Sicily doesn’t really do bars in the traditional sense. Where Americans and Brits convene in bars and pubs after office hours, Sicilians meet around heaving tables on balmy terraces or a scatter of chairs outside a café. Timings are less clean cut here: breakfast effortlessly rolls into a late morning Messina beer, post siesta-hour drinks are rarely without at least a small spread of snacks, and there’s a lot of sitting, a lot of smoking, and an awful lot of staring. There’s also a great deal of conversation – look beyond the tourists quaffing Aperols and channelling the couples from The White Lotus and there’ll be impassioned opinions, emphatic hand gestures and the sort of well-oiled banter confined to old friends.
The island’s aperitivo culture and magnificent architecture (particularly in Palermo and the Baroque South East) makes for some knockout rooftop sundowner spots, while a cooler street food scene has gripped Catania, where a handful of craft cocktail bars have cropped up. From Old World terraces serving cocktails to energetic drinking holes in Palermo with live jazz, here are the best bars in Sicily.
Alloro, Acireale
According to revered Sicilian sommelier Piero Giurdanella, beautifully crafted cocktails are an elusive breed in Sicily. They’re there; you just need to know where to find them. You essentially need an industry insider, like Piero, to let you glimpse inside his little black book. While the island’s main cities offer up a well-curated mix of watering holes, it’s Piero’s hometown, Acireale, 5km north of Catania, that hosts what he believes to be one of Sicily’s best bars. The town itself is heart-thumpingly beautiful, with opulent architecture carved from lava stone and windows looking out across the Ionian. Acireale's historic old town is where Alloro can be found, on a corner of the main square. Its crumbling baroque exterior belies the sleek, contemporary design inside – think statement marble floors, low-slung, Milanese-style sofas and monochrome Nordic furniture. You’ll find little about it online, which makes its lofty standard of food and cocktails all the more exciting. Expect spanking fresh seafood antipasti, unctuous cacio e pepe and imaginative spins on traditional mains such as cod with Messina sauce and seared pears – all of which are cooked to Michelin-grade standard with an artistic presentation from chef Valeria Racitii. If you’re here for the sole purpose of drinking (go for the Sicilian wine labels or the Porn Star Martini), you’re missing a trick.
Address: Via Lancaster, 28, 95024 Acireale CT, Italy
Website: instagram.com
Bohéme, Catania
There’s no set cocktail menu at this Catanian speakeasy. Once settled into the absurdly soft armchairs or perched on its terrace, one of Bohéme’s energetic staff will gently quiz you to arrive at your perfect tipple (or challenge you to try something new). It’s this alchemy, gauging guests’ taste profile and combining it with mixologist know-how, that gives Bohéme its edge over other Catanian contenders. The theatrical skill that goes into crafting each elevated cocktail is worth propping yourself up at the bar for, or at least observing from across the cavernous yet cosy space, where gently uplit walls and a scatter of vintage furniture channel the warm spirit of an old tavern. If you’re into your gins, consider what garden botanicals you may wish to infuse it with, or perhaps you’re curious to see what the wizards behind the bar can conjure up from Sicilian lemons and figs.
Address: Via Montesano, 27/29, 95100 Catania CT, Italy
Website: bohememixologybar.com
Terrazzi Bar, Villa Igeia, Palermo
Palermo’s crumbling, honey-hued labyrinth harks back to a prosperous age of operas, duelling and resplendent aristocratic palazzi. One of them was Villa Igiea, a magnificent building owned by the affluent Florrio family, which once held some of Sicily’s most lavish balls. Now in the hands of the Rocco Forte Group, the Art Nouveau old-timer has received the signature, new-meets-old spruce from Olga Polizzi and Paolo Moschino. But the spruce in the Terazzi Bar was minimal, preserving its 1950s frescoes, painted by renowned Palmertian artist Eugenio (Gino) Morici, and louche pillared terrace overlooking the Gulf of Palermo. This is cigar and negroni territory, where live music lowers sun-kissed shoulders. The retro photos of Hollywood icons and glamorous royalty in the Terazzi Bar menu nod to its illustrious past, as do the remarkably detailed cocktails crafted by world leading bartender, Salvatore Calabrese ‘The Maestro’ (go for the velvety Sgroppino Mediterraneo mixed with lemon ice-cream, or the masala-based Palermo Torino). From the usual top-notch Champagne suspects to the Sicilian whites (try the Tasca D’Almerita) and Etna reds, the wine list is tightly curated. And while there’s no dress code, the general sartorial consensus is a smart casual, loafer and linen one.
Address: Salita Belmonte, 43, 90142 Palermo PA, Italy
Website: roccofortehotels.com
Bar Timeo, Grand Hotel Timeo A Belmond Hotel, Taormina
Even the hipsters and die-hard minimalists can’t resist Taormina’s high-octane grande dame. Maybe it's those wisteria-wrapped terraces with the menacing backdrop of Mount Etna, the pianist who transports guests into a bygone era, or the flickering oil lamps framing the inky Bay of Taormina. Having scoffed immaculately dressed and presented plates of Sicilian black truffle and cuttlefish risotto, Michelin-starred Otto Geleng’s diners decamp to Bar Timeo. Inside, the bar recalls an opulent, 19th-century winter garden. Settle in here for a cocktail – The Gentleman (bitter Campari, with vermouth, gin and marsala Targa Florio), a Belmond take on an Aperol Spritz (elevated, wildly delicious), and a profusion of moreish snacks and small plates (the Favignana red tuna trio and fried prawn and squid are particularly delicious).
Address: Via Teatro Greco, 59, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
Website: belmond.com
Mak Mixology, Palermo
Occupying a film-set worthy space in the Galleria delle Vittorie atrium (a neglected Fascist-era building), Mak Mixology’s high octane interiors and jazz-age energy flies well under the tourist radar. Lean towards the martinis on the cocktail menu, where the expresso martini is particularly well-executed and neatly rounds off a few plates of generously portioned, seriously tasty antipasti. Any indulgence is splendidly walked off around the nearby Chiesa di Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi. It’s worth browsing Mak’s website for live jazz performances, typically on weekends, and booking in advance as this is a favourite haunt for Palermitani easing into the weekend.
Address: Via Bari, 50, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy
Website: makmixology.it
Farmacia Alcolica, Palermo
Occasionally, a playful, gimmicky bar is just the ticket. Farmacia Alcolica is a fun cocktail bar inhabiting an old-fashioned pharmacy with an elaborate, wrought iron-gated entrance from Palermo’s golden age and medicinal-themed touches that transcend the cocktail menu (which, naturally, is pulled out from a pill box). If the high-dose Spritz Vitamin C or Aspirina cocktails don’t send you into a spin (highly dosed, dutifully dispensed), the topsy-turvy interiors will. Expect bikes suspended from the ceiling, vintage fringed furniture scattering the floor, and, usually, someone with a guitar following one too many Toradol cocktails (masala based with bitter Campari and Sicilian red). Groups tend to settle in here for the focaccia or the aperitivo sharing boards.
Address: Via Alloro, 133, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy
Website: instagram.com
Sartoria Cocktail Bar, Palermo
Sartoria is a cocktail bar worth knowing, a beacon of modern mixology, where innovative concoctions are balanced out with doing the basics very well. The very act of whipping up a cocktail is elevated to an art form at this lively haunt in the city’s historic centre, combined with a refreshing lack of stiff service or dress codes. Punters lean over tables in a balmy courtyard, while inside, orange and pink ceilings soar higher than the grand arches, their shelves heaving with every spirit imaginable, from the classics to the trendy new gin to know about. First-timers would be wise to ease in with a gin-based Freddy with The Queen Cordial and fermented pineapple, or The Hand of God, a vodka cocktail with pea flower and Baba cordial. If you’ve skipped pudding at whatever restaurant you’ve sauntered over from, order The Who, a sweet-talking mix of Bulleit Bourbon, peanut butter and Fusetti Banana Edition. And while cocktails take centre stage here, the tartare and delectable cold meat and cheese boards are a welcome touch for mopping up the 4th round.
Address: Discesa dei Giudici, 1/A, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy
Website: lasartoriapalermo.it
Circus, Catania
For a glimpse at Sicily’s new-wave creative scene, head uphill from central Catania and pull up a bar stool at Circus (nuts, popcorn, and water will be placed under your nose before you’ve sat down). You can tell that the owners and their team have had a blast brainstorming the signature cocktails and infusing, dousing, and adorning them with all sorts of island treasure and confectionery. This runs the gamut from classics with a gentle spin to imaginative concoctions as wild as the enormous soft toy tiger clawing the banquette. As far as themed interiors go, it’s tastefully playful – any kitsch stops at the circus-striped walls, the ceramic elephant napkin holders and that enormous soft toy tiger. This is a fun, grown-up cocktail bar where drinks are taken seriously and quaffed from elegant vessels while sinking into leather chairs. Work your way through Sicilian takes on Manhattans (leveraging local spirits and ingredients) or challenge the mixologists to shake up something off-menu.
Address: Via Sant'Elena, 13/15, 95124 Catania CT, Italy
Website: instagram.com