The last time we were in Italy was February 2020 which was not a great time to be in that part of the world (or really any part of the world that wasn’t your home). We had been on our second tour of Italian distilleries in 6 months, first in the South and then, on this trip, in the North. That trip finished us in Torino where we caught a connecting flight to Amsterdam before the final leg home to Toronto. As we sat waiting for that final flight, we saw the news that Italy was shutting down and the world as we knew it had changed. We had no idea at that time how we would be affected by this pandemic nor how many years it would continue to alter our lives. When we got the invite to travel to Milan for The World’s Best Bars awards ceremony this year, we thought it would be a great opportunity to return to Italy. The food! The drink! We needed it back in our lives. And when we got the invite to travel to Florence before the awards, we were excited: a new city for us to discover! Florence is a small city that is super easy to navigate. It’s beautiful and has so much history – and it is chockfull of wonderful cocktail bars. Bars to fit every style and want you could possibly have.
GIACOSA
All cocktail history includes some storytelling and what the ultimate truth is, we may never know and we love it for that. It has been said that in 1919 the Negroni was created in a space directly across from where Giacosa 1815 now resides. They pay homage to this classic cocktail by serving the original version, their own version and an entire menu of Negroni riffs (plus Giacosa’s own cocktail creations). Their Giacosa Negroni is a more bitter Negroni than the usual equal parts original. They blend the ingredients and then let them rest in 20 litre batches for at least a month. This resting time creates a drink that has more roundness. and feels like a cohesive endeavour. They then stir the drink with a lemon twist that they discard before serving to the guest. Giacosa is a must stop when in Florence to not just have a Negroni but to experience incredible Italian hospitality at its finest. We all should know by now that what makes a bar “the best” is the people behind it and Giacosa proves this point. Everyone we met here were so lovely – they seem like a real team who genuinely love what they do.
Also: the bar snacks! The bar snacks! The complimentary offerings they give when you order a drink are fantastic. They also have a menu of great food and snacks including marinated olives that we will be thinking about for a long time to come.
Also: Giacosa operates as a café during the day. This means that if you need a real eye-opener, the Negronis start flowing as early as 8am.
MANIFATTURA
The first thing to know about Manifattura is that everything is Italian. Not just vermouth and amari, everything. The gin, whisky, brandy, fruit juices, herbs in their housemade ingredients, everything. The menu is set up in a way that highlights flavours and spirits from specific regions of Italy. This could be handled in a way that ends up being a no-fun geography lesson, but instead Fish and the staff are so excited to tell you about it, you have no choice but to be engaged. Fish will also talk to you about all the best modern Oi! Bands, which Josh loved.
LOCALE FIRENZE
This bar gets a lot of love from everyone in Europe and that is all well deserved. When we visited we only saw a small area of the bar. We heard about a centuries old fireplace and a terrace, but even in the main room, with eyes on the bar, this was one of the greatest experiences we’ve had out drinking in a long time. The menu, right now, is set up so that you order through traditional Italian hand gestures. We love that this is something that really only works in Italy and is also handy when the room gets crowded or too loud.
GUCCI GIARDINO
No surprise that the bar adorned with the name would be exact in everything they do, even at noon on a Tuesday, which is when we were there. A menu made up of slight variations on classic also feels on-brand for the Gucci name. Never breaking the mold, just adjusting it to set the standard.
MOVE ON
First floor: a pub style bar with a ground level view of the square in front of the Duomo.
Second floor: A RECORD STORE WHERE YOU CAN SIT AND HAVE A DRINK. How is this concept not literally everywhere? Key to our hearts.
WINE WINDOW
You cannot visit Florence without visiting a wine window – literally small windows outside of bars and restaurants where you can get a glass of wine to be consumed on the street. They originally began in the 1600s as a way to safely sell food and drink during the plague so it’s almost a cyclical moment that they gained popularity again during this century’s pandemic. There are a bunch of wine windows to choose from. We visited BABAE and loved that they had an orange wine option. When in Florence, you have to experience a wine window.
Last updated October 26th, 2026
