The Best Cocktail Bars in København, by the Record

Finding Lidkoeb means crossing a courtyard behind a supermarket, through an unmarked alley, which is either annoying or half the point. The cocktail bar from the team behind Ruby spreads across three floors of a low-lit 18th-century building, all candles and dark wood and a long bar with a fourteen-strong house cocktail list. The kind of place that rewards the people willing to look for it.

1. Difford's Guide 5 stars · Difford's Guide

A marble-topped bar wraps around the back of this sunken cocktail bar in central Copenhagen, with cozy corners and secluded booths for when you want to disappear. The room runs warm and loud, more lively conversation than hushed reverence, which is a refreshing stance for a bar that takes its drinks seriously. Difford's Guide gives it five stars, and the unpretentious atmosphere makes that easy to believe.

1. Difford's Guide 5 stars · Difford's Guide

The buzzer panel at the entrance includes one for the Embassy of Georgia, which you are advised not to press. Inside, this cocktail bar spreads across two floors of candlelit rooms with rugs, Chesterfield sofas, and enough tucked-away corners to disappear into for an entire evening. The vibe is old living room, the cocktails are the reason you came, and table service means you never have to leave your corner to prove it.

1. Difford's Guide 4.5 stars · Difford's Guide

1. Difford's Guide 4 stars · Difford's Guide

1. Difford's Guide 4 stars · Difford's Guide

Named after its postal code, 1105 is a cocktail bar that plays nightclub without quite committing to the dance floor, which is probably for the best. The island bar runs like a catwalk through a long, narrow room, and the bartenders in white coats and bow ties behind it seem to know it. The crowd is well-dressed and aware of being watched, which in Copenhagen means they look effortlessly good about the whole thing.

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide

A white letter K hanging outside is the only signal that you've found this small, low-lit cocktail bar tucked along the canal at Ved Stranden. The room is essentially one bar with a couple of loungey side pockets, done in a monochrome scheme that keeps the focus on the drinks. The founder built her name on housemade infusions and is credited with helping shape the Copenhagen cocktail scene before that was a thing people said.

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide

The name conjures oak paneling and leather armchairs, but this cocktail bar on Birkegade is curved, contemporary, and very much alive. The U-shaped room wraps around an oak-topped bar counter, which is probably where the name actually comes from, though Danish speakers will note the street name and wonder what took everyone so long. The crowd figures it out fast enough, and the cocktails give them a reason to stay.

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide