The 7 best cocktail bars in the country
Too strong, too sweet, too weak; you don’t just stumble upon a good cocktail. Luckily, we have cocktail queen Tess Posthumus to guide us through the maze of cocktail bars and lovingly share her favorite spots. “In no particular order, though, because I can’t choose.”
New York Basement, Rotterdam
“In the basement of Hotel New York you’ll find cocktail bar New York Basement. Daryl Lieuw-On is a really great bartender (and winner of the Entree Award for Best Bartender 2017). If you want to see him at the Basement, you’ll have to be quick, because next year he’s opening his own place.”
Dr., Rotterdam
“Dr. has been around for 1,000 years and is a really great bar with really great bartenders. To my great shame, I have to admit that I’ve never actually been to the bar itself. They’re always closed on Sundays and Mondays, which happen to be my weekend. But they also work at a lot of events, so I’ve tasted their drinks often. Every one of the bartenders knows exactly what they’re doing.”
Branie, Amsterdam
“This is the place to go for incredibly delicious Amsterdam-Indonesian food. The owners, Rick Welcker and Remco Babay, are both Amsterdam boys with Indo roots. You can see that reflected in the food—pandan elements, for example—but also in the cocktails. They make classics with their own twist.”
Behind Bars, Utrecht
“It’s owned by Marcel van der Ben, a bartender who has been in the business for ten to fifteen years. A really lovely guy, with extensive knowledge. The little bar is small but has a large selection of beautiful, special bottles. Limited editions and bottles that are almost impossible to find because they’re no longer produced. Japanese whiskies, for example. Marcel makes a sport of buying those kinds of unusual bottles abroad, at fairs or online.”
Vane, Eindhoven
“Admittedly, this is incredibly subjective because I’m a consultant there. I don’t stand behind the bar, but I do create the menu. Vane is Eindhoven’s very first rooftop bar and the bartenders really know what they’re doing. Beneath the sky bar is an exceptionally good restaurant, run by Casimir Evens. The bartenders can also help you with fun food pairings if you like.”
The Five Points, The Hague
“It’s also a bartender bar—a bar set up by a bartender themselves. In this case, Michael Ziengs. He had always worked in other cocktail bars and opened his own place this year. I think bartender bars are so enjoyable because the owners know how to infect the staff with their love of cocktails. That gives you just that little bit extra. Highly recommended.”
Flying Dutchmen Cocktails, Amsterdam
“Of course, this is completely subjective too, since it’s my own bar. But we recently won the Entree award for best bar in the Netherlands, so I’m allowed to preach for my own parish a little, right?”
