Bar Gabányi opened in 2012 below street level on Beethovenplatz, with Stefan Gabanyi (ex-Schumann's) running a classical American cocktail programme, a deep whisky selection and occasional jazz and chamber-music nights.
Tip: Wednesday and Thursday from 18:00, weekend doors at 20:00; book for chamber-music sets. The whisky list rewards a slow read.
Address: Beethovenplatz 2, 80336 Munich
Zephyr Bar runs a deliberately stripped Glockenbach room on Baaderstrasse with fresh produce stacked behind the counter, house builds like the Chai and Peach Smash and a loud crowd that keeps the seats full late.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive before 21:00 on Friday and Saturday. Closed Sundays.
Pusser's New York Bar opened on Falkenturmstrasse in 1974 as Munich's first dedicated cocktail bar, with mahogany walls, naval memorabilia, a jazz pianist downstairs and the British-Virgin-Islands Painkiller as the house drink.
Tip: The Pianobar downstairs runs Thursday to Saturday from 19:30. Smart-casual dress; the bar rewards a slow conversation.
Goldene Bar sits at the back of the Haus der Kunst overlooking the English Garden, with 1937 gilded walls, a wide terrace and Klaus St. Rainer's cocktail programme that won German Bartender of the Year for the room.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays. Daytime cafe service from 11:00; the terrace opens through the warm months and is the seat to chase.
Boilerman Bar runs inside the 25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian at Bahnhofplatz, focused on highballs poured from a tight spirits programme, with a no-reservations door and a loose, walk-in railway-station crowd.
Tip: Highballs are the order; the bartender will adjust soda-to-spirit on request. First-come first-served, no bookings.
Negroni opened in 1998 on Sedanstrasse in Haidhausen as a classic American bar, with a tight cocktail list, an Italian-inspired weekly menu and a sun terrace that runs through the warm months.
Tip: Walk-in; bartenders mix off-menu on request. The weekly Italian small-plates list pairs to the cocktails.
NY.Club has run for 44 years near Karlsplatz as Munich's reference queer dance club, with a split-level room, hi-tech sound and rotating party series from Luxuspop on Fridays to Output techno and the men-only Dark nights.
Tip: Doors at 23:00 Friday and Saturday. Output and FagGods are the monthly slots to chase; Luxuspop runs every Friday.