My Favorite Nashville Cocktail Hot Spots, Part 1

Nashville might have a reputation of being Music City, but I think it could easily be renamed  “The City of Coffee Shops & Cocktail Spots”. 

It seems like every week, there’s a hip new place popping up and it can be hard to keep up, let alone pick where to actually go! To help combat with the overwhelming sense of FOMO, I’m going to put together some guides for this quickly growing city that I love so dearly.

For my first mini-guide, I’m listing my favorite spots to go grab a cocktail in Nashville right now. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming later this month with more of my cocktail faves!

My Favorite Nashville Cocktail Hot Spots, Part 1

Let me preface this post by saying that there are SO MANY more amazing cocktail programs going on in Nashville than are listed below. The point of this guide is to help with the overwhelming amount of options that this city has to offer, so I really wanted to keep it as concise as possible, while still having plenty of variety.

I’m far from an expert and I’m certainly not a professional bartender, but I will say I have done my fair share of research as a consumer.

My criteria for these recommendations include: 1) places I’ve actually been and can vouch for; 2) places with a unique cocktail program and excellent service; 3) places that have a great bar space and environment for cocktail sipping (i.e. you don’t feel like you HAVE to order food or stand in a crowd just to have a dang drink, ya know?)

Okay, let’s get started!

L.A. Jackson

Located in the Thompson Hotel, this rooftop bar is always the first place I take visitors from out of town! You can’t beat the 360° view of the city and the vibe at the penthouse level.

www.lajacksonbar.com

It’s the perfect spot to enjoy the sunshine on a spring afternoon or to get a late night bite (get their caramel bacon popcorn, please and thank you). Don’t forget to snap a picture kissing the portrait of Mr.Jackson himself on the way to the elevators!

The Patterson House

This speakeasy-inspired establishment is the grandfather of cocktails in Nashville. It was the cool mixology place before mixology was a thing!

The Patterson House – Facebook

It’s a dimly-lit, behind-a-curtain, first-come-first-served kind of place. The menu is like a novel of rotating cocktail creations, with tons of ingredients I’ve never heard of. My advice is to chat with your server and they’ll make a custom cocktail made just to your liking!

Atta Boy

Atta Boy is a super famous bar in New York City, and we’re now lucky enough to have its counterpart in east Nashville. So here’s the fun thing about Atta Boy – there’s no real front door, like a true speakeasy. There’s just a door that says “please knock gently”, which I know, sounds sketchy. But trust me, give it a knock and a lovely host/hostess will pop their head out and ask you how many are in your party.

Atta Boy Nashville – Instagram

There are no menus are this bar, which is kind of awesome. You just chat with your server about your tastes and what kind of cocktail you’re in the mood for, and they create something delicious for you! This is the only place on my list that doesn’t have any sort of snack options, just so ya know.

The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club

This is another new hot spot over in East Nashville. The interior will make you feel like you like you stepped into a party at Gatsby’s.

The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club – Facebook

The extensive and creative cocktail list is sure to please anyone’s tastes. Warning – their capacity is only 40 people at a time, so there’s a chance you might have a wait to get in.

The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club – Facebook

What are some of your favorite go-to cocktail spots in and around Nashville? I’m always on the lookout for new places to venture to!