7 ways to drink spectacularly across the United States this spring

The range of drinking styles and options in the U.S. is quite astonishing, when you crest above and take the bird's-eye view. Whether you want a dive bar with impeccable cocktails or a refined dining-and-drinking experience that merges Japan and America, these are the places to imbibe this spring.

Ayahuasca Cantina, Dallas

"The food menu is as close as locals can get to a night in Mexico City," said D Magazine. That means at Ayahuasca Cantina you can eat shrimp meatballs and fish tacos cooked al pastor-style. This, however, is a bar first, which means the drinks are the stars. There are fermented beverages, like guava pulque and the corn-based tejuino, from before the colonizers arrived, and a battery of contemporary cocktails that showcase Mexican ingredients.

Good Neighbor Bar, Altadena, California

Altadena was one of the neighborhoods most affected by the Los Angeles fires earlier this year. Good Neighbor does not play about its support for — and centering of — its neighborhood: They recently erected an enormous sign in front of the bar, starring a map of the neighborhood loaded with red dots that represent all the buildings affected by the fires. The drinks are from the team behind Everson Royce and the "expansive menu" has "highballs, tiki punches and frothy drinks shaken with egg white," said The Infatuation.

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Kumiko, Chicago

The "epitome of elegance," said The World's 50 Best, Julia Momosé's Kumiko exists at the intersection of American and Japanese bar and food culture. You can pop by for a bite and a cocktail that merges, say, shochu, vermouth and rhubarb, or bless yourself with a multi-course dining-and-drinking tasting menu that shows the full capabilities of this singular spot.

Lady Jane, Denver

A genever cocktail with carrot and oloroso sherry; a rum and bourbon with mustard seed and spicy chive dust: No matter the complicated nature of the drinks at Lady Jane, there is somehow a breezy easygoingness to them that matches the airy desert-chic vibe. The bar "feels like the sort of place Denverites have been going to escape the city bustle (and winter chill) for years," said the Denver magazine 5280 when Lady Jane opened in 2018. Seven years on, it was exactly correct.

The Longfellow Bar, Cambridge, Massachussetts

Boston has always been a drinking area. The Longfellow Bar, from chef Michael Scelfo of Alden & Harlow, is a fine contribution to that lineage. The "130-year-old building exudes charm," said Condé Nast Traveler, and the "loving restoration of the space has created one of the city's most intriguing places to have a drink — think globe lights, cathedral-ceilings, original window panes and a stunning Carrera-marble bar top." The cocktails are pitch-perfect, and, as you would expect, the eats, like a Japanese milk bread grilled cheese and waffle fries with sesame Kewpie mayo and chili crisp, are primo.

Meteor, Minneapolis

Meteor is "staffed by some of the best bartenders in the city, and you can find most of the other great bartenders in the city ordering a shot and a beer right next to you on any given night," said Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. It is the kind of place that sits at the uncommon intersection of dive bar and bar with impeccable drinks and snacks. To prove the point, you could order a boilermaker of Hamm's and malort. Or you could have a Monkey!Knife!Spritz! with melon, negroni aperitivo and dandelion. Either way you happen to yaw, always order one of the hot dogs.

Thunderbird, Portland, Oregon

The cocktails at this laidback spot are a mixture of classics, like the espresso martini and Oaxacan old fashioned, and original drinks, such as the Cool Mom with vodka, marionberry syrup, lemon and soda water. In keeping with Thunderbird's goals around accessibility, there are oodles of nonalcoholic drinks and a menu of bar eats that please every kind of eater. You want that poutine vegan? Done. Craving a beef burger but your pal wants one with Beyond Meat? Easy.