Liverpool Arts Bar

You'll find yourself on Hope Street in the Georgian Quarter, pushing through the door of a place that takes its drinks seriously without being a knob about it. The walls are dressed with rotating art installations—actual local stuff, not just generic prints—and there's a real sense that someone's cared about every detail. The bartenders know their stuff and aren't the type to judge if you just want a solid gin and tonic, but they'll get properly excited if you ask them to build something off-menu. It's the kind of bar where you can have a proper conversation but there's enough going on that you don't feel weird nursing a drink alone either.