Athens has always been a beer town—Creature Comforts, Terrapin, and a dozen dives and taprooms will tell you so. But something has shifted in the last decade. The same creative restlessness that built the music scene and slowly turned this college town into one of Georgia’s fastest-growing dining destinations has found its way behind the bar.
From a brewery-turned-distillery’s moody cocktail lounge to a Thai spot pouring yuzu gin, here’s where to drink well in the Classic City.
Nighthawk Lounge
Husband-and-wife team Krista and Jerry Slater—the dynamic duo behind the Expat, recently shuttered favorite Slater’s Steakhouse, and the Lark winespace—built Nighthawks as their cocktail playground in Newtown. Sommelier Krista Slater’s menu turns up genuine surprises, like the mezcal-and-Strega Burn the Witch or the aged brandy-peppercorn the Porch Executive, served alongside self-described “grandpa snacks”—think upscale bologna sandwiches and tinned fish. 175 Tracy St., Ste. A101, Athens, nighthawkslounge.com
Cura
Tucked behind Creature Comforts’ main taproom, Cura is the brewery-turned-distillery’s first cocktail bar, built around its own house-distilled spirits. Dark, moody interiors and seated service give the space a very grown-up lounge feel. The name derives from the Latin for “to care” and “to be curious,” and the experimental menu leans into that ethos with proper, 1800s- and 1900s-inspired cocktails with a modern, local twist. Drinks change seasonally, but if the Strawberry Smokeshow is available, grab it while you can. 271 W. Hancock Ave., Athens, creaturecomforts.co/cura
Bar Bruno
From the ZZ & Simone’s team, and Italian wine expert Greg Smolik, this Five Points spot channels a Roman or Sicilian aperitivo bar, right down to the Aperol spritz crowd lingering under fringed orange umbrellas. Beyond the dozen spritz variations and $11 aperitivo (Sbagliato, Bicicletta), the cocktail list reworks classics like the negroni, cardinale, and vesper, alongside an Italian wine list curated glass by glass. 1664 S. Lumpkin St., Athens, barbrunoathens.com
Osteria Olio Bar
If you’re not hungry enough for a multi-course Italian meal, pull up a stool at the equally stylish bar inside Rivet House hotel. The swanky industrial-chic space provides a moody backdrop for a cocktail menu that runs from the Calabrian chili oil-washed mezcal Rising Phoenix to the applewood-smoked Evening Elephant rye, plus a deep amari list—more than 20 selections, organized sweet to bitter, with build-your-own flights starting at $25—that alone makes it worth the drive up Oneta Street. 355 Oneta St., Bldg. C2, Ste. 200, Athens, osteriaolio.com
South Kitchen + Bar
Set inside the restored ballroom of Athens’ first hotel, South Kitchen + Bar pairs its beloved Southern menu—duck fat tater tots, low country shrimp and grits—with a cocktail program worth a visit on its own. The seasonal list swings from the rye-and-amontillado sherry If She Were a Drink to the hibiscus-tequila Naked and Famous Nº2 with mezcal and Strega, drawing a Downtown crowd as easily as a dinner one. 247 E. Washington St., Athens, southkitchenbar.com
Hidden Gem
From Sam Frigard and Bain Mattox of Normal Bar, Hidden Gem opened in 2023 with deliberate dive bar character—thrift store paintings, turntables, no TVs—hiding a solid drink program. The cocktail list is inventive without being showy: pistachio oil-washed gin with Dolin Genepy and raspberry in the Hidden Gem, or the Angostura Colada, a full shot of bitters with coconut, pineapple, and nugget ice. Or go bold and ask the bartender to make you something off-menu. 625 Barber St., Ste. 140, Athens
Hi-Lo
A Normaltown staple on Prince Avenue, Hi-Lo is better known for its beer list and eclectic bar food—Cincinnati chili, a vegan oyster mushroom po’boy—but the cocktail program deserves its own attention. Seasonal and ever-changing, it swings from a Kyrö pink gin Straw-baby with house strawberry-pear syrup and champagne float to a cachaça False Summer riff on a caipirinha. Check the chalkboard or ask the bartender for the latest sips. A solid mocktail list means no one at the table gets left behind. 1354 Prince Ave., Athens, hiloathens.com
Puma Yu’s
Is it a bar? Is it a restaurant? With a menu this good, labels don’t really matter. At Puma Yu’s, Ally Smith’s cocktail program earns equal billing with her husband/chef Pete Amadhanirundr’s non-traditional Thai menu. Asian ingredients play a starring role in originals like the yuzu gin-based Puppy Brother, and twists on the classics, like a Thai Tea daiquiri. Zero-proof offerings, such as the sumac-spiced Ghia Paloma, are just as thoughtful. 355 Oneta St., Ste. D400A, Athens, pumayus.com
Pretty Boy
The bar program shines beneath the pink neon “hello, người đẹp” sign at Kenny Nguyen’s Normaltown Vietnamese spot. Signature cocktails lean into Southeast Asian ingredients—Vietnamese gin, kumquat, ube, Asian pear—with enough creativity to keep the list interesting season to season. The Queen of Carrot Flowers, a rose gin-and-carrot juice number with St. Germain and marigold, is as pretty as its name suggests. 247 Prince Ave., Athens, prettyboyathens.com
The Old Pal
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Behind this historically preserved storefront is a cocktail bar that knows its stuff. The seasonal house list ranges from the sfumato rabarbaro-and-lavender Felt Cute to the mezcal-passionfruit Clay Pigeon, while the classics column—a Bee’s Knees, a Hemingway Daiquiri, the rye-Campari namesake Old Pal—reflects reverence for the craft. Draft cocktails, a deep amaro bench, and a thoughtful zero-proof menu round out the bill. 1320 Prince Ave., Athens, theoldpal.com
