Alquímico

Ranked number 8 in the World's 50 Best Bars for both 2024 and 2025, and named World's Best Bar at the 2024 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, Alquímico is not just the best bar in Cartagena — it's one of the best bars on the planet, and it happens to be here. Housed in a 19th-century mansion on Calle del Colegio, the building alone stops people at the entrance: high ceilings, a grand staircase, an open central courtyard, and three floors each with their own distinct identity.

The ground floor, La Mansón, is the engine room. Dark, buzzing, anchored by a central bar run by an all-female team, cocktails built around rare Colombian ingredients sourced directly from farming communities. The second floor, El Balcón, is quieter and more intimate, with riffs on classic cocktails. The third floor, La Terraza, is a tropical rooftop where the dancing happens and the night takes on a different energy entirely. Each floor's proceeds fund a separate community project, from a bartender academy to reforestation on the bar's own coffee district farm. The drinks are extraordinary. The vibe is better.