Craving for a drink and need to loosen up? Nothing beats a good cocktail to solve the problem. And some of the best in Italy can undoubtedly be found in Florence. Here are our top picks.
You might think Milan or Rome, but you'd be mistaken. The best cocktail bars in Italy are in Florence: there’s no one like it. The credit goes in large part to the brilliant and volcanic creativity of Paola Mencarelli, who, over the years, with her cocktail weeks starting in Florence (now in their seventh edition) and now also active in Venice and Cortina, has spread the art of mixing drinks to Italian homes and injected new vitality into a sector that was unjustly blurry until a few years ago. So, let's make way for cocktail bars, hotel bars, and historic cafes, essential for creating a widespread network in the city that gave birth to the Negroni.
Atrium Bar
The Four Seasons in Florence is undoubtedly a magical place, a must-visit for lovers of beauty. And if, in addition to beauty, you love drinking, stepping into this wonderful hotel will be justified twice. Here, you'll find the Atrium Bar, the kingdom of Tommaso Ondeggia and Edoardo Sandri, Bar Manager and Head Mixologist, respectively. Edoardo amazes with classic and signature drinks that change frequently, revolving around a common theme. Order one, two, or even three cocktails, savor them in the shade of the large glass window, and you'll be as happy as ever during your stay in Florence.
Caffè Concerto Paszkowski
Since 1846, Caffè Concerto Paszkowski has enchanted crowds of tourists (and locals) with increasingly avant-garde cocktails, the result of technique and balance. Regularly visited in the days by D’Annunzio, Papini, Montale, Saba, and Pratolini, the bar wins with its twist on the Negroni, made sweeter by the addition of passion fruit cordial, along with Bulldog Gin, Baldoria Red Dry vermouth, and Amaro Santoni.
Caffè Gilli
Literally next to also on Piazza della Repubblica, Caffè Gilli is a name and a guarantee from breakfast to aperitif. And what an aperitif! Here, you can try an excellent Negroni, to be sipped on the well-kept outdoor tCaffè Concerto Paszkowski, errace, at the counter, or in the more private indoor tables surrounded by stuccos and antique furniture.
Ditta Artigianale
Juniper distillates? Go to one of the two Ditta Artigianale locations, and you'll be satisfied. With over 150 labels available, Peter in Florence stands out, produced following Ditta's original recipe with 14 different botanicals. So, order a Gin & Tonic, but not just that.
Gucci Giardino 25
Right in front of Palazzo Vecchio, a few steps from the Loggia dei Lanzi, Martina Bonci will revolutionize your life with balanced, colorful, and mouth-watering cocktails, the result of long and elaborate preparations. Where are we? At Gucci Giardino 25, a café and cocktail bar signed by the eponymous fashion house. A white marble counter and wooden boiserie will welcome you, from morning till night. Stop by for an aperitif but also at lunchtime: beef tartare, scampi ceviche with quinoa, and a selection of cured meats and cheeses will be worthy companions to Bonci's cocktails.
Locale
Inside an historical building restored with respect and intelligence, spread across two levels, the lower level dating back to the 1200s and an upper level from the 1500s, you'll find Locale, an establishment deserving more than one visit. It wins for its beauty and history, for the contemporary cuisine of its chef Simone Caponnetto, and also for its bar (ranked 39th according to the World’s 50 Best Bars), which extends over much of the ground floor within an ancient courtyard closed by an imposing glass wall. The counter is at the center, protected by an imposing bottle rack, surrounded by different rooms. Creating cocktails that are not only rare but uniquely crafted, a team of bartenders, led by bar manager Fabio Fanni, incorporates seasonal ingredients through dedicated research and a circular approach.
Mad Souls & Spirits
There's life and informality at Mad in the San Frediano area. This small cocktail bar is the ideal place for an unpretentious, simple evening with affordable prices. If you're a student looking for a place to celebrate an exam, this is the place for you. Order many cocktails, from classic ones to the more sparkling and colorful choices.
