Amsterdam’s Best Cocktail Bars, According to Local Bartenders

Amsterdam is known for many things, like having a bazillion bikes, romantic canals, and the infamous Red Light District. But it also has outstanding cocktail bars that can be a tour all by themselves. On a recent visit, I asked bartenders a question. “Where do you like to go when you’re off work and want someone else to make you a cocktail?” Here’s what they told me.

“It’s shot time, you in?” a bartender at the Flying Dutchmen shouted my way, while ringing a bell and spreading shot glasses out across the bartop. A tiny, but cozy bar with staff as fun as their cocktails, The Flying Dutchmen on Singel 460 is by far the one bar mentioned the most by barkeeps in the city as their go-to. Getting to it isn’t immediately obvious, but once you enter the building at 460, follow the tight, winding staircase to the right. 

Their cocktails are organized by a flavor compass, where drinks are placed according to profile matches of sweet, soft, sour, and strong. The cocktail menu runs from the ever popular Bee’s Knees, Paper Plane, and Lavender Honey Sour to the NYC famous, Division Bell, or the Scofflaw, which was invented in Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. Nothing on the menu will disappoint. 

Always mentioned in the same breath as the Flying Dutchmen was Door 74. A speakeasy on Reguliersdwarsstraat 74, if you blink when you walk through, you’ll miss it. (The street number barely shows through a vine covering the brick outside.) Door 74 is a local favorite and widely celebrated for its creative and regularly evolving menu. Their Golden Giza, for example, was inspired by the Great Pyramids (Gin Mare, spiced mango, lemongrass, lemon thyme, and sherry). In the spirit of that constant evolution, they are temporarily closing their doors for a reconstruction that they promise will keep everything loved about them and what they’ve built when they re-open. In the meantime, drop a pin on Google so you don’t miss its resurrection. 

Just around the corner from the Red Light District and across from Dam Square, The Tailor is located conveniently in Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky Amsterdam, where one could also stay if you’re in town for a cocktail tour. The Tailor is inspired by a 22-year old tailor A.W. Krasnapolsky who came to Amsterdam to join the family tradition as a tailor and ended up taking over a coffee house at Dam Square. The bar is a comfortable, upscale open space with a creative menu. 

Their Romeo (Balvenie Week of Peat 14 year, Summer Truffle, Beurre Noisette, Compari, Italian Vermouth blend) is a drink with so many layers and depth that you’ll want more than one just to study it. The Jade Trader (Botanist Gin, Bruxo X Mezcal, Pine, Jasmine Basil Soda and Kaffir Lime Perfume) is a very refreshing drink for a long hot day. And the Rambling with Rhubarb (Cointreau, Mezcal, Rhubarb cordial, Zucca rababaro, Punt e Mes, and orange bitters) is an energizing use of rhubarb.

Located across Dam Square from The Tailor, Bar 22 is a relatively small space with a bold menu. The specialty drink menu has fantastic mixes, like the bartender’s favorite, the Lisbon 20 (textured with Rittenhouse rye, butter infused, Cocchi Torino, and cinnamon). Their regular menu offers classic cocktails. I’m still dreaming of their Truffle Beurre Noisette Old Fashioned (Bulleit bourbon, beurre noisette, white truffle oil, walnut maple syrup). The beurre noisette’s carmelized brown butter played the hero in the drink. 

There is no end to recommendations in Amsterdam, whose cocktail bar scene reminds me of the cocktail bars you’d find in Vienna. There are two that were mentioned at least twice. Super Lyan (opens on Wednesdays) is just a few blocks down Haringpakkerssteeg on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal from the Sexmuseum. The sign is small, but look for a red door. LuminAir on the 11 floor of the stylish and train adjacent Doubletree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station is said to have the best view of the city that goes with a creative cocktail menu.

These bars hardly scratches the surface of how alive the cocktail bar scene is in the city, but none of these will disappoint.