East
Thirsty, Cambridge
A wine shop where you can drink in as well as take out (or buy online); they also run a riverside biergarten during the summer.
46 Chesterton Rd, CB4 1EN; 01223 464436
Pint Shop, Cambridge
“Meat, bread, beer” proclaims the website but there’s more to this bar-restaurant (now expanded to Oxford): the gin menu alone has 100 options.
10 Peas Hill, CB2 3PN; 01223 352293
Hawthorn, Norwich
A tiny hidden cocktail bar with a concise menu (every drink £8) and experimental in a good way. Try the Bon Mot (gin, St Germain, absinthe, thyme, cucumber, lime).
2-4 St Benedicts St, NR2 4AG; info@barhawthorn.com
London
Every Cloud, Hackney
New bar whose cocktails include an Old Fashioned that changes monthly adding “seasonal syrups”.
11A Morning Ln, E9 6ND; 020 3441 9850
Untitled, Dalston
A new venture from Tony Conigliaro (69 Colebrooke Row, Bar Termini). Each cocktail is meant to evoke an experience or object (the Sicily includes citrus vodka, verbena and bitter orange blossom).
538 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AH; 07841 022924
Nightjar, Old St
Low-lit, speakeasy-style bar in Hoxton that’s been stacking accolades since 2010. The cocktail list is extensive, and carefully devised, and there’s live jazz later on.
129 City Rd, EC1V 1JB; 020 7253 4101
Midlands
Artisan, Ashbourne
A snug 17th-century building houses this recently opened cafe-bar serving good simple food as well as an excellent array of beers and cask ales.
33 St John St, DE6 1GP; 01335 300110
Lord Clifden, Birmingham
This restored Victorian pub has a great choice of lagers and ales, and a lively beer garden.
Great Hampton St, Hockley, B19 3DL; 0121 523 7515
Junkyard, Nottingham
A Californian-style bottle shop near the Lace Market with a rotating selection of beers on tap and a £2 cappage fee on take-out prices for bottles and cans.
12 Bridlesmith Walk, NG1 2HB; 0115 950 1758
North
Pairings, York
A short menu of charcuterie, cheese and puddings complements the wine selection at this two-year-old Castlegate bar, where food-and-wine pairing is very much encouraged.
28 Castlegate, YO1 9RP; 01904 848909
Friends of Ham, Leeds
Former winner with a fine line in cured meats. Now also in Ilkley.
4-8 New Station St, LS1 5DL; 0113 242 0275
Picture House Social, Sheffield
A sprawling bar in a 1920s ballroom and billiard hall, with a mini cinema) and good cocktails.
383 Abbeydale Rd, Nether Edge, S7 1FS; 0114 258 1690
Northern Ireland
Sunflower, Belfast
Old-school, non-themed pub with live music, a beer garden and a pizza oven.
65 Union St, BT1 2JG; 028 9023 2474
Duke of York, Belfast
Lively bar in the Cathedral Quarter lined with old pub mirrors and tobacco ads. Good whiskey selection.
7-11 Commercial Ct, BT1 2NB; 028 9024 1062
Merchant, Belfast
There are no fewer than four bars at this opulent Cathedral Quarterhotel, including a jazz bar, a champagne lounge and a traditional pub, but it’s the stunning cocktail bar that’s the big draw.
16 Skipper St, BT1 2DZ; 028 9023 4888
Scotland
1912 Cafe Bar, Bathgate
This 105-year-old building has been a hotel and a casino. Now it houses an all-day cafe-bar – a four-time runner-up in this category – with good wines and champagnes.
2 South Bridge St, EH48 1TJ; 01506 633133
Cafebar 1807, Linlithgow
The owners of 1912 Cafe Bar opened this branch in March, serving food, cocktails and beer (try Paolozzi by the Edinburgh Beer Company).
108 High St, EH49 7AQ
Panda and Sons, Edinburgh
Enter this speakeasy via a door disguised as a bookcase. The Bamboo cocktail (with dry vermouth, Pedro Ximinez and orange bitters), is a highlight.
79 Queen St, EH2 4NF; 0131 220 0443
South
Fuggles, Tunbridge Wells
This bar and bottle shop, recently expanded to Tonbridge, boasts 20 beers on draught, with five times as many bottles, and more than 100 gins and whiskies.
28 Grosvenor Rd, TN1 2AP; 01892 457739
The Library, Bournemouth
Hidden away above the Larder House restaurant, this snug bar (open Wednesday to Saturday) serves drinks by ex-UK bartender of the year James Fowler and his team.
4 Southbourne Grove, BH6 3QZ; 01202 424687
Thatch, Thame
Proper old English pub with low ceilings, exposed beams – and good food to go with the drinks.
29-30 Lower High St, OX9 2AA; 01844 214340
Wales
The Grange, Cardiff
Newly renovated pub – from the owners of the Landsdowne in Canton – that takes pride in its food and has five regularly changing guest ales.
134 Penarth Rd, CF11 6NJ; 029 2025 0669
Porter’s, Cardiff
Buzzy pub-theatre, which also hosts comedy, cinema and cabaret.
Harlech Court, Bute Terrace, CF10 2FE; 029 2125 0666
Dead Canary, Cardiff
Cocktail bar with only a golden feather to mark the entrance. Drinks are inspired by Welsh folklore.
Barrack Ln, CF10 2FR; 029 2023 1263
West
Bodega, Christchurch
A wine bar and deli in a converted shed in the centre of town; strong on natural and organic wines.
12 Wick Ln, BH23 1HX; 01202 476857
Milk Thistle, Bristol
The cocktails at this Prohibition-style bar easily match the smart surroundings.
Quay Head House, Colston Ave, BS1 1EB; 0117 929 4429
Small Bar, Bristol
Craft beer specialist with 31 taps featuring local and international brewers and an in-house brewery. Also in Cardiff.
31 King St, BS1 4DZ; 07709 449708
