Bramble Bar has spawned three other equally delectable drinking dens beside it across the city, but this is the original, and arguably, the best of the trio. A subterranean refuge we’d happily never resurface from.

This subterranean Stockbridge hangout is as intimate as it gets, with cosy leather arm chairs, dimmed lighting and roaring open fires. The perfect choice for a first date, their cocktails menu is extensive and the waiters incredibly attentive. Try ‘who dares wins’ for citrusy gin-based drink or the Arnaud’s No.6 with black bottle whisky and hibiscus syrup for something a little meatier.

Run by the team behind Bramble, Lucky Liquor is the aforementioned Bramble’s cool sibling. Impossible to miss for its “Lucky” neon sign outside, this newly opened New York-style bar features retro teal chairs and a monochrome tiled floor. Confining itself to 13 cocktails and 13 spirits on any given night and changing seasonally, is more than reason enough to sample half a dozen concoctions before they’re gone from the menu. Try the Megawatt – it is made with a pisco base and comes serves in a light bulb.

Established in 1603, this small Duddingston inn is the oldest pub in Scotland. With its dark wooden interior, leather armchairs arranged around a fireplace and more board games than you could ever have wished for as a child, this is one of the city’s cosiest corners.

Edinburgh nightlife is not as vibrant or dynamic as its cooler sibling, Glasgow. The string of nightclubs on George Street cater for cheesy classics but what Edinburgh does best is kept relatively quiet. Over in Old Town sits a jazz den of pure, unadulterated musical pleasure. A night spent listening to live music, drink in hand and surrounded by fellow music lovers is always going to be a night well spent.

More of a gig venue than a nightclub, Sneaky Pete and his 200-capacity room host some of the best live music in town. With a strong loyalty to local artists, expect to see some of Scotland’s hottest exports such as Rustie, Eclair Fifi and Frightened Rabbit inside of these four walls.

Speakeasies are now well and truly engrained in Edinburgh’s drinking scene. Panda & Sons is hidden not only behind a barbershop but also behind a bookcase – meaning astuteness is key to getting inside. Here, cocktail concoctions arrive in smoking bell jars, meaning couples can (and often do) “get acquainted” through the fog. If you’ve a predilection for whisky, go for The Boulevardier or Robinson Caruso.

Scottish Malt Whisky Society’s original home down in Leith transports you back to the age of Scottish enlightenment, tucked away in the sordid streets of the former port-side district of disrepute. The Queen Street residence is a more central refuge and includes a restaurant for those who can’t bear to tear themselves away back to their own flats in the real world.

Located in the basement of the Rutland hotel, Heads and Tails is one of the best bars in Edinburgh’s West End. Serving up tapas-style sliders at pretty competitive prices, there’s no need to call heads or tails when it comes to deciding where to go post-work – everyone’s already en route here.

Whether it’s the kilt-clad man playing the bagpipes to the delight of tourists or the towering castles that house their fair share of ghosts, tradition runs deep in the streets of Edinburgh – and Sandy Bell’s is a manifestation of that. Pouring pints since the 20s and championing Scottish folk music (it’s fun, we swear) since the 60s, Sandy Bell’s is an Edinburgh institution as embedded into the landscape as Arthur’s Seat. The live music is best experienced sitting at the carved wooden bar with a steak-and-ale pie in front of you, a Scotsman chatting your ear off, merry locals dancing a jig and a pint of beer followed by a whisky… just don’t ask for a mixer.

A summer drinks menu that has an entire section dedicated to frozen cocktails? We’ll have one of each, please. Overlooking Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach, The Boathouse first opened its doors back in 2019, and has been a playground for the city’s cool kids ever since. Interiors are made complete with neon lights, flower walls and a wooden pergola draped in fairy lights. Party people should visit on a Saturday night, and arrive hungry – the food menu is too tempting to resist. Our order? The bruschetta paired with an enormous bowl of Napoli pasta, washed down with an icy porn star martini.