The Pot Still
154 Hope Street, Glasgow
Glasgow’s oldest theatre and one of its finest bars are both found on Hope Street in the city centre. If you’re on the way to an opera, ballet or big-ticket musical at Theatre Royal, a refreshment stop at The Pot Still is a must. As the name suggests, they’re specialists in whisky, but it’s the warm, buzzing atmosphere that makes it a true gem.

The Lucky Liquor Co
39a Queen Street, Edinburgh
From quirky gigs to panel events, plus a full Fringe programme, Assembly Rooms is one of Edinburgh’s oldest gathering spaces. Just around the corner on Queen Street, Lucky Liquor Co is equally creative, with a deliberately tiny back-bar encouraging a less-is-more attitude to mixology, resulting in some of Scotland’s best, and most consistent, cocktails.

SCOTCH Whisky Bar 
The Balmoral Hotel, 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh
In a city completely at ease with squeezing theatre into its less elegant nooks during Fringe season, the grandeur of Edinburgh’s Playhouse is reassuringly constant. Old-school opulence is also the order of the day at SCOTCH, The Balmoral’s maximalist whisky lounge. With over 500 bottles gleaming in floor-to-ceiling display cages, bar manager Cameron Ewen is one of Scotland’s most knowledgeable, hospitable hosts.