With an unparalleled view over the skyscrapers in JBR, it’s peculiar to have a place like the cigar lounge Above 21 being totally empty the few times I’ve visited - for sure it could have something to do with the fact that I’ve only visited the 14th floor, which apparently is members only (no one told me it was members only - so apparently I look like a member).

Galaxy Bar opened just recently with ambitions set through the roof - with a door policy stating “no effort - no entry”, and an initial idea about minimum spend of 2,500 AED per two persons, they left most of Dubai’s cocktail scene behind before even opening.

When visiting the Peacock Alley there are one group of seven or eight people drinking their dutiful after-work beers, and that’s it. While that of course lets the bartender spend all the time he wants to debating the best maraschino cherries - it also gives the place a somewhat forsaken feeling.

When Waldorf Astoria decides to open up in DIFC, they do it with class - the hotel is breathtaking! A bit of a quirky solution in which the lobby is located on the 18th floor, but once there, you get the full-on Waldorf feeling throughout!

If you, like me, enjoy the views from Luna Sky Bar, but don’t enjoy the crowd that much - take the stairs up to Churchill Club and get the same kind of views, but a totally different experience.

Mina Brasserie has in next to no time become an institution for the conscious crowd in DIFC. With a straight up competent bar in the restaurant section, and a more fast paced one in the outdoor lounge section, you are more than likely to get your fix of cocktails here.

Masti was voted Best Bar for Mixed Drinks in Time Out 2019, and I am tempted to agree - at least so far into my Dubai cocktail bar endeavours. They have cleverly named cocktails, all related to the classics, and a huge bar counter perfect for long visits discussing cocktails with the bartenders.

While visiting Phoenix Social Club, I decided to also review the cigar lounge Diademas, in The H Dubai. It’s a small place, but the furniture is nice, and there is a bar counter that looks inviting for a small chat with the bartender.

BB Social is a one of a kind institution in DIFC - set over four floors in something that mostly resembles a Parisian townhouse, it’s worth the effort to take the stairs down just to go through the different mood zones of BB. But still - it’s in the upstairs bar you want to be: A comfortable crowd keeps the bartenders on their toes, and the atmosphere on top.

For those of us who used to like the bar in the old Japanese gem, Okku, the place has opened up again but now under the name Phoenix Social Club, and with a focus on the 1930s and 1940s in the US, rather than the swanky Japanese that was Okku’s attribute.

Stepping in to Noir Bar in Kempinski Mall of the Emirates is like setting your foot in another world. When allocating the budget for design, someone was feeling generous, because the place is breathtaking.

Located in the newly reopened The Address Downtown, The Restaurant ticks all the boxes from an interior design point of view - the place is stunning! The only downside is that there are no guests to enjoy the sleek and elegant restaurant.

This New York institution has just recently made its way to Dubai, and while the food is supposed to be truly special, they do have a more than decent bar in the upstairs restaurant.

40 Kong is not a place for the faint-hearted, given it’s location on the 40th floor on top of The H Dubai. Even though the bouncers can be a bit too an*l about one male needs to be accompanied by one female, it usually works if you’re well dressed and arrive before the big mass.

There are two entrances to David Myers' speakeasy bar Poppy - one from a concrete staircase outside of the restaurant BASTA (also by Myers), and one through the emergency exit - none of them are marked, which makes this place even more intriguing.

With sky high ambitions, and a creative team to back them up, Laurel Bar is a few short straws away from something truly great. The cocktail list is a bit on the over-ambitious side, and sadly it doesn't allow the bartenders to shine. Also, the place was dead empty, so we'll see how long management puts up the money to keep it running.

With an interior that unobtrusively lets your thoughts wander to Cuba, and old colonial buildings from centuries ago, Havana Social Club promises more than it delivers.