We’ve gathered eight establishments where cocktails are crafted not just for show, but to impress with flavor, detail, and atmosphere.
Who&Why. Drinkery
Who&Why. Drinkery is a secret speakeasy bar located on Yaroslaviv Val Street. You can only enter after ringing the doorbell at the entrance.
The cocktail menu is divided into five categories: bitter, sweet, sour, gastronomic, and non-alcoholic. Each features original recipes with a carefully balanced mix of ingredients. Among the bitter cocktails, try the Cocovardier — a blend of bourbon, coconut, sweet Italian vermouth, and tonka beans. In the sour section, there’s the Electric J — a cocktail made with Tennessee whiskey, blackcurrant, Sichuan cordial, sour mix, and gum mix.
New additions include Churchill's Cigar with spiced rum, port, orange liqueur, island whiskey, and lemon-caramel foam, and Verde Blush with vodka, tomato water, vermouth, basil, and strawberry tomato.
The bar also has a kitchen, with dishes designed for perfect food pairings with the cocktails. Each pairing enhances the flavor accents of the drinks.
Prices: Churchill's Cigar — 380 UAH, Verde Blush — 385 UAH, Cocovardier — 375 UAH, Electric J — 370 UAH, Peat Father — 375 UAH, Red Velvet — 375 UAH
Address: 21a/20 Yaroslaviv Val St.
Ancy
Ancy is a new Mediterranean restaurant that opened near Fomin Botanical Garden, just a few minutes from Universytet metro station. The menu includes breakfasts, seafood dishes, and fire-grilled meats. The bar menu features both classic and signature cocktails in a Mediterranean style, alongside a large selection of wines, champagne, and premium spirits.
The cocktails are crafted to pair perfectly with the food — nothing excessive, every detail thoughtfully considered. For example, the De mure et de passion cocktail combines blackberry-infused Tanqueray gin, elderflower syrup, fresh lemon juice, and peach foam. The Femme Fatal features Gordon’s Passionfruit gin, Lillet Blanc vermouth, lychee liqueur, and cherry plum syrup. Another standout is Violet Royal with blackcurrant gin, violet liqueur, maraschino, rosé wine vermouth, sparkling wine, and clarified lemon juice. Sauvage de la jungle blends pineapple rum, pandan, coconut, lemongrass, mango, lemon, and Amaro di Angostura.
Each cocktail costs 450 UAH. If you’re looking for a place where the bar is as strong as the kitchen, Ancy is worth adding to your list.
Prices: De mure et de passion — 450 UAH, Femme Fatal — 450 UAH, Sauvage de la jungle — 450 UAH
Address: 43 Pavla Skoropadskoho St.
Lumen
Lumen, a speakeasy bar, opened at the end of 2024 in the premises of the Squat 17b club. Entry is only possible after ringing the doorbell — there’s no sign. This isn’t accidental, but part of the bar’s concept, which references its symbol — a butterfly flying toward the light.
The name "Lumen" — a unit of luminous flux — is also intentional. The bar’s interior is built around the interplay of natural and artificial lighting, warm colors, and natural wood.
The cocktail menu is curated by mixologist Karina Popushyna. It features 9 signature cocktails with well-thought-out ingredient pairings and over 20 classic variations.
One of the newest cocktails at Lumen is Linda. Light and citrusy with notes of grapefruit, lime, and orange marmalade, it evokes the ease of summer. Vanilla adds smoothness, and the overall composition is a playful answer to the question: “Why so serious?”
In addition to cocktails, Lumen serves dishes with Vietnamese influences that pair well with the bar menu.
Prices: Linda — 380 UAH, Blue Cheese Martini — 360 UAH, Wild Side — 400 UAH, Palomina — 400 UAH
Address: 17B Tereshchenkivska St.
“BarmenDictat”
“BarmenDictat” is one of Kyiv’s most iconic cocktail bars, located in a courtyard on Khreshchatyk, on the site of the former art club “44.” The venue has long achieved cult status among locals and tourists alike, and even hosted Stephen Fry as a guest.
One of the visual highlights of the bar is its 13-meter-long counter — the largest in Ukraine. The opposite wall is completely lined with bottles of alcohol from around the world. The cocktail list features over 30 options: classics, signature mixes, and drinks with their own backstories. Among the bestsellers are Kraken — a blend of rum, herbal liqueur, spiced cherry, lemon, and ginger beer, and Jesus Christ — a cocktail with spiced almond liqueur, spiced cherry, lemon, and lime foam.
Besides cocktails, “BarmenDictat” also has a full kitchen offering salads, snacks, and hot dishes, making it suitable not only for evening outings but also for extended hangouts.
Prices: Kraken — 480 UAH, Jesus Christ — 400 UAH, Thanos — 380 UAH, Englishman in NY — 330 UAH
Address: 44B Khreshchatyk St.
HRAM
HRAM is a cocktail bar in the center of Kyiv, located in the basement of the BEEF restaurant. The space was created by the Ukrainian design studio YOD Group and unites four themed bars — “Centrum,” “Hyde,” “Smoke,” and “Vitrazh.” Each has its own concept, individual cocktail menu, and atmosphere, encouraging guests to return and discover something new each time.
HRAM works not only with form but also with deep cultural context. For Kyiv Day, they introduced a new cocktail menu called “Temple Cocktails,” which serves as a gastronomic guide to the city’s iconic religious sites — from the Church of the Tithes to the Zvirynets Monastery.
The team worked on the menu for four months. Head bartender Andrii Fokin developed the recipes, while the Barta brand created unique glasses for each drink. The final selection includes five cocktails. For example, First Church is served in a glass imitating stone and wood — the materials used in the construction of Kyiv’s first stone church. Zvirynets refers to the history of the cave monastery and is served in a glass shaped like a Polovtsian stone statue. Organ is dedicated to the burned organ of St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral — the glass is shaped like an organ, with each “pipe” representing a separate cocktail with its own concept. Golden Dome visually echoes the domes of the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, while The Bell is a drink served in a bell-shaped glass you can ring once you’ve finished your drink.
Prices: Menu available at the bar
Address: 11 Shota Rustaveli St.
Hendrick’s bar
Hendrick’s is a speakeasy-style bar operating within the True Burger Bar restaurant. Its interior and concept are inspired by the Prohibition era and the legendary Hendrick’s gin. This gin became the foundation of the bar’s identity — in the carved wooden décor, you can find symbolic cucumbers and roses, which are key ingredients of the gin and elements of the brand’s signature style.
The cocktail menu is built around five categories: drinks based on gin, rum, whiskey, bourbon, and also tequila and mezcal. The venue focuses on classics crafted by professional bartenders, but the menu also features signature drinks with unique mixes.
Each year, the bar launches a seasonal menu called SEASON REASON — a series of cocktails made with local ingredients gathered in the Kyiv region. The drinks change weekly depending on the availability of fresh herbs and flowers: for example, right now you can try cocktails made with young nettle, mirabelle plum blossoms, apricot flowers, and dandelions.
In addition to cocktails, the menu includes light snacks, salads, toasts, and BBQ ribs — perfect for a casual bite or a full dinner.
Prices: Young Nettle (with young nettle) — 358 UAH, Apricot Blossoms (with apricot flowers) — 358 UAH, Mirabelle Plum Blossom (with mirabelle plum flowers) — 358 UAH
Address: 42 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St.
Alchemist
One of Kyiv’s legendary bars — Alchemist — recently resumed operations on Shota Rustaveli Street. The venue refreshed its branding and interior, becoming even more intimate and atmospheric. It now truly resembles an underground alchemist's lab, where instead of potions, they craft complex cocktail mixes.
The bar continues to host DJ sets, live performances, and events.
The current cocktail menu features 10 signature drinks and several dozen classic variations. Many of them are reinterpreted with modern techniques and unexpected combinations.
One of the new signature cocktails on the menu is Sub Rosa. It’s a mix based on Beefeater London Dry gin, with Aperol, yogurt liqueur, raspberry syrup, and fresh lemon juice.
In addition to cocktails, the bar offers a wide range of alcohol — from classic spirits to stronger imports. Cold and hot appetizers, soups, salads, and main courses are also available to accompany the drinks.
Prices: Dragonfly — 395 UAH, Hentai Punch — 395 UAH, Sub Rosa — 395 UAH, Gothica — 495 UAH
Address: 12 Shota Rustaveli St.
Saint Bar
In the very center of Kyiv, across from the National Opera, you'll find Saint Bar. It’s located in the same building as the Citronelle restaurant and combines European sophistication with Kyiv’s openness. Jazz music plays here, and dry martinis — the bar’s signature drink — are served.
The cocktail menu includes both classic and signature options, with not only stylish mixes but also drinks that tell stories. One of them is Botticelli — a refined cocktail with gin, Saint-Germain liqueur, and peach liqueur, inspired by the art of the painter of the same name.
Two more cocktails serve as a tribute to culture, freedom, and support for Ukraine.
Improvviso is a cocktail created in collaboration with Italian jazz musician Paolo Fresu, who came to Kyiv for a concert during the full-scale invasion. It features pear, melon, passion fruit, and orange. This cocktail, Fresu said, reminded him of his own music.
Superpower is a tribute to actor and director Sean Penn, who has supported Ukraine since the very first days of the invasion. The drink was inspired by his documentary film “Superpower” — the first full-length film about the full-scale war, giving Ukrainians a voice worldwide. It’s made with passion fruit, citrus, and tequila, and topped with a blue foam referencing the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Prices: check the menu at the bar
Address: 23 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St.
After an evening of refined cocktails, we recommend keeping your balance and heading out the next morning in search of the perfect croissant. We’ve already compiled a list of bakeries that make them so good, you’ll want more.
