For when you know what you like: the Cairns bars with the deepest shelves of whisky, gin, rum or agave.
Last checked 14 November 2026. No bar paid to be included.
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Speakeasy and whisky bar
Hidden down a red-brick laneway, an intimate speakeasy-style bar with an impressive whisky collection and seats at the bar. Australian Traveller's pick for the best cocktails in Cairns.
📍 32 Abbott Street, Cairns City QLD 4870
Tiki bar
A hidden downstairs bar of neon, palm trees, tropical prints and hula girls, pouring fruity tiki cocktails such as the Flamingo Sling and the Daintree Daiquiri from a long spirits list. It also runs cocktail masterclasses.
📍 43 The Esplanade, Cairns City QLD 4870
Distillery bar
Award-winning tropical gins and coffee liqueurs made with North Queensland fruit and rainforest botanicals, with gin tastings and cocktail masterclasses.
📍 28-30 Abbott Street, Cairns City QLD 4870
Whisky and wine bar
A Crystalbrook bar that is quieter and more intimate than the big Esplanade venues, with premium and rare whiskies, a curated wine list and cocktails. Good for a date or a nightcap.
📍 85 The Esplanade, Cairns City QLD 4870
Poolside cocktail bar
A bright poolside bar at Crystalbrook Riley with palm trees, private cabanas, tropical cocktails and share plates. Try Tomorrow's Dust, made with cumquat gin, Aperol and apricot. Book a cabana for groups.
📍 131-141 The Esplanade, Cairns City QLD 4870
Latin American bar
Bold colours, lively music and tequila and mezcal cocktails with tropical twists on the classics, plus tacos, ceviche and share plates. Happy hour is the best-value time to go.
📍 163 Abbott Street, Cairns City QLD 4870
Small bar
A low-key neighbourhood small bar in Stratford with a long wine, gin and cocktail list and charcuterie boards. Australian Traveller's hidden gem.
📍 Shop 4/9 Kamerunga Road, Stratford QLD 4870
Restaurant and bar
As the sun sets over the Coral Sea, the terrace turns into a lively cocktail bar, with botanical gins on the list.
📍 59-63 The Esplanade, Cairns City QLD 4870
Irish pub
An Irish pub with Guinness on tap, Irish whiskey, Irish music gigs and daily meal specials.
📍 87 Lake Street, Cairns City
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Start with Three Wolves, Flamingos Tiki Bar, Wolf Lane Distillery, Whiskey & Wine and Calypso Club. Our full list has 9 bars.
This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run Cocktail Week, the ten-day cocktail festival held town by town across the UK and Ireland. Now we're bringing it to Australia. Since 2022 we have taken it to more than 20 towns and cities and worked with hundreds of bars. We put this guide together from our own research and trusted local guides, including Australian Traveller and Queensland.com.
No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.
Cocktail Week in Australia
Run a bar in Cairns that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.
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