Santa Cocktail Bar
Florence has its fair share of beautiful squares. Among them, it's impossible not to mention Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the birthplace of the Santa Cocktail Club, a new establishment born in 2020, with an elegant and refined touch. The menu offers different cocktails, both signature and classic, crafted by the bar manager Simone Covan and paired with shared dishes, including fried items and excellent pizzas. The establishment is also present in Villa Cora's garden, on the rooftop of Hotel L’Orologio in Rome, and soon in Venice as well.
Rasputin
It's impossible not to mention a speakeasy. Introducing Rasputin, an exclusive place to reach through a mysterious staircase. Paintings on the walls, lit candles, carbonara atmospheres—these are the main elements of the room where you can savor extraordinary drinks that tell a story of dreams, death, desire, and madness.
Floreal
Fresh and joyful, Floreal is a place where everything is colorful, from the ambiance to the cocktails. In their signature drinks, you'll find fruits and tropical flavors. Keep an eye on their food offerings too, with interesting proposals to accompany your drinks.
Bitter Bar
In the Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood, you'll find the Bitter Bar with its unmissable cocktails crafted by Bar Manager Cristian Guitti. Infusions, juices, aging, and smokiness take center stage, alongside a series of twists on great classics like the Negroni. All of this accompanied by jazz background music with the typical flavor of the 1920s.
The Social Hub
Inside a beautiful 19th-century palace, facing the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, The Social Hub blends the antique and the modern, both in aesthetics and in the taste of its drink offerings. In this hotel, also famous for its coworking spaces and an impressive and fascinating rooftop pool with a breathtaking view of the Florence Cathedral, you can taste classic and signature cocktails without too many pretensions.
Empireo Rooftop - Hotel Plaza Lucchesi
Hotel Plaza Lucchesi: Since its opening in 2014, Empireo has revealed an unprecedented and breathtaking view of the city to the Hotel Plaza Lucchesi's guests and Florentine locals. And what could be better than observing the city from above with a great cocktail in hand? Nothing, in my opinion. The Duomo right in front, Santa Croce to the right, and Piazzale Michelangelo to the left. You need to know nothing more.
Manifattura
Manifattura, located in Piazza San Pancrazio 1, is the cocktail bar with only Italian spirits, celebrating Italian culture and now presenting a new cocktail proposal featured on the cover, designed by the artist Urto, a Calabrian street artist capable of blending the worlds of graffiti and realistic elements. Manifattura adheres to a timeless reality through the development of a bar that is an anthology of the immense and wonderful indigenous liquor heritage, with a staff that celebrates it in each and every recipe. The current menu is a physical tribute to Depero's "Bolted Book'' with 16 recipes dedicated to prominent figures in the Italian scene and the journey of the Manifattura family. Among them are the cocktails Ruffiani, Titubanti, Risoluti, Doverosi, and Leggeri. Not to be missed is "Ovosodo," a cocktail tribute to the director Paolo Virzì, made with American Cocchi basil aperitif, Santoni bitter, bergamot liqueur, italicus yellow rose, grapefruit juice, and celery salt.
Seeds Pop Up
Seeds is the new project by Julian Biondi and Anastasia Kovrigina. Since 2018, the couple, hospitality industry professionals, have been thinking of a bar and business model that could leave an impact, but not on the environment. Thus, Seeds was born - a cocktail & wine bar with a mission to have the least environmental impact possible, turning waste into treasure, capitalizing on the seasonality of raw materials, and creating a new ethical, sustainable, yet profitable and replicable business model. "Love Local, Think Global" summarizes the project, which is currently materialized in a pop-up bar within an existing reality, Ostello Tasso on Via Villani 15, with the future aim of replicating it in other cities for varying periods of time. Seeds is open every week from Sunday to Thursday, while closed on Fridays and Saturdays - a choice that aligns with a broader concept of sustainability: sustainability in the food & beverage sector, sustainability of the space, utilizing an existing space and extending its opening hours.
