Argentina is well known for its wine, but Buenos Aires has a thriving cocktail culture as well. The popularity of speakeasies here (and around the world) continues unabated, and I enjoy them myself. It’s great fun to be in the know about a “secret” cocktail lair. Not all the options below have hidden doors — some are just poorly signed — but finding them still made me feel like a Buenos Aires insider. In addition to these suggestions, consider the clubby bar in the Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt, clad in wood paneling from a French château, and the fashionable polo-themed bar in the Four Seasons. Neither one is obvious from the street.

Airport Bar

How could a professional traveler resist this one? At the unmarked entrance, we approached what looked like an airline check-in counter. The host gave us “boarding passes” and led us to the elevator up to the bar. Everyone is first class here, which means we received a welcome drink before heading to our table. It was too chilly to sit by the stainless-steel prop plane on the roof terrace, but the chic art deco-style bar-lounge, done in black, white and gray, was an attractive place to have our cocktails, all named after major international airports. We went with the Barajas, an herbaceous gin and tonic made with Spanish ingredients, and the Fiumicino, a Negroni with a pleasing nutty note. While here, don’t pass up the chance to pose for a few photos in the vintage passenger jet cabin. The bar serves food, but we walked over to nearby Mishiguene, a lively restaurant serving international Jewish cuisine.

Airport Bar 
Cabello 3609, Palermo. Tel. (54) 11-2585-0073

Floreria Atlántico

On a fashionable block a short stroll from the Four Seasons, this speakeasy has a properly hidden entrance that resembles a refrigerator door in a flower shop. But as secrets go, Floreria Atlántico is poorly kept. The dim cellar space bustled with 20- to 40-somethings on our weeknight visit, but we managed to snag stools at an enviable spot at the bar. The cocktails looked simple in the glass but delivered powerful and unorthodox flavors. My Pachay combined pumpkin-infused cachaça, housemade tobacco liqueur, sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca and persimmon bitters to create a strong, rich, bitter concoction with a note of sweet pipe smoke. I also enjoyed the floral and saline Monte Arriba cocktail of singani (Bolivian brandy), “Rio Paraná water,” dry vermouth and Torrontés wine. Because of the volume level, this bar is best for the young and young at heart.

Floreria Atlántico
Arroyo 872, Retiro. Tel. (54) 911-6488-2199

Gran Bar Danzon

A 10-minute walk from either the Park Hyatt or the Four Seasons, this cocktail lounge and restaurant has a discreet, unmarked entrance. The building looks unpromising, but the second-floor space is romantic and dark, with candlelit tables, a bar pocked by illuminated pinholes and music at a reasonable level. I opted for the bittersweet and slightly floral Negroni Williams, a blend of pineapple-infused white rum, Campari and Malbec-based vermouth spiked with pear. The sweet-sour Goat cocktail of goat cheese-washed rum, Torrontés syrup, apple juice, vanilla and lemon was both strong and easy to drink, making it rather dangerous. When we arrived at about 7:30 p.m., the bar was almost empty, but more people started filtering in as we departed.

Gran Bar Danzon
Libertad 1161, Retiro. Tel. (54) 11-4811-1108

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