4 editor picks in Milan.
4 speakeasies in Milan our editors have drunk at, sorted by score. All Milan nightlife.
1930 hides a members-only speakeasy in the basement of its sister bar Mag Cafe in the Cinque Vie quarter, with a password-and-membership entry, an antique vinyl room and Flavio Angiolillo's cocktail programme that has held a World's 50 Best Bars slot since 2019.
TipMembership and the password come via the Farmily Group sister venues; reservations are required and there is one seating per evening. No street signage at the door.
Backdoor 43 packs a four-square-metre cocktail room and a takeaway slot into number 43 on the Naviglio Grande, billed as the world's smallest bar with three seats inside, a private one-hour booking system and a masked bartender for street-side orders.
TipReserve the inside hour ahead via the Farmily Group site; the takeaway slot serves passers-by through a hatched window without a booking.
Iter runs a travel-themed cocktail room a block back from the Naviglio Grande, where bartender Nicola Scarnera and the Farmily Group rotate a country menu every six months so the back bar, food plates and cocktail builds all shift around one cuisine at a time.
TipThe country residency changes twice a year; the menu lists the current destination at the top. Reservations recommended for weekend evenings.
Nottingham Forest has run on Viale Piave at the foot of Porta Venezia since 1980, with owner Dario Comini pioneering molecular mixology behind a tribal-art-lined bar that has held a World's 50 Best Bars slot for years and is the city's canonical fusion cocktail room.
TipThe room is small and the line forms before 22:00 on weekends; no reservations so arrive early. The menu changes seasonally and runs to over 200 builds.
1.5 hours
Step behind the bar at the city's first microdistillery. Discover the still in action, explore rare plants, and taste liqueurs before creating a cocktail with your fav...
1h 30m
Learn how to make four iconic cocktails with a professional bartender. Create your own drink, take part in the Mystery Box Challenge, and end with an Italian aperitivo.
2 hours
Learn the secrets of the typical Italian Aperitivo and prepare your own cocktail in this class. Discover the history of Italian cocktails and master pouring techniques...