Cocktail expert Jean-Maxime Giguère may have opened this neighbourhood bar nearly 10 years ago, but it continues to prove that Fleury Street is a strip to be reckoned with. It’s Ahuntsic’s go-to spot for libations — both classic and original.

Travel back in time to this vinyl record bar brimming with Mad Man-era vibes. With a half-moon shaped bar at the back, a cocktail list that focuses heavily on gin and bourbon, a small snacking menu featuring chorizo and pizza, and a collection of 2,500 vinyls, it’ll satisfy most of the senses.

Housed in a former dive bar of the same name, Bar St-Denis is perhaps the best spot to grab a drink in La Petite-Patrie at the moment. Expect stunning cocktails, affordable natural wines by the glass, and a food menu far superior to what you’d expect from any “bar.”

Be it indoor dining or rooftop lounging, its ample beverage list (beers, ciders, wines, the list goes on) or solid food offering, Taverne Atlantic covers all the bases — and does so exceptionally well. For cocktails, expect Quebec booze, like Menaud vodka, Cirka gin, Kayak vermouth, to be given pride of place on a short, though exciting list. Make sure to add a poutine to the order. You won’t regret it.

Though a pub by name, this Mile End haunt from the Burgundy Lion group isn’t all burgers and beer. Serving hearty, English pub fare, it doubles as a gin bar, impressively stocked with more than 250 bottles from around the world to serve up one mean Negroni.

From the team that brought us standout Plateau wine bar Rouge Gorge is this cocktail spot in a moody, marble-clad underground space from leading Montreal designer Zebulon Perron. A hard-to-beat pick for sipping cocktails and slurping oysters in the Plateau.

Located in the Village, amid the bustle of pedestrian-only (in warmer months) Sainte-Catherine Street East, Bar Renard’s cocktails are easy-going, with one-litre options of both basil mojitos and Scotch lemonade — ideal for group drinking.

Cloakroom serves up speakeasy vibes and stone-cold stunning cocktails from an ultra chic space hidden inside a menswear shop. Drinks are uniquely tailored to each customers’ liquor and taste preferences, meaning there’s no menu to aimlessly pore over; instead, let the bartender be your guide.

This tiki-style bar occupies a somewhat unlikely underground locale in Chinatown, but certainly isn’t off the radar for the city's savvy drinkers. Expect libations that spotlight tropical fruits — either as the vessel, the garnish, or the main ingredient, regular DJ sets, and a keen eye to sustainability.

There used to be a deplorable lack of good cocktail bars downtown — until places like this one started stepping in to fill the void. N sur Mackay is a low-key, no-nonsense hangout for exquisite, and affordably priced, cocktails

Don't be put off by its placement in a hotel bar (located in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth): Nacarat has one of the most serious cocktail games in the city. Its menu is organized around flavour profile instead of base spirit, and it barrel-ages its own Negronis.

Cold Room might be in prime-time Old Montreal but minimal signage and an inconspicuous doorbell mean it’s mostly kept hidden from tourists. The drinks are exceptionally creative, and thematically fit the history of the space and surrounds with 18th century elements like fruit-vinegar shrubs. Check out nearby sibling establishment El Pequeño for Cuban cocktails in an itty bitty space.

In the basement of popular Vietnamese restaurant Hà lies Nhau Bar, a speakeasy that takes on its upstairs neighbour’s Southeast Asian influence. Focusing on floral liqueurs and often tropical ingredients, this Old Montreal spot excels at fruity, creative options, and tends to fill up quickly.

Neon lighting, draping plant life, and snazzy marbles and velours converge at this fashionable Pointe-St-Charles destination — a near-instant hit when it landed on the scene in 2019. Cocktails lean tropical, refreshing, and vacation-inspiring with options like Island in the Sun (gin, rum, absinthe, lemon, grapefruit, hibiscus, and pine) or Le Swan (rum, dry curaçao, peach liqueur, lime, passion fruit, coconut, cucumber, mint, vanilla, and cardamom). Bonus: Pizza from sibling establishment Fugazzi downstairs can be eaten up top.)

Shortly after Verdun lifted its decades-long embargo on booze, this petite bar landed on the scene. Palco covers all the bases, with both classic and creative cocktails, alcohol-free drinks, pitchers, beers, and a tidy snack menu, featuring $1 oysters on weeknights.