50 Best Southern Bars


Whiskey Bars



The Bar at Husk in 
Charleston, South Carolina
Plenty of the crowd here are biding their time while awaiting a table at the main event, chef Sean Brock’s workshop of Southern locavore gastronomy next door. But the sultry carriage-house bar—all exposed brick and dark wooden trusses—is worth an outing in its own right. Choose from among fifty-plus bourbons and cocktail inventions like the Fire in the Orchard, a blend of Maker’s Mark, smoked apple juice, and pickled jalapeño that tastes like autumn on the rocks. huskrestaurant.com

The Horse & Barrel in Lexington, Kentucky
Though lauded by connoisseurs as one of the choicest whiskey bars in all creation, this welcoming pub, adjacent to DeSha’s restaurant smack in the heart of downtown Lexington, refuses to cop an attitude about it. The bourbon list numbers some eighty strong, from Old Rotgut to Pappy Van Winkle’s 23-year-old Reserve. deshas.com

Mac McGee
 in Decatur, Georgia
This appealingly grungy Decatur Square bar calls itself an Irish pub, but whiskey knows no nationality here. The glorious list meanders from Ireland to Scotland, with a lengthy detour through the South, Canada, and elsewhere. Order a flight of three so you can compare the smoky powerhouses of the Scottish islands, or taste your first Welsh and Japanese whiskeys alongside a single-malt Michael Collins from Ireland. macmcgeeirishpub.com


Writers’ Retreats

City Grocery Bar in Oxford, Mississippi
Faulkner’s gone, but Oxford writers still need whiskey. Enter City Grocery Bar, a magnet for both visiting literati and a prodigious crop of local talent. At this dark second-story spot, bartenders pour grown-up drinks, says chef-owner John Currence. “And those soothe the demons in a writer’s soul.” citygroceryonline.com

Under the Volcano
 in Houston, Texas
A block from Brazos Bookstore, Houston’s leading indie, Under the Volcano is where you’ll find star authors hanging with the cognoscenti after a reading and signing, comfy in the appropriately steamy patio—especially after a couple of exquisite strawberry basil mojitos.
 underthevolcanohouston.com

Also check out:
Allison Glock's favorite bar: the Clermont Lounge in Atlanta, Georgia
Marshall Chapman's favorite bar: the Station Inn in Nashville, Tennessee
Daniel Wallace's favorite bar: the Crunkleton in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Five bars around the country that do Dixie right