Are you a cocktail lover with the lust to explore different bars? Perhaps you’ve been going to places that make you choke every time you sip your drink? Or maybe you are sick of Malbec, Fernet or Quilmes and want to broaden your alcoholic horizons?

Making a good cocktail is nothing short of alchemy: it’s about turning raw ingredients into divine nectars that will sweep our senses and turn an alcoholic event into a fantastically pleasant one, with a touch of glamour. Here are five places which are sure to bring you the ultimate cocktail experience.

courtesy of Gran Bar Danzon

Gran Bar Danzon, Libertad 1161. Open Monday to Friday from 7pm, Saturdays and bank holidays from 8pm.

This is an established bar that has it all: it combines divine award-winning cocktails with deliciously tasty food, a great atmosphere and an impeccable service. Tucked away on the first floor of a building in busy Retiro, you would be forgiven for walking past without noticing it.

The long, orange-lit bar is inviting while the relaxing lounge is separated from the dining area. If you’re a smoker, make your way there before the end of the year, when the glass walled smoking section will close. Their cocktail Santiago Goes to Chicago won this year’s Bacardi Legacy Cocktail but their list also features 16 other beverages which were invented by their established team of experienced barmen. The selection of martinis is wide, with classics like cosmopolitan and apple martini, but also six variations of the mojito and also variants of daiquiri, negroni cocktails and sour beverages. Their wine list comes in an iPad (in the restaurant area) and make sure to tuck into some of the beautiful food – it’s to die for!

Cocktail Price Range: $33 to $45

Tip for the reader: Patan Vidal plays live jazz between 7pm and 9.30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays DJ Pablo Bettencourt shakes up the atmosphere.

courtesy of 878 Thames

878 Bar, Thames 878. Open every day from 8pm.

878 has an intimate, yet elegant feel to it. Brick walls combine with leather sofas, wooden seats, candlelit tables and a bar which features inbuilt strips of light. Yes, this place is all about the detail. 878 is another adopter of the iPad carte du vin, but it’s the cocktail menu (and its variety of quality whiskeys, possibly the biggest in Buenos Aires) that impresses the most. The choice is infinite, from the common mojito to more intricate combinations. Their most popular beverage is Refresco N˚1, a sweet and sour fruity drink made of sake, lime, passion fruit and herbs. It originally came from the famous Gaucho Grill restaurant in London and it’s smooth and easy to drink. If you’re looking for something a bit more exotic, Cherry El Spicy is a sexy drink that gets your whole palate dancing with pleasure.

Food here is good value for money and some waiters speak English. The clientele is pretty wide-ranging as people from 25 to 80, Argentines and expats, mix together. There’s also a secret bar, hidden at the end of the long black corridor where the toilets are, which is perfect for office Christmas parties or more intimate rendez-vous.

Cocktail price range: $35 to $80.

Tip for the reader: 878 is more popular on Fridays and Saturdays, but these are not necessarily the best nights. Wednesdays and Thursdays bring a more chilled out crowd and your wait to be served won’t be as long.

courtesy of Olsen

Olsen, Gorriti 5870. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm and Sunday from 10.30am.

This is the perfect cocktail bar for the summer because of the long outdoor courtyard featuring cascading wall plants and an open plan indoors. Olsen has a young, relaxed and stylish vibe to it. A polar bear sculpture made by artist Cynthia Cohen hanging from one of the walls gives a hint to what this bar specialises in: Scandinavian food and vodkas. Although they also serve other types of alcohol, their vodka selection is the biggest in Buenos Aires and accounts for around 60 different brands.

Their most popular drink, the mint cocktail, blends mint, passion fruit and Absolut vodka. It’s like a Slush Puppie but dangerously lush, as you can’t feel the (high intake of) alcohol and it is set to ease the heat. Another good bet is the Pink Flamingo, made of Absolut Ruby Red, grapefruit, cucumber and Cointreau. Contrary to all the others in this top 5, at Olsen they do not serve off the menu drinks. However, for those not accustomed to vodka cocktails, they have a combination of five canapés and five vodka cocktail shots (the 5+5) which is sort of a taster’s option.

Cocktail price range: $35 to $110.

Tip for the reader: Go early or book ahead (4776-7677) as it can get pretty crowded on weekends. Their Sunday brunch is a heavenly cure for hangovers ($30 to $90).

courtesy of Casa Cruz

Casa Cruz, Uriarte 1658. Open Monday to Saturday from 8.30pm.

Thick majestic golden doors open up to find leopard printed carpet, an oval shaped bar, luxurious floral arrangements and a black velvet curtain, which separates the bar from a dinning dining area. Make no mistakes about it – Casa Cruz is classy.

They are mostly famous for their wine selection (you will find a floor to ceiling glass window with over 2,000 bottles of around 300 high-quality wine labels at the end of the dinning dining area). Yet, their cocktails are nothing short of superb. Drinks are served at the right temperature in the finest glassware, mixing the best ingredients.

This season we dare you to try their signature Cocktail Noel, a summery drink which combines an in-house blend of Smirnoff Black and fresh cucumber, ginger liqueur, apple juice and a splash of lime. If you’re more into sweet cocktails, the old fashioned Jill’s Sin is the passion fruit blend for you.

Their crowd is mostly made up of 35-year-olds and upwards who come looking to consume a first-class product and appreciate it.

Cocktail price range: $38 to $80

Tip for the reader: If you come here on a date, try cocktail Ricardo. It mixes Jägermeister, fresh tangerine and Ginger Ale, bringing that toothpaste + alcohol taste to a whole new level. It will give you the fresh breath you need to get lucky.

courtesy of Doppelgänger

Doppelgänger, Av. Juan de Garay 500. Open Tuesday to Friday from 7pm and Saturday from 8pm.

So maybe you’re not so much into the glitz and glamour and prefer your old-school classic cocktails, perhaps with brands you might not be able to find in Argentina, such as the Chartreuse Vert, Parfait Amour, Golwasser and Byrrh. If that is the case, Doppelgänger is there for you. A stone-throw away from Plaza Dorrego, this cocktail bar has a raw, simple look but there’s nothing simple about their drinks. Here, cocktails are a science in which even the quality of the ice and how fast it melts is a concern. Their mission statement is to serve quality classics, the “long lost” drinks from the 50s and 60s.

Their specialty drink, the Old Fashion, is made of bourbon whiskey, a syrup made of sugar and angostura bitters, an orange slice and, to top it all, a cherry. It’s a unique drink in that each sip you take, a different flavour invades your mouth: from the bourbon burning sensation, to a pleasantly wooden taste and then the sugary finish. You can poke on the orange depending on how tangy you want your drink.

Bartenders are happy to attend if you don’t like or don’t know much about cocktails. They will ask about your personal preferences and then serve something which they think will be up to expectations. And if you don’t like it, you won’t get charged.

Most of their customers are Argentines with only a few expats occasionally, so come in and mingle!

Cocktail price range: $32 to $67.

Tip for the reader: This is a place for cocktail lovers, so don’t go there expecting to get wine, beer or a fizzy drink because you simply won’t find them.