The Deutsche Eiche on Reichenbachstrasse has stood since 1864 as a Munich gay-village landmark, and its rooftop terrace looks over the Glockenbachviertel rooftops with drinks alongside the Bavarian restaurant downstairs.
Tip: Open with service; the restaurant runs alongside. Freddie Mercury and Donna Summer are part of the house lore.
Address: Reichenbachstrasse 13, 80469 Munich
Schumann's Bar moved from Maximilianstrasse to Odeonsplatz in 2003 and keeps Charles Schumann's unfussy cocktail discipline intact, with a long counter facing the Hofgarten and a clientele that runs from suits to artists.
Tip: Closed Saturdays. Cocktail names skip the gimmicks; ask the bartender for an off-menu build to your taste.
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.
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.