The bar at Terra shines under the watchful eye of general manager Matt Catchpole, a cocktail pundit in his own right. Regulars fill the bar at the neighborhood bistro in trendy West Columbia for well-executed classics and seasonal sips constructed with housemade cordials and local ingredients. Dinner fish specials are often caught by chef Mike Davis and the lamb mac has never left the menu.

It’s advised to try several cocktails at once at the War Mouth. Bar Manager David Adedokun plans them as a group each season based on what’s inspiring him from Midland farms and far off travels. The barbecue-leaning restaurant is an anchor in historic Earlewood with delicious iterations of hash and rice and deviled eggs. Punchy decor and indoor/outdoor seating make the War Mouth a worthy destination. 

Hundreds of tequilas, including family-farmed mezcal, have found their way to the bar at Coa Agaveria. The margarita list alone makes a stop here fun but additional cocktails, featuring seasonal ingredients, rotate every few months. Interiors are attractively moody and punctuate a menu filled with sopes, pozole, ceviche, dobladitas, and tamales.

The newest addition to Main Street is Smoked. Its play on smoked meats and seafood covers a lot of ground with a 30-seat main bar, a back bar that opens onto a stylish patio, a U-shaped oyster bar, and a basement-level speakeasy. An onsite brewery shares space with a cocktail menu that leans a bit towards rum drinks, garnished with house-made items like lava salt dipped in dried citrus.

Hendrix is upstairs, and its rooftop bar is another floor up, but the bourbon selection at the bar (and cocktails on the roof) make the step count worthwhile. Chef Frank Bradley is in the kitchen at Hendrix after years at Bourbon. His plates continue to be centered on what’s produced in the Midlands, from field peas to quail, and pair well cocktails made with hand-squeezed juice and housemade shrubs.

Bourbon sits steps away from the capital and is known for its whiskey and bourbon stock, which numbers in the hundreds, collected by proprietor Kristian Niemi. Seasonal cocktails, many created by mixologist Kat Hunter, are boozy and balanced with rounded, melty layers. An annual Tiki Week in July spans 14 days, and the restaurant and its adjoining second bar go all out with decor and a menu that is planned year-round.

Chef Javier Uriarte opened his restaurant Ratio after turns in the kitchen of Motor Supply Co. and Hendrix. Ratio may be outside of downtown, but his Peruvian fare and pisco-leaning cocktail menu attracts diners nonetheless. Grant McCloskey is behind the bar and produces striking cocktails to pair with Uriarte’s shareable plates. Look for cocktail dinners and pisco tastings here.