Bologna’s bustling bar scene is set to please cocktail connoisseurs on a night out. There’s an array of craft establishments to quench your thirst if you’re venturing into Emilia Romagna’s food-obsessed capital city.
To help you in your nightly explorations, here are a selection of the best venues in Bologna for craft cocktails.
photo credit: Ruggine Facebook
Ruggine
Missing Brooklyn? Head to Bologna’s favorite hipster bar, Ruggine. Hidden in a small alley in the heart of Bologna, the space was once a warehouse and bicycle workshop and the vibe is decidedly ‘berliner’ with exposed brick, shabby chic furniture and old movie posters, exactly what you’d expect from young owners and friends Ricky, Don, Jack and Davo.
Come here for the craftsmanship and seasonality of ingredients, which include shrubs and syrup made in house.
Address: Vicolo Alemagna 2/c
Website: www.ruggine.bo.it/menu
Sentaku Concept
Tradition, origins and authentically Japanese ingredients are reflected both on the plate and in the glass at Sentaku Concept with sake, yuzu, matcha and Japanese liquors paired with modern techniques and style. Already officially one of the best 500 cocktail bars in the world, Sentaku is a rising star in the city and dedicates care and professionalism to its recipes as much as to its customers.
Come here for stylish and intricately prepared cocktails
Address: Via Marchesana, 6
Website: www.sentakuconcept.com
Photo credit: Bar Volare Instagram
Bar Volare
For frontman and owner, Peppe Doria, the opening of Volare was a romantic tribute to the iconic prototype of the ‘60s Italian bar, inspired by Federico Fellini and Domenico Modugnano.
At Volare, you’ll be surrounded by football, pools tables, an old jukebox, chewing gum machines, a black and white TV, a corded telephone and other memorabilia purchased in vintage markets throughout Italy. The philosophy expressed is that of simplicity linked to tradition and in-depth knowledge of ingredients.
Come here for a drinks list that pays homage to the cocktail’s base alcohol without too many fancy additions, as well as a suburb liquor selection of forgotten labels, the homemade Rosolio (an Italian liqueur made from a base of alcohol, sugar and water) and delicious Martini.
Address: Via Belvedere, 10d
Website: www.instagram.com/volarebologna
Velluto
An eclectic lounge with an international feel located in one of the most central and elegant spots in Bologna, Velluto was founded by the famous bartender Enrico Scarzella. From 6pm, Antonio Gigante and Saverio Vaccari develop an avant-garde drinks list that is spectacular to look at and intriguing to the palate. Expect well-balanced Italian and international cocktail classics as well as innovative and scrupulous signature drinks where everything from the choice of glass to the storytelling is refined.
Come for the housemade cordials used in the cocktails and array of labels to delight gin lovers.
Address: Via de' Toschi, 2 g
Website: www.vellutobologna.com
Photo credit: Donkey Bar Facebook
Donkey
Best described as a Speakeasy 2.0, Donkey is the brain child of Michele Collina and Simoncino Donà, two titans of the city’s nightlife, who for years have generated glamorous events dedicated to top notch mixology.
Donkey’s design is deliberately inspired by prohibitionism with multifaceted environments equipped with private rooms, cigar rooms and Gulliver rooms, all blended in an exotic and colonialist melange. Excellent bartenders safeguard a curated and refined bottle rack, from which come sharp signatures that are particularly powerful in the colder seasons.
Come here for the mysticism and meanders of the night world where a good drink is served with the highest quality gourmet cuisine (oyster, foie gras, jamon iberico etc.).
Address: Vicolo Broglio, 1f
Website: www.donkeybologna.info
Bamboo
Donkey’s sister bar Bamboo comes to life from breakfast to after dinner with a view of the Due Torri. From 6pm, the buffet set up on the beautiful convivial table overlooks a kitsch bottle rack deftly wielded by the hand of bar manager Vlad Taci.
Sophisticated techniques, lacto-fermented products, fatwashing and a no-waste ethic give character to the vigorous list of cocktails. On the walls, and often in the glass, are references and homages to the icons of Bologna.
Come here for classic recipes – primarily those based on gin or vermouth – as well as provocative and intriguing new drinks, including the Real Reversal (caramelized fino sherry, tonka bean tincture, pineapple soda), Therroni (pomegranate rosolio, gin, savoia aperitif, lemongrass amaricante), and Wrong Spritz (amaro santoni, exotic cordial, matcha soda).
Address: Strada Maggiore 23/C
Website: www.bamboobologna.info
Photo credit: Scuro Facebook
Scuro
With a view of the moon, Scuro features a convivial tailor-made table with 18 seats that breaks down the divide between the barman and customers. You can just make out the laboratory where Scuro has its own independent distillation, reducing the bottle rack to almost zero in the name of a circular economy reflected and directed towards signature cocktails. The new bartender Andrea Panizzi certainly needs no introduction: he’s well known for his brilliant knowledge of Italian and international classics that he loves to interpret through twists of caliber and elegance.
Come here for beautiful cocktails served with very fun dishes from Allegra's kitchen.
Address: Via Galliera, 11
Website: www.scurococktailbar.it
I Conoscenti
This ancient 14th-century palazzo houses beautiful rooms, a restaurant and a cocktail bar on the ground floor whose design and soul hark back to the great Parisian and New York outfits, combining craftsmanship, flavor and marble for a feeling of intimacy and refinement.
The food and wine scene has been faithfully good for years with chef Salvatore Amato in the kitchen. Bartender Mattia Tubita brings grace, internationality and personality to the cocktails offered.
Come here floral and aromatic flavors, particularly in the cocktails Salute al Conte! Serendipity, Spicy Gimlet, Peperoni Botanici.
Address: Via Manzoni, 6
Website: www.iconoscenti.com
Photo credit: Guero Facebook
Guero
At Guero, Alberto Andriolli and Daniele Rumori have created a warm and convivial atmosphere, focusing on a cuisine with purely Mexican origins, around which they’ve created a very elaborate and encyclopaedic drink list.
If you’re thinking this is a cocktail bar with deafening Latin music, indigestible dishes and tequila shots you’ve completely missed the mark. The care and attention paid to ingredients and shakers, even in the face of large guest numbers, and the ever changing menu of drinks and food is impressive. The list features over 230 labels including 20 types of tequila and 20 mezcal.
Come here for the drinks but also for the snacks. The fried or grilled halloumi cheese with spicy mango salsa is as addictive as the guacamole on tortilla chips and fried green beans, the tacos, burritos and sandwiches.
Address: Via Goito, 9/2A
Website: guero.it
Corner Bar
The Langone brothers' Corner Bar is a firm Bolognese local favorite with few rivals. With veritable ease, Corner Bar combines freshness, good quality, healthy breakfasts, lunches, aperitifs and dinners with an engaging and convivial mood, and a precise and polite service.
Come in spring and summer for the corner terrace where brunches are animated by music and check out Corner Bar’s second location specializing in specialty coffees and coffee courses, which opens soon.
Address: Via Saragozza 37/A
Website: cornerbarbologna.it
Photo credit: Angolo B Facebook
Angolo B
A group of friends who know the habits of the Bolognese and their city like the back of their hands are behind Angolo B. After a lot of hard work and sacrifices, the team has given birth to a genuine and democratic bar that’s become a fixed meeting point for young people. A place where everyone can and should feel good.
Come here for the traditional dishes and tapas ideal for sharing, non-trivial spirits and natural wines by the glass.
Address: Via Garibaldi 7/C
Website: www.angolobologna.it
Fior di Sale
The vision of Nicola Annis and Stefano Duò was for a polythematic bistro concept capable of overflowing from the orthodox standards of Bologna’s historic center. And in Fior di Sale, they have achieved just that. From brunch to after dinner, Fior di Sale comes alive with a Mediterranean current that intersects and flows together multiple cultures. The skills of bar manager Salvatore Castiglione are esteemed. Opening the menu you’ll find the great classics refined in small jars or aged in barrels and creative drinks composed of cordials, essences, flavored sodas and infusions that follow the no waste ethic.
Come for independently grown botanticals and drinks with impressive personality.
Address: Via Altabella, 11D
Website: fiordisalebologna.it
Jiani’s Bistrot
Cocktail bar and Chinese cuisine in symbiosis with Gianni Xie at the helm. Jiani’s Bistrot is popular for its quality, unique offerings and affordable prices. His recent and surprise success at the Mix Contest Italy Tour in Bologna is confirmation of this.
Come for the home-made delicacies from mamma Sofia, famous for her dumplings and other Chinese dishes, and the cocktails continuously reinvented by Gianni to surprise you with their alchemy, research, aesthetics and versatility.
Address: Via del Pratello 58/A
Website: www.instagram.com/jianis_bistrot
