Today a cosmopolitan capital, Budapest has seen a transformation in its drinking culture – and one not only driven by the phenomenon of ruin bars. Yes, Budapest has always had an alternative edge, an alluring contrast to the more staid scene in, say, Vienna or Munich. But with the arrival of the more discerning traveller arose the demand for mixed drinks beyond the provision of a basic martini or margarita.
Luxury contemporary hotels were opening up – the Gresham Palace, the Corinthia – and those already here were upping the ante on their gastronomic and drinks offer. The Toronto-based Four Seasons hotel group steering the revival of the Gresham Palace understood the value of a top-class cocktail bar as integral to the range of hospitality extended to guest and non-guest alike. Discreet yet deluxe, the bar here introduced signature drinks with high-end spirit bases, savvy service and warmed snacks. Wafting in from the stunning Peacock Passage alongside came the tinkling sounds of a piano. This could be Lower Manhattan or Park Lane, where Four Seasons bar staff mix drinks of similar invention and quality.
Opened in 1992, the nearby Kempinski Hotel Corvinus upped its game a decade or so later with Blue Fox The Bar, devising seasonal cocktail selections of verve and versatility. Its bar blue-lit, its tables ranged around an elegant space facing focal Erzsébet tér and the Budapest Eye, BFTB continues to lead the way. The Back to Nature series launched for the summer of 2019 not only showcased the stellar mixes of Attila Felhősi but the vessels in which they were served, such as a bronze sea snail or a laboratory flask swirled in mist. Bergamot provided zest.
As the ruin-bar craze swept District VII, in particular the once neglected passageway of Gozsdu Udvar, so around the edges upscale drinking destinations popped up, assured of passing trade. Within an intimate space, the Bar Pharma can be bold enough to experiment, its back bar lined with a wealth of possibilities. Its current rum range numbers 32, travelling across the Caribbean from the Bahamas to Venezuela, passing by Panama and Haiti.
Gracing another fringe of the bar vortex, the Black Swan Budapest on Klauzál utca entrusted the mixing to András Ódor so that it could concentrate on the finer detail such as the Art-Deco décor, low-level lighting and gastronomic invention to complement original signature drinks such as the truffle-enhanced Trufa Negroni. The Black Swan bar team also stages cocktail events at recently opened Felix, an elegant restaurant in the former pumphouse for the Buda Palace designed by renowned architect Miklós Ybl, and named after his son.
Long ahead of the pack, the Boutiq’Bar kept faith in hand-crafted cocktails through the economic crisis, and is now sitting pretty with an experienced staff and a drinks menu that is both tried and trusted (the Budapest Barbecue of gin, maple syrup and cranberry) and pioneering (Rye ‘n Goslings with Woodford rye, Gosling dark rum and Darjeeling bitters). Let’s face it, any bar that names its selection of favourites Can’t Be Bothered must know its customer base.
Open from noon, the cocktail lounge at Société is far more than just a holding bar for its top-notch restaurant. From a drinks list of more than 200 beverages, mixologists here can throw the likes of Cointreau Blood Orange together with carrot, ginger and vanilla to create Rabbit Hole, one of eight current signature cocktails that complement the substantial main range. GoodSpirit Whisky & Coctail Bar offers one of the city’s widest selection of whiskies but the bartenders can serve you amazing cocktails as well. Note also Dirty Red Carpet, with a Schiszler pálinka base, the advancement of Hungary’s ubiquitous clear fruit brandies another factor in Budapest’s bar revolution.