Cocktail bars in Madison, WI: craft bars, historic lounges, rooftops and distillery rooms

Craft cocktail bars

• Cordial (516 S. Park St.): a neighborhood cocktail bar in the former Rustic Tavern with original cocktails, like the Hell's Bell and a Barrel-Aged Bijou, plus curated wines and mocktails. Its tagline: "Outside's a dive. Inside's a vibe."
• Gib's (1380 Williamson St.): a craft cocktail bar in a two-story Victorian house. The menu includes a Nitro Amaretto Sour and an Old-Fashioned, and each month's Community Cocktail gives part of its sales to a local organization.
• Public Parking Bar (711 E. Johnson St.): bills its cocktails as "nationally recognized," with themed cocktail nights and limited menus.
• Merchant (121 S. Pinckney St.): an industrial-chic craft cocktail bar just off the Square, with drinks "steeped in the classics," plus happy hour, late-night food and weekend brunch.
• Oz by Oz (113 King St.): an astrology-themed cocktail bar that makes its own Black Squirrel Bitters.
• The Botanist Social (206 State St.): a State Street restaurant and bar with separate cocktail and gin menus.

Historic lounges and live-music rooms

• Genna's Lounge (105 W. Main St.): Frank Genna opened it in 1964 on University Avenue and it moved to the Square in 1993; still family owned, in a Gothic Revival flatiron building. It opens early for the Saturday farmers market with a Bloody Mary bar.
• The Cardinal Bar (418 E. Wilson St.): a cocktail bar and dance club on the ground floor of the 1908 Cardinal Hotel, opened by Ricardo Gonzalez in 1974 and long a gathering place for Madison's Latin, jazz and LGBTQ+ communities.
• Garver Lounge (3241 Garver Green): a lounge inside the historic Garver Feed Mill with craft cocktails, local brews and seasonal specials, indoors and on the patio. Check its page for days, since it closes for private events and seasonal breaks.
• Lucille (101 King St.): a three-floor spot at the edge of the First Settlement District with a "Fresh Culinary Cocktails" menu and a separate non-alcoholic menu, plus jazz nights.

Hotel and rooftop bars

• Eno Vino Downtown (1 N. Webster St.): a rooftop restaurant and wine bar on the 10th floor of the AC Hotel with Capitol views and craft cocktails like the Harvest Moon (gin, thyme, ginger, bergamot) and Jungle Zen (vodka, tropical matcha).
• Ático Lounge (823 E. Washington Ave.): a Latin American fusion restaurant and cocktail lounge on the eighth floor of the Moxy Madison Downtown hotel, with city views, outdoor seating and mocktails.

Distillery cocktail rooms

• State Line Distillery (1413 Northern Ct.): a cocktail lounge finished in reclaimed barn wood, attached to a distillery that makes its own spirits, liqueurs, syrups and bitters. The cocktail menu includes Manhattan Morning and a Nitro Espresso Martini on tap.
• Yahara Bay Distillers (6250 Nesbitt Rd., Fitchburg area): Madison's first distillery (2007), with a tasting room and cocktail bar and tours by appointment. Spirits include an Extra Dry Gin and a Premium Rum.
• Plain Spoke Cocktail Company (110 King St.): a tasting room upstairs from Young Blood's King Street brewery, serving cocktails like a Mojito, a Brandy Old Fashioned and a Moscow Mule, plus food from Young Blood's kitchen.

Around the area

• Stoughton: Old Firehouse Lounge (364 E. Main St.), a 1920s Jazz Age-themed lounge in a historic firehouse with rotating Prohibition-era cocktails and live jazz and blues.
• Verona: Honey Barrel (160 Keenan Ct.), a lounge built around the Old Fashioned, with Old Fashioned flights and bourbon by the glass or in a flight.
• Fitchburg: The Rusty Bee Lounge (5134 E. Cheryl Pkwy.), a cocktail lounge with a rotating seasonal lineup; Atomic Koi Cocktail Lounge (2685 Research Park Dr.), a cocktail lounge with its drink menu on its site.
• Madison, east side: Jade Monkey Cocktail Lounge (217 Cottage Grove Rd.), a cocktail lounge with its drink menu on its site.
• Sun Prairie: Awildan Distilling (5353 Maly Rd.), a tasting room serving cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks alongside its single malt whisky, genever and spiced rum.
• Cottage Grove: Doundrins Distilling (300 Progress Dr. F), a distillery with an indoor tasting room and a fenced outdoor cocktail garden with a playground.
• DeForest: Young Blood Beer Company DeForest (4181 Savannah Dr.), a taproom with cocktails, food and two patios.

Browse every bar in the directory, or see where to eat in Madison.