W.C. Harlan is a bar in Remington, Baltimore.
W.C. Harlan in Remington is a candlelit speakeasy behind an unmarked door, Lane Harlan's first bar, pouring seasonal cocktails and a deep amaro list.
Food program: Snacks
Tip: There is no sign; look for the unmarked door on 23rd Street, then head inside.
Address: 400 West 23rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21211
Sugarvale in Mount Vernon is an intimate basement cocktail bar, mixing inventive, balanced drinks with zero pretension off a frequently changing menu.
Signature drink: Inventive seasonal cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: It is small and below street level; arrive early on weekends to land a seat at the bar.
Dutch Courage in Old Goucher is a gin-focused cocktail bar on North Charles Street, building its list around gin and tonics and a long back bar of botanicals.
Signature drink: Gin and tonics, gin cocktails
Food: Small plates
Tip: It is gin-forward but the team mixes anything; the patio is a draw in warm weather.
The Bluebird Cocktail Room in Hampden is a literary-themed upstairs cocktail bar, mixing hyper-seasonal drinks in a book-lined room above the Avenue.
Signature drink: Literary-themed seasonal cocktails
Food: Small plates
Tip: The upstairs Green Room is the seat to ask for; the menu leans hyper-seasonal.
The Elk Room in Harbor East is a hidden cocktail bar behind Italian Disco, pouring spirit-forward classics in a dim, vintage Atlas Restaurant Group room.
Signature drink: Spirit-forward classics
Food: Snacks
Tip: Enter through Italian Disco; the cocktail list runs spirit-forward and classic.
The Owl Bar in the Belvedere Hotel is a Mount Vernon landmark since 1903, a wood-panelled former speakeasy with terracotta owls and brick-oven pizza.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails
Food: Brick-oven pizza, pub plates
Tip: The neon owls signalled bootleg liquor in Prohibition days; the brick-oven pizza is the kitchen's strength.
Max's Taphouse on Fells Point's Broadway is a beer hall with more than a hundred taps and a deep bottle list, a Baltimore craft-beer institution.
Signature drink: Hundreds of taps and bottles
Food: Pub grub
Tip: The tap list runs past 100; the annual Belgian beer fest is the calendar event to catch.
