Enjoy your cocktails in Copenhagen. Danes might be famous for their beer, but Copenhageners enjoy a good cocktail too. The Danish capital has several cocktail bars with creative, passionate bartenders who know exactly how to mix, shake and stir that perfect drink.
Lidkoeb
The owners of renowned cocktail haven Ruby on Gammel Strand are behind Lidkoed, which extends over three floors and a cozy courtyard.
Lidkoeb is housed in a listed and beautifully renovated building, located in a backyard on Vesterbrogade.
On the ground floor there is a long bar made of wood with plenty of seating at the windows, comfortable leather chairs and a fireplace with living fire.
Lidkoeb is filled with charming chesterfield furniture making the atmosphere cozy just like at Ruby.
On the floor above, a assembly room is situated with a small bar and a private smoking balcony. At the top, a cozy living room is arranged with a small fireplace and full-on focus be on whiskey.
Ruby
Cocktails to die for at Ruby’s. No money was ever spent on advertising here; there are no flashy signs, no eye-catching entrance, and yet, by word of mouth, this unique cocktail bar has become one of the most talked about venues in town – and rightly. In October 2015, Ruby was ranked 34 on the list of the world’s 50 best bars.
Despite its posh canal-side location and exclusive décor, Ruby has a relaxed, homey atmosphere, utterly devoid of pretention. The expert bartenders greet you when entering and subsequently serve up some of the most delicious cocktails in Copenhagen.
While the cocktails really are to die for, it is the atmosphere that sets this bar apart. Decorated like an apartment, you cannot help but feel at home here, and whether you’re 25 or 55 doesn’t really matter, as long as you enjoy quality drinks.
Featured press: NY Times, LA Post, Financial Times, Condé Nast and many others.
1105
Cocktail tender Gromit has ascended to stardom on the Copenhagen cocktail scene, and deservedly so.
You’d be doing yourself a disservice by not coming by and checking out his magic potions. Try for example a Copenhagen cocktail, which is his own creation!
Inspired by exclusive London hotel bars, the décor is modern and stylish, yet imbued with a warmth that makes you feel instantly welcome.
You can get classic cocktails and modern shakes but no fancy, out-of-this-world concoctions. Old virtues are still maintained here, meaning skillfully crafted top-quality cocktails!
1105 is geared towards guest over 30. The owners are in their 30s and were determined to create a place where they would want to go to themselves.
Condé Nast Traveler’s included 1105 on their exclusive list of the trendiest, international bars and night clubs in 2010.
Duck and Cover
On a quiet side road to the busy main street Vesterbrogade in the hectic and fashionable Vesterbro in Copenhagen, you find this cocktail gem. Only a small sign on the facade gives away the location of the bar, but once inside, the place really makes a notice of itself.
The furniture is from the 1950’s and 60’ with a focus on Danish design from the era. Leather and wood are the predominant materials and the lighting is dimmed to set the mood of this relaxing and welcoming bar. On the cocktail side the bartenders pay respect to the change of seasons as the menu changes year round giving seasonal twists to the classic cocktails.
You can always have your favorite cocktail here any way you like it, but the very experienced bartenders – who are among the best in town – will most likely have an opinion on how to make a new and often better version. Especially their use of the locally produced Danish aquavit makes for cocktails that are absolutely delicious.
There is no doubt that the cocktails at Duck and Cover are among the best in Copenhagen, and for guests with an interest in Danish design this bar is piece of heaven.
Helium
Helium is an exclusive and experimental cocktail bar located in one of the most decadent streets of Copenhagen.
The entire atmosphere elevates you while seductive music, warm service, exquisite flavors and beautiful surroundings form the night.
Brønnum
Picture a bar on the most stunning location in Copenhagen: That’s exactly where the entrepreneurial couple, Rasmus and Adeline Shepard-Lomborg have decided to anchor their third high-end cocktail bar adventure!
The couple has previously established both Ruby and Lidkoeb as some of the most acclaimed cocktail bars in Copenhagen (See above). Their latest venture is called “Brønnum” and can be found right by the historic Kgs. Nytorv next to the Royal Theater and across from one of the most iconic hotels of Copenhagen – D’Angleterre. With its baroque stone carved facade, Bronnum blends perfectly in.
Entering Brønnum you are welcomed by the main bar which is decorated by beautiful original wood carvings imported from an antique pharmacy in Sevilla. It oozes history and panache, and you wish you could hear the unique stories it would unfold over an Old fashioned.
Curfew
Curfew is a luxurious bar driven by passion and experience. Humberto Saraviva Marques is the proud owner. He has earlier shared his impressive knowledge about cocktails to magazines and websites. After having worked at four- and five-star hotels around the world and four years as a bartender at 1105, Humberto has opened his own cocktail bar.
Curfew can host 100 guests who can sit at the bar or chill out in one of the green sofas and enjoy a delicious cocktail. Some of the cocktails are made with Humberto’s own liqueur, bitter, or syrup.
You do not need to worry about dinner when you are at Curfew. With help from Karlos Maldonade, one of the co-owners at the critically acclaimed restaurant Taller, Curfew has tapas on the menu as well.
Strøm Bar
The cocktail bar Strøm Bar by Gråbrødre Torv square in central Copenhagen is reaping increasing recognition in the international bartending world. Here, you get so-called gourmet cocktails, where all the ingredients are homemade.
You will find one of the city’s best cocktail bars, Strøm Bar, in Niels Hemmingsensgade street in the heart of Copenhagen. The bar opened in 2012, and the team behind it has won a lot of international awards and nominations.
In 2013, Strøm Bar was nominated for the list The World’s 50 Best Bars along with the three other Copenhagen cocktail bars Ruby, Salon 39 and The Barking Dog.
The team behind Strøm Bar is not exactly novices in the cocktail industry either. The two Swedish brothers Michael and Andreas Nilsson both have international experience, including from the world-renowned Milk & Honey in London and as bar managers at Salon 39, K-Bar and Brass Monkey in Copenhagen.
In 2012, they took the plunge and opened Strøm Bar, where their creativity is fully developed, together with Danish Simon Haugaard. Simon is the man behind the Copenhagen bars Zefside and Kassen.
“Strøm” means power in Danish, and the bar gets its name from the fact that the bar is powered by a European Art Deco influence. Art Deco is often associated with luxury, style and function. It was especially popular among the 1920s and 1930s intellectual upper class in Europe.
However, Strøm Bar is quite cozy and relaxed. The cocktail bar consists of two rooms and can house about 100 guests. In the one room you will find the bar, and in the other room you can relax in the booths, each with room for about nine people. Here, the lights are dimmed.
Strøm Bar offers a variety of cocktails, including a frozen cocktail in a bottle. The cocktail menu changes around every three months. All cocktails and ingredients are homemade, like for an example the grenadine. Thus the team behind the cocktail bar calls their cocktails for gourmet cocktails.
Balderdash
Balderdash is a center for cocktails, beer, spirits lab, pop up restaurants, and a gallery.
Geoffrey Canilao does not want to categorize his bar. It is therefore difficult to define the concept of Balderdash. Geoffrey wants that you, as a guest, define the concept that suits your visit at the bar.
Geoffrey is a reputable bartender in the cocktail environment. Since he came to Copenhagen to follow his love, he has inter alia been head bartender at Union. Finally, it is time for him to open his own place. The settings are a house from 1732 with a secret door that leads to a smaller assembly room.
The other floors of the house will be used for a little of everything. At the ground floor at the left opens a gallery. At the first floor above the bar, Geoffrey opens his own spirits lab. Next to the lab is versatile kitchen. The Kitchen is for different pop up restaurants. When someone is cooking in the kitchen for a pop up event, the bar’s guests can look forward to a treat.
Gilt
Gilt is a classic cocktail bar in the Nørrebro area of Copenhagen. GILT served cocktails, before the Danish capital even knew what a cocktail was, and the bar is still among the best in the city, with a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
You will find GILT – short for Glass, Ice, Liqueur and Topping – in Rantzausgade street in the Nørrebro neighbourhood of Copenhagen.
It has been here for over a decade, since the piña colada and strawberry daiquiri were hot news. Today, GILT has returned to its starting point and is now serving honest and stylish cocktails of high quality, with an individual, often Nordic, twist.
The man behind GILT, Peter Altenburg, has more than 20 years of experience, and many people believe that he and GILT can take a lot of credit for Copenhagen’s international recognition and the fact that the city has a cocktail scene today.
The cocktail bar’s interior decoration consists of dark colors, dim lights and jazz music on the stereo. There is a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, where the guest is in focus and always welcome to make requests and order outside the cocktail menu, which offers about 15 cocktails, which vary according to season.
But do not be mistaken. The bartenders are excellent, when it comes to cocktails and liquors. And they are ready to advice you if needed.
Peter Altenburg has a love of Nordic food and thus Nordic ingredients. Therefore, you will often find cocktails with rhubarb, elderflower, salt and buckthorn, but also more classic ones with coffee and chocolate flavors.
K Bar
K is for owner Kirsten Holm, drinks maven extraordinaire, although the bar might just have been named M given that she and her staff are undoubted masters of the martini. They offer more than a dozen versions including a sensational Lychee Martini for the sweet tooth and a classic dry gin with olives that would impress a New York power broker. While the space is cozy and intimate, the regulars can be a little uptight, given that they think they own it, but they warm up as the drink starts flowing and you begin to count your blessings that you’ve found such a stylish and inviting gem.
Salon 39
Salon 39 is a different kind of cocktail bar located in the district of Frederiksberg. The classy cocktail bar near the lakes combines the sleek old-time-y charm of the classic cocktail bar with a tempting dinner menu in an intimate setting.
You can try cocktails you will not find any other place, as well as the classics. The bartenders and staff here really know how to mix the liquor to perfection and how to treat all guests with smiles and true hospitality. Oh, and the chef here makes one of the best burgers in town.
The ambience in the dimly lit Salon 39 is cool, relaxed and perfect for a romantic date as well as a night out on the town. The music is mostly jazz, soul and blues to complete the experience.
The Barking Dog
The Barking Dog is a cocktail bar in Nørrebro in Copenhagen, located in the narrow street between Sankt Hans Torv and the Lakes.
The Barking Dog reminds of a pub in London with the bar, the covers on the walls and the nice and relaxing atmosphere.
The bar wants to attract a more adult audience, so there is background music and room for a talk without any loud music disturbing your conversation.
The Barking Dog wants to make sure that people do not wait too long for their drink so most drinks are pre-mixed and served from a large barrel.
Holmens Kanal Cocktail Bar
Holmens Kanal is the name of Copenhagen’s new cocktail bar and offers colorful and special drinks en masse.
The cocktail bar is located close to Kongens Nytorv and the Royal Theatre. From the outside, the location can appear a bit dull, but behind the doors lies a large bar with room for fun and games.
At Holmens Kanal you can sit by the extravagant marble bar, or you can relax and hang out at the tall tables in the middle of the room. Are you into a more intimate atmosphere, you can take a seat at one of the booths in the bar. In total, Holmens Kanal caters for 150 thirsty people.
Holmens Kanal is characterized by balanced lighting and music that does not overpower your conversation. The cocktail bar is an ideal venue if you are meeting up with a friend, a colleague or a date.
Salotto42
An Italian living room-cum-decadent-cocktail bar oozing with ambience in central Copenhagen’s hip, fashionable Pilestræde.
Salotto42 is not your average cocktail bar. Carrying on the traditions of their native Italy, the owners invite their guests to hang out and enjoy a cocktail and homemade bar snacks any day of the week any time of the day. Because where they are from, it doesn’t have to be Friday or Saturday night for you to indulge in a premium, artisanal cocktail, wine or an aperitivo in a comfy leather sofa. Life should be enjoyed daily, and that’s exactly what you can do at Salotto42.
But what really makes this “livingroom” (“Salotto”) special, is the all-in-one creative space you find inside the corner building. In this multipurpose bar they’ve made room for three barber chairs, a clothing corner, a shop-in-shop with fashion and lifestyle magazines and books.
From 17:00 each cocktail comes with a small appetizer in the form of Italian style finger food. Besides, they serve breakfast, easy-lunch, tea.
Cocktails in Copenhagen, edited by Admin
Feature image (on top): Salotto42
