Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars
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From pub trams to candy cocktails and spooky tipples with the undead, take a seat at one of these off-the-wall watering holes and expect more than just a tall cold one.
By Jessica Keller
0/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
beer market
Beer Market, Singapore: Bears, bulls and …beer? With a pricing scheme modelled on the stock market, the cost of any particular beer rises and falls according to demand. Prices are updated on stock exchange-like flatscreens every half hour, so if your favourite brew happens to be on a bull run at the moment, just wait it out – it’ll crash if you’re lucky, and you can grab a glass when the price bottoms out. beermarket.com.sg
1/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
H.R. Giger Bar, Gruyères and Chur (Switzerland):
H.R. Giger Bar, Gruyères and Chur (Switzerland): Alien fans and surrealist art aficionados won’t want to miss these bars, designed by famed artist HR Giger according to his signature “biomechanical” concept. Both are stunning and creepy in equal measure, but the bar in Gruyères is more faithful to Giger’s original vision, plus it’s adjacent to the eponymous museum featuring his work. gigerbar.com
2/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Williams & Graham, Denver:
Williams & Graham, Denver: Speakeasy bars have been a dime a dozen since that whole Great Gatsby thing, but this one, located behind a moving bookshelf in a cocktail-themed bookstore, has earned the title. More importantly, the drinks – which change with the seasons – are perennial award-winners, earning the venue a spot among Drinks International’s list of the World’s 50 Best Bars williamsandgraham.com
3/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Alice Cocktail Bar, Wellington:
Alice Cocktail Bar, Wellington: For those times when you just want to fall down the rabbit hole. Tucked into a back alley, patrons just need to follow the neon white rabbit to find their Wonderland, where the cocktail list is a hardcover book, the bartenders are dressed as characters from the story, and on-theme drinks are served from teapots. facebook.com/Alicecocktail
4/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Candi, Montreal
Candi, Montreal: If Barbie were a party girl, this would be her main haunt. The deco is pink and purple legos, the menu a giant lollipop, and the drinks – well, they come in all colours of the rainbow and often with actual candy garnish. Try the Tiffany & Co., an aquamarine mix of raspberry vodka, blue curaçao and raspberry slushy, topped with a ring pop. facebook.com/CandiBarMontreal
5/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
The Croft Institute, Melbourne
The Croft Institute, Melbourne: An old laboratory is the slightly unsettling setting for this unique watering hole, complete with beakers, Bunsen burners and a mysterious cocktail called The Experiment, which changes every month. Sip a concoction in the ground floor lab, then head upstairs where DJs spin their mixes in a space themed like a high school gymnasium. thecroftinstitute.com
6/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Keefer Bar, Vancouver
Keefer Bar, Vancouver: Get the cure for what ails you at this apothecary-esque hot spot . The old-school look is brilliantly consistent throughout the bar, but the best part is certainly the drinks list touting weird and wonderful ingredients (e.g. poppyseed tincture, astragalus syrup) presented with unusual flair. thekeeferbar.com
7/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
The Shop NW10, London
The Shop NW10, London: You might leave with more than a buzz when you visit the aptly named Shop, where everything is for sale. Grab a signature cocktail, served in a jam jar or milk bottle, before browsing the selection of “previously loved” furnishings and deco objects. theshopnw10.com
8/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Big Baobab, Limpopo Province (South Africa)
Big Baobab, Limpopo Province (South Africa): It’s not just a bar inside a tree – it’s a tiny bar inside a 6,000-year-old baobab tree that’s been serving up cold ones for more than 80 years. It might be a bit out of the way no matter how you spin it, but a drink at this unusual bar is well worth the bragging rights. southafrica.net
9/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den, Minneapolis
Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den, Minneapolis: Self-described as “half cocktail lounge and half dive bar with fancier furniture”, Donny Dirk’s is a safe haven from that zombie apocalypse everyone seems sure is on the horizon. Bartenders dressed as Shaun of the Dead zombie hunters serve undead-themed cocktails to droves of warm bodies. Come early to get a table. donnydirks.com
10/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Beatnik Bob's at City Museum, St. Louis
Beatnik Bob’s at City Museum, St. Louis: Less museum, more multi-storey playground for all ages, the “displays” at St. Louis’s City Museum are explorable funhouse-like attractions made of repurposed materials found around in the city – think human-sized hamster tunnels, a 10-storey slide, a ball pit for adults, and all manner of things to climb in, on and around. Then there’s the on-site bar, Beatnik Bob’s, where you can take a rest while sipping a beer and playing arcade games from the ’60s. facebook.com/beatnikbobs
11/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
The Lockhart, Toronto
The Lockhart, Toronto: Kitsch it’s not – this Harry Potter-inspired bar features exposed brick walls, chalkboard accents and dangling lightbulbs that make it seem like your usual industrial-hip drinking den. Only those who look closer will see subtle nods to the popular book and film series: the profile of Harry’s patronus, the “Potions and Elixirs” sign over the bar, and of course, a cocktail menu riddled with drinks like the “Shacklebolt”, “Befuddlement Brew” and “Ludo’s Debt”. Those feeling particularly adventurous might try a Jalapeño Death Shot, which comes in a glass skull. thelockhart.ca
12/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Sparakoff Pub Tram, Helsinki
Sparakoff Pub Tram, Helsinki: Putting the “pub” in “public transport”, this mobile bar circuits the city over the course of 40 minutes, giving passengers a tour of Helsinki in 1950s style as they sip on their beverage of choice. Catch the tram from Railway Square every hour on the hour from May to August, or book it for private events. koff.net
13/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Bicicleta, Bucharest
Bicicleta, Bucharest: The name’s the game at “bicycle” bar, where practically every piece of decor has been sourced from old bicycles – bike seats for stools, handlebars as arm rests, mounted bike “antlers” on the walls. Raw concrete columns and unadorned floors add a sense of gritty charm to this watering hole, a favourite for weekend warriors looking to dance the night away. facebook.com/Bicicletabar
14/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Berlin Bar, Melbourne
Berlin Bar, Melbourne: Upon finding this tucked-away venue, guests ring the bell to summon a staff member who ushers them into a cosy space divided between East and West Germany – Westerners live it up in capitalist opulence with fancy chandeliers and plush armchairs, while patrons to the East chill in a military bunker on crates and bunk beds. Drinks with playful German names and historical allusions (Checkpoint Charlie, anyone?) aren’t just for show – they’re genuinely creative in their composition, too. berlinbar.com.au
15/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
The Classroom, Perth
The Classroom, Perth: It’s not only the bulletin boards and crayon colour palette that earn The Classroom its gold star – the schoolhouse theme is carried through to the cocktail menu (divided into Science, History and Art), the ordering process (fill out a form with the provided pencils, then pick up your food at the canteen), and the house rules reminding us all that sharing is caring. theclassroom.com.au
16/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
Madame Claude, Berlin
Madame Claude, Berlin: Nope, that’s not your beer goggles: this bar really is upside down. Housed in a former brothel in trendy Kreuzberg, Madame Claude’s tables, chairs and lamps are firmly planted on the ceiling, leaving gravity-bound guests to lounge on assorted low stools, pillows and tables while taking advantage of all the live performances, DJs, ping pong matches and “I’m upside down!” photo-ops. madameclaude.de
17/18
Food
Quirky Quaffs: 17 Of The World’s Most Oddball Bars.
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