Where to Drink in 2023

When tasked to choose the places that would top our collective list of travelworthy drinking destinations this year, we wondered if it would even be possible to narrow it to just five. As the world’s great drinking cities wake up from a pandemic-induced slumber, many have emerged transformed—recognizable but brimming with fresh promise, ready to be discovered anew. This is the conclusion we came to after tapping dozens of our contributors, confidantes and acquaintances from all over the world. Each made a compelling case for their city being on a list of places to drink not just generally, but right now.

What ultimately drove us to the five destinations below was the way in which each place combined both deep-rooted, generations-old traditions with a fresh, progressive perspective on nightlife. The results are often surprising, sometimes frenetic, tense, even bewildering, but never boring. From a city reimagining American drinking in the Midwest to a Japanese town with a legendary appetite and trove of drinking secrets still undiscovered, here’s where we want to drink in 2023. — The Editors of Punch

Nightlife reborn in South America's drinking capital.

Unlike other cities known for their bustling nightlife, Buenos Aires isn’t notorious for drunken debauchery or binge drinking, although it’s not difficult to find if you look hard enough. Instead, late nights out require stamina. It’s not uncommon to see hordes of porte?os (the people of Buenos Aires) out and about and engrossed in conversation, sipping on a Buenos Aires–style Old-Fashioned, an easy-drinking artisanal lager or a glass of wine until the early hours of the next morning.

Although local buzz tends toward the new and trendy, nostalgia holds a special place in the city’s nightlife. Fernet mixed with cola, also known as a Fernandito, is the unofficial Argentine drink of choice, but other classics like the Clarito (a local riff on the Martini made with a sugar rim) can be found at just about any Buenos Aires bar. A renewed interest in the country’s natural resources has led to creative cocktails infused with indigenous plants like huacatay, mu?a mu?a and chachacoma, while aperitivo culture lives on with apéritifs con soda, served with a siphon to spritz tableside. That same spirit has driven the city’s natural wine scene, too, which has increasingly looked toward exciting new domestic wines even beyond Argentina’s established wine regions. Local wine bars now tell the story of the country’s fresh wine renaissance, all at an accessible price.

Click here to continue reading...