Best Cocktail Bars in Montreal 2025

A literal cocktail laboratory where spirit selection transcends normal bar practice. Over 300 bottles behind the bar, many rare, many never seen in Montreal before. The bartenders approach cocktails with scientific precision, measuring temperatures and using centrifuges. The programme changes quarterly.

Natural wine and cocktail hybrid venue with serious technical depth. The staff actively discourage drinkers from ordering off-menu cocktails, instead guiding guests toward curated pairings between natural wines and house cocktails created specifically to complement each other. A two-hour visit is not excessive.

Sits directly above the Ritz PDB concert venue, making it both a serious cocktail bar and a cultural institution. The bartenders are musicians. The crowd is musicians. The cocktails are excellent. Opening hours vary based on shows happening downstairs, making it a genuine extension of Montreal's music scene rather than a separate establishment.

Japanese-inspired cocktails using rare sake, shochu, and umami-forward ingredients like dashi and fermented pastes. The menu is small (7 house cocktails rotating monthly) and the bar takes exactly 18 guests at a time. The owner spent two years in Tokyo learning from the best bar culture in Asia.

The neighbourhood cocktail bar done perfectly. Simple 12-drink menu of classics plus seasonal specials. Staff remember regulars' names and orders after one visit. The bar holds 30 people maximum, creating an intimacy that makes strangers sitting next to each other feel like part of the same conversation.

A neighbourhood bar in the truest sense—locals outnumber tourists 40:1. The cocktail menu changes every Monday. The bartenders taste-test every cocktail they serve. No television. No music above conversation volume. No pretension. One of Montreal's best-kept secrets, and the only bar on this list that locals actively ask us not to publicise.

An unmarked speakeasy with exactly 40 seats, a world-class cocktail programme, and a secret entrance that only locals know about. The bar requires reservations (book through their Instagram). Cocktails cost $18–28 and every single one is technically impeccable. This is Montreal's best cocktail bar, full stop.

Twelve seats. No written menu. Tell the bartender what spirits you like, what flavours appeal to you, and what you had last time—and they build a cocktail for you. This format requires absolute confidence in the bar's technical ability, and Cloakroom delivers that confidence. Expect to spend $20–30 per cocktail and two hours minimum.

The cocktail bar at the Hotel William Gray. Open to the public despite its hotel address. The bartenders trained at Milk and Honey in New York. Classics are executed with absolute perfection. The atmosphere is formal but not cold. Cocktails cost more than neighbourhood bars but the experience justifies every dollar.

A rooftop terrace with unobstructed views of the St Lawrence River. The cocktail menu emphasises French spirits and aperitifs. The crowd is a mix of tourists and locals, making it the most accessible bar on this list. Summer is the best season (the rooftop is heated but not heated well in winter).

A bar dedicated to the French apéritif culture—pastis, Pernod, absinthe, and anise-forward cocktails. The bartenders have travelled throughout Provence sourcing rare bottles. The menu rotates seasonally following what's available from their European suppliers. A proper visit means ordering an absinthe ritual drip cocktail.

An industry favourite where bartenders come to drink after their shifts end at 2am. The space is stripped-down—concrete floors, no decoration, minimal lighting. Cocktails are simple and strong. The crowd is 80 percent bar staff from other venues. No frills. No pretence. Exactly what a late-night bar should be.