Cocktail Lounge entertainment in Europe
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Naima
Naima ‘Cocktails and more' is the tagline of this chic sharp bar, with industrial metalwork, pretty-in-pink lampshades and DJs spinning tunes after dark. Apéritifs are served from 18:30 to 21:00 and the bar stool–clad place is a wi-fi hotspot.
reviewed
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Ranna Café
Overlooking the beach, this handsome new three-storey café boasts several outdoor terraces and a laid-back ambience perfect for sipping cocktails at sunset.
reviewed
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Universo Sanchez
Florentines in their finest frippery flock here (but not in summer, when it is usually half-empty) to sip cocktails in a series of different bars, stretching back from the vaguely North African-styled chill area in the front. There are dance spaces, the chance to do a little yoga and more intimate rooms towards the back, for couples with eyes (and hands) only for one another.
reviewed
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D
Flor
The locals call it a 'cooking bar' and they certainly seem to think something is cooking here. Apart from a light and easy buffet lunch, a trendy set gather in this postage stamp-sized redoubt for the evening aperitivo, spilling out onto the pavement terrace (in spite of the traffic). From 22:30 on it's cocktail time, and Sunday night is particularly festive.
reviewed
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Kikuya Pub
Unusually generous cocktails - although it's really not that kind of place - and a predominantly foreign crowd are found in this traditional-looking English bar, where there's occasional live music and a good selection of English beer. Local boys visit in twos to check on the number of foreign girls drinking here (and to see what state they're in).
reviewed
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Cinco Lounge
Take an award-winning London-born mixologist named Dave, add a candlelit, gold-kissed setting and give it a funky twist – et voilà – you have Cinco Lounge. Come here to converse and sip legendary cocktails – from Milli Vanillis (hazelnut-vanilla mojitos) to Bloody Shames (vodka-free Bloody Marys).
reviewed
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Astor Caffè
This is a place where you could take breakfast, then return some 12 hours later to mix with the nocturnal crowd who gather around for loud music and cocktails, opposite the solemn walls of the cathedral. Keep an eye on the giant red clock so closing time doesn't sneak up on you unannounced.
reviewed
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Déjà Vu
This is a true cocktail bar, where the drinks menu is extensive and where the bartenders twirl glasses with aplomb. There is also a small dining hall serving meals, but most people come here to lounge about looking fabulous with multicoloured cocktails perched in their hands.
reviewed
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Estado Líquido
A Feng Shui–inspired lounge, club and sushi bar rolled into one, Estado Líquido is currently the place to be. Get your back rubbed, nibble sushi, sip kiwi caipirinhas, then shake your sumo belly to house and electro on the dance floor.
reviewed
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First Floor
First Floor is a true barfly haunt, with cocktails galore, classic jazz tunes, professional, laid-back bartenders and a huge aquarium (empty of fish). It's a grand place to get soddenly drunk with a best mate, or spend hours flirting with the opposite sex.
reviewed
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Caipirinha
Another good bar set within the surreal façade of the Crooked House, it serves plenty of cocktails, including local creations like the Sopot Special Night, featuring peach liqueur. It also has a decent selection of nonalcoholic drinks and light meals.
reviewed
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Living
Living has one of the city’s prettiest settings, with a corner position and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Arco della Pace. The bounteous aperitivo spread and expertly mixed cocktails draw crowds of smart-casual 20- and 30-somethings.
reviewed
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Shepheard
This glamorous cocktail bar lures chatty sophisticates huddled in intense conversation and grateful for the mellow lighting and jazz. Named for a colonial hotel in Cairo, it offers 190 different cocktails, including 40 original creations.
reviewed
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Hemingway
Everything the macho scribe loved is here in abundance: cigar humidors with personal drawers, 148 types of rum, and 30 different daiquiri cocktails. The Africa Lounge has a local Bambi, though, not an elephant bagged beneath Kilimanjaro.
reviewed
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O
Bar Rouge
Aimed squarely at the cocktail set who like getting dressed up to hear smooth lounge sounds, this bar is a haven from the sometimes exuberant but immature drinking dens of the Latin Quarter. It might be a good idea to reserve a table.
reviewed
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Paparazzi
This branch of the popular chain with a media theme keeps both the après-ski crowd and tourists well lubricated into the wee hours. Great cocktails – try anything mixed with miódpitny (mead).
reviewed
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Café Kaos
The city’s best neighbourhood bar scene is along Thorvald Meyers gate and the surrounding streets in Grünerløkka. Try working your way through the cocktail list at the hip Café Kaos.
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Upstairs
Join the ‘in-crowd’ on the 1st-floor terrace stools of Upstairs and look down on the shoppers and trams of bul Vitosha over a cocktail or two, or lounge on the sofas inside. It’s all good.
reviewed
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Boos Lounge
This place was packed when we stopped by, and it was early on a Monday afternoon. Slick and modern, it's a top choice for an after-work cocktail amid mod red walls, multihued lighting and a disco ball.
reviewed
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Sausalitos
With its slick Santa Fe décor, this is the place where hipsters congregate for copious cocktails. It's at its most rocking during Margarita Happy Hour between 23:00 and 02:00 Monday to Thursday.
reviewed
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Le Bar
Its name is a pallid reflection of the striking minimalist interior and imaginative cocktails shaken with panache at this cocktail bar, one of Lyon's most chic. Plastic curtains add a surreal touch.
reviewed
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Tea Lounge
The city's best neighbourhood bar scene is along Thorvald Meyers gate and the surrounding streets in Grünerløkka. Try working your way through the cocktail list at the minimalist Tea Lounge.
reviewed
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Romantic Bar
Although the name is uninspiring, this glass-sided hotel bar has extraordinary views over the water, and we can't deny the appeal of the stylish loungelike interior or the patio outside.
reviewed
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VIP Room
A newie in the restaurant-lounge-club genre. This one has sister establishments all round France, and manages to catch visiting international celebs on camera when passing through.
reviewed
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Doca de Santo
This is clatteringly large, but with style and lots of open-air, leafy seating - a glamorous yet relaxed place to settle with a cocktail. Serves good salads (among other things).
reviewed