The Best Places to Drink in Milwaukee

There's no menu at Bryant's, just a bartender who asks what you're in the mood for and then makes something better than you imagined. This Milwaukee cocktail lounge has been around forever, all dark wood, velvet booths, and Rat Pack lighting that flatters everyone equally. A 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Bar, though the room feels too cool to acknowledge it. Come dressed like you mean it.

1. Punch Industry Icon
2. James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
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Every cocktail on the menu comes in a spirited or spirit-free version, which sounds like a gimmick until you're sipping something smoky and elaborate at midnight with nothing to dread by morning. This plush cocktail lounge inside the Dubbel Dutch Hotel leans into big ice, smoked drinks, and deadpan drink names, "garnished with disaster" being an actual garnish note. A James Beard nominee for Best New Bar in 2025.

1. James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best New Bar
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1. Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central

1. James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar