City trailCity
Los Angeles
Neighborhood-driven bar coverage, cocktails, and late-night spots across LA.
Explore the cityStep through the unmarked door
Where to drink beautifully, then what to make at home.
Bar Guru is a warm, moody guide to cocktail bars, city trails, spirits, and recipes, edited for people who want the good room, the right order, and fewer regrettable tabs.
Tonight’s map
Amber rooms, brass rails, better decisions.
The Bar Guru archive keeps the guide stocked with places to linger, bottles to know, and cocktails worth making twice.
Start with a city
Featured cities
City trailCity trailCity
New York
Classic cocktail dens, glamorous hotel bars, and downtown rooms built for a polished night out.
Explore the cityRooms with a point of view
Featured bar reviews
Reviewed roomWest LA
Thunderbird
A neighborhood sports bar in West LA with Tex-Mex, skeeball, cocktails, and agave spirits.
Read the reviewReviewed roomNoHo
The Nines
A glamorous NoHo piano bar and supper-club room for classic cocktails, light dining, and a dressed-to-the-nines downtown night.
Read the reviewBack bar at home
Recipes
Build at homeeasy
Margarita
Bright citrus, proper tequila, and just enough orange liqueur to keep the edges smooth.
Make this cocktailBuild at homeBuild at homeeasy
Old Fashioned
Spirit-forward and evergreen, with sugar and bitters doing exactly enough.
Make this cocktailThe shelf map
Cocktails
Drink familyCocktail category
Martinis
Cold, direct classics and modern offshoots for drinkers who like precision in a glass.
Explore the guideDrink familyCocktail category
Whiskey
Classic whiskey cocktails, spirit-forward standards, and sour builds worth repeating.
Explore the guideDrink familyCocktail category
Tequila
Tequila-led drinks built around citrus, refreshment, and agave character.
Explore the guideDrink familyCocktail category
Rum
Rum classics from clean sours to tropical staples with a little more personality.
Explore the guideOur point of view
A little luxury, a little field report.
We like polished hotel bars, neighborhood rooms with good bones, and recipes that earn their place on the counter. The guide is curated like a backbar: not everything, just the bottles, cities, and rituals worth reaching for.
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