bright neon lights and Formula One racing set off by Ferrari’s signature red hue. But even if car racing isn’t your thing, the cocktails from longtime beverage director Jose Pereira are not to be missed. Look for a tight list of ten cocktails, some using agave spirits like raicilla, sotol, and bacanora, and with names leaning into Formula One and car racing terminology. The Grand Prix mixes vodka with coconut, cocoa, and a strawberry sphere using the spherification process, which molds liquid into a perfectly round ball. The Paddock Club sees gin and mezcal mixed with St. Germain liqueur and clarified cantaloupe. Dryver Bar also serves classics like the Aviation, a cold Irish Coffee, and a Negroni, along with non-alcoholic mixed drinks and Italian beers and wines. Reservations encouraged.

This dark (emphasis on dark) and cozy cocktail lounge resides above Ladybird on the Eastside Beltline, and like its sister establishment carries a national parks theme in both its design and in its drinks. Expect cocktails inspired by a variety of recognizable American landmarks and natural wonders, like an herbaceous take on the gimlet called the El Capitan, dedicated to the vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, made with sage and cardamon-infused gin. There’s the Kalalau, a nod to the Kalalau trail along Nā Pali Coast on Kauai. This savory spin on the piña colada sees an herby blend of five spices infusing cachaca, which is then mixed with falernum and spearmint and aloe liqueur. The Thunderbolt on the menu is based on a Charles H. Baker cocktail and is akin to a peach julep, complete with pebbled ice. Sporting a record collection of over 300 vinyls, ranging from Aretha Franklin and Elvis to Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones, you’ll likely need a reservation to get in here for now. Upon arrival, just head to the host stand in the back of Ladybird to check in and someone will lead you up to Ranger Station via a hidden staircase. Reservations highly encouraged.

Located on the second level of the Victorian, Burle’s Bar overlooks the plant shop below and features a selection of cocktails, non-alcoholic mixed drinks, beer, and natural and small production wines. Named for Brazilian landscape architect and artist Roberto Burle Marx, Burle’s Bar channels the vibe and decor of a 1960s cocktail lounge. Expect a menu filled with classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Vieux Carre, and Corpse Reviver, along with tiki-style drinks like the Painkiller. Look for bar bites and snacks from a rotating group of Atlanta chefs to begin soon. Seating is offered at the bar, in the small lounge, and outside on the patio, easily accessed from the Eastside trail. Open Wednesday - Thursday, 3 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Friday, 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

“We wanted to create something fun and sexy, a place for people to feel good and feel good about themselves,” Omar Ferrer says of El Malo. And it appears he and his partners have done just that with their new sexy-as-hell cocktail bar, where design, drinks, food, and music converge at Atlanta Dairies. You enter El Malo via a narrow hallway lit in red neon and into a space devoid of windows, yet filled with verdant greens and royal reds and purples, disco balls, and bold patterns. DJs spin everything from disco and funk to 1990s house music and old salsa and Latin tunes. Cocktails lean into agave spirits and rum in imaginative takes on classic drinks, milk punches, and clarified cocktails. The Take a Bow mixes Dominican rum with Crème de Banane, pineapple amaro, and clarified lime juice, while the martini at El Malo is given a Caribbean twist with gin, rum, guanabana and Dimmi liqueurs, and cardamom bitters. Pair cocktails with rock shrimp ceviche, oysters, and ropa vieja served with plantain chips. Make sure to wear your dance shoes, too. Reservations highly encouraged.

Owned by the team behind Banshee, Bona Fide Deluxe is serving up seriously legit sandwiches. Some say these sandwiches might be the best in Atlanta right now. Looking for a total indulgence? Order the bread bomb, which sees a toasted hoagie roll split down the middle, then slathered in garlic butter and topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, and scallions. Like Banshee, cocktails are given proper due at Bona Fide Deluxe, including the Rapid Transit with mezcal, rhubarb ginger, and Aperol and the refreshing Slick Rickey mixed with cachaça, passionfruit, and cloosterbitters topped off with prosecco